People on Bikes: The Williams Ave bike corridor
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on October 12th, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Welcome to the latest installment of People on Bikes.
Yesterday on the way home from work I stopped on the bustling North Williams Avenue bikeway. The images below are just a sampling of what I saw in about 15 minutes. Not surprisingly, I noticed a lot of people riding quite fast. This location was actually one of the more difficult ones to photograph because I had to pan and focus much more quickly than other places. I think people's high speeds have something to do with the design of the street. Riding on Williams can feel hectic and stressful because of the narrow bike lane, the door zone, and all the fast car and bike traffic swooping by.
There's a project lined up that should make bicycling on Williams more pleasant. It was supposed to be implemented already; but a lengthy public process resulted in a larger and more costly project, so PBOT has applied for a federal grant which they're still waiting to hear back about.
With the rain pouring down right now, I also thought these images would be fun to share as they might be the last time we'll see dry and sunny streets for a while. Check the out below, and I even included a little bonus for your dog lovers ;-) ...
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ha, dude with a cig in his mouth.. awesome! love that almost everyone smiling while riding dont get that with cars.
Recommendedcig? Nope. I think it's a lollipop.
RecommendedThat's John! He has the record for the longest bike move. Hillsboro to Kinton.
RecommendedI only counted 4 out of 33 smiling. Hardly everyone.
Recommended#11 and #16 are twins?
RecommendedThanks for catching that Syzlak. I repeated one on accident. Fixed now.
RecommendedHa, love the one of the guy eating. And I will never understand the preponderance of backpacks. At least they're all wearing their helmets correctly this time...
RecommendedThat dog must have left his at home. What an interesting bike on number 25. Do I see pedals and a hand crank?
Recommendedyes, I want to know more about that bike!
RecommendedBackpacks because I walk beyond my bike. Because I don't want my space/footprint taken up by side bags. Because they are more convenient for me?
RecommendedI was hit by a right-hooking truck once, twisted in the air off my bike, and landed on my backpack. I'll never fear the preponderance.
RecommendedI like backpacks because I don't have to carry a pannier in my hand once at my destination, and because I can choose among any of my bikes without having to put a rack on them all. Once when my commute was 12 miles each way, I set myself up with a rack and panniers. Otherwise backpacks work just fine.
No fenders? Now THAT'S something I don't understand.
RecommendedThere are convertible backpack-panniers.
RecommendedAnd they are -very- expensive, where your average Jansport can be had for $30-$40. Not everyone can afford a $200+ modular bag.
RecommendedIts easier to corner at high speed with a backpack and panniers are fussy theft magnets.
RecommendedAgree with spare_wheel. Bike handling (balance, cornering, acceleration/ deceleration) is just thrown off too much for me to carry my load anywhere but strapped on to me.
RecommendedI could see that being the case for many, so due to my already messed up shoulders I consider myself fortunate that heavy weight in my single pannier in the rear doesn't affect my handling enough to even make it a slight annoyance for me.
RecommendedNumber 25 looks awesome. Hand and foot power? Sweet.
RecommendedThere's got to be a good story behind bike #25. Anyone?
It would appear that hand and foot power revolutions are out of phase; otherwise intriguing.
RecommendedI'd think you'd want them out of phase. I wonder if you can hand crank and not pedal, and pedal and not hand crank.
Recommendedexcept for the potential wrist:knee interference
RecommendedYou're getting REAL GOOD at those pan shots, Jonathan--well done.
RecommendedBeautiful, Jonathan. Thanks for a photo record of biking on the last day of a record stretch of dry weather!
RecommendedThanks for another great people on bikes!
Recommended3 How can you ride like that with the drops and brakes facing that way, ouch. Looks very happy though.
6 eating dude, needs some air in those tires, wont talk about the angle of the rack ;)
15 Think is my favorite. The doggie in back looks happy and the look on the guys face looks like he is making and engine sound.
#25 - NICE!!!! I want one, wife already says no - or sell some bikes first
#33 - catalog cover material - BSNYC might make that the new face of PDX
#3 #10 #14 #15 & #25 all smiling - :) have fun!
#30 at first glance - "Is that Barack Obama?"
RecommendedHe's retired?
Recommended#33 made it and #25 TOO! http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2012/10/aftermath-dawn-of-new-error.html - he hasn't made #33 the new poster child for PDX yet ....
RecommendedMORE!!!
RecommendedA lotta attitude from #33. That is a cool shot. That one should make you some bucks somewhere.
Recommended#33 is so awesome in so many ways.
RecommendedIs it because #33is pedaling backwards?
RecommendedComplete cliche of the portland hipster.
RecommendedFixies rule, viz. #33!
RecommendedI had just gotten my Raleigh (#10) back from Metropolis -- and back from the brink after a neighbor left it on the curb -- so very cool to see it here. Thanks, Jonathan!
RecommendedNice bike - good save - I noticed those fenders right away!
RecommendedAs allways you have a talent for great photo's
Recommended#33 is truly an archetype. It would definitely move copy, were it a magazine cover.
RecommendedSad. Only one who does not need a new bike or a fitting is #27
Recommended???? What the heck? On some of them how can you even tell? Seriously, just for the sake of argument what is egregiously wrong with the bike fit on #s 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 13, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 28, 30 and 32 ??? By my count roughly half look like reasonable fits - especially allowing personal preference and for riding style
Recommendeddon't see how #14 can even reach brakes ? or shift ...if an emergency stop ?...no way.
RecommendedSo many bikes...so many inflated egos.
RecommendedMethinks you doth protest too much.
RecommendedOh, you can't laugh at yourself from time to time?
RecommendedOh, is that what you were doing?
RecommendedInteresting that you see that in these pictures. I see a lot of people just getting where they need to go.
RecommendedGreat shots, good to see Portlanders riding bikes, enjoying those fabulous sunny first two weeks of October.
Recommended25% Trek
RecommendedI love these photo series posts, even with all the "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG" comments.
Recommendednot one Cannondale :(
Recommended#14 ???? Cannondale
Recommendedthat isn;t portland - how is it not raining?
Recommendedwle
Love these pictures. This is what it's all about. People going places. Not so much their machines (even the more interesting ones). People.
RecommendedPeople do ride Williams fast. It's like the Cat 6 proving ground of PDX. Makes it hard for me to stick with my "no hammering on commutes" rule.
RecommendedAlmost time to get some rain action shots. haha
Recommended#25 hand and foot cranked bike is owned - and ridden there - by Jane. Pretty sure the cranks are synchronized, that is, not independently rotatable.
These are incredibly difficult to ride. Note the steering pivot just under the front of the seat, connecting rear green and front yellow frames. Every time you apply any power input it affects the steering, such that you must learn to counter this effect in your pedal and arm strokes ... good luck with that ... yet people do that - and unicycles - all the time.
Hard to tell from the photo, but I think she's rocking a Rohloff here.
There is an interesting predecessor to this design - the 'manuped'. Twas designed and patented in the 70's, I think in the Eugene area. One big difference is that the manuped had the pedal crank going THROUGH the front wheel hub, but didn't drive the wheel directly - chain came up from the crank on the left side, drove an intermediate hub [which also rec'd the chain from the hand crank]. This one did have INDEPENDENTLY rotatable cranks - OMG I couldn't even roll down a hill clutching the hand crank and not pedaling ... maybe 3X tougher than Jane's!
Friend of mine "Manuped Fred" won the world IHPVA speed championships in '79 and '80 on one, IIRC.
I think Dave Levy of TiCycles built her this crazy bike. And you thought he just built titanium diamond frames. ;-)
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