Pacific Northwest - Pacific Nor'westers - Log in Here

Hi everyone. Beaverton, Oregon here.

I've been posting in the commuting forum for a short while now, but have neglected this area.

I live in Beaverton and commute daily to Hillsboro. About a year ago I was daydreaming of a Prius with a solar panel on the roof that would get me to work and back without using any gas. Then I realized I could probably do that with a bike for about $30,000 cheaper. A year later I'm daydreaming about how nice a bike I could get for $30,000. :)

Have you looked at those electric cars under 9 grand at Eco Motors? They have 4 doors and I believe they are registered as a motorcycle due to having just 3 wheels.

The Prius is over 20 grand, just breaching 20 grand base (30 grand is paying MSRP..dont be fooled...no one should be suckered like that).

Me personally, if I was going with a gas powered in any capacity type of car...I would just find a clean older Geo Metro or Chevy Sprint in decent shape for under $1500. The 87-88 turbo model Sprints also get over 40 mpg (just a little less than non turbo models) but those are becoming collectable so paying 3 grand or more for a nice one is not unusual. Same emissions as a Prius for a ton less money...and it is far more Eco-Minded to practice reduce, reuse, recycle than buying a new car that required a great deal of resources to produce.

Buy one before they are doubling and tripling in price as gas becomes 5 dollars and more a gallon.

One day my turbo Sprint will likely be converted to electric. However, I never drive it seems now.

But a 3-cyl, 1.0L Metro is a pretty terrible car. You'd be better off with an older Civic, especially if you could find a CRX as they're a ton of fun.

Hello everyone

Checking in from Grants Pass, Oregon. Been on the forum for a short time, and figured I should introduce myself in this section of the forum.

Am 39 years old, and bought a new Mt Bike last fall to have FUN while working on getting back into shape. Love the community so far, and look forward to maybe riding with some of you in the future.

I live in S>E Portland, coolest part of town.

I live in inner N portland. Commute to work 7 miles into NE. Love it!

Sellwood is the Best little town in SE 5.2 miles to downtown by bike. But I'll admit most of the east side rocks. Ride on.

Snohomish Washington here. Right next to the Centennial trail.

Snohomish Washington here. Right next to the Centennial trail.

Nice blog - congrats on the progress you've been making; pretty impressive results.

Hi,
I'm living in Beaverton, OR for the summer. I'm looking to do group rides and get a few races in too. I commute to and from Portland State University during the week.

Hi folks. A fellow Portlander here. Live in Beaverton and have started to commute to work (near Washington Sq) with my friend - about 11m each way. Today we counted 20 cyclists on the road. But I gotta tell you those buses and trucks on Murray sure spook us out. Hopefully, we'll get used to them soon.

MAR

Wow, Still No Riders Near Moses Lake? (sigh)

Wow, Still No Riders Near Moses Lake? (sigh)


It'll happen one day, you just have to be patient :p !

East Hill

I'm in Eugene. Just bought a road bike 2 1/2 months ago after riding a mtb for 13 years. Riding for exercise and enjoyment of the outdoors.

Pendleton, OR.

I won a Fuji Crosstown 2.0 bike recently, but it is a 19" frame and too large for me. But I am primed to own a bike now, and will be bike shopping. LBS says they will have some new stock in next week.

I'm 50+ and an Athena and am mainly interested in biking for some exercise. Haven't ridden in 30+ years. This should be interesting, LOL!

Cynthia

Figured I should check in here in the PNW section. I live on the West Hill of Kent. Been biking for years but only lately have I gotten more serious. Like road and offroad biking.

Moderator invited me to introduce myself over here.

I live in "one-bike-shop" Lewis county. No joke, one shop for the whole county. About the halfway point for the STP.

Rode my new Surly Long Haul Trucker to work today for the first time. Maiden voyage. I'd been riding an old sport tourer from 83. Wow, what a difference. Nice to be riding a quality, excellent condition bike again. Will still hang onto the old bike, though. This will actually be the first time I've had two working bikes at the same time.

Looking forward to getting out and exploring the logging roads around here. Be nice to go up Rainier again sometime soon. And still haven't been out to the coast. Kind of a cycling paradise around here, I think. Good scenery in every direction, little traffic, nice combination of hills and flats.

I come up to Olympia and Tacoma from time to time on weekends. Maybe I'll see if there's anybody to ride with up there.

