Bike Commuters? (Seattle: find a job, neighborhood, university)

[greybear14]

Hi all,

My partner and I are moving to Seattle in January 2012. We have one vehicle, so I am planning to bike commute to my job (undetermined as of now). We're moving to the Ravenna area and I'm hoping to find a job somewhere around the University area.

I currently have a single-speed road bike type bike and I'm wondering if this is the right kind of bike to commute in Seattle with? I was thinking maybe a mountain bike might be more appropriate for the hills and the rain.

Any thoughts?

Thanks a bunch.

[SitoUK]

You see a lot of people on fixies and single-speed bikes in Seattle but you also see them pretty often get off their bike and push it up a hill. I personally don't think this is ia useful bike for Seattle unless you only use it for commuting and your commute is flat. If you use your bike as a general means of transport you'll pretty soon run into a fairly steep hill and unless you've got some superhuman thigh-power you won't get up there.

My commute is so short that I prefer to walk but when I bike I use a Cannondale Bad Boy Hybrid bike. It's fast as a road bike but has all the gears you need to get up those steep hills. I used it for commuting where I lived before (London, it rained a lot, just like here) and simply wore all waterproof clothing (including overshoes) in winter. You just need a place to change at work...an ideally a shower...

[Andy]

I bike to work often, but the truth is our weather and topography are not good for bikes. At least with the Ravenna neighborhood, you are close to the Burke Gilman trail, which will take you into Fremont if the job prospects at the UW don't pan out.

[Lamplight]

I can barely walk up some of the hills in Seattle, let alone ride a bike with no gears up them!

[Inkpoe]

Well, at least the buses will have a bike rack for those days you can't get up the hills.

[texastrigirl]

In the rainier months folks have fenders on their bikes and of course various lights on front and back as winter days are very short up here and it's often dark on either end of the commute. Serious cyclists will often have a road bike for pleasure and a rain bike which is a bit heavier becuase it's equipped with the above. Check Craigslist for sure.

[noexcuseforignorance]

Originally Posted by Andy

I bike to work often, but the truth is our weather and topography are not good for bikes. At least with the Ravenna neighborhood, you are close to the Burke Gilman trail, which will take you into Fremont if the job prospects at the UW don't pan out.

That's very true, but the buses do have bike racks on the front, so you can probably combine a bus with a bike if you really want to get in a workout.

[hamellr]

I'd also talk to the guys at Gregg's Cycles about riding in Seattle, and if you need another bike, Recycled Cycles is a great place.

[greybear14]

Originally Posted by hamellr

I'd also talk to the guys at Gregg's Cycles about riding in Seattle, and if you need another bike, Recycled Cycles is a great place.

Thanks guys! I will definitely check out the bike shop and try to get a feel for it when I visit next month.

[HikeBandit]

You'll want to join the Cascade Bike Club (http://cascade.org) for lots of new bike friends. They really encourage bike commuting.