Tag: bikes

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Menomonee River Parkway and Mayfair Road

The thing about how the government works, and how the system works, is that it’s often much easier to complain about it then it is to actually try to do anything about it and make things happen. I’m guilty of this, just like others are, but I learned something from my Pothole Journey, and what I learned is, it’s better to try than to give up and do nothing.

Since I started to Bike to Work I noticed that the worst part was crossing Mayfair Road on the Menomonee River Parkway. There’s no traffic light and there are not flashing lights for a pedestrian crossing. Cars are easily doing 50mph and expecting drivers to stop for pedestrians is insane.

Crossing in the morning isn’t as bad as crossing after 5pm. It’s like Fury Road out there! One day when I had to drive home on Mayfair I saw a cyclist stuck in the middle (like I’ve been) and other zip across (on bike or on foot) and it just looks super-dangerous. So I decided to do something.

I tracked down the City of Wauwatosa’s Service Request page and submitted a “Street Light Issue” and I had to choose an address which was incorrect, and choose from a menu that didn’t have the choice I needed, but I basically asked if there could be a be a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) added. Granted, those don’t always work, but it seemed like the simplest request, and you gotta start somewhere. (An RRFB is probably the wrong solution and I almost got hit using one just last month, but…)

To my surprise, I got a reply the next day!

“The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is planning to raise the Mayfair Road bridge over Menomonee River in the Year 2026. The project will include a bicycle/pedestrian underpass as well as improved lines of sight for the Mayfair & Menomonee River Parkway intersection.”

Wow! This was even better than I had hoped for! I’m excited to see this is planned for the future. The map above shows what I think they are suggesting. (The yellow box is the intersection and the red lines would be the pedestrian/cycling path.) I’m not sure if I got it right, but I guess we’ll find out.

I assume it might be like over on Hampton where the Oak Leaf Trail goes under Hampton, but there are paths leading up to the road on both sides. (See image below for reference.)

This would (will be?) a great addition to the Oak Leaf Trail as it allows for getting past Mayfair Road, probably the worst crossing in Wauwatosa. Anyway, fingers crossed it actually happens!

Note: Follow the links on the WIS 100 (Mayfair Rd./Lovers Lane Rd.) Rehabilitations – Milwaukee County page under “Public Involvement”.

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I got an ebike!

Happy Bike Day! You may have read about some of my recent ebike adventures, including riding to work. Well, even though Matt was in no hurry to have me return his ebike I decided to get my own.

I think it was the most recent Scrappy Hour bike ride that pushed me over the edge. It was 7 miles out, a break, then 7 miles back. I can ride that far, but with the hills, and my knee, it wasn’t easy. I’m also the one dragging on the way back. The group back was four of us and I felt like I was holding the others back a bit. I was huffing and puffing and they were fine. To be fair, I’m 98% sure I am the oldest person at Scrappy Hour, and the guys I ride with are 15 or more years younger than I am. (At least one said “I love going up hills!”)

So anyway, yeah. I still have the old Trek which is working really good now and I still want to ride it sometimes. I think. I mean, that’s the plan. I can always use it on the indoor trainer in the winter/spring when it’s cold and wet outside.

As I mentioned, Dana asked if I wanted a new bike. One of the reasons I was hesitant is because I am old. I had this vision of getting a new bike, then having my knee, or hip, or some other thing end my bike riding. But here’s the thing. I learned that people in their 60s and 70s are getting ebikes and riding every day, for long distances, and loving it! Some 72 year old dude was like “I got two knees replaced, I haven’t ridden in 30 years, now I ride every day!” and hearing that kind of testimonial made me realized that as an old(er) person, and ebike might be just what I need.

On the acoustic Trek bike I can typically do an hour long ride, and it’s about 12 miles, but I’m kind of spent after that, and tired, tired, tired. But with a pedal assist ebike I can ride longer, ride farther, and not end up totally exhausted. Hills? Wind? They don’t matter. The hills are the number one thing people mention. Another guy said he lives at the top of this huge hill in Pittsburgh and hated riding his bike because he would have to walk it up the giant hill when he got home. Now? Zip Zip! Motor assist up the hill. It really is a game changer.

When my neighbor who rides road bikes asked if an ebike is “cheating” I said “The only one being cheated is the automotive industry, because I can bike to work now.” and guess what? Since you can ride longer and farther, you can actually get more exercise on an ebike. I have the choice of an easy cruise to and from work, or more of a workout doing some heavy pedaling. Having that choice is amazing!