Zane

But a 3-cyl, 1.0L Metro is a pretty terrible car. You'd be better off with an older Civic, especially if you could find a CRX as they're a ton of fun.

Terrible car? They are long lasting...not fast or sexy and early models ride a little rough....but they are cheap to own and drive. Some of the least expensive cars to own available.

Finding a CRX now that has not been riced out and raced to oblivion by tuners that tore them apart is nearly impossible.

If you keep an eye out a turbo sprint is as fun and faster than a CRX...but again, they are hard to find and command a premium compared to a Metro.

Terrible car? They are long lasting...not fast or sexy and early models ride a little rough....but they are cheap to own and drive. Some of the least expensive cars to own available.


In every sense of the word.

Truly one of the crap cars of our time.

King County rider, mostly commuting, bringing back old bikes from the dead. For the cost of a tank of gas, I recently revived an early 90s Scott MTB for riding to work. That's a good feeling.

Enumclaw, WA. nube here. Been riding for a couple months now and I'm just now starting to get some wind. There's many miles of traffic-free, back roads around here. Does anyone ever get up here to ride?
My goal is to lose, at least, 20lbs (220, 5'10" now). I'm trying to ride about an hour a day (now that I have a saddle that doesn't feel like prison **** 20 min into the ride).
Has anyone here lost enough weight that it's noticeable in they're riding? I'm frustrated that my legs have limited travel due to my gut. It helps to motivate but doesn't seam to be going away.

[QUOTE=cowchip500;7166115 Has anyone here lost enough weight that it's noticeable in they're riding? I'm frustrated that my legs have limited travel due to my gut. It helps to motivate but doesn't seam to be going away.[/QUOTE]

Welcome!

As for weight loss...Yes, I have lost a lot of weight, enough to notice when I am riding.

However, it's important to remember that bike riding alone won't do it. You can get very fit by doing a lot of riding, but unless you also control your calorie intake you won't lose weight. It's *very* easy to overeat after a vigorous bike ride -- in 5 minutes of snacking you can more than replace the calories you consume in a two hour ride.

Vancouver, WA, USA .... The better side of the river. :)

My knees hit my chest sometimes when I'm in the drops.. :) I lost close to 30lbs between training on the stationary for 6 months (an hour a day, most days) and then riding my road bike for 4 months so far..

Enumclaw, WA. nube here. Been riding for a couple months now and I'm just now starting to get some wind. There's many miles of traffic-free, back roads around here. Does anyone ever get up here to ride?
My goal is to lose, at least, 20lbs (220, 5'10" now). I'm trying to ride about an hour a day (now that I have a saddle that doesn't feel like prison **** 20 min into the ride).
Has anyone here lost enough weight that it's noticeable in they're riding? I'm frustrated that my legs have limited travel due to my gut. It helps to motivate but doesn't seam to be going away.

I've been riding regularly for about five months, now . . . lost about 10 pounds so far. Also larger framed at 5'11" and started at 220 lbs. I attribute the low amount of actual weight loss to weight training in the gym a few evenings a week, and the fact that I do still enjoy a good pint of ale a few nights a week, too. My diet is healthy, just haven't cut back TOO much as I don't want to starve my body of fuel with all the activities.

Something I've learned over the years: When trying to trim the fat, pay less attention to the scale and more to how you're looking and feeling. In the end, fitting into slimmer pants and smaller shirts is all the same, whether you've lost 20 lbs or 40 lbs. The only difference is that you've retained that weight in muscle, and for the most part you're probably better-off. Being taller than average and having very broad shoulders, I'll likely never get below 185, even if I'm totally cut. Sounds like you're about the same size, so I'd just focus on working the areas that need to be trimmed with weights and keep on riding. Make sure your diet is healthy, keep it pretty lean, and don't overindulge on the portions unless you've had a super hard day of riding and actually require the extra fuel.

There's more, obviously . . but that's the major stuff I've observed, and it seems to help a lot.

Hey everyone!

Gresham, OR here, but should be moving into Portland once my short lease is up (provided I get the job I just interviewed for... It's not cheap here.) The one thing I will say about unemployment, however, is that I've gotten plenty of riding time in. Spend most of my time in the Alberta area where my girlfriend lives, but I've ridden just about everywhere except for southwest.

North Seattle, 5 blocks from the city limit near 15th NE.

