Pacific Northwest - Comin to Seattle

Hey all -

Not sure if this would be the appropriate place to place this message, sorry if it isn't. I am going to be visiting Seattle the first week of December and want to know if it is too cold to go out for a nice ride. I want to find a place to rent a road bike and cruise around the town. Any thoughts? Ideas? Shops that rent?

Thanks

Recycled Cycles rents, but I think they only rent hybrids, not road bikes.

Whether it's a good time of year to go for a ride totally depends on your personal preferences. Last December we had snow, lots of snow from a West Coast perspective (laughable to anyone from someplace with real snow), so in that case I'd say yes, it's too cold and crappy to ride. Normally Seattle winters are rainy, a little windy, but mostly just overcast and dark. Rain in Seattle is mostly piss rain and the windy part of the year is usually over by the beginning of December. There can also be days that are beautiful, sunny and relatively warm. A cold winter day in Seattle is between 35 and 45 F, a warmer day will get up to 55 F or so. Below freezing happens relatively rarely in the winter.

I don't know if Recycled Cycles' rentals have fenders, but that is kind of a necessity around here. That and wool or good breathable waterproof fabrics, depending on which you prefer. Oh, and lights, because we get about 7 hours of daylight in the winter.

Best advice: watch the weather forecast as the time to be here gets closer. Along with rain, and our occasional snow, it can also be nice and clear on any given few days in December.
The Cascade Bicycle Club's message board (you'll need to sign up first) would be a place to ask for suggestions for in-city rides; lots of other rides that aren't too hard to get to (some of which start with a ferryboat across Puget Sound). Cascade's site has a lot of useful links, including http://www.cascade.org/Community/rental.cfm which will get you a few more rental possibilities.
Welcome ...

I recall December as being an absolutely dismal month in Seattle. There is little daylight, it is constant overcast and rains off and on the entire day. That said, I'd still try to get a ride in. There are only 2 weather conditions in Seattle at that time of year: It is raining, or it is about to rain.

I think the best place to rent road bikes close to town is at Montlake Cycles. Address is at the Cascade.org link above.

I just checked my riding log from last December - I rode 14 days. It's not totally bad.

As mentioned above, watch the weather. A typical day in December would be 38 to 45 degrees, light rain off and on during the day. Unusually nice days would be sunny, unusually bad days would be windy.

That's 14 days more than I rode last December.

Well I am fine with the weather being pretty out of control. I am coming from Colorado. So I'm used to riding to work with a few inches on the ground. Figured I'd bring all my winter gear at least to stay warm. Thanks for the help, I'll have to check some websites and maybe give recycled cycles a call. I'm thinking I might rather a hybrid to cruise around on.

Concerning the Cascade Forum site mentioned, are their people that would respond to maybe a group ride? I'm sure most depends on the weather.

14 days.. Thats pretty good for a December if there is mostly rain and some snow. I mean that gives me 46% chance. I am alright with that.

If you are OK with riding in the rain and wind, you could ride almost every day in the winter here. Except when it snows.

According to NOAA data, Seattle has on average 1.6 days of snowfall greater than 0.1". If you change the filter to snowfall greater than 1", the number of days drops to 0.7. This is using data from 1971 to 2000. Also does not mean we won't have a repeat of last year when we had 4 days with snowfall greater than 1".

Bring front and tail lights with you. Rainy days are dark, in addition to the shorter days.

Your winter clothes will likely be a little too warm. A water-proof outer shell, booties, something for your hands (keep them dry) will help keep you warm. Of course, the layers inside are needed too, but not as thick as Colorado.

ok, how 'bout this: I might have a job in seattle starting next summer. I live in the beautiful bay area where we can ride 355 days a year (the other 10 we can ride too, but I didn't want to make you feel bad). I like cx, but I also like lots of road and a bit of mountain. Why should I take the job?

ok, how 'bout this: I might have a job in seattle starting next summer. I live in the beautiful bay area where we can ride 355 days a year (the other 10 we can ride too, but I didn't want to make you feel bad). I like cx, but I also like lots of road and a bit of mountain. Why should I take the job?

Honest truth, it's a rare day that the weather here is significantly more extreme than you would get down in the bay. Greater chance of maybe one freak snowstorm per year, but in general its about as hospitable.

ok, how 'bout this: I might have a job in seattle starting next summer. I live in the beautiful bay area where we can ride 355 days a year (the other 10 we can ride too, but I didn't want to make you feel bad). I like cx, but I also like lots of road and a bit of mountain. Why should I take the job?

