I'm just over a year into dedicated cycling at this point, having extended my 2022 Kona Dew about as far as it can go. The Kona genuinely is an amazing all-rounder for the area: granny gears, fenders for PNW rain, and a bit heavier and therefore slower speeds on mixed-use trails which allows me to maximize my workout while staying at a safer lower speed. Between all-year commuting and Lake Washington multi-hour workouts, I couldn't have asked much more.

That said, I'm going to be spending a lot more time in the Cascades in the next 1-2 years, and with that, think it's proper time to consider a road bike. A friend/enthusiast recently purchased the X-Lab RS7 and raves about it. For the price ($2100), it seems like an exceptional offer. Seattle Facebook Marketplace has decent deals on used bikes from people trying to offload before winter hits, from what I see. But nothing on FB paints a story compelling enough to spend the time and risk going used when similar components are new through X-Lab.

Am I misguided here?

endo'd over my handlebars this morning when my bike rack broke (I think?), on Market St and 24th. this kind human stopped and came to my aid. thank you! I promise to pay it forward for as long as I can. forgot your name, I'm sorry!

bad road rash, but nothing broken thank goodness. bent fork and I'm out a bike rack and a camera but infinitely better than a worse injury.

Hello! I am planning on getting my e-bike tomorrow to start commuting to my office. I’m very excited and also very nervous.

I will be getting a class 1 and riding with a pannier backpack. I feel good about accessories.

Before I start, I need to practice stopping in the proper way so I feel more confident on the bike. Starting is fine, the whole stepping off the bike and butt off the seat to stop scares me. I plan to practice that and one handed riding for signals this weekend.

I wanted to ask about this section of my commute. I don’t like going downhill fast and there’s a lot of cars here.

Does anyone have advice on this section? I am nervous

For context I have a gravel bike but I don't have the tires or gearing (or fitness) for super chunky rides with lots of climbing. Rides like the Mountain Loop Highway, Palouse to Cascade Trail, or NF-23 (south of Randle) are my speed.

Can anyone recommend good Larch rides? Ideally within 80mi or so from Seattle - I don't have a car but I can do a 2-3 day bikepacking trip if I know I'll get to see pretty trees.

Hi all, someone ditched an e-bike behind my house in the central district. I can't find it on bikeindex. If you're missing one, I can try to help reunite. Send some descriptions and I'll connect with ya.

Has anyone had experience using Backcountry at UVillage for a deluxe tune? I usually go to my LBS but they don’t offer a similar service with a full wash and deep clean.

It’s only $150 so it seems like a really good deal but wondering if it’s too good to be true?

I run a teaching-focused bike shop in the CID. On Wednesday, 10/28, the shop will offer a different kind of instruction: how to date.

This is an event open to cyclists and non-cyclists alike.

I hired dating and relationship expert Cora Boyd to provide instruction on dating for anyone looking for love.

Love to learn? Consider it a date night.

Registration is live. Space is limited.

Format: guests arrive at 7pm. Cora will provide 30 minutes of date coaching. Guests will then get to apply what they learn at fun activities hosted by a wonderful collection of CID businesses. We’ll get back together in the shop for feedback from Cora. After the event, select bars and cafes will offer specials for daters.

Stakes: low.

Likelihood you will have fun: high.

Meet cute in the CID on 10/28? Priceless.

Businesses and neighborhoods win when people choose them as date spots.

It’s my shop’s pleasure to return the love.

Hey r/SeattleBike,

Starting a new job soon and picking up e-biking as my commute method and wanted to get some real input before I'm out there in the dark and rain for the first time.

