May 13th, 2009 · 1 Comment

For the second year, the League has ranked states for their bike-friendliness, based on responses to a 75-item questionnaire. This year, the top five states are Washington, Wisconsin, Maine, Oregon and Minnesota. The lowest scoring states were New Mexico, Alaska, Oklahoma, Montana and – at number 50 — Alabama. (See all the state rankings.)

What is the first question most people have about starting a bike commute to work? ”What is the best bike?,” Dorn said

“The advice I offer is ‘get thee to a bike shop.’ Consult with the staff, explain your needs, your capabilities, budget, fashion sense. Most good bike retailers should be able to assist a cyclist to commute to work. The right bike is one that’s comfortable,” he said.

You don’t have to break the bank on a new bike. “Bike technology has gotten much better in the last two decades. Lighter, and more durable. And they can be very inexpensive, $400 to $500 and it will last for years,” he added

And no, you don’t have to get outfitted like Lance Armstrong. For years the bicycle industry focused on selling expensive high-performance machines made of high-tech materials aimed at the performance athlete, Dorn said. In the last several years, though, they’ve realized the bigger potential market is the regular person who wants a practical, comfortable bike for transportation.

Some of these newer bikes – the hybrids, the cruisers, the folding bikes, even recumbent  — can be pretty sexy, he said. “Many of them are quite stylish. That’s important because transportation isn’t simply a matter of getting from point A to point B. There’s so much emotional attachment to cars. They suggest an identity. Having (a bike with) style, an image of something fun and romantic and beautiful will get people on bikes.” If you think it’s hip and cool, you’ll get into it.

Other common concerns about commuting to work via bike:

Safety: “I try to offer what advice I can, and that boils down to getting more confident on your bike. Ride it on weekends and recreationally until you have real confidence. Timid riding invites abuse,” Dorn said. Of course, along with that is the need to know the traffic laws for cyclists. He suggests that if your route is thick with traffic and lacking a bike lane, look for parallel routes with less traffic.

Distance: “A lot of people feel  2, 3, 4 miles is comfortable, but beyond that they may get a little anxious. There are often opportunities to combine cycling and transit. Many people drive part of the way and bike the rest. It’s a form of multi-modal commuting.”

Transitioning from sweaty bike clothes to work clothes: First, have sun protection and stay hydrated. You can carry a damp facecloth, and carefully pack work clothes in side bags (panniers) on your bike. Many employers have showers, or perhaps a nearby health club is a shower option. Some cycling commuters even take a week’s worth of work clothes to their office to change into every day.

The toughest problem — a city that’s not bike friendly: “I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not for everybody. Some cities are sprawling, scattered destinations across great distances, which is pretty unappealing to bike. More compact communities where destination, work, home, retail, entertainment is all close together is a better cycling environment.”

Cities are changing, though. In Denver, Houston, Charlotte and Fairfax County, Virginia, substantially more buses are equipped to carry bikes, and thus the number of bike riders on buses has grown, according to League of American Bicyclists representative, Meghan Cahill.

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