Sounds like you have a pretty sweet setup where you are at. I would stay put if I were you.

ok, how 'bout this: I might have a job in seattle starting next summer. I live in the beautiful bay area where we can ride 355 days a year (the other 10 we can ride too, but I didn't want to make you feel bad). I like cx, but I also like lots of road and a bit of mountain. Why should I take the job?

We don't need more of you Californians moving here and discovering our secrets. If I were you, just stay put and enjoy the warm weather down there. ;-)


Honestly though, you'll get acclimated to the weather here. So many other sports/activities besides the cycling scene.

Sounds like you have a pretty sweet setup where you are at. I would stay put if I were you.

I'm in school. I'll be graduating.


We don't need more of you Californians moving here and discovering our secrets. If I were you, just stay put and enjoy the warm weather down there. ;-)


Honestly though, you'll get acclimated to the weather here. So many other sports/activities besides the cycling scene.

....like skiing?

....like skiing?

yea plus snowboarding, kayaking, climbing...when you get all the seasons up here, there's no limit to one's imagination of activities.

ok, so now I have an offer. Any advice on how to figure out where to live near seattle (closer to the airport is better) as well as local teams?

You could live in Seatac or Tukwila, and be near the airport as well as the rail line to downtown (the stadiums).

Seatac is a place? I thought that's what you called airport

Yep, a real actual place. Burien might work well too. Or West Seattle. It depends on where you want the balance to be between sports and the airport really.

Yep, a real actual place. Burien might work well too. Or West Seattle. It depends on where you want the balance to be between sports and the airport really.

And what kind of neighborhood you want. Burien is up and coming and has some fun things going for it. It's close to the airport, further away from downtown. Cheaper rents in turn.
West Seattle is more expense, still easy to get to airport, easy to get to downtown, esp. if you are biking it. Extremely fun place with lots to do (I'm biased since I live there).
There's also Columbia City, Beacon Hill...
Seatac, Tukwila, Renton etc. are also close to airport, more "burby" however. Maybe someone who lives there can chime in.

I try not to be TOO much of a West Seattle cheerleader, but yeah, it's awesome :P

I try not to be TOO much of a West Seattle cheerleader, but yeah, it's awesome :P

is west seattle west of the water by downtown?

is west seattle west of the water by downtown?

Yes.

Look on Google Maps for "West Seattle" or just look for the West Seattle Freeway, which intersects with Interstate 5 south of downtown. The West Seattle Freeway goes over a bridge and heads right into West Seattle.

If you need to be close to the airport for work, living in West Seattle puts you right in between downtown (to the north) and the airport (to your south).

There are some short but steep hills in West Seattle for bike riding...you can also take the ferry from West Seattle over to Vashon Island and cycle on rural roads there, or take the ferry over to Southworth and cycle around that area. You can also head from West Seattle across the I90 bike path to Mercer Island and then on to the Eastside.

Yes.

Look on Google Maps for "West Seattle" or just look for the West Seattle Freeway, which intersects with Interstate 5 south of downtown. The West Seattle Freeway goes over a bridge and heads right into West Seattle.

If you need to be close to the airport for work, living in West Seattle puts you right in between downtown (to the north) and the airport (to your south).

There are some short but steep hills in West Seattle for bike riding...you can also take the ferry from West Seattle over to Vashon Island and cycle on rural roads there, or take the ferry over to Southworth and cycle around that area. You can also head from West Seattle across the I90 bike path to Mercer Island and then on to the Eastside.

Thanks for the info! Is the ferry system "usable"? Around here (bay area) I feel like it's mostly a touristy thing.

Looking at the map, I assume from your post hte I90 bridge has a bike path. What about the 520?

Also "west seattle" is NOT Bainbridge island. Good to know. From a macro point of view, how hard is it to get around the area by bike? Are there decent streets that run N/S or E/W for miles which get you in the vicinity of where you want to be? How about bike lanes or at least wide shoulders on these types of streets?

As an outsider, it's easy to find names I think are funny, but "White Center"? Really?

Thanks for the info! Is the ferry system "usable"? Around here (bay area) I feel like it's mostly a touristy thing.

Looking at the map, I assume from your post hte I90 bridge has a bike path. What about the 520?

