Just a bike!

To request Bike Score for your city, visit www.walkscore.com/bike. Bike Score will add the top 10 cities receiving votes between now and the end of National Bike Month on May 31, 2012.  So if you want your city included, as they say in Chicago, vote early, vote often! It is certainly possible, if not probable, that the top rankings will change when bike meccas like Boulder, Davis, Cambridge, etc. are added.

According to their blog, Bike Score provides a 0-100 rating of the bikeability of a location based on the availability of bike infrastructure (lanes and trails), the hilliness of the area, destinations and road connectivity, and the number of bike commuters. The Bike Score for a city is then calculated by applying the Bike Score algorithm block-by-block throughout the city and weighting the scores by population density. You can read more about the methodology here.

It appears by a link at the bottom right corner of the page that local bike coordinators might have the ability to get cities added as well. If you know your local bike czar and want your city analyzed, send them the link.

It is interesting that snowy and cold Minneapolis beat out Portland, largely on the strength of the trail system in the Twin Cities. Mayor Ryback will once again be able to make his claim that “Portland is just a street in Minneapolis.” Whether you get a kick out of snarky political sound bites or not, a little competition to be the best city for cycling will benefit us all.

One comment from Madison made the interesting point that this test is clearly graded on a curve. If my daughter got a 67 on a math test, that would score as a D, but in the world of bicycle friendly US cities, that puts you in the top 5.  It would be interesting to see how Copenhagen or Amsterdam would rank in Bike Score.

Copenhagen is ranked by Walk Score, and gets a 93, or “Walker’s Paradise.”  I imagine they would get a similar score for cycling. As a local point of pedestrian pride, Milwaukee tops Copenhagen in Walk Score with a 97 due to a dense urban street grid and sidewalks pretty much everywhere, AND we have custard stands (just saying).

Care to share a Schwinn Suburban at Schlitz Park?

DreamBikes donated the Schwinn Collegiates and will give them regular tune ups.

Downtown Milwaukee’s already bicycle friendly Schlitz Park office community picked bike to work week to launch a free bike share program. The tenant bike share program utilizes a fleet of vintage Schwinn Collegiates and Suburbans restored by DreamBikes Milwaukee, the non-profit bike shop on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, just up the hill from the office park.

DreamBikes will service the bikes once a week and will expand the fleet as tenant demand requires. To borrow a bike, tenants simply leave a driver’s license or another form of ID and return the bike by 5 p.m. A small donation to DreamBikes, while not required, is suggested. If the weather turns bad or there’s a problem with the bike, Schlitz Park will pick up the rider and their rental.

Electric vehicle charging stations, bike share and covered bike parking along the riverwalk? Sounds like office park heaven.

Very nice racks.

The tenant bike share program is the latest in a series of initiatives Schlitz Park began in 2010 to create a Bicycle Friendly Schlitz Park that encourages tenant wellness and sustainability. The Bike Fed helped by creating a bike plan for the office park.  Recent ameneties include some of the best bike parking in Milwaukee with the first corporate installation of 80 state-of-the-art secured bike parking stations and a weather protected bicycle shelter.

They also published a property-specific bike map and hold bicycle commuting safety classes. Additionally, Schlitz Park’s $30 million renovation includes two new fitness centers with showers providing bike commuters a place to change or clean up. One center has opened and the second will in June. Schlitz Park also hosts the Schlitz Park Criterium bike race during the Tour of America’s Dairyland.

 

The bike racks are placed close to all major entrances in the office park.

“While our efforts have focused on making it easier for tenants to bike to and from work, not everybody can,” explained Schlitz Park developer Gary Grunau. “With our free, same day bike rentals we’re providing tenants the opportunity to ride to a meeting, errand or just get a little exercise. It’s good for them, good for the environment and good for DreamBikes.”

Russell Jobs, manager, DreamBikes Milwaukee, added “More and more cities have bike share programs and until Milwaukee has one, we thought let’s use our bikes to start our own share program with Schlitz Park. This is a great way for us to promote bicycling in the city, as well as DreamBikes and our mission.”

 

Food trucks come to the office park for those who don't want to walk or bike but like to get out of their office over lunch.

More than 4,300 people work in the Schlitz Office Park, home to major Milwaukee businesses including Manpower Group and Time Warner, and other companies and organizations providing financial services, health care, employment, education, technical and other important services.

