Been alive for half a century, so decided to ride a full century on my birthday this year!

Do people around here have multiple bikes for different purposes? I've recently tried out the Lime bikes in my community and am interested in exploring an e-bike primarily for errands/possibly commuting (if my company ever actually moves forward with the RTO they've threatened). But I have a nice hybrid bike and don't want to end up defaulting to the E-bike for recreational rides because it's "easier." If you have multiple bikes, how do you balance when to use which one?

Wondering if this is a good place to learn jumping technique, or if it's more for small kids?

As the owner of Ron's Cycle Shop, an American small business and service-disabled veteran-owned company, I want to share my experience dealing with EUNORAU, from China.

I believe EUNORAU's business practices represent exactly the kind of economic pressure that American small businesses cannot afford to ignore.

When I sold EUNORAU electric bicycles, the company's website often advertised a free battery with the purchase. Having experienced problems with EUNORAU's promotional promises before, I warned my customer that the battery might never arrive.

Unfortunately, that warning proved justified.

More than a month later, the battery has not arrived. When I contacted EUNORAU, the company produced shipping paperwork indicating the battery had been included on the pallet.

The problem? The battery wasn't on the pallet.

EUNORAU now refuses to provide the missing battery, relying on its own shipping documentation as proof that it fulfilled its obligation.

Think about what that means for any American bicycle dealer.

The manufacturer advertises an incentive to encourage sales. The American retailer represents that offer to the customer. When the manufacturer fails to deliver, the retailer is left to explain the broken promise, absorb the damage to its reputation, and potentially bear the financial burden of making the customer whole.

Meanwhile, the manufacturer points to paperwork and walks away.

Sun Tzu's The Art of War teaches that an adversary can be weakened without direct confrontation. I see a troubling parallel in business practices that undermine American companies through unreliable promises, disputed deliveries, and the transfer of financial risk to domestic retailers.

I cannot prove that EUNORAU deliberately withheld this battery or that its conduct was directed by the Chinese government. But I can tell you this happens every time I order from them. not aways the same thing, but ALWAYS an offence. I believe repeated practices like these can have the effect of economic warfare against American small businesses, regardless of whether that is their stated intention.

A shipping receipt is not a substitute for delivering what was promised.

My customer was fortunate. I had already warned him about my previous experiences with this company. But American retailers should not have to warn customers that a manufacturer's advertised promotions may be unreliable.

I am lucky, after 3 years in business I can sell Trek, and I will no longer carry EUNORAU products. I encourage American bicycle dealers and consumers to carefully consider the risks of doing business with this company, or any company from a confessed ememy of the USA.

— Owner, Ron's Cycle Shop LLC
New Prague, Minnesota
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business

Last month, I took my bike on the Amtrak Empire builder from St Paul to Milwaukee, and rode it back home. It was probably the best thing I've done on my bike so far, and want to do it again, with modifications, next year.

My route, with overnight stops listed, was generally:

• Milwaukee to Sandhill Station to Madison via the Glacial Drumlin trail
• Madison to Devil's Lake via the Great Sauk Trail and the "secret entrance" to Burma Rd
• Devil's Lake to Wilton WI to Trempealeau via the 400 trail, Elroy-Sparta, and Sparta-La Crosse trails.
• Trempealeau to Alma via the Great River State Trail and Hwy 35
• Alma to Cannon Falls via Hwy 35 and the Cannon Valley Trail (crossing the river at Red Wing)
• Cannon Falls to St Paul via various roads

My favorite rides were in and around Madison and up to Devil's Lake, the tunnels of the Elroy-Sparta trail, my stay in Trempealeau and the Great River State Trail through the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge, and the Cannon Valley trail.

Absolutely hated trying to navigate the exurban hellscape between Empire and Mendota MN in the pouring rain.

Taking Amtrak one-way was absolutely the best way to do this trip, super easy.

Next time, I might start in Chicago. I'd like to incorporate a couple days deeper into the driftless region, hitting Dodgeville and Spring Green WI, and then spending some time on the Root River Trail. I'd possibly just take the train home from La Crosse in this scenario.

Happy to answer any questions if anyone is considering this sort of trip. A highly recommended week on the bike.