Also "west seattle" is NOT Bainbridge island. Good to know. From a macro point of view, how hard is it to get around the area by bike? Are there decent streets that run N/S or E/W for miles which get you in the vicinity of where you want to be? How about bike lanes or at least wide shoulders on these types of streets?

As an outsider, it's easy to find names I think are funny, but "White Center"? Really?

The Washington State Ferry system, I believe, is the largest in the U.S. Cars, trucks, horse trailers, bikes, people use it x,000's of times a day. If you live in "urban" Seattle, you can take the ferry over to Vashon, Bainbridge, Bremerton and be doing rural rides as soon as you get off the ferry.

There is a bike lane on the I90 bridge, not on the 520. You can, however, take your bike on a bus across the 520, or just ride around the Lake.

There are tons of Seattle bike routes on bikely.com or mapmyride.com.

You can get practically anywhere in the region by bike. Just get a bike with fenders and visit REI for some rain gear.

Another really good source of rides is the map "library" at the website of the Seattle Bicycle Touring Club. Just google their site, look for the maps library, and enjoy. It's organized by starting location for the rides.

If you like really long rides, look for the website of the Seattle International Radonneurs. Check out their ride calendars for their schedule of 200k/300k/600k/1200k rides, both scheduled rides and "permanents." They have a lot of creative routes that will get you all over the state of Washington.

I guess if a 1200k isn't long enough for you, you could always string two different 1200k routes together.

I'm learning lots. I should probably hop over to the commuting forum, but are there good waterproof panniers?

.....getting excited, as soon as I get comfortable riding in the wet. Up in the hills around here, sometimes moisture drips from the trees and gets the ground wet. When I go around these curves I slow WAAAAY down.

I'm learning lots. I should probably hop over to the commuting forum, but are there good waterproof panniers?

Good waterproof panniers available from Ortlieb, and REI's house brand (Novara).

I use an Arkel "Bug" commuter backpack. Most days I don't put a cover on it, but if it's really raining I put a little $15 waterproof cover on it.

Fenders + rain jacket + dry feet + warm hands, you can ride all year round.

From a macro point of view, how hard is it to get around the area by bike? Are there decent streets that run N/S or E/W for miles which get you in the vicinity of where you want to be? How about bike lanes or at least wide shoulders on these types of streets?

Oops...I forgot to mention 3 other good local resources:

- Cascade.org, which is the big Seattle cycling club. Many, many links on their website
- King County bike map (available via PDF download or mail)
- City of Seattle bike map (available via PDF download or mail)

If you have the City of Seattle bike map, King County bike map, and the Seattle Bicycle Touring Club ride map you have at least two or three years of rides to do before you run out of ideas.

Seattle is pretty good for N/S routes, but honestly E/W leaves a lot to be desired. Some of that is terrain of course, but going between West Seattle and the aforementioned I-90 bridge is kind of a pain in the ass. Even the King County map conspicuously lacks E/W routes. Vashon Island is nice to ride, I do it frequently, and you can pair it up with Maury Island (linked by an isthmus) for a 50-60 mile ride. White Center is neither white nor central.

Seattle is pretty good for N/S routes, but honestly E/W leaves a lot to be desired. Some of that is terrain of course, but going between West Seattle and the aforementioned I-90 bridge is kind of a pain in the ass. Even the King County map conspicuously lacks E/W routes. Vashon Island is nice to ride, I do it frequently, and you can pair it up with Maury Island (linked by an isthmus) for a 50-60 mile ride. White Center is neither white nor central.

which makes it even more funny.

Generally speaking, how is the terrain? I'm sure you can do whatever you want, but if you just went for a 30 mile ride.....would it likely be flat, hilly, or a mix?

which makes it even more funny.

Generally speaking, how is the terrain? I'm sure you can do whatever you want, but if you just went for a 30 mile ride.....would it likely be flat, hilly, or a mix?]

Either hilly, a mix, or very hilly.

There are only a couple of places to do long-ish flat rides -- like one of the MUP trails, like the Burke Gilman, Sammamish River Trail. You can do a few flat miles along the waterfront.

But most is going to be rolling hills to very hilly. There are some steep but short hills in West Seattle, and if you head over to the Eastside suburbs you can do some very hill rides up and around some of the foothills of the Cascade range.

Like this:

http://www.ride4areason.org/cycling/recreational/native_planet_hill_climb_century_map_south.shtml

^^ thanks for the link. looks like fun.

