Pacific Northwest - I'm moving to Everett/Seattle/Vashon, and I would like to know what it's like.

Hi, I'm a 20 year-old college student and I'm moving from Orange County to Everett, Wa, and then to Vashon. I'll also spend a lot of time in Seattle. So how's commuting and the "bike culture" up there? It seems like King and Snohomish county support bicycling as a great alternative to driving.

So what's it like bicycling up there? Also, any advice you'd like to bestow?

-Jai

Biking here is well represented best advice get some good raingear :)

fenders

dark and wet these months.

Get some good lights. There are lots of trails and the like, but many are unlit. In addition, you'll need "see me" lights if you're going to be riding in traffic.

Be prepared for hills. Many people don't realize how many hills we have, or how steep they can be. They close a number of them if it snows. The ferry terminal for Vashon is in West Seattle, and the only ways out of West Seattle include going up.

Check out http://www.metrokc.gov/bike.htm for bike routes and road information in King County. I'm not sure about Snohomish or Pierce Counties.

There are a number of bicycle clubs and groups in the area, but the largest, by far, is the Cascade Bicycle Club. You can check them out at http://www.cascade.org/Home, if you're interested.

Hang out around here.

I got some fenders for my Trek 520, and I'm looking forward to the cold and gloominess. California's weather is a little to perfect. How are the drivers? How are the other cyclist? How are the street accommodations?

Thank you.
-Jai

Personally, I think King County pays a lot of lip service towards bikers, but doesn't really follow through.

There's quite a few trails, but IMO, most of them are in terrible condition mainly due to tree roots. I haven't seen any real maintenance on these trails after they are built at all other than someone coming to spray paint the root bulges.

South seattle streets are some of the worst around. I would come off of interurban trail after fighting tree roots for a few miles and hop onto Airport way, which is just in terrible condition as well as the side streets west of airport way which are completely torn to shreds by the big trucks. I'm glad I don't have to do that any longer.

I never had any problems with drivers. I liked riding in the city much more than the suburb streets, probably because the drivers are driving slower, and seem to be more aware/patient of cyclists. I've had more close calls in Kent/Tukwila than in Seattle. I've never ridden in Everett, but it probably isn't much different.

I think I'd have to agree with bizzz111 about the quality of the trails. They exist and are reasonably extensive, but they're, in general, not all that well maintained. Those that are tend to me the more popular MUP trails, like the one around greenlake, and aren't great for riding since there are so many pedestrians. If you've got a good bike that can take a little more than perfect asphalt, though, I've found them to be good ways to get around.

The drivers are good and bad all over. I've had near misses and been yelled at throughout the area, including downtown Seattle. However, most of the drivers here do seem to be at least minimally bike-aware, and will give you a break as long as you're following the rules of the road.

Therein, however, lies the rub. There are many, many riders in the area that think bikes are special and things like stop signs and lights, yield signs, and one-way street signs don't apply to them. They'll race through pedestrians on the sidewalk and not think a thing about it. A couple of weeks ago I saw a rider in the middle (as in riding down the double-yellow) of a busy 4-lane street run through a red light while riding with no hands. Idiots make us all look bad.

Everett Drivers seem to be more polite to riders than King County. I do not use the trails up here(Everett) for commuting the only one is the Interurban and there are to many detours for my taste. I do have very little trouble with the drivers when on the road.

I agree with bizzz111 about Seattle/King county, they like to brag that they are bike friendly but it can be like a battle zone out there sometimes.

I find the drivers in your neck of the woods much better behaved than up here.

In addition to fenders I would suggest long fender flaps as well. Anything that will make you visible at night is good as we head into the dark, dark nights up here.

I don't ride in the city so I will leave that to others.

Having had relatives move from SoCal, keep a positive attitude in trying to acclimate. The relatives left their thermostat at SoCal temps and were gone within a year because they couldn't handle the colder weather.

Hey Jai,

I'm also from Orange County (remember my car-free cycling tips from the PM's?), and after moving to the Seattle area in September, I'd say the temperatures are much colder and there's tons more rain. So like other posters have said, grab some fenders! You'll need 'em. That's true about acclimating to temps, but for me, I can acclimate to colder temperatures more easily than warmer temps, and I'm a guy who's spent almost his entire life living in SoCal :p

Compared to cycling in Orange County, the west side of King County (most of Seattle) is awesome. I feel comfortable in Downtown and the surrounding areas, like Fremont. Wherever the traffic moves fast, there are bike lanes, and when there are no bike lanes, it's usually on streets that are so narrow the traffic is moving at <25 MPH. The east side (Bellevue, Redmond, etc.) is more auto-centric, like Orange County, except that the speeds are slower than in SoCal because the traffic lanes are narrower and there are less of them (usually 4-lane arterials instead of 8, etc.). However, east and south sides do not seem to be as accommodating as Seattle proper, because there are many many high-speed roads with very narrow lanes.