Following up on a post I made in September about Eden Prairie's ped/bike facilities. The construction is still there at Flying Cloud Dr and W 70th St and in an even worse state than it was in September.

I want to highlight that even though Shady Oak Rd got a new multi-use path constructed all the way to Valley View Rd that turns into Golden Triangle Dr, the paths on Valley View Rd and Golden Triangle Dr are in atrocious conditions. We're talking bumpy and none of the crossings meeting ADA standard. To add insult to injury, Valley View Rd and Golden Triangle Dr were recently resurfaced to excellent smoothness. Path on Flying Cloud Dr is slightly better but not by much.

I empathize with the runners, walkers, and rollers of Eden Prairie. And, I'm feeling bearish about the Green Line extension operating in the area. It doesn't feel like the infrastructure for non-car users are setting the multimodal transit users up for success.

I left a voicemail for the person who I corresponded with at the city level. I can't wait for him to tell me about how of course the roads are in great conditions, thousands of cars move through it every day and very few people use the trails. How do we expect people to bike and walk and roll when the facilities are what they are?

This afternoon I was out running with my 5.5 year old on her bike (I am a commuter biker and my kids have grown to love it, too). We crossed a fairly busy street at an intersection; oncoming traffic rightfully stopped for us, and we carefully crossed. As we neared the other side, a driver ran a stop sign while turning right and came within 18 inches of hitting her.

My daughter is spunky, wonderful, and still so fragile and small. It was so scary. It breaks my heart to think that by encouraging her to bike, I could be putting her in danger. I guess I always knew this was the case to some degree, but it crystalized tonight. Even my best attempts at teaching her bike safety might not be enough.

Please be safe out there. If you are in a car, please, please drive safely.

Riding in Lakeville. Motorist decided that they wanted to be on the other side of the median. To be clear, I don't think this was meant out of any kind of malice towards cyclists. I think the driver was inattentive. But still, first time I've seen something like this...

Getting back into riding again in many forms and I do have to say it’s been fun going shop to shop seeing what’s all around and the help I’ve received. Thanks to express and bike king and recovery so far on this journey. I’m an open book I just want to ride and have fun. No pressure to purchase bullshit i don’t need. I can definitely tell where I’m going to be frequently and it’s these places because of the people and what they have to offer. Thanks 🙏 2 cents.

"Kellogg-3rd Street Bridge Community Celebration & Ribbon Cutting October 24

Join us on Saturday, October 24 for a Community Celebration and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Kellogg-3rd Street Bridge as construction nears completion. This family-friendly event invites people to walk, bike, or roll across the new bridge. There will also be areas on the bridge deck that will feature local community organizations and businesses."

85 in October 🤔🌞

Super annoyed lately about giant signs left in the road, some are active for drivers, but most are either not relevant anymore or are turned sideways so they clearly aren't in use.

It makes it even harder to bike downtown. I take Hennepin every day and it sucks. It's bad enough for pedestrians to act annoyed and surprised there are Bikes in the Bike Lane, without having to maneuver around a ton of giant signs...

Am I meant to 311 all of them? The last time I 311 reported one on Blaisdell I apparently chose the wrong option so if anyone has has any luck lemme know.

Between this, the peds, and the trees smacking me in the face, I almost want to spend 15 more minutes going around downtown... Does anyone have any recs for getting between uptown And north east of downtown?

https://preview.redd.it/y1uh2fqdfxuh1.jpg?width=1545&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ff22e39225404f46f5b88ea82b5a5468609b2b5

HOURCAR and Evie Carshare are set to shut down THIS Thursday, October 15th, unless city and regional leaders step in to close a $600k emergency budget gap.

For thousands of residents across the Twin Cities, HOURCAR and Evie aren't just convenient—they are a vital, affordable transit necessity for work, groceries, and medical appointments. Losing HOURCAR would be a massive blow to our community.

This Tuesday, we are gathering in Downtown Minneapolis to show local decision-makers how much this community resource matters to us and to urge them to secure emergency funding. Join us!

• Date & Time: Tuesday, October 13 at 6:00 PM
• Location: Government Plaza, Downtown Minneapolis
• Transit: Show up in an Evie if you can! Light rail (Blue/Green Line) and multiple bus lines stop right at or near Government Plaza.
• What to Bring: Signs, friends & family, and your personal story of how HOURCAR and Evie impacts your life!