What's "the climb" in the area? Around here mt.diablo is roughly an hour (if you're quick) or in the south bay old la honda "olh" is another, slightly shorter benchmark. near berkeley we also have a 9-14 minute hill (that's work class speed to just a hair slower than me) that we time up. Anything like that around.

also,bengeboy, thanks for taking time to answer questions. I really appreciate it

Depends on your definition of "in the area"

Hurricane Ridge out on the peninsula is supposed to be awesome, though I've never done it. Around Mt. Rainier is a really beautiful area, with plenty of long climbs. Closer in, if you are a fat tire rider as well, you can ride up the gravel road on Tiger Mountain to where the paragliders take off.

Depends on your definition of "in the area"

Hurricane Ridge out on the peninsula is supposed to be awesome, though I've never done it. Around Mt. Rainier is a really beautiful area, with plenty of long climbs. Closer in, if you are a fat tire rider as well, you can ride up the gravel road on Tiger Mountain to where the paragliders take off.

any singletrack around there?

Close to White Center which has McClendon's Hardware, El Paisano (best Mexican I've had in the states), Pho 99, Full Tilt. Love it. West Seattle has Elliott Bay Brewery, Mashiko's, C&P Coffee, Bakery Nouveau, Ace Hardware, Farmer's Market.

Terrain in West Seattle can be interesting. But once you are in WS it's mostly flat, with downhills/uphills to water.
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/steepest.htm
High Point the highest point in the city is near my house. WS also has some of the steepest streets (some are not on this map either as they are secondary streets). Takes me 30-40 min to get to work on the north side of downtown and about 45-50 minutes to get home. Slowed down mostly due to hills/traffic combo. It's a steep ride home, but keeps you in shape. This way I can eat at those places I named above.

Some single track info:
http://www.seattle.net/entertainment/sports/spring_sports/cycling/mountain_biking/

It's not too bad to get to I-90 from WS. Early in the morning is better than afternoons though due to traffic and upcoming construction issues.
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/viaduct
Namely this one. But I think if you bicyle commute you won't have too much of an issue. Cyclists are going to have a much easier time navigating the streets than cars/buses IMHO.

any singletrack around there?

Lots of good singletrack, how much again depending on your definition of "in the area". Tiger Mountain is not far from town and has a fair amount of decent trails. If you want something more epic, Kachess Ridge near Snoqualmie pass or the Palisades near Rainier are more in line. Depending on how for you want to travel, I did a really great ride out near Cle Elum last year that I forget the name of, but will look up if you are interested (PM me). For ease of access and fun value though, I usually head to Tolt-McDonald park out in Carnation. Huge network of singletrack and doubletrack where you can ride for hours without duplication of trails. Plus a nice climb to get to the top of the hill where all the trails are.


Also, Bakery Nouveau is RIDICULOUSLY good. I live 3 blocks from it, and its all I can do to not have a pear danish every day.

What's "the climb" in the area? Around here mt.diablo is roughly an hour (if you're quick) or in the south bay old la honda "olh" is another, slightly shorter benchmark. near berkeley we also have a 9-14 minute hill (that's work class speed to just a hair slower than me) that we time up. Anything like that around.

"Zoo Hill (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Newport+Way+NW&daddr=47.548291,-122.112908&geocode=FV6c1QIdikG5-A%3B&hl=en&mra=mi&mrsp=1,0&sz=15&sll=47.548783,-122.101793&sspn=0.015555,0.03768&ie=UTF8&ll=47.54966,-122.099197&spn=0.01567,0.03768&t=p&z=15)" is one of the more popular climbs in the are. It's about 2.3 miles averaging 9% grade, with some sections probably close to 20%. The average fit rider can get up it in around 20 minutes, and the record is somewhere around 10 minutes, I think.

I did a really great ride out near Cle Elum last year that I forget the name of, but will look up if you are interested (PM me).

The name of the ride is Rat-Pac. Fun ride, good hour-long climb on singletrack and fireroads, followed by a ripping singletrack descent.

If end up in West Seattle and want singletrack, you can ride your bike onto the Fauntleroy/Southworth Ferry (which leaves from West Seattle) and a 3 mile ride on the other side will take you to Banner Forest. Nice singletrack, exceptional place to ride if you have a singlespeed mountain bike.

The best place to find Mountain Bike trail information is not the link above - you want to go to the trail wiki on the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance website: www.evergreenmtb.org