There are still aggressive drivers here pulling crap like going 25+ over the speed limit and cutting lanes, but certainly less in frequency than in SoCal. For example, there's a hill leading up to the place I'm staying at in Renton, and the posted speed limit is 35 MPH (3rd Ave near the 405 freeway). Sometimes, when I'm driving up the hill, I'll match speeds with the traffic, and my car's speedometer will be reading 40-55 MPH. And there are still people who will tailgate me or cut me off thinking I'm going too slow.

I haven't tried cycling in Snohomish County yet.

Send me a PM when you get up here. Maybe we can meet up for a ride sometime.

It's all relative. I moved here from Florida 6 months ago....and compared to Florida, biking and accommodations here are an absolute dream. I may complain in a few years, but is exponentially better than what I'm used to.

Oh yea...get some damn good lights. You'll need them...especially this time of year. Fenders if you don't already have them are pretty important too. I'm on a Trek 520 also.....I'm all decked out with my fenders and lights. Check out the pic in my sig linked to more pics of the 520.

I live in the Everett area and used to be on Vashon. There is not a lot of excitement on Vashon for someone your age, and you have to get used to living and dying by the ferry schedule.

Welcome to Seattle. Rule #1 for newcomers to the Seattle metro area...don't ***** about the weather and say things like, "It's always grey and rainy." Nothing you could do would start you off on a worse note with the natives then *****ing about the weather.

With that said, I second the previous posts; get some rain gear.

There are a lot of Californians here in Seattle so you might feel at home when it comes to the driving styles, yet it's still nothing like it is in SoCal. I'm a Seattle area native so I can't really compare the vehicle/bicycle relationship but my best guess is that we're a bit more friendly here in Seattle.

Again, welcome to Seattle!!!

Coming from Orange County it may not be an issue for you, but for me the amount of traffic has been an intimidating factor. No problems with drivers but the roads are crowded. In Santa Cruz, CA and St. Louis, MO there were always streets to be used with lower traffic volume - not so here, although Vashon Island may be OK.

Coming from Orange County it may not be an issue for you, but for me the amount of traffic has been an intimidating factor. No problems with drivers but the roads are crowded.

That's one thing I notice about the roads and freeways. I was getting ready to interview for a job all the way up in Bothell once. From my uncle's house in Renton, that's a 25-30 minute drive with no traffic on the 405 freeway. It's more like 70 minutes during rush hour, I bet. 'course, I was curious as to how quickly I could travel to Bothell if I did a bicycle/bus muti-modal commute, and if the buses run close to the scheduled times (I'm willing to give 5 minutes lateness), I could get to Bothell in about the same amount of time as I could in a car in rush hour traffic, give or take a few minutes, depending on how hard/fast I want to pedal the bicycle after hopping off the bus. I love it :D

Invest in some good rein gear and a light. It will increase the amount of time you can ride.

Vason is nice & quite place without a lot of traffice to ride. The trail network is good, but there is room for improvement from Tacoma to Seattle route. (i.e. Pierce to King County)

Thank you for all for your advice, I appreciate it. I went to REI and got some rain gear. I feel especially manly in my rain pants. I'm looking forward to the cold weather.

Hey Jai,
I'm also from Orange County (remember my car-free cycling tips from the PM's?), and after moving to the Seattle area in September, I'd say the temperatures are much colder and there's tons more rain. So like other posters have said, grab some fenders! You'll need 'em. That's true about acclimating to temps, but for me, I can acclimate to colder temperatures more easily than warmer temps, and I'm a guy who's spent almost his entire life living in SoCal :p

I also want to say Fat Bike Nut, you are a badass. You gave some good advice about Orange County, and you happened to move Washington, and now you give me advice about Washington. Thank you.

Thank you all,
-Jai

Thank you for all for your advice, I appreciate it. I went to REI and got some rain gear. I feel especially manly in my rain pants. I'm looking forward to the cold weather.


Oh yes, real Puget Sounders don't bother with umbrellas (even though there is a festival named after the things--Bumbershoot).

Slog on!

East Hill

Oh yes, real Puget Sounders don't bother with umbrellas (even though there is a festival named after the things--Bumbershoot).

Slog on!

East Hill

Umbrellas a a pain to bike with anyway :-) What's an umbrella again?

Welcome to the neighborhood.

Umbrellas a a pain to bike with anyway :-) What's an umbrella again?

Welcome to the neighborhood.

I like to take the long pointy ones and pretend they're lances, like a medieval knight :D.

I like to take the long pointy ones and pretend they're lances, like a medieval knight :D.