 

Schlitz Park is located right on the Milwaukee River Walk, so if you are not into cycling, you could walk, or even kayak to work if you are so inclined.

Alderman Murphy and about 100 others rode from Milwaukee City Hall to the grand opening of the Pedal Milwaukee Bldg.

Yesterday many communities across Wisconsin celebrated the first “official” day of National Bike to Work Week with glorious sunshine and unseasonably warm spring weather. The Bike Fed were able to celebrate the day with a ride from City Hall in downtown, to our new office just off the Hank Aaron State Trail.

About 100 people made the ride from City Hall, through downtown, to S 2nd (a recent “complete street” project DPW did), over Milwaukee’s signature 6th Street Bridge, west through the Menomonee Valley on the Hank Aaron, and then up through the Valley Passage to our new digs at 3618 W Pierce Street.

Another 75-100 joined us at the open house, which was also the grand opening of the Pedal Milwaukee Building. Pedal Milwaukee is a building Tom Schuler recently purchased to be the home of his sports marketing and team management business, Team Sports, Inc.  He bought the building because of it’s nearness to the trail and the new business developments in Menomonee Valley. The building is a classic warehouse that has been updated for offices and the Bike Fed shares space on the second floor.  The building is in great condition and the remodel was very well done.

Eleven years ago when I opened the first Milwaukee office for the Bike Fed, the building I was in didn’t even have working water on my floor and there were homeless people living in the bathroom I used.  Most recently the Bike Fed shared office space at the Milwaukee Environmental Consortium on Milwuakee’s east side.  That was pretty nice space, but we had outgrown it and the new office has room for us to grow.

Milwaukee's S 2nd Street gets the thumbs up. It was recently put on a road diet when it was reconstructed to make room for bike lanes, wider sidewalks and green space. It is a great example of a complete street and has already attracted a number of new businesses.

The Pedal Milwaukee Building used to be home to a plumbing company that went out of business when the real estate market fell.  When business was good, they had sand blasted the cream city brick walls, sanded the hardwood floors and even installed Kohler fixtures and Fischer Paekel dish drawers.  Compared to that first office, I sure feel like the Bike Fed is moving on up!

The new Menomonee Valley Passage has opened up Milwaukee's Layton Boulevard West neighborhood to the jobs and recreational opportunities in the Menomonee Valley.

Although the space is certainly nice, I think there are deeper reasons why so many people at the open house told me they thought this was a landmark occasion for the Bike Fed. Beyond being a great place to run the organization, the nice offices are a symbol of how the Bike Fed has successfully brought together a diverse community of business leaders, politicians, and citizen advocates to move cycling forward in Wisconsin. I hope you come by and visit your new “club house” next time you are in the neighborhood.

Our new office space features vintage bicycles on loan from the great collection at South Shore Cyclery.

In an increasingly rare show of bipartisanship, political leaders at the state and local level from both parties now understand that cycling is good for Wisconsin and its communities. Business owners understand that it is easier to attract and retain the best and the brightest employees if their companies and the cities where they are located are bicycle-friendly. Citizens from Wisconsin’s large cities and small towns recognize that bicycling is part of what makes a great place to live.

Pedal Milwaukee Building owner Tom Schuler, Ald. Michael Murphy, County Executive Chris Abele, Rep. Josh Zepnick, Exec. Dir. Kevin Hardman, Ald. Nik Kovac, Ald. Jose Perez, Chris Kegel of Wheel & Sprocket, Rep. Jeff Stone and Sen. Chris Larson (from L to R).

What kind of Milwaukee open house would it have been without sausage and beer? Thanks to our friends at Klement's, New Belgium and Miller for the food and beverages.

Wisconsin is nationally recognized as a great place to ride a bike, but we can’t rest on our reputation. As the only organization that represents all cyclists in Wisconsin, we remain committed to moving cycling forward with your help. The staff at the Bike Fed has worked long and hard to move cycling forward across Wisconsin.  We love where we live, we love what we do, and we honestly believe that by making Wisconsin a better place to bike, we will make it a better place to live.

We would have no chance of success if not for the strong support we get from our members in cities, towns and villages from Ashland to Kenosha and all places in between. For that, we sincerely thank each and every one of you. No matter where you live, I hope you can take some pride in the new office in Milwaukee, the new office in Madison, and the 20 plus full and part-time Bike Fed staff across the state. Together with you, we are the Bike Fed.

