Oregon Cycling Magazine

by Mark Lansing

We have previously touted Portland, Eugene and Jacksonville as the best places in Oregon to ride.  To that list, one must add Bend.

The volcanic-dirt and pine-needle trail south of town along the Deschutes River is breath-taking.  The trail along the Deschutes in the north part of town is almost as nice, if not a tad short.  The bike map of the area is frightening, with its wide range of options for every rider level.  Many are for mountain bikes only, and with five major Cascade peaks nearby, that is fitting.  Paved biking trails blanket nearby Sunriver, which is well worth the side trip.

Bend also has a lot of great eating and drinking establishments for the post-ride festivity.  The place you really don’t want to miss is a grocery store—the deli at Newport Market sells a bleu cheese potato salad that will make you weep with joy.

Go buy some (find the market on Newport Avenue, duh) and above the din of your smacking lips, consider this . . .

While YHIHF’s informal survey indicates that no country requires adult bicyclists to wear helmets, some places in Europe require every bicycle to be equipped with a bell, to warn slower travelers that a bike is overtaking them.

These dense populaces are so over-run with cyclists that a non-threatening, systematic way of announcing one’s oncoming location has become a cultural imperative.  Glad we don’t live in that crowd, but we digress.

A bell might be overkill here in Oregon.  It adds weight, costs money and takes precious minutes to install.  How often would you use it, anyway?  Depending on how urban your environment is, and where you choose to ride, your bell might gather dust.

As a service to its readers, YHIHF conducted yet another informal survey, to determine whether there might be other effective ways of announcing one’s presence to bikers and walkers ahead.  The verbal “on your left” is a favorite of many, but it’s so . . . wordy.  Not nearly as pleasant as a gentle bell’s tinkle, this abrupt command can irritate and startle, especially when delivered a bit too loudly or in a tone that is too brusque.

Pumping the hand brakes makes a subtler, clacking noise that wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t stop your tires from moving.  Pedaling backwards makes sound, but one so soft that no one can hear it in time to be of any use.

On last summer’s trip down the Danube River bicycle paths, YHIHF staff had many opportunities to experiment with various warning noises, and the most uniformly effective one was . . . blowing our noses.  Nose blows can be heard from a distance, but are not threatening in the ways that voice commands can be.  We were perceived as sympathetic (you poor dear, can I get you a tissue?) yet needing room (you sickly dog, I’ll keep my distance).

That’s right, instead of installing a bell, blow your nose. Come on, give us a nice, big honk, and consider this . . .

Use of headphones while cycling is somewhat controversial.  Many folks believe they are dangerous, and depending on the circumstances, they might be right.  But if one could safely listen to music while riding, most would.

The YHIHF staff has been riding with headphones for over 20 years, and reports only two incidents during that entire time where the headphones have created a problem. Staff member Nathan Sheafor, a 1992 U.S. Olympic teamer, reports that roughly half of elite level riders listen to music while training.

The thing is, with the rush of wind in their ears, cyclists really shouldn’t be relying on their hearing to protect them from harm.  When a car comes up behind you, you need to be riding as far to the right as practical anyway; being aware slightly sooner that a vehicle is approaching from the rear does not do much good.  There is no evasive maneuver to be performed.

For the stuff within your field of vision, use your eyes not your ears.

The more urban your environment, the more dangerous headphones become.  Here in Grants Pass, at YHIHF world headquarters, there has never been enough motorized traffic to make headphones a hazard.  Bike paths are the real red zone.  The only two times we have had a problem was on the bike path (Grants Pass has only one) when an overtaking cyclist caught us unaware.  He was back there ringing his bell or blowing his nose or giving his verbal commands, and we just didn’t hear him.  When he pulled next to us, we were startled and he was irritated that we were so busy listening to music that we didn’t hear him coming and stay clear.

The slower you are, the more dangerous headphones become.  On a busy urban bike path, you are going to need to know when someone is overtaking.  Staying far right helps, but things can get very tight on, say, Portland’s East Bank Esplanade. Headphones in that situation can be dangerous for everybody.  If you were the fastest person, always overtaking and never overtaken, it probably wouldn’t make much difference.  But if someone is going by every ten seconds, unplug the ‘phones.  And listen for the blow bell.

Possibly Related

• November 2007: Cafécletos: Bike activism south of the border
• June 2008: Hero Worship
• June 2007: Between the lines
• March 2008: What we learned from the Red Pick-Up Guy
• November 2006: A new road south