I’d say “long story short” but it’s too late for that. I got an Aventon Level 3 Commuter ebike. I plan to ride to work and ride for fun. This may be the first bike I ever bought for myself. The Trek I have was a gift from Dana, and the bikes I had as a kid were either gifts from my parents, or I built bikes out of random (s)crap we’d find and then buy parts to fill in the gaps. And then there was the dumpster bike I put together. So yeah, this is most likely the first fully working new-in-store bike I’ve ever bought for myself… And it feels good.

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Fork Fixed (Replaced)

I got my bike fixed! If you missed it, back in July the front suspension fork on my bike just… separated. The bottom half fell off. It looked pretty corroded in there. I kept riding it for a while as I debated what to do about it. Oh, and since I hang my bike in the garage from the front wheel I started adding a bungee cord so the whole bike would not slide off from the front wheel!

Dana said “Why don’t you get a new bike? You ride all the time and could probably use something better.” And I really didn’t want to replace it, but I thought about getting a cheap “backup bike” in case it broke more. I thought about going to The Bike Farmer’s place but for reasons, I did not

But! The fine folks at Allis Bike got me fixed up. It was very affordable, and they did great work. They even saved the old fork for me just in case. They also replaced the chain as they noticed it was stretched a bit. Now, when I got the bike back I took a ride and somehow the chain started being all crazy so I contacted them and they said “Bring it in!” So I did…

They noticed the chain got twisted. How? I don’t know. But I do know they fixed it, and said “All good, no charge!” and I rode away. Awesome!

Also, the shop has a flyer I made up on the wall, and it’s been there for like… 35 years!?! If that’s not enough to trust a local bike shop then I don’t know what is. Good crew over there at Allis Bike.

The longer version of the flyer story is that I know one of the guys there, and have for a long time. When I was rebuilding a bike I found in a dumpster near a frat house in Madison I needed a new front rim, tube, and tire. Pete got me all set up I have this idea in my mind I handed him $30 cash for it. I cannot confirm this price but it was 35 years ago, and Pete was a pal. Each of us was the “Other Pete” to each other. So yeah. Solid!

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Thoughts on eBike Riding

In the post I Rode an eBike! I wrote about my first “tests” riding an ebike. This post goes a bit more in-depth as it’s been a few weeks. As usual, this is for my own benefit, as I’m sure I’ll look back at this post, but maybe you’ll also find it useful?

When I first rode the ebike I wanted to do some tests to see what it was like riding it unpowered. I had read posts from people saying “Battery died, had to ride home 5 miles and it was hell!” or something along those lines. These ebikes tend to be heavy, especially with no power and a battery attached. I found that riding the ebike was a bit slower than my old Trek, but it’s a heavier bike, with wider tires, so that’s to be expected.

Typically when I ride (fun ride or ride to work) I try to go for a bit with no pedal assist. That means it’s just me pedaling, no motor. I usually get close to a mile on no-motor/pedal-power when headed to work. It is uphill for the first two miles (though not terrible) so I kick on the pedal assist… also, I do need to get to work.

For today’s ride I did 5 miles with no pedal assist (or “PAS 0” as I call it below.) It’s not terrible, but the hills can be rough. I mean, rougher than my Trek, because of the extra weight. But here’s the thing, and it’s a weird thing…

When I ride in PAS 0 for a while, and switch to PAS 1, it feels natural. That is, PAS 1 feels like what it should be riding a bike. It’s still work, you’re still pedaling quite a bit, but you get a little extra help, especially going up hills. While some people love going uphill, I do not. It’s one of my least favorite parts of riding a bike. Okay, but here’s the weird thing…

When you go from using pedal assist to NOT using pedal assist, you feel like you are working twice as hard! This is the weirdest thing. I tested it again today. Ride for a while with any pedal assist level and then turn it off and you feel like the bike is purposefully slowing you down. Like it’s pulling you backwards while you try to pedal forward. And it’s not even like when you start without pedal assist, it’s like negative pedal assist. I’m telling you, it’s the weirdest damn thing. It’s probably all in the mind.

So let’s talk about the need for speed. I guess it’s a video game, but I’m talking about the phrase people say. People who like to race, go fast, seek thrills, whatever. When I started riding last year I had no goal to go fast. I mean like faster than 15mph. When I started I was averaging less than 10 miles per hour. I eventually worked that up to 10, then 11, and it’s not quite at 12 now, though some rides are 12mph but I’m not at 13 yet. Often I’d have about 30 minutes to ride in the morning so I’d try to get in 5 miles, so I’d try to ride a bit faster. I’d usually get a good workout and get 5 miles in. All good.