We couldn't have done it without you!

Keith helping fit one of the used bikes for sale at the Bike Blitz last Saturday.

Many urban neighborhoods are virtual bicycle deserts with nowhere to get a bike repaired. On Saturday the 6th annual Washington Park Bike Blitz created a temporary oasis on Milwaukee’s west side where residents could get basic bike repairs and purchase inexpensive bicycles. The neighborhood event is organized by Keith Holt of Milwaukee Bicycle Works.

Milwaukee Bicycle  Works has plans for a permanent location in the area, with the mission to increase access to bicycling and its benefits through hands-on programs for youth and adults, through volunteer projects, and a neighborhood bike shop that will serve as a center of community cycling on Milwaukee’s West Side. Keith is a former community organizer for the Chicagoland Bicycle Association who moved to the Milwaukee’s Washington Heights neighborhood about 5 years ago.

The Bike Blitz was held behind the awesome bandshell in Washington Park. At one time the bandshell was the summer home for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Russell from DreamBikes tunes up a bike.

Neighborhood volunteers joined with professional mechanics from Wheel & Sprocket and Milwaukee’s DreamBikes to do basic repairs and help fit people to the used bikes that were for sale at the Bike Blitz.

Alderman Hines jokes with Barb Blick and Peter Lee, two of the Bike Fed ambassadors at the event to promote safe cycling through our Share & Be Aware program.

The Bike Blitz got a bit Belgian when this Malinois led a friend in to check it out.

Aldermen Michael Murphy and Willie Hines both showed up to lend their support for cycling as Washington Park is in both of their districts. Alderman Murphy will also be on the bike ride to our open house later this afternoon. He has been instrumental in the development of the Hank Aaron State Trail and the businesses in the Menomonee Valley where our new office is located.

Alderman Murphy chats with a neighbor boy while he waits for a bike to be repaired by Wheel & Sprocket.

A happy customer heads home.

The grin tells the story.

Purse rack, every bike should have one so there is somewhere to put the beer.

Bikes are not meant to hang in a basement or garage. They are not happy there. They want to move–they want to make YOU healthier and happier. They want to improve the environment, but unless you release them, they can do none of these things.

As a year round commuter for over twenty years, there is nothing I enjoy more than riding in the morning. Although I love–and I do mean love–my first cup of coffee, nothing trumps the early morning peace of my morning commute by bike. It is at this witching hour of 5am, I get to hear recently hatched spring peepers in the kettle ponds, hoots from barred owls and the see the darting movements of raccoon families. This is my time. My time to breathe and get into a healthy state of mind for the upcoming day.

Oh sure, there are days, like when sheets of rain are falling, that a quiet sigh might leave my lungs. I can honestly say, however, that I have never regretted biking into work and 99.9% of the time, I feel better for doing so.

Riding a bike is a wonderful way of relieving stress and is a great way to begin and end your work day.

In this Spring/Summer version of bike-to-work-week–held May14th-18th–I am asking you to make a personal pledge to commute to work by bike a few times, if you don’t already. I know that there are always a million excuses, but believe it or not, most of these excuses have a way of falling by the wayside once you start. If your workplace doesn’t offer a place to wash up, try bringing a washcloth and hand towel for a quick “bath”. If there isn’t appropriate bike parking, ask your supervisor to get a bike rack and explain how it can help your entire workforce. If you have to tote large items back and forth from work, consider getting a trailer, panniers or try doing a car/bike exchange where you drive in one day, bike home, bike in the next day, then drive home.

The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin is here to help get you motivated for a great season of bike commuting! Throughout the state, there will be events from May 14th-18th. Get your morning coffee trail side, get a quick tune up, gather with friends at the end of the week to celebrate. While you’re at it, enter into the Wisconsin Bike Challenge. Log your miles from May 1st (no it’s not too late to start) to August 31st and get entered to win great prizes. Challenge your co-workers to see who can put the most miles in–you’d be amazed how well this works. Most importantly, think of some personal reasons of why you want to bike to work–we’d love to hear them!

Planet Bike Superflash Turbo. You can see my older regular Superflash out of focus in the upper left. I had it mounted to my seat bag for easy comparison.