They are handy for that!

East Hill

I like to take the long pointy ones and pretend they're lances, like a medieval knight :D.

Ditto. I can use it to defend myself, if it comes to that.

So, if you really want to fit in here...

1. Don't carry an umbrella, you really don't need one in Seattle.
2. Don't whine about the weather. The entire nation is envious of our glorious summer weather anyway...you'll see why.
3. Merge on to the freeways going as slow as possible. Joking...but it's true, and it drives me mad!
4. Think of Pearl Jam as the greatest thing of all time.
5. Be happy that the "grunge" phase died a LONG TIME AGO, and that it wasn't really cool to begin with.
6. Don't watch the local news...it's mostly filled with stories about the neighbors cat that was rescued from a tree or the "08 Winter Storm" watch.
7. Believe and trust that the Sonics are GOOD FOR THE CITY and region, and if they leave it will totally suck arse.
8. Learn to appreciate a skinny Japanese single's hitter with a glove that Willie Mays would be proud of.
9. It's "Holmgren"...NOT "Holgrem"
10. Always take I-90 instead of 520...always!
11. If you put "the" before the freeway #'s you will give your "Californian" away.
12. It's cool to ride Metro

That's all I got.

This is my first winter riding semi-seriously in Seattle and am commuting in the dark and the rain for the first time. In addition to the gear recommended above, I would like to call out rain booties for special mention.

Fenders + mudflaps + rain booties make an enormous difference. If my feet, hands and head are dry I can handle about anything.

I'm also on a Trek 520 in the winter and I have to say I am much more comfortable riding with 32c tires on city streets (especially in the dark) than I was riding a road bike with 23c tires. Seattle drivers are OK but road surfaces in and out of downtown are typical big city streets -- not great.

And remember that (in the winter) when it's raining in town it's snowing in the mountains. You need to escape the drip on weekends and get up into the mountains to snowshoe, board or ski.

BengeBoy, what kind of rain booties do you recommend? I'm also new to the area and I'm trying to get my wet weather gear system nailed down before it really starts raining a lot. The bike is ready to go, I'm now working on the clothing.

6. Don't watch the local news...it's mostly filled with stories about the neighbors cat that was rescued from a tree or the "08 Winter Storm" watch.


:roflmao:

This is the absolute truth :p .

East Hill

My rain booties are from Bellwether. I actually bought them last summer when my feet were so drenched after a wet ride that I couldn't wear my good leather riding shoes for two days. I went to the bike store and they had to dig around in the backroom for some because it wasn't rain season. I didn't really shop for them at all; I just know I like the ones I have.

The other new piece of gear I bought that I'm really liking is a set of Specialized full-finger gloves. I had summer gloves, and some really, really warm "winter" gloves but as it was getting cooler I wanted to keep my hands warm but without suffocating in my really thick winter gloves. I was visiting a bike shop one day and in a moment of weakness bought these gloves -- they were pretty spendy, about $35 as I recall -- but they are really great. Thick enough to keep me warm into the 30's, but thin enough that you still have really good feel for the handlebars and controls.

Good advice above, I would just add a recommendation to get some wool clothing for under your rain gear. I found good buys on leather gloves at a shop that sells work clothing (Carhartt etc). They have some (Kinco brand)with a yellow reflectorized band on the backside, the meshback unlined are good down to about 35F.
http://www.washingtonworkwear.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=35

Right now it is wet and dark, so ditto the making sure you have rain gear, fenders, a good headlight (I love my niterider, road rat), lots of reflective gear, and blinkies. I live in Edgewood (Puyallup area) and bike to the Sounder train station (it runs from Everett as well), which takes me to work in Seattle. The Sounder has places for two bikes on each car. Bring along bungies in case you're the third bike. The buses are equiped with bike racks which can be loaded anywhere out of the ride free zone.

Seattle has a few bike lanes, but use them with caution as they are narrow and placed between the parking strip and the car lanes. I constantly dodge car doors and drivers pulling out or turning right. I have found that drivers give me caution at night because I'm so well lit, but I've almost been hit during the day when I've failed to wear bright clothes because I blended into the gray a little too well. (Lesson learned!) It is hilly, so make sure your derailleurs and brakes are in good shape! I think all-in-all, you'll find Seattle-ites to be at least sympathetic to bikers. (My builiding even has a bike garage.) We like to believe we are eco- and outdoor friendly even if we are still quite auto-centric!

Good luck, and have fun!

By the way, I'm new to this forum. I hope no one minds me posting as a newbie.

By the way, I'm new to this forum. I hope no one minds me posting as a newbie.

Thank you and welcome to Bikeforums. I really appreciate your advice. Make yourself at home.

-Jai