Okay, so today I did three rides. This is not totally scientific, as I did three five mile rides one after another, and the route was not the same, so… whatever, they are numbers.

PAS 0 PAS 1 PAS 2
Time 26:03 22:57 19:40
Avg Speed (mph) 11.56 13.17 15.39
Avg Heart Rate (bpm) 111 110 103
Max Heart Rate (bpm) 132 130 121
Kilocalories (kcal) 179 232 147

As mentioned, I started with no pedal assist (PAS 0) and only kicked it to PAS 1 for about 30 seconds to get up a hill. PAS is great for hills! After five miles I turned on PAS 1, and it’s like a normal ride. It feels natural, it feels right, it feels good. I’m still working the pedals, still pushing hard, but not so hard I’m totally wearing myself out. One thing they say about ebikes is that you’ll ride more and ride farther, and this is correct.

After five more miles I jumped to PAS 2 and it’s even easier. I won’t say “it’s too easy” because it’s all relative. PAS 2 is great for “I’m cruising around, I don’t care if I’m pushing myself to reach goals, I just want to ride!” Honestly. sometimes in PAS 2 I feel like the bike is going a little faster than I need it to. At least on one of my “fun rides” that is. So I find the numbers interesting, but not totally surprising. If I was riding my Trek I probably would not have done 15 miles, and if I did I’d be pretty exhausted afterwards. (My long “Trek rides” tend to be 10 to 12 miles.)

I haven’t mentioned PAS 3. Level 3 is great for rides to work, when I want to get there fast, when I need to ride on Hampton (especially up the huge hill) when I’m on the part of the parkway where there is no traffic and no one else around. Now it is possible to tune the PAS levels, and I’ve done that a little, but haven’t extensively adjusted them.

Anyway, I find this all very interesting.

One more important note! When I talk about my speed (in mph) the data all comes from my iPhone which I use to track my rides. The speed may not be accurate! Now that I’ve been a bike with a real speedometer I can see my phone is often quite off from the bike. I’ve stuck with phone data here for consistency.

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I eBiked to Work!

I last biked to work in… 2007!?!? It’s been a while. I had this plan to try to bike to work this fall, when the weather is a bit cooler, but then Matt loaned me an ebike and I was like “Damn, I could ride this to work!” And so I did… twice!

I should point out that a few years ago I was like “Eh, there is no way I could ever bike to work. Too dangerous! I’ve seen how people drive because I drive to work with them every day.” (To be clear, they are in other cars, not mine.) Riding up Burleigh to 124th street seemed like a suicide mission at the time, but I’ve learned a lot since then. We’ve also moved our office at work so I am biking to a different location.

But the thing is, I was thinking the way car people think, and the easiest/best route by car is probably not the best route by bike. Last summer I started riding the Menomonee Line of the Oak Leaf Trail and one day I realized I almost rode to work! I was about 1.5 miles from the office, and with just 6 months of riding on roads I was like “Hey, I can make it another 1.5 miles on the road… even if it’s Hampton.” And I was right.

So with the ebike assisting me I made the journey to work. The first time I got there in about 25 minutes. I was amazed! It typically takes me 15 minutes to drive to work. (I’d say between 12 and 18 minutes depending on traffic, and 15 to 22 on the way home when traffic is worse.) I had estimated about 45-50 minutes on my old Trek, and there are some killer hills, but with the ebike it was fast as hell. (My original ebike estimate was 30-35 minutes.)

But it’s not just about speed and time. Getting to work by bike is just… better. I’m outside, I’m getting exercise, I’m not sitting in traffic, I am not tempted to look at my phone at a stoplight. I am fully engaged in my surroundings and what is around me. I am watching and seeing everything.

My first trip was along the Oak Leaf Trail and it’s awesome. My second trip I had to avoid it because the river flooded and parts of the trail were closed, so I tried a very “road heavy” route and while not ideal, I did just fine. I’m actually looking forward to exploring all sorts of different routes over time if I keep riding to work.

And yeah, I would love to keep doing this! I need to get my own ebike, and a few other things (backpacks suck, need panniers) and I can see myself riding to work a lot honestly.

My typical mornings for the past 16 months have been: get up early, go for a ride (usually 30 to 60 minutes) then shower, get ready, drive to work. But what if I get up, do whatever, shower, get ready, and then ride to work? I’d get close to (or more than) an hour of riding per day, and not be driving. I know Wisconsin isn’t the best place for year-round bike commuting, and I’m sure I will still drive many days, but I’d love to give commuting to work by bike a try.

See Also: My #BikeNite post I just started riding to work. What’s your best advice for a newbie bike commuter?