I know some of the guys at Planet Bike, which is based in Madison, so I figure their head marketing may have had his tongue in cheek when he wrote that.  The Superflash Turbo looks very similar to the regular Superflash.  The only difference visually is the lens on the Turbo is clear, while the lens on the Superflash is red.  Both are small and come with a handy quick release mounting system that allows you to remove the light so bike bums don’t steal it, or clip it to a bag or belt as an alternative to the rack and seatpost mount included. Here are the full specs on the Turbo with the regular Superflash specs in parenthesis:

• One Watt Power LED (1/2 Watt) plus 2 red LEDs for visibility up to 1 mile (same)
• New attention-grabbing Turbo flash pattern (different attention-grabbing flash pattern)
• Turbo flash mode is highly visible, even in daylight (so is the regular Superflash)
• Ultra compact vertical design is weatherproof, lightweight and durable (same)
• Includes bike mounts and clip mount for multiple mounting options (same)
• Soft-touch power switch accesses flashing or steady mode for up to 100 hours of run time on two AAA batteries (same)
• weighs 75 grams with batteries (same)
• 180 degree visibility (same)
• $33.99 retail (28.99)

As you can see, the biggest difference between the two versions is power. The Turbo version has an LED that is twice as bright as the regular Superfash.  Now I thought the original version was WAY bright.  You really can see it in daylight. But I have to say, the new light is even brighter.  I didn’t pull out the Lux meter to check if the Turbo emits twice the lumens as the non-turbo version, but I can say that the Turbo is noticeably brighter.

The 1 Watt Superflash Turbo on the bottom and the 1/2 Watt Superflash on the top set to constant on mode in which the two lower LEDs are not on..

So, is it the best battery powered light in the world?  If it’s not, it comes pretty close. The closest competitor is probably the Portland Design Works Radbot 1000, another 1 Watt battery powered light. I don’t own one, but I have read some other reviews and while it seems like a nice light, based on other reviews I have read, I thing the Superflash Turbo wins out.  The one feature I really like on the Radbot is the built in reflector as some European countries require both. Knog makes some very cool looking tail lights and their website makes some claims about 60 lumen output at a price of $34.95.

The Knog silicone lights are definitely interesting looking.

I am pretty loyal to Planet Bike because they have great; proven products; they are a local company, and because they donate 25% of their profits to bicycle advocacy, That said, I must admit to liking the looks of the Knog lights. I think Knog swags my buddies over at COG magazine, so if one of their lights drops in my lap, I’ll test it out and let you know how it compares (hint).

There are certainly other brighter battery powered tail lights out there.  The Dionette 300 R for instance, but at $199, I guess you get what you pay for. It is really in a different class of lighting.

All-in-all, you simply cannot go wrong with the Planet Bike 1 Watt Superflash Turbo, or the 1/2 Watt Superflash. They are the industry standard in blindingly bright tail lights with a long history of proven durability.  I think of them as the CSMO Pizza.  There are other kinds of pizza out there, but the standard is so good, why try anything else?

-Laurel Thatcher

Start at the MTM this year. Photo by Nathan Vergin

Growing up as a girl, in a male dominated sport, wasn’t easy. On my junior team, there was only one other girl and she rarely made practice. I learned to be “one of the guys”. If it hadn’t been for my two female coaches, I doubt I would have continued racing. As a woman now, I have no problem riding with guys…it’s just that as a pre-teen and teenager, it would have been nice to have a few peers.

Thirty years after I began riding seriously, I am absolutely amazed by how much the sport has changed for women and girls. There are so many more opportunities and it’s now considered “cool” to be seen on two wheels. Bikes have become the new accessory like jewelry or clothes. I touched a bit on this in my previous blog “Let’s hear it for the girls“.

First Madtown Maidens 5/7/2011

Four years ago, I heard about this amazing event that Kayla Dotson, and at the time, Chelsea Strate, were putting on in Minneapolis (my home town). Babes in Bikeland had been running for just two years and already had hundreds of women showing up to ride in this all women’s alleycat. It inspired me! Although I couldn’t commit to putting on such an event at that time, my brain began churning. Starting in the late fall of 2010, I began laying the groundwork to have a similar event here in Madison. With support from my friends and husband, Madtown Maidens was born.

