Programmers standing tall.

Taller desks are sprouting up, and the tech team at MotiveQuest stands up for health and productivity. When we recently moved offices, we wanted our desks matching and everyone seems to like the larger table top that I have been using for the last year. The desk height is adjustable for sitting or standing, but most of the team has decided to stand finding it more productive and healthy. We have stools to give our feet a rest.

My desk

After several years of office work, I noticed tiredness creeping in along with declining health even though I commute by bicycle. From my post, “Get Off Your Butt,” and the follow-up, “Standing Workstation at the Office,” you’ll see all the reasons I switched to a standing desk. After more than a year of standing at work, I’m healthier, more productive, and much happier. Below are some of the research and news reports:

Sad Stats

• “Most U.S. youths unfit to serve, data shows” Pentagon study reveals 35% age 18-34 physically unfit, was 6% in 1987.
• Obesity.org says “no state met the Healthy People 2010 objective of 15 percent”
• “Study Finds that Sitting May Increase Risk of Disease” (2007) stating, “Only 28 percent of Americans are getting the minimal amount of recommended exercise” and “exercising, even for an hour a day, was not sufficient to reverse the effect [of physical inactivity.]“
• “Rising obesity will cost U.S. health care $344 billion a year” by 2018 eating 21% of costs for the physically unfit.

In addition, part of the team has taken the pledge to commute to work on bicycle for the month of September encouraged by the Bike Commute Challenge presented by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

Shimano Ultegra Crank

I chose a Shimano Ultegra crank to replace the one broken by Bike-Breaker Hill. It costs more, but worth it for longevity considering my regular riding habits and strong legs. I like the modern bottom bracket. Easy to install and very smooth. May it last more than 30,000 miles.

Caution: Bike Breaker Hill

Caution: Bike-Breaker Hill

Bicycle parts break. It happens. Most vulnerable are the moving parts. On my ride home this week, a part broke that I never expected. The crank arm. Snapped clean off at the middle. I one-leg pedaled the rest of the way home.

The arm snapped off during a power stroke and sent me wobbling. At first I thought it was the pedal. When I spotted the broken crank arm on the pavement, I paused a moment to stare at it making sure it was real. I couldn’t believe the arm snapped in half.

Broken rank arm

Clean break

The bike has never taken damage from a crash. I have a bad habit of accelerating hard, and maybe it doesn’t help that I live on a steep hill. It’s good exercise. Two years ago, I snapped a chain on the hill. Since then I only use the same high quality chains I use on my mountain bike. The crank lasted five years and about 30,000 miles. The sad thing is I just replaced the chain rings (teeth.) I’m replacing the crank with a stronger model from a different brand.

I have broken spokes, wheels, chains (one on my hill,) a brake, and a frame (crash.) Now a crank arm while pedaling. Crazy.

Leg power? Maybe it’s just Bike-Breaker Hill.

Gazing down Bike-Breaker Hill

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Portland, Oregon

For the month of September, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, or BTA, hosts a Bike Commute Challange in Oregon to promote bicycle commuting. The goal is to introduce new riders by getting local businesses and veteran riders involved. To encourage first time bike commuters, the BTA counts partial commutes. Other BTA events during the year include the popular Bridge Pedal when bridges over the Willamette River in Portland close for the bike tour. On the first day, challenge participants logged over 24,500 cumulative miles.

Portland is very accessible for bike commuting due to a mild climate, bike lanes connecting suburbs, and protected bike parking offered by the city and private enterprise. The local buses have bike carriers for riders wishing to reduce their pedal distance. Many bike riders commute all year, including the wet winter months, but the numbers rise during the summer. Getting around by bike in the downtown area bests a car any day due to low speed limits and congestion. Here are some Portland bike statistics from Portland Office of Transportion:

• 13% of daily vehicle trips across bridges are bicycles
• Over 5,000 bikes cross Hawthorne Bridge each weekday
• Annual bike trip increase in 2006 was 18% over 2005
• About 5% use a bike as their primary mode of commuting

Hawthorne Bridge marked for bikes on inside and pedestrians on outside

I commute to work by bicycle because it is faster and cheaper. Riding wakes me up in the morning, and the moderate exercise is a nice break from working at a computer all day. Skeptics claim that most bike commuters ride for the environment or fashion, that bike riding is too hard or inconvenient. I believe most of the regular bike commuters agree that the primary goal is saving money. Some save time. Living twelve miles from work, my average bike commute time is 42 minutes door to office while my average car trip is 44 minutes. If I leave earlier in the morning, the car trip time shrinks to 35 minutes, but heavy traffic can increase the drive time to over an hour. Bicycles dodge traffic jams with ease and bypass accidents leaving weather as the primary factor in time. The best part: I don’t need to stop at the gym after work; I sprint hard for home cutting my time by another 10 minutes. Parking a bicycle is cheaper downtown, in the office or in an enclosed bike locker. Savings include gasoline, parking price, and gym membership. For single commuters to an office with small cargo, bike commuting makes sense.

Office parking

Thanks to efforts by the BTA and encouragement from veteran bike commuters, bicycle commuting has exploded in Portland over the last few years. A decade ago, I was among a very small group of regular riders, but today the major bike routes into downtown receive a near constant stream during commute times. In addition to calling my passes, I installed a bell to ring if my speed is higher. On the hill before the Hawthorne Bridge, the city widened the bike lane since packs of bikes sometimes spilled over into the car lane. Second to a surge in gasoline prices last year, the biggest factor I hear in the increase in bike commuting is the realization that biking to work is not as hard as it seems especially with the help of private enterprise providing parking, support, and showers. Look for the Bike Central network.

My advice to new bike commuters:

• Follow the rules of the road (Stop signs!)
• Plan your trip: look for quiet streets or bike paths. Longer might be safer.
• Maintain a line, checking shoulder before swerving or passing.
• Maintain visibility: clothing, lights, and road position.
• If a driver yells obscenities, try to keep calm and follow the rules.
• Some drivers break the rules. Avoid antagonizing them by being a traffic nanny. A few enraged drivers may unleash their frustration on the next bicyclist.
• Don’t wear headphones. It’s against the law, and you can’t hear my bell.

Enjoying an autumn day in 2001

Halfway into the Bike Commute Challenge, my office of four is at 65% bike commute rate with 380 cumulative miles. Does it mean anything? I ride for my own reasons. My co-workers may choose to ride or not. The challenge is a fun event that may introduce a few new bicycle commuters that were uncertain before. Maybe some want to save money on parking, avoid heavy traffic, enjoy a nice day once a week, or ride for the environment. Everyone has their own reasons.

Ride, drive, share the road, enjoy the day.