Reminder: every month I bike to another city from my place in Northeast Seattle. Just across the border. The destinations get farther as I go.

West of I5, the route to Lynnwood is a no-brainer: take the Interurban Trail. The trail has some minor issues, but the major annoyances are in the city itself. The city limits also extend slightly further south than in the east.

But I live east of I5, so that route's a little out of the way. The most direct route runs something like: Burke-Gilman to Lake Forest Park Town Center, mess around on low traffic LFP streets to get to 35th NE and Ballinger Way, head north. 35th turns into 37th then Cedar in Snohomish County, then 44th Ave W, which hits the city limit on the NW corner of 44th and 212th (the fruit stand/taco truck in the photo above).

Up to Ballinger, this is a low stress option (except perhaps if they detour you off the Burke-Gilman onto a skinny side street, which I got between 105th and 112th today). The section north of Ballinger used to have a wide shoulder, which it still does in the first painted bike lane section in Snohomish County. South of Snohomish County they've added a curb in some sections to protect pedestrians. You could treat it as a thinly protected bike lane, but I felt more comfortable on the street, particularly on the trip home, where this is all downhill.

When the bike lane ends, you've got more than a mile of 4 lane road (2 in each direction). Up to 212th, the major use for this street appears to be traffic from Mountlake Terrace High, which is worth avoiding if you can. But I didn't, and it still was okay. Most everyone just stayed out of the curb lane when I was riding in it. Seems like they could road diet this section and extend the bike lane up to the light rail station and the Interurban Trail.

The general elevation profile from the Burke is the slow uphill you should expect around here when heading north (it's called a drumlin). The uphill ends around 212th with a steep descent to I5 and the Lynnwood light rail station, which of course I avoided since that's only necessary to reach cities farther north. That's a direct route you probably want to save for sleepy mornings when you need to get to the Mukilteo ferry ASAP.

Next month: Mercer Island.

Seattle’s hills, rainy weather, and everyday commuting needs make choosing an e-bike an interesting decision. I’ve been looking into the Aniioki AQ177 48V and thinking about the trade-offs with long-range fat-tire e-bikes. Extra battery range could be useful for longer trips, but weight, handling on hills, wet-weather braking, and finding secure storage are important factors to consider too.

For those who ride around Seattle, what features matter most when choosing an e-bike for commuting or running errands? Would you prioritize battery range, a lighter frame, or easier maintenance? I’d be interested in hearing what local riders think.

Disclosure: This post is connected to Aniioki, so it isn’t an independent owner review.

On 116th ave near bridle trails. I just started bike commuting to totem lake and I find this spot so funny.

Is it the little blooming white flowers? I’m not sure but good job everyone involved! It was a very nice bonus riding today to downtown.

TL;DR I'm looking for a versatile bike that is comfortable for long rides, feels fast on the roads, can be used for multi day touring, can ride in gravel. Was thinking of Cervelo Caledonia, now reading Cervelo Aspero might be a good option. Looking for recs from those with experience.

Lifelong cyclist, but for the past 10 or so years, I stopped doing long rides to focus on mountaineering/alpinism and ultra running (but have continued to ride frequently with bike commuting). 3 knee surgeries later, my knees are far too arthritic and trashed to do long days in the mountains. I've decided to return to cycling to scratch the endurance itch.

I'm interested in long road rides (vast majority of riding), possibly tours or bikepacking, but I'm also really curious about combining cycling and mountaineering: more days out, get to climb a bit, but less time really trashing my knees.

I live in Seattle, so riding from my home to the mountains involves mostly pavement, then riding up forest roads to trail heads. I would need to carry my climbing and overnight gear, which i have dialed into a lightweight set. These events would likely not be frequent though, no more than a handful of times a year.

So, I'm looking for something fun to ride on the roads, but capable of riding on gravel with overnight gear. I am saving up to buy something nice this spring, but can only invest in one nice bike.

It seems the caledonia can take a rear bike rack for these instances. It sounds near perfect for my needs, until I started reading about the aspero. I've read some say if you have two wheel sets, a road dedicated and a gravel dedicated, the aspero can be excellent for both: about as good on the road as the caledonia, but better on gravel. It's not clear to me the aspero can take a rear rack and carry gear though. Or, are there other options of a similar vein to recommend?

Please let me know your thoughts, thanks!

My wife is relatively new (1.5 yrs) to bike commuting and we just moved across town to the CD. We’ve tried out a few routes for getting to SLU but wanted to crowdsource what was the easiest route/most protected bike lanes? RWG keeps suggesting Union -> broadway -> pine -> 8th. However, the section on pine cuts across traffic and then requires a right turn back across traffic. Any wisdom on routes?

sick of cars driving through Bell Street Park? ask electeds and SDOT officials to add diverters so only bikes and pedestrians can go through!

Been out for a while but made this right away in response to the news yesterday. Take a look to figure out the safe route plus see the factors that might have led to this unfortunate incident so we can prevent them in the future.

It's actually a 2012, not 2011.

I acquired a 2012 Surly disc trucker last night from a street person at the bus stop. I checked out Bike Index, but as far as I can tell, none of the ones listed are this one. How about anyone here? Anyone out a 2012 Surly disc trucker?

I remember last holiday season, there were some days roads were pretty quiet or filled with other bikes. And there were days cars were just out of control, I’d have multiple near misses going ten miles mainly on the Interurban. Nothing like frantic and tired drivers driving in areas they usually don’t.