Thanks for your comment, and checking out my blog. It was a big deal for me to do the STP. I didn't see too many people larger than me out there. If I do it next year I hope to be 30+ pounds lighter. (one day?!?)

Now I am in training mode for the triathlon. I need a goal to keep me focused.

In every sense of the word.

Truly one of the crap cars of our time.

Wait a minute...I should know better. I lived in San Jose. People in the bay area are pretty into having a car with a little bragging rights.


One of the crap cars of our time...to my knowledge they are rated very well for reliability and owners swear by them. I know people that get brand new engine for under a grand, and used low mileage ones for only $300.

They are more sensible than most vehicles and less expensive to run. Tires are $20 or less each.

It is the modern day VW Beetle.

I find it fascinating that I've been stereotyped more times than I've even posted in the PNW forum. How friendly of you.

Clearly one can't define a cheaply built and cheap-feeling car that is unpleasant to drive as "crap" without some ill-informed person coming along and assuming it's about snobbery. I love small cars and don't care what it says on the hood, but don't let that wake you from your straw man. What's wrong with the Honda CRX HF or the Civic VX, too snooty?

What brand bike do you own, so that I may call you a poseur as well?

Eugene checking in

Ellensburg WA - riding a 1996 Bianchi in the wind and up the hills (and there are some good ones around here).

SW Portland, Hillsdale/Multnomah Village area...No matter which way I ride, I'm climbing hills coming home!

I find it fascinating that I've been stereotyped more times than I've even posted in the PNW forum. How friendly of you.

Clearly one can't define a cheaply built and cheap-feeling car that is unpleasant to drive as "crap" without some ill-informed person coming along and assuming it's about snobbery. I love small cars and don't care what it says on the hood, but don't let that wake you from your straw man. What's wrong with the Honda CRX HF or the Civic VX, too snooty?

What brand bike do you own, so that I may call you a poseur as well?

uhhh...wasnt being so bold as to even come close to calling you a poseur. All I was saying is from my experience in San Jose, and the greater bay area. People are more concerned about image. Just the way it is. Not a bad thing....not to be judged upon...just the culture.

The HF and VX are fine cars. But as I was saying...finding one that has not been engine transplanted with an Integra engine by a bay area Ricer for instance (sorry...but it is true;) and beaten to oblivion is nearly impossible.

The Metro and Swifts and Sprints that can be bought for several hundred dollars less and even more affordable to drive (buy most parts for) and most importantly... are far easier to find in decent driving shape.

1000 dollars can get you a prime model. 1000 dollars on a Civic HF would be a rickety 250k+ nightmare as of late.

You seemed to make it clear that I was calling the Metro crap only because I was most concerned about image, based on where I live, and making a value judgement on that on top of it.

In any event, you bring up a good point about the price, I hadn't thought about that. Lightweight cars are prime targets for cheapo engine swaps, so the demand is high. For some reason the ricers have thus far avoided the Metro.

I was about to comment "didn't they make a turbo swift and sprint?" and then looked back thru the comments to get the original point that we were heading towards, and I see you own one :)

I'd say focus most on price and likely reliability, because there are diminishing returns chasing those last few MPG.

Yeah the Sprint Turbo get's over 400k miles per motor for many owners. I was pretty amazed that these little turbo cars did so well from both a fuel economy and longevity/general reliability standpoint. They are also very well screwed together, impressive fit/finish.
On the negative is the somewhat choppy ride on the freeway over less than smooth pavement and the slightly tinny feel to the doors.

The other car btw is the 92 VW GTI 16v. It feels far more solid/less tinny, granted fit/finish is likely about the same or not as good as the Suzuki built Sprint.

But it also get's 32-33 mpg highway... instead of 45+mpg like the Sprint does.

I drive 2000 miles max a year now. But these are my favorite cars of all time just about.

I had a 87 Civic DX once and hated the steering feel and response. That car just felt numb to me. It handled acceptably enough... but the turning radius, steering response, and general agility was nothing compared to the Sprint Turbo. It got about 37 mpg. Seemed as well built as the Sprint.

Newbie from Kent, WA
I ride 14 miles round trip from Kent East Hill to Kent Valley off of West Valley. Since I'm new and have some weight to lose, the Kent Kangley hill is a killer for me. Anyone else do that hill everyday?

