Comments on: Bike market at ‘tipping point’

By: Andy Bohlmann

Andy Bohlmann — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 21:38:30 +0000

And yet, we have too few and underfunded cycling events.

Not one of the companies noted above contributes financially to local events.

By: Sam

Sam — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:46:15 +0000

Totally disagree with Tim Leigh. As a bike commuter, I rarely go more than 6-8 miles somewhere. Loving the energy building in our city for bike commuters. I’ve been at it for 7 months and its the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s so amazing to end work by jumping on a bike. And with 300 days of sun, its a perfect place to do it. Have only had two rides in pouring rain. The rest in beautiful sun.

By: Al Brody

Al Brody — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:11:31 +0000

Colorado Springs already has many factors which could make us the nations center for cycling. The diversity and ease of access to trails is hard to match anywere. We have America’s Mountain which will soon end the prohibition of unescorted bicycles on the Pikes Peak Highway. There are millions of cyclists who dream about the most challenging climb and we have it adjacent to our city. We will be added to the Adventure Cycling National Bicycle Route System. Eventually the Front Range Trail will connect our city with all others along the front frange. We have the Wonder Road above the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, 7 Falls, and the Cliff Dwellings, all great place to bike to. Eventually the owners of these tourist destinations will comprehend the revenue that could be generated by ending their anti-bike policies. The Trails and Open Space Coalition is working on a bicycle economic impact study. Bikes will not outdo cars anytime soon but cycliststs do drive a portion of our economy which should be understood, respected, and appreciated. I don’t think there is a tipping point, I believe the steady climb which bikes have been on for years will continue. As more young folks choose urban over suburban lifestyles, the rate of bicycles in our culture will accelerate.

By: Jon Severson

Jon Severson — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 23:00:37 +0000

Doug-Agreed. And when you consider MPLS/St Paul (in my home state of Minnesota) see’s some of teh coldest temps in the country…..it’s also one of the top 3 cities for cycling.

By: Derrick Bourgeois

Derrick Bourgeois — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:52:39 +0000

I’ve lived in Colorado Springs for 13 years now and cycled here for the past 12. When I grew up back in the South there were no trails or bike lanes (although lots of rednecks in F-150s to blow the horn and cuss at you) so I’ve been riding on the road since I was a kid and for the most part still prefer that. I’m not a huge fan of multi-use paths because they can be congested with walkers and dogs and moms pushing baby-strollers but I realize a lot of cyclists feel safer there. The hills and the altitude were the things that got me when I first moved here and I suspect are still an impediment to many would be commuters. Even more important though are some of the places that force riders out into the road. I’ve had a number of coworkers tell me that they would try bike commuting but they don’t feel there is a safe route from their home to the office. A good, fully connected network of paths and trails will go a long way to addressing that. Even so there are only a few roads that I don’t feel comfortable riding on. Most of Filmore and 30th alongside Garden of the Gods come to mind. I also don’t think Colorado Spings is too big or spread out for commuting. In fact it seems to be a fairly compact city but then I’ve lived in New Orleans and Houston so maybe it’s relative.

By: Doug Bursnall

Doug Bursnall — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:15:45 +0000

Have to disagree with Councilor Leigh, Colorado Springs is not that Spread out, almost the whole of the Springs is within an 8 mile radius from downtown, with most residents well inside that distance. A five mile commute is not a difficult distance to make even for a novice commuter. We also have some of the best weather in the US and one of the fittest populations, so a thriving bike commuting community is not unlikely.
Portland which is mentioned in the article has a greater spread (10-12 miles), and far far worse weather for commuting but are still able to be a center for bikes in everyday transport. I have already seen an increase in bike commuting over the last 2 years due to increased lanes and bike paths.
With our healthy active population, great weather and fantastic work undertaken by the city and parks we can make bikes not only a greater part of our culture but also a draw for those considering visiting.

By: Jon Severson

Jon Severson — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:12:37 +0000

Excellent article John!

We have an awesome network of trails from casual to extreme all over our town that are fantastic. Coming from the Midwest (and Vegas prior), it’s a pleasant change of scenery. Though what it could be is yet to come with many proposed connecting paths we’ll have loops anyone can attempt safely.