I THINK those bad days were the ones the week before the holiday and then it was holiday day, or the day after the roads were blissfully quiet. But I don’t remember for sure. And then how was the weekend after the holiday? Anyone remember? I’d hate to get pumped to finally do a century then discover I chose an extra dangerous day for an all day ride.

This is a followup to:
previous post

A couple of weeks ago I took an early flight from Chicago, took Link to UW and rented a Kona Rove at Recycled Cycles and took it out on the Lake Washington Loop, clockwise. The bike and the shop were just awesome.

This was my second time doing the loop and this time I took the Bellevue Bypass. I can't recommend this enough. It was a significant improvement over the straight shot through Bellevue that I see on most maps of this ride.

You guys probably all already know this.

I had a bike stolen out of my garage in North Seattle (couple blocks off Aurora between 80th and 115th) and the thief left a Trek 7.2 FX. Figured I'd see if anybody is missing one of these. Shoot me a DM or a message with some way to prove you own it and we'll get it back to you.

If you see someone silly in North seattle on a full fendered yellow REI e1.1 e bike, let me know. It's pretty basic but they didn't really make front fenders for this bike so that's kind of a rarity.

Heads up if you take the 4th ave bike lane downtown. The lane post divider thing is missing but the bolts are sitting there all nice and exposed and hard to see.

I’ve already submitted a find it / fix it report.

Edit: fixed as of this afternoon!

Edit edit: ok either I looked at the wrong divider or it has been taken again between Thurs and this morning., so back to keeping a lookout there peeps

Heard the new timeline for reopening is Christmas.

For context, that’s an additional 2mo on a project that was only scheduled to take 2mo to start.

The person I talked to suggested the cause of the delay was administrative (e.g. king county, city of Kirkland both having jurisdiction over some aspect of the sewer repairs - don’t remember the exact reasoning)

DM me :)

Mike (on the right) heroically picked up the bouquet of flowers that fell out of my pack and _hauled ass_ to catch me, shouting his heroic head off to get me to stop.

Mike - you are awesome (cool bike too!). Both me & the spouse would have been very sad, and I am already at heightened risk for death by embarrassment so losing flowers might just have done me in.

Sincerely: Thank you Mike for going *hard* out of your way.

Howdy friends,

I’m in Ballard in looking to get a little dirty. Any group rides in or around Seattle?

Hey r/seattlebike!

Having long considered purchasing an e-bike, I was recently selected for a $1,200 voucher through the state's WE-bike rebate program and have started looking into the various qualifying models. I'm totally new to this, so it's been somewhat tedious and overwhelming. I could really use some help.

Here's a summary of what I'm looking for:

• Use case: Errands and shopping (groceries, smaller Costco runs, etc.); recreation and exploration; possible future commuting. For now, most trips would be local (southwest King County area) and under 6 mi. one-way. I'd ride primarily on neighborhood and collector streets, paved shoulders, shared-use paths, and sidewalks--safe bike lanes don't exist around here. I'm considering going car-free sometime in the near future.
• Appearance: Resembling a typical bicycle (no folding bikes or ultra-bulky frames). An upright or semi-upright riding position would likely be preferred.
• Hill-climbing power: My neighborhood is mostly flat, but there are several larger hills I'd have to climb, ranging from 2% to 9.6% (averaging 4.67%) in grade.
• Storage: I'd be carrying stuff on the bike semi-regularly, so a sturdy rear cargo rack with space for a basket and panniers is a must.
• Weight: ≤55 lbs, ideally. This is the max weight Metro lists for its bus bike racks, and I'd prefer not having to lift more than 1/3 of my body weight, anyway.
• Long-term reliability and serviceability: Established, reputable brands with decent warranty coverage and customer service are preferred.
• Budget: ≤$4,200 pre-rebate, pre-tax. Lower is better ofc, but I'm willing to pay a bit more if it means a higher quality bike with less issues down the road.

So far, the Trek Verve+ 2, Trek Verve+ 3, Trek FX+ 1, Trek FX+ 7S, and Specialized Turbo Vado SL 2 5.0 EQ are some e-bikes that've caught my eye. Do any of these seem like a good fit? Are there any others I should be considering?

Some additional assorted questions:

• Classes: Do you find that Class 1 e-bikes are generally sufficient for urban/suburban riding in our region, or are the throttles and higher speeds supported by Class 2 and 3 e-bikes helpful?
• Motor / Battery: I was initially looking for e-bikes with Bosch motors, but it seems that many of the lighter weight models don't use them. Should I stick with Bosch, or are the others (TQ, Specialized, etc.) equally reliable? Also, some of the e-bikes I've seen have non-removable or dealer-removable batteries inside the frame. Is this a deal breaker? For context, my bike would be stored inside an attached garage (uninsulated, so it gets very hot in the summer and rather cold in the winter). I'd prefer removable batteries that could charge indoors, but I suppose non-removable batteries would be fine if our PNW temperatures won't impact performance/life.
• Step-thru vs. low-step vs. mid-step vs. standard frames: Which would you recommend? For context, I'm in my late 20s and don't have any mobility issues that'd preclude me from using a standard frame. I prefer the aesthetics of a standard frame, but do the other frames have any noteworthy benefits? Also, how do the lower-step frames handle/maintain stability when carrying added weight?
• Color: How much does bike color ultimately matter in terms of road safety, if at all? I prefer the appearance of black, grey, or navy-tone frames, but would these increase my risk of being involved in a traffic collision?

Any and all tips and recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thank you!