Archives: FAQs

There are too many potential options to mention them all, but there are a few common ones which are frequently used to improve comfort, convenience, and safety! On the comfort side, one of the most important pieces to upgrade is your saddle. The saddles which come as default on bikes are rarely great. Getting a better saddle and one designed with specifically male or female anatomy in mind, can make a world of difference in comfort! Of course double check the height and orientation of your current saddle first, especially if you are experiencing pain and discomfort riding – it often means your saddle is too high, or too low, or tipped!

For convenience, many of us are hooked on phone navigation, so getting a handlebar phone mount will help you get to unfamiliar places in the city. There is a lot of construction across Madison in the summer, and bits of debris on the road can lead to flats. Getting puncture resistant tires can reduce your likelihood of flats substantially!

Finally there are two safety accessories which bike commuters commonly acquire. One is a mirror, mounted either on your handlebar or helmet, to keep an eye on traffic coming up behind you. The other is a bell mounted on your handlebars, to notify pedestrians on a path ahead of you to be aware that you are approaching.

You can bike in many types of conditions with some preparation! Stay dry biking in the rain with a rain jacket, pants, and waterproof shoes. If you would have the opportunity to change at your destination, you could also bring a fresh set of clothes in your pannier. Putting fenders on your bike will prevent muddy spray from splashing on your back.

In cold weather, a buff or balaclava will keep your neck, head, and ears warm. Pogies are big mitts which go over your handlebars and keep your hands warm. You can also get a studded tire which will grip better on ice.

It is common to feel nervous about cycling on streets at first, but fortunately there are a lot of great resources for learning to cycle safely on the road. Wisconsin Bike Fed has in-person training programs for all ages. Other online resources are The League of American Cyclists and CyclingSavvy.org. RoundTrip-Madison is also connecting new or aspiring bike commuters with an experienced bike buddy.

First to get an idea of what dedicated cycling infrastructure is available on your route, check out the Dane County Bicycle Map. Separated paths are highlighted in Lime Green. Streets highlighted in Jungle Green or Blue are recreational routes and bike boulevards. These routes may have some separated paths and are also the safest on-street routes for cyclists with features like diverters which make the street one-way for cars but two-way for bikes. Brown indicates streets with bike lanes, though these might not be suitable for all ages and abilities.

Google maps is pretty good at choosing comfortable cycling routes from A to B when you tell it to design a route for a cyclist. Google maps also has layers (toggle is bottom left corner on PC, upper right on mobile) which you can use to highlight cycling specific infrastructure. If you are traveling somewhere in Madison you haven’t been before, you can also look at the city’s Low-Stress Bike Route Finder to see if you are likely to be comfortable on those streets.

Carrying items in a backpack on a bike gets old quickly! Fortunately, there are many different options for places to carry items on your bike. One of the most common ways to add cargo capacity to the bike is to put on a back rack.

You can strap bags on top of the rack or put things in panniers, which are bags specifically designed to latch onto the sides of the rack. A lot of panniers are waterproof to protect your items from the rain. Other common bike cargo options are frame bags for odds and ends, water bottle holders, and handlebar baskets.

If your bike has been neglected for a while, it could probably use some TLC! If you take it to your local bike shop, the shop mechanic will check your brakes, make sure your wheels are true, the tires are in good shape, and that your chain is lubed and gear shifters are adjusted. They should also help you make sure your bike seat is adjusted properly.

Then if you don’t already have them, there are three essential additional items to get. The first is a helmet! Helmets save lives, don’t ride without one! The second item is a pair of bike lights, front and back. Even if you don’t intend to be out when it gets dark, something might affect your plans and you’ll be glad to have them. The USB rechargeable lights are great. The third thing to get is a bike lock. No lock is fool-proof, but any lock will help prevent someone from just walking away with your bike.

E-bikes are bicycles equipped with a battery and a motor, and they are a game changer for bicycle accessibility. Ebikes allow you to go faster, further, and conquer hills you might not have been able to without them. While more expensive than a regular bike, they are still significantly less expensive than a car, and in many situations, they can completely replace one! There are 3 classes of ebike in the US:

Class 1: Pedal-assist only, with no throttle, and a max assist speed of 20 mph.

Class 2: Includes a throttle (so you can ride without pedaling) and also tops out at 20 mph.

Class 3: Pedal-assist only, but goes up to 28 mph—great for longer commutes but may be restricted on some bike paths.

Ebikes come in about as many forms of regular bike: hybrid, road, mountain, folding, cargo, and more. Cargo ebikes are the ultimate car-replacer. Some models, like “Cargo” or “Family” from Urban Arrow, have a large bucket on the front to carry anything from groceries to furniture, and even children!

In addition to replacing car trips, you still get exercise on an ebike. While it’s less effort than a regular bike, riding a pedal-assist ebike still allows you to move your body while putting less strain on your muscles and joints, and you still get the mental health benefits of being outside. Some studies have even shown that ebike owners get more exercise than on their regular bike, simply because they use them more frequently and for longer trips.

If you are curious about ebiking and want to try it without a huge investment, Madison BCycle is available for single ride, monthly, and annual passes. Open from March 15th to December 15th each year, with dozens of stations around the Madison area and hundreds of bikes– all electric! Just download the app, as it’s the quickest and easiest way to register and get a pass.

Starting out there are so many options, it can be overwhelming! Look for a bike that is accessible and cheap. Over time you will figure out what you do or don’t like about your bike’s features, and doing a future upgrade (if you want to) will be less of a burden if you didn’t spend much at the beginning. If you already have a bike, use that. Otherwise for most mobile adults choosing a bike from the Hybrid category will provide a good mix of speed and comfort. If you want to prioritize speed or comfort exclusively, either bikes from the Road or Upright categories would be the right choice.

Bikes come in sizes, kind of like shirts, so try to find a bike in the size that matches your leg inseam. You don’t need to worry so much about the brand as long as it is a type you would buy at a bike shop, not a big box store. The box store brands are more likely to break and the box store brands don’t sell spare parts. To know the difference, just google “Brand bike” and if the first hits to buy are Amazon and Walmart instead of bike-specific or outdoor stores then you know to avoid them! To be budget conscious, you can find many quality used bikes on Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, or at your Local Bike Shop. Madison is also lucky to have some great nonprofits who can help connect individuals in need with bikes (Wheels for Winners, Bikes for Kids Wisconsin, and DreamBikes).

First you are in luck because Madison is a platinum rated bike city, so it’s a great place to use your bike to get to work or to run errands! There are many benefits to using bikes as transportation: health, community, environmental, and financial.

An 18 year study of 82 thousand adults found that cycle commuting halves the chance of early death. Cycle commuters greatly reduced their incidences of heart disease, cancer, and mental health conditions.

Biking also increases connections among neighbors, improves neighborhood safety, and reduces travel times for everyone because bikes take up far less space on streets than motor vehicles.

Replacing motor vehicle trips with cycling trips reduces carbon emissions, air pollution, noise pollution, and the disruptive and energy intensive construction of motor vehicles and their associated infrastructure. It’s one of, if not the most, effective ways for regular people to help the environment!

Finally, the average total cost of owning a motor vehicle in America is now $12,000 a year! On the other hand, a reasonable estimate for bicycle ownership and maintenance over a 10 year lifecycle might be ~$500 per year. If you have the capability to replace a motor vehicle with a bike for most of your travel needs, you can save a lot of money! If you are concerned about the occasional trip which requires a motor vehicle, a car-share service like Zipcar could help bridge that gap.