Putting on an event like this is all about word of mouth. I let a few women know what I had planned, stopped into several bike shops to spread the word and within a few months it was set for May 7th, 2011. Although I sometimes bash social media like facebook, I can’t say how helpful it was in getting the word out. After making a page, I watched and waited as the number of “likes” grew. It was working. Women were going to show up to this thing!

The MTM manifest.

Over the winter, I had time to gather sponsors for prizes, food and beer. I was amazed by the warm reception from local businesses–bike centered and non. I was also shocked by the support from guys. This was turning into a community event not just a female event. My excitement grew as did my nervousness. How the hell was I going to pull this thing off without ever putting on a large event before? This was one time–aside from packing for backpacking trips–when my ridiculously detailed oriented nature came in handy.

The day came with very few hitches, except the threat of rain. My volunteers were the backbone of the day and there’s no way I could have–or could–do this without them. Looking back at the actual event seems a bit blurry. All I remember is smiles…lots of smiles on women and girls of all ages and riding abilities. The following day, I was already planning next years ride.

Obstacle course. Photo by Nathan Vergin

Putting on an event is somewhat like having a child. The first one you fuss over every detail, the next one becomes a little more lax. I’m not saying that I didn’t go over to do lists again and again. I’m just saying that I knew once I did what I had to do, everything else was out of my control. I didn’t worry about the weather–we’d ride unless there were thunderstorms. I didn’t worry about people having fun–if they didn’t, there was nothing I could do about it. I just got everything together and hoped for the best.

This year’s ride consisted of approximately a twenty-two mile course with eight checkpoints. The women had to do everything from write bike Haiku to pump up two tires as fast as possible. Half the checkpoints were physical and the other half were mental. Mixing this up with horrible construction on a few roads made for an interesting event.

Although the course was longer and hillier this year, and very few women made the cutoff time, everyone seemed in great spirits and it just made the food and beer taste that much better. The top finisher even added about 6 miles to the length trying to find one of the checkpoints. I have promised folks a flatter course for next year. If all goes as planned, each year will bring a different set of checkpoints in different parts of Madison in hopes of showing off our great city.

By putting this on, I hope that women and girls fall in love with riding bikes–if they don’t love it already. I want to put “play”–something that’s been lacking from many people’s lives–back into daily living. I want women to know how strong they are and yet be able to laugh at themselves. I also want other cities to put on all female bike events. If you’re thinking about organizing something like this, all I can say is, “DO IT!” You will not regret it…ever.

Our great volunteers!

Earlier this spring I spoke at a Whitefish Bay Middle School event about how biking, and specifically replacing short trips using your bike instead of a car, can help to create a healthier world. Around the same time I learned that the primary source of my used bike donations was being cut off and the bikes would be taken to  Miller Compressing instead of our Valid Shop to refurbish them for the Safe Routes To School programs. These two events made a light bulb go on in my head.

I contacted the folks who had invited me to speak to the middle school students and asked if they would be willing to help organize a used bike drive to collect bikes for Valid through the school system. They one-upped me and said I could be a part of their “Green Day in the Bay“, an event aimed at promoting recycling and other healthy earth friendly type stuff. I agreed to bring a U-Haul truck and a volunteer. The Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation would do the promotions to let people know to clean out their garages and basements of those bikes that have been discarded by kids going off to college or out growing their childhood bike.

We just kept lining them up as fast as the bikes were donated.

JP helps load the last of the bikes into the truck. I'm so glad I rented the 26 footer!

As I arrived shortly after 9 AM there were already about 10 bikes that had been dropped off!  The event was set up very well and ran incredibly efficiently. Cars would roll up right to our spot and a team of volunteers would help unload the bikes. We even had one family ride their bikes right up to us, get off them, and donate the bikes! Then they stayed around to enjoy some of the festivities, and then they walked home. How cool is that?

Throughout the morning, the bikes kept rolling in, many of them in very good condition. With just a little bit of air in the tires and some love from Valid’s crack mechanics, they’d be ready to hit the streets. By 1 PM things started slowing down and we had  filled the truck to the brim with donated bicycles. It was time to pack up and take them back to Valid Shop for refurbishments and storage.

I just want to again say thanks to the Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation, their volunteers, my Bike Fed volunteer Andy, as well as the two Whitefish Bay students who stuck around on the cloudy wet day to help schlep bikes around.  The biggest thanks goes to all of those people who dropped off bikes! GO BLUE DUKES!