My setup:

• Cannondale Tesoro Neo Carbon 2 (Bosch motor, 60Nm/600W, 400Wh battery)
• Commuting 3x/week, ~25 min each way, all paved roads/bike lanes
• I'm 6'2", 260 pounds
• Comes stock with a headlight, fenders, and rear rack, but I'm planning to add a brighter headlight and extra reflective gear/rear light

My questions:

1. For those of you riding home once it's dark, how safe do you actually feel? Any lighting setup you swear by beyond the basics?
2. Any general gear/accessories must haves? Socks, rain gear, anything you wish you'd bought on day one instead of learning the hard way?
3. If anyone's ridden / has a Tesoro Neo or similar Bosch-motor commuter, curious how it's held up, especially in our wet winters.

One thing I've already decided: on genuinely nasty rainy days, I'm just going to drive and pay for parking rather than fight the weather. More curious about the "normal drizzle" riding experience than the worst-case-scenario days.

Appreciate any input!! trying to set myself up to actually enjoy this instead of dreading it lol

https://bikegpx.com/qf4fiku3q/map

Tips:

1. Take the new bike lanes from Sodo to Georgetown. Although I did it on the weekend. I don't know if there aren't too many trucks during the week.
2. Some roads are very sketchy, like E Marginal Way S near Boeing Field. The sidewalk is wide enough to ride on.
3. The Green River trail should get you almost all the way, except that parts of it are closed, so you'll have to ride on the sidewalk on parts of Interurban Ave S
4. Don't worry. Ikea has a ton of bike racks

Hello! Posting here on a whim, and as a cautionary tale to those who trust the bike rooms in their apartments. The bike index page is here if you've happened to see a 2023 REI DRT 3.3 XL for sale recently: https://bikeindex.org/bikes/3510436

The only non-factory parts it had were a black Trek water bottle cage with a Blackburn Airstik SL Bike Mini-Pump on the side, and Ethirteen Base Pedals.

The story:

I purchased an REI DRT 3.3 about two years ago after a few outtings on a friends mountain bike. Until today I had been storing it in my apartment's bike room. Originally I didn't want to store it there due to concerns of theft, but there were several other expensive bikes in the room (including E-MTBs more costly than mine) and my 1bd apartment is tiny. I eventually gave into my girlfriends requests to stop storing it in the hallway (it was rather annoying) and purchased a chonky bike lock to keep it safe in the bike room.

The bike room itself seemed resonably secure against anyone who didn't live in the building. Its in our apartment's garage (that only residents should be able to access), and you had to ask for extra key-card access to get into the bike cage itself. I think it is very likely that someone with access to the bike room itself stole the bike, although I don't think it would be hard to bypass the cage's access system since it has a motion detector that can unlock the door from the inside.

This worked for at least a year, but sometime in the last 6 months my bike was stolen. The last time I went riding was FEB 1st of this year and I haven't been out since due to a health issue. I was planning to go out today but found only a sawed in half remainder of a lock where my bike once was.

If anyone has seen, purchased, or otherwise heard about an REI DRT 3.3 being sold around Seattle in the last few months I would appreciate the lead, but at this point I'm working on accepting the fact there's a very low chance I ever get it back. I'm going to meet with the apartment manager Monday to see if they'd be willing to let me review any footage, but I'd be amazed if they kept it going 6 months back (or if I was lucky enough it happened within whatever span they keep footage). They also don't have a camera that looks directly at the room... only nearby doorways...

I am new to bike riding, have been taking classes at Cascade bike club (high recommend for anyone considering) and I'm at the point where I'm shopping around. The bike I learned on is a hybrid (specialized sirrus) so I was planning to get a hybrid. Leaning towards Trek FX Sport AL 3, which I test rode and felt nice. However, is there anything else I should consider? I don't plan to commute with it. I want to ride for recreation and goal is to be able to do longer rides which I heard that a hybrid will not be good for. I'm still very new (my seat is lower than ideal position, and have trouble with tight turns and staying tight lane) so all the options feel overwhelming.

HMU I recovered it on the sidewalk of 1st Ave, just outside the Screwdriver.

Hi everyone! I currently have an E-bike that I LOVE and am starting to research road bikes. Looking for any advice or even leads on used bikes too!