This is a great town for cycling. Only reason I (and many others) stay here is because of our vast array of trails from commuter to world class off road trails….all just a few minutes from downtown.

I’ve said it for years, this town could/should be the hub of all things cycling. We have the following to note outside our fanastic local bike shops:

-The Velodrome on Union is one of a handful of such facilities in the country. And with Tom Vinson’s vision, you’ll see packed house community events there on a weekly basis by summer.

-Rockshox is located in town, many know this. But what few know is it’s part of a 1/2 billion dollar a year company with multiple other brands called SRAM.

-Carmichael Training Systems HQ. Many world class athletes train out of there and Chris Carmichael is a former Tour de France rider, former Olympian, and a fantastic local community advocate.

-SRM Powermeters has it’s North American HQ here (www.SRM.de) SRM is a German company that revolutionized the sport…supplying Greg Lemond in the early days to the top 10 finishers of the tour each year.

-Colorado Cyclist is one of the largest bicycle mail-order catalogs in the country. Based here.

-We’re home to 3 custom frame builders (Tessier Bikes, Ground Up Designs, and Crolley Custom)

-Numerous current and former wold class professional athletes live here.

-Almost all of the early suspension design development that got us to where we are today was done here, and Rock Shox is still the industry leader…..all design done in Colorado Springs.

I’ve also personally done my own things:

Front Range Cyclist-We cover cycling news for all of the Front Range out of Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs Cruisers-A weekly and special events cruiser ride.

Cycling Sundays-Gather with 30-40 other cyclist to watch the Spring Classics at Mccabes.

We hav a lot we can do yet. We do need to teach local businesses how to cash in on catering to cyclists. I’ve helped a few places do so, be happy to help. We should strive to get more bicycle companies to move here, get more races going on here, and create more cycling events period that anyone can do.

ps Dan Grunig is pretty awesome….he’s from Iowa. His first mountain bike race was one the shop I helped manage in college put on. Small world the world of bikes is, we need to take advantage of that!

By: Mark Schaefer

Mark Schaefer — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:57:11 +0000

I moved to the Springs last year because I had to drive 30 minutes in Detroit to ride my bike safely. Colorado Springs is much safer for a number of reasons, the most important of which is that drivers tend to be much more courteous of bike commuters. In Michigan, drivers would blare their horns, squeeze me off the road and roll down their windows to swear at me when I dared to ride on an actual road.

That said, I’ve been bike commuting for over a year and I have the following recommendations:
1) Most bike paths in the city are counterproductive. When a bike path crosses a road, you either have to stop at a light, or worse, wait for some driver to realize you want to cross and decide to stop for you, if there is no stoplight.
2) I have yet to find a demand light that detects bikes. Those lights that I know to be demand lights, I just blow, unless there are cars already waiting. I’ve heard that they rarely even detect motorcycles.
3) Don’t build a path next to a road and think that cyclists will use it. I’ve learned that those are the MOST DANGEROUS for cyclists – drivers never think to look for fast-moving cyclists along those paths and it’s safer to ride on the road. It’s better to have a wide shoulder and a sidewalk.
4) Speaking of shoulders, it would help if those got swept regularly. Most of the roads I ride on get swept once or twice a year, and it seems that the week after they’re swept, some moron throws glass bottles everywhere to make sure they’re hazardous for cycles. In the winter, all the sand gets pushed to the side and makes turns hazardous as well.
5) While most drivers are courteous, there are still some morons out there, and one serious close call is going to deter people from riding. Is it really going to make a difference in your life if you spend the extra two seconds to wait for a bike to clear an intersection instead of playing chicken?
6) Overall, though, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed cycling here.

By: Ken Brickman

Ken Brickman — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:42:24 +0000

With folks like Al Brody and Allen Beuchamp literally championing bicycle advocacy for our city, I have personnaly been willing to spend 30 minutes to commute from Austin Bluffs and Academy to Downtown. And I have no intention of stopping. The first ride is the hardest you will ever ride because google maps can only do so much and the routes, like our streets, aren’t straight forward. If I manage to find employment sometime soon, I will upgrade my bicycle and further the cause of a bike-friendly COS.