absentminded

hey. I'm 23, live and work in corvallis, oregon. Recently picked up my 13 year old cheaper end hybrid bike that had been sitting for the last ten years, unused and unabused... forgot how much fun it was, and how good of a workout it is. Basically here for training information (just for the sport of hobby reasons) and gather insight on bike parts. I'm also into Subarus... anybody ever have any automotive problems, go ahead and ask me. I'm an all around nerd - linux, computers, audio equipment and physics of sound, video games, and my wife.

Happy biking.

anybody else from C-town feel free to comment your favorite biking areas. I personally like whizzing by on the 1st street park bikeway.

snowy

Welcome Absentminded!!! You live in some beautiful country. Check out the regional forum for riders in your area

Siu Blue Wind

Welcome to Bike Forums!

If you go into the subsection called Foo - that's our non bike topic area - you will meet people who are into the same kinds of things you are!! Come on by!

donnamb 

Welcome, absentminded. Being interested in Subarus is practically an Official State Hobby in Oregon.

East Hill

Hello absentminded, you don't forget where you've left your bike, do you? Or just where you've parked the Subaru?

Welcome to BF!

East Hill

absentminded

hey, here in oregon, I don't know many people into subarus really. I used to be pretty heavy into a couple of the subie forums back in the day... anyways.

Shifty

Hello from up the river, enjoy the forums, nice peeps here!

Go Ducks!

absentminded

it's ok, you can get away with a ducks comment, I don't pay attention to football. lol

donnamb 

Ah, you're in Corvallis. You can't swing a cat in Portland without hitting a Subaru wagon of one sort or another.

absentminded

yeah, p-town is more of subie town. but that's because people up there can afford to buy them new. lol. you wanna play you have to pay (most times)

If I could get about $900 my friend's parents have a '87 GL FWD 5MT Hatch (EA81 - 2bbl feedback hitachi) that I could get. they get awesome mileage and are fun to drive. easy to work on too. an axle swap is about 20-30 minutes if you know what you're doing, so I figure that's easy enough. Swapping one of those motors should take less than two hours if you know what your doing and not having any problems. (plug and pray)

anyways.

been riding my bike to work and back, (2.18 miles, so says mapquest) while at work it's definately very physical (stocking/inventory/shipping unloader!) and my goal for by thanksgiving is to ride my way out to my dad's for the grub. (30.92 miles, so says mapquest.) But riding out to my dad's that way is alot of highway where I do believe it is illegal to ride. Either way, it's my goal. Yesterday, by my calculations, total, I did somewhere around 8 miles total, and every day putting on more miles! But I want a lighter, better touring style bike... wishlist I guess. lol

East Hill

Not necessarily...it is legal to ride on interstates as long as bicycles are not specifically banned from that particular section. Here in Puget Sound it's not legal to ride on I-90 in Seattle, but it is legal once one leaves the urban areas.

Are you talking interstates, or state highways and routes? And what specific sections?

East Hill

absentminded

Here's the route mapquest gave me, part of it on interstate 5, which could be avoided by going Hwy 20 from corvallis to albany, hwy 20 all the way to Hwy 226 which goes straight past my dad's house (is actual congruent piece of half of Main street in Scio)

Corvallis to Scio care of Mapquest

absentminded

hey I checked out your blog. lol.

the "elusive" Wooly Bear caterpillar are very common in the country side of Scio. They have soft fur.

Ricky H

Hey Absentminded welcome to the forums, I too live in Corvallis and I've found that if you use the "avoid highways" option on Google Maps and Mapquest you actually will find shorter routes that pass over highways. So for example I found you this map from Corvallis to Scio.
Actually 2 miles shorter, and basically staying on Highway 20. Oh and I really like the ride on first street, but I've started biking to Monroe and back because it's flat and it really really strengthens your cadence because you want to keep up a quick pace without loosing too much pedaling energy. I'll be taking the Corvallis to Eugene ride here when I'm ready for it, it's on the same route avoiding Interstates, and most high traffic areas.
Well have fun on your ride to Scio. (A singular ski in Italian)

East Hill

I looked at your route--it is possible to do workarounds on the I-5 bit by utilising parallel side roads, but I can see that you have few alternatives in some spots. My guess is that you can actually use Highway 34 (not saying it would be fun!), because I really don't see too many other ways around. Perhaps some of the other Oregon folks can help you with the legality of riding on those bits .

Edit: I see Ricky H has already stepped in! Thanks, Ricky .

Haha, yes, the 'elusive' Wooly Bears have finally come out of hiding! I am writing the blog for an audience which is exclusively based in the UK, by the way, so they've never seen one. I will be posting an update on the blog later this evening .

East Hill

absentminded

well see I've lived in oregon my whole life, so oregon countryside is something I'm used to. I think lots of the UK countryside is very pretty. (kinda opposite eh?)

I didn't even pay attention to the "avoid highways" option.

I avoid the roads with inclines and declines unless my speed entering is decent enough that I don't really need to pedal much if at all. I'm trying to keep pace when I ride. It's about 10-15 minute bike ride (not hauling ass) from my place (300 block SW 6th) to where I work (Circle, right past 9th and Hwy 99 crossroads) which is 2.xx miles as previously mentioned.

Scio is pronounced SIGH-OH. lol. most people pronounce it SKEE-OH or something like "S C TEN" lol

absentminded

whoever was 'hacking' (not very well) my wireless card is WEAK. Although, it was cool to see it send out 2000 to 4000+ packets per second though...

whatever.