Southeast Portland here, just north of Clackamas.
Commute N on the I205 path to work (20mi round trip) a few days a week, and hit the Springwater Trail most weekends.

I've only been commuting since June, so we'll see how brave I am when the rains hit this week.

Southeast Portland here, just north of Clackamas.
Commute N on the I205 path to work (20mi round trip) a few days a week, and hit the Springwater Trail most weekends.

I've only been commuting since June, so we'll see how brave I am when the rains hit this week.

I am in the middle of debating "bike or bus" right now...

Also live around where you do (I think). I commute to downtown from Woodstock. Hair under 30 minutes.

Luckily, I beat the first thunderstorm this morning (thanks to me secretly racing someone down Marine Drive). I just picked up some fenders on Friday, so I pretty much have to try them out this week.
It takes me between 35-40 minutes each way, depending on the weather. What route do you take downtown?

Greetings from a commuting noob from Bothell! Been commuting to work in Redmond since June, slowly building up my strength and endurance -- not far from riding all 5 days of the work week. Picked up a Kona Dew in mid-July after testing the waters on my old 1980 Schwinn LeTour. So far I'm really enjoying it, but with the rain coming, it's going to be interesting to see how I fare.

-KHD
Bothell, WA

Greetings from a commuting noob from Bothell! Been commuting to work in Redmond since June, slowly building up my strength and endurance -- not far from riding all 5 days of the work week. Picked up a Kona Dew in mid-July after testing the waters on my old 1980 Schwinn LeTour. So far I'm really enjoying it, but with the rain coming, it's going to be interesting to see how I fare.

-KHD
Bothell, WA


The rain is not that bad if you are prepared. In steady rain I use a good rain jacket with vents under the arms (made by Gill), rain pants (Craft), and shoe covers (Sugoi are the best - the common neoprene type are pretty useless). I have a helmet cover but only use it when it's raining hard and < 40 degrees. When it gets down below about 36 I use a wool cap under my helmet. When it freezes I generally don't ride.

Some other good things to have:
Waterproof panniers or panniers with waterproof covers.
Glasses with interchangable lenses. It's dark both ways in mid winter so clear lenses are good.
Full fenders.
Full fingered gloves. Neoprene are are pretty good in the rain.
A helmet visor to keep the rain out of the inside of your glasses when it comes down hard.
A spare light weight LED headlight in your bag.
Tuffy tire liners - fixing flats in the dark and rain is a PITA.

You may not need all this stuff, especially if you ride the trail, but I do 16 miles each way mostly on roads so I like to be safe and comfortable.

Southeast Portland here, just north of Clackamas.
Commute N on the I205 path to work (20mi round trip) a few days a week, and hit the Springwater Trail most weekends.

I've only been commuting since June, so we'll see how brave I am when the rains hit this week.

I really enjoy riding in the rain. A commute is such a great excuse to get out and experience any weather that is thrown at us. It takes about 3 minutes to adjust to a wet face in the rain, but with Cheq's list of rain gear, everything else stays dry. I started with a junk bike and put money into rain and night riding gear. A good jacket with pit zips, sugoi shoe covers, water proof panniers (or backpack) and lights gets you set up. I have really cheap rain pants from Costco that have lasted 3 winters. Oh yeah, and fenders.

Of course, I'm really talking about winter riding. Warm Summer rain is bike shorts a wicking t-shirt and sugoi shoe covers.

My only complaint about riding in the rain is... my bike gets dirty and requires more maintenance. It doesn't get enough maintenance, but it needs it.

Seattle, moved back to NW from Atlanta last year after 20 years Pittsburgh-D.C.-Atlanta. I feel as though I'm in my own skin, again. Hooray for Seattle! Never make the mistake of leaving or you may end up an economic refugee, unable to afford moving back unless you prefer long commutes. We're now at 35th NE and 105th, 1 mile from Gilman Trail, about which every time I ride it to get groceries or whatever I just can't believe my good fortune. Tomorrow my son and I will be heading up to Snoqualmie via John Wayne trail, something that cropped up "while we were out". Man-o-man, is this ever great....

