At The Daily News Online, Pamela Wright makes a case for investing in bicycle infrastructure in Longview, Washington: Time to invest in two-wheel travel. Among other points, she mentions that “the U.S. cities with the highest percentage of bicycle commuters are Portland, Seattle and Minneapolis, so we can’t really play the weather card with any credibility.”

BikePortland asked us this week, Is Portland (and America) ready for e-bikes?  That does mean electric-assisted bikes, by the way, not some kind of online virtual bike (which is what e-bike always makes me think of).  Some don’t like them, but others think it’s a way to get more people cycling.  Price can also be a barrier, with e-bikes starting around $1100 (close to the price of my Radish). I left my thoughts in a comment: “As far as the price barrier goes — I think the trick is to sell people on bikes, either e-bikes or non-motorized bikes, as a car replacement. Not necessarily to the point of being car-free, but at least as a replacement for the second and third cars used by many couples and families.”

Did you read anything good about bikes this week?

I waited a bit, looked out the window again, and checked the weather forecast, but the rain simply wasn’t going to stop.  I got myself together and rode off, getting just a little wet from the knees down.

It wasn’t too terrible. I picked up one child at her after-school program, and dropped her at home (the oldest was already home; she stayed home sick today, yes, she is old enough). I thought about leaving the youngest at daycare, and letting my husband pick her up. Why stay out in the rain longer than I had to?

Then I asked myself, what would super-mama-bike-o-rama-riding Sarah Gilbert do? Yeah. I’m pretty sure she would ride in the rain. So I set off again, for the daycare provider’s house, half a mile away.

I picked up a cheery girl who was thrilled to be riding on the Xtracycle with mom all by herself.  She sang “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring,” and then broke into “if all the rain drops were lemon drops and gumdrops, oh what a rain it would be.”

I had to sing along. We sang it all the way home, actual raindrops falling into our mouths, “Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah.”

I’m glad I didn’t miss out on that.

And now I have a shiny, clean bike that rides like new!  I can definitely recommend regular bike tuneups. It’s been about 10 months since I got my bike. Experts recommend an additional tuneup at least once a year, and more often if you ride daily. I probably could have gotten a tuneup a little earlier, since I’m a daily commuter when I’m working.

I had no trouble with my commute today. A little rain, a little wind, a little traffic, no big deal. I did add an extra light to my ensemble for increased visibility, but I think I’m getting over the nervousness.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelsgalpert/ / CC BY 2.0

But yes, a car did push me over.  I don’t think there are going to be any legal issues from it, but just in case, I’m not going to get into the details here.

I will tell you that the car didn’t make contact with my body. I and my bike fell sideways, my knee hit the pavement, and I ended up with a mild road rash. I didn’t hit my head on anything.

Some passer-by called the police, and they did take a report, and we exchanged information.  I rode my bike on home, since it was just a few more blocks.

I’m pretty shaken up. I do need a soothing cup of herbal tea before bed, and a good night’s sleep.

And now I’m worried that you won’t believe me when I say that cycling is safe.  But really, I am OK. And I’ve been in car accidents, too. Neither driving nor cycling is 100% safe.

“Oh, 4:30 or 5, depending on what time I get here,” I replied.

“Are you still riding your bike? Do you try to leave before it gets too dark?” she inquired, looking concerned.

Well, yes, I do ride my bike — and it does get dark. I do appreciate the concern, but it really is possible, and I really do feel safe.

What do you need to ride after dark? My bike has the standard front, rear and wheel reflectors. I had fancy-looking pedals that lit up while I was pedaling, but they wore out quickly, and I replaced them with sturdy, non-illuminating pedals. I also have a white LED light in front, and a red LED light in back. I usually set both to blink, so that drivers will notice them.

I don’t normally use my front headlight to illuminate the road. I’m riding well-lit city streets. It’s mainly there so that others can see me.

I don’t wear a fluorescent jacket or vest, although many people do. I just haven’t made this a priority for purchase. Something else always gets in the way, like food, clothing, shelter and school pictures. I’m also not sure we should expect all cyclists to wear fluorescent colors. After all, you don’t wrap your car in fluorescent yellow, do you? You count on your lights and the eyes of other drivers. And expecting people to buy and wear a safety vest creates one more barrier to cycling.

I do have reflective leg bands for my pants, but I don’t always use them because I have an effective chain guard that protects my pant legs.

And finally, I do carry warm clothing, including a hat, scarf and gloves, because it can get cold quickly after dark.

But is it really safe out there among the cars? I can’t guarantee anyone 100% safety. I can tell you that the more cyclists there are on the road, the safer the roads become.

We got everyone into jackets and backpacks. The big girls put on helmets and were ready to ride their bike and scooter, respectively. My little one? I tried putting her on the tricycle. She just couldn’t keep it going. I tried walking my bike with one hand and holding her hand with the other. My bike chain fell off.

Yes, I cried.

We abandoned my bike and walked down to the daycare providers house, and I took a bus to work.

But today? Today, we loaded backpacks and bags into the FreeLoader bags on my Xtracycle and wheeled it to the top of the driveway. I put my youngest on the front of the SnapDeck, and my seven-year-old climbed on behind.  My oldest rode a scooter. A few minutes, and we were there (the daycare provider is only half a mile away).

I rode on to work. I didn’t push myself; I knew I could get there on time. I pedaled steadily and kept myself relatively sweat-free. I might even have enjoyed the cool morning air and the exercise!

I’m grateful for the experiences of the past year, and for my Xtracycle. It makes all the difference.