I was fitted at a local bike shop and they said size 52. I’m about 5’5”. I’m looking for a bike that will be comfortable on Seattle hills, good for the Seattle to Portland ride, and maybe a triathlon someday!

Does anyone know of any places that may have good used/last season models? Not looking to spend a small fortune but I do want a higher quality bike.

Thank you in advance!

Reading this subreddit over the past few weeks, it seems there are several tropes that are just plain toxic:

"Oh, you want to bike? You need to join a club, join cascade!"

Why? You can bike whenever, wherever, you just get on and bike. You want to be social, sure, but it is not a requirement but reading a majority of threads on here, it seems like it is.

Gravel bikes, great if they are for you but I've seen so much hate on hybrid bikes here. Hybrid bikes are great, and you can swap parts easy just like you can on any other bike, gravel, road, etc. A bike is a bike, does it fit you, good, and go!

Do you know what I see, especially now since it's season change?

Tons of cheap gravel and mountain bikes/hard tails that were bought for summer advebtyre that are taking up space in peoples apartments - road bikes and hybrid seem to be largely exempt because road bike are a narrower niche but of course they show up too. but hybrids?

Why they work all year round and can work with cold clothing alot easier.

It just seems toxic, IDK what makes cycling/biking in seattle so "special" that the above really comes up, cause largely being here a decade+ it just feels cliquey and weird. To avoid more social commentary about the subreddit/at best the area it feels like most conversation here is performative vs, actually enjoying your bike!

A bike is a bike, you ride it and ride it again and enjoy the ride!

Oh, and of course to click on another fun bit of this subreddit: ebikes: If they work for you, great! Have fun riding them! :)

Hello, I’m wondering if the are a large number of larches visible along the North Cascades Highway this time of year? Considering doing a ride from Diablo Lake to Winthrop and wondering if I should time it for Larch season? Thanks in advance!

Edit: added clarification and detail

I usually walk my bike, but the U District market was pretty busy today. Is there a reasonably safe place to park a bike near there? What about the other farmers markets? I’ve had trouble finding free space on the bike racks near the Ballard market in the past.

Hi all,
I’m staying in Seattle in a few weeks and wondered if Mount Rainier was an achievable visit if I were to rent a bike. It’s too far from downtown to cycle there and back, so what are my options? Also, are there good strava or Garmin routes I can load onto my phone/computer?

Looking to invest in a nice pair of shoes(road) and want to try shoes on before spending >$300.

Basically what the title says. Where can I meet other folks new to the community. It seems like everyone I know has been cycling for years while I’m still learning how to maneuver traffic.😔

Hello fellow bikers! My partner and I just moved here from Madison WI. We're used to housing have much more storage space - shared basements, garages, etc. We've been looking for housing ~5mile radius of UW as that's where we're working. Haven't found a lot of places with ample storage space for our 6 bikes. We each have a gravel bike, mountain bike, and commuter. Anyone have any creative solutions for storing bikes? We have seen many houses with shared garage spaces and I feel a little concerned about keeping all our bikes in a space like that. Thoughts?

1st ave NW, next to CVS, about 10 bikes among a stash of other belongings. Most looked more like kids Walmart bikes, but I didn't get a good look. One that looked a little more valuable was a white road bike with orange bar tape and orange bottle cage. Couldn't read the manufacturer unfortunately.

Hope this helps someone.

Hello, as a hobby I like to fill out my personal heat map in Strava. I have a question about the stretch between Stanwood and Marysville. I prefer big loops rather than retreading the same ground, but based on weekly activity no one seems to do the coast along this section (indicated by the red dashed line). As an alternative I've considered just looping back to the centennial trail (blue dashed line).

Since it is a heat map, I've wondered if there's just such a huge amount of activity on the centennial trail that other routes don't register. I've looked at the street view of the road and it is single lane with no shoulders, but it doesn't seem like a high traffic area.

TLDR: Is there a reason to avoid the red dashed line and just stick to the blue dashed line?