So far the rain hasn't kept me off the bike. My only complaint so far is wet shoes. I just picked up a Sugoi Stealth (http://www.rei.com/product/770312?cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-770312&mr:trackingCode=57110D2C-D272-DD11-873B-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA) jacket for superclearance at REI, and I'm hoping it keeps me dry as long as possible. My main concern is keeping my bike it good shape. I'm riding an early 80's Lotus Odyssey that I bought in July. She's been around this long, I don't think an Oregon winter will stop her.
My next purchase will definitely be some booties, and a waterproof(able) trunk or panniers in due time.
It's not so much the rain, but the wind. Oh man the wind, talk about demoralization. I hate settling for a lower gear.

So far the rain hasn't kept me off the bike. My only complaint so far is wet shoes. I just picked up a Sugoi Stealth (http://www.rei.com/product/770312?cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-770312&mr:trackingCode=57110D2C-D272-DD11-873B-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA) jacket for superclearance at REI, and I'm hoping it keeps me dry as long as possible. My main concern is keeping my bike it good shape. I'm riding an early 80's Lotus Odyssey that I bought in July. She's been around this long, I don't think an Oregon winter will stop her.
My next purchase will definitely be some booties, and a waterproof(able) trunk or panniers in due time.
It's not so much the rain, but the wind. Oh man the wind, talk about demoralization. I hate settling for a lower gear.

Welcome to the wet Northwest. You didn't mention fenders...they really cut down on the amount of water hitting your feet (I hadn't had fenders since I was a kid, then I moved here...). Also, like you, I watch the REI sales. Their outlet sections (both in store and online) is a great source of cold weather gear.

Seattle, moved back to NW from Atlanta last year after 20 years Pittsburgh-D.C.-Atlanta. I feel as though I'm in my own skin, again. Hooray for Seattle! Never make the mistake of leaving or you may end up an economic refugee, unable to afford moving back unless you prefer long commutes. We're now at 35th NE and 105th, 1 mile from Gilman Trail, about which every time I ride it to get groceries or whatever I just can't believe my good fortune. Tomorrow my son and I will be heading up to Snoqualmie via John Wayne trail, something that cropped up "while we were out". Man-o-man, is this ever great....

Welcome back..you may also be shocked by the amount of development out around Snoqualmie if you haven't been there lately...but still plenty of great places to ride.

Welcome to the wet Northwest. You didn't mention fenders...they really cut down on the amount of water hitting your feet (I hadn't had fenders since I was a kid, then I moved here...). Also, like you, I watch the REI sales. Their outlet sections (both in store and online) is a great source of cold weather gear.

I picked up fenders before the rains started hitting. I took them off for my ride to Forest Grove on Saturday, and forgot to put them back on for my ride yesterday... man were my shoes pissed. I did rainy commutes when I lived in Beaverton, but it was only a couple of miles each way. I'm a bit more concerned with proper gear now that I commute 10 miles each way. At least it's cheaper than paying for gas!

Welcome back..you may also be shocked by the amount of development out around Snoqualmie if you haven't been there lately...but still plenty of great places to ride.

Thanks!

Yes, Snoqualmie was flabbergasting. Had an out-of-town visitor in a few weeks ago, acted out of habit and took him up to Snoqualmie Falls, which seems now to serve as a jumbo version of the classic mall fountain. Kind of embarrassing after the frontsell, heh!

On the other hand, the ride up to the Pass today was terrifically satisfying! I wonder how long it'll last, though? Listening to the trucks inefficiently grinding their pathetically tiny loads of cargo up the freeway to the Pass while riding the ex-railroad grade, I remarked to my son that I could easily imagine it being covered with rails again in the not so distant future. 400 tons/mile/gallon versus 40 tons/mile/gallon is a very compelling argument for reversing history. Perhaps we can beg to add bike racks to the locomotives...

I am in the Sumner / Puyallup area myself. I was an avid 180 lbs mountain biker in CA. then moved up to the NW in the early 90's. The bikes been in storage more often than not since then. Over the last few years I even picked up a couple of new bikes thinking the "New Bike Fever" would get me out riding more... Only last month did I decide to get back into it so hoping to take advantage of the sun before it hides away for the Winter. It will be training on rollers after that and start next season under the 200 lbs mark as my goal.

This is a great thread to see who else rides in our areas and hope the debates can find automotive forums to duke it out in.
:):):)

I live in S>E Portland, coolest part of town.

I just moved to SE from Beaverton, but I think we moved a little bit too far SE.
Hookers, meth-heads and trailerparks aside, I've been lovin the SE, and so has my bike.