As a biker, I rely on Hourcar and Evie to get me places where I cannot go by bike. Hourcar and Evie are such a valuable service to those of us without cars that rely primarily on bicycling. Please help us preserve this incredible resource!

The YouTuber BikeFarmer just uploaded this video about Seth and Elizabeth, the owner's of Recovery Bike Shop in Northeast Minneapolis, and the now new owner's of the John Cook house. It's an interesting little video about used bikes, revitalization, and community in Northeast. Thought I'd share.

Look what I spotted. 😁

Fyi this trail is partly open. 3 miles of it, with a dead end near the bridge.

Hey, everyone, get ready to downvote! I'm here to tell you how our infrastructure actually sucks and you should really mad about it. No, not really, but often people here seem to have a very defensive reaction whenever someone has legitimate concerns about our developing infrastructure.

I'm an emergency responder in Minneapolis and I respond to crashes where motor vehicles have hopped the curb much more often than I wish to. I see cars halfway into buildings, spun around on the sidewalk, sometimes flipped over. The drivers are often drunk. Sometimes it looks like they had to have been distracted for x, y, zed to occur. Much rarer are medical emergencies that precede the collision. It's anecdotal, sure, but you all have seen this once or twice, too. If not, you've seen the missing sign posts and vehicle debris that never seems to get fully cleaned up. The point is that this happens very regularly and it's ubiquitous. Curbs do not protect the pedestrians walking on the sidewalk in these cases. Sidewalk-level bike lanes are just the same. What the curb creates is vertical separation, sometimes accompanied by horizontal separation if there is a boulevard strip. This separation is obviously better than nothing, and it likely reduces the risk of run-down-type collisions, but it is not protection from off-course vehicles. A mature hardwood tree will usually stop a vehicle and so will a concrete or cast iron bollard, but how often do you see these between you and the traffic lanes?

The engineers designing all of our infrastructure know this. Katie White knows this. Breakaway light posts and sign posts are standard infrastructure. This is all because historically drivers have died after crashing into posts. So, traffic engineers developed standard practices to reduce driver deaths without having to compromise the holy grail of motor vehicle speed. In more recent decades, Vision Zero and other initiatives to improve safety like the "Complete Streets" framework were developed to increase safety for all road users. But when it comes down to possible vehicle damage/driver injury versus the body of a pedestrian/cyclist, the person outside the car is always second priority, by design––take a good look at the angles of the curb sloping toward traffic next time you're on a pedestrian island. This is despite the fact that crash technology is largely improving the safety of those inside the car, or merely the fact that on party has a protective cage while the other has only flesh. When we talk about "curb-protected" this or "protected" that, we are doing nothing other than exaggerating what the engineers won't actually give us. We are propagandizing on behalf of a profession that systematically endangers us; it masquerades itself as technical (mostly true), and therefore scientific (mostly false) and neutral (completely false). They see and design everything from behind a windshield. No, this is not a conspiracy. This is a product of history that I won't try to cover in this post.

Curb separation is the engineer's way of increasing the subjective safety of cyclists while minimizing the possible damage to off-course vehicles by offering them space to slow down, off the road. Again, better than nothing, but how does that sit with you?

We have almost no protected bike or pedestrian infrastructure in the Twin Cities. Go to the public engagement meetings. Talk to your city councilor about this. Demand real, non-flappy, bollards. We need thousands.

Remember, everyone at some point has to get out of their car to get where they're going.

I am a bike commuter, and living in this city as a biker, I am proud every day of the infrastructure that has been put in place to make biking safe, accessible, and encourage. As someone who commutes 5 miles to work every day, there is exactly one part of my commute that I am highly aware of as being consistently dangerous: the 5-way intersection on the east side of the Franklin bridge.

I have been, multiple times, almost hit by cars turning right when they are in the left (straight) lane; I have fallen over my handle bars because I thought a driver saw me going straight, but turned right in front of me. The high volume of car traffic and lack of bike lanes in the intersection proper leave it up to cyclists to be highly vigilant and depend on the awareness of other drivers.

I’m making this post because I’m wondering if anyone else has had this experience, and if anyone has any ideas how the city could make this a safer intersection. The only idea I have at this point, given how expensive (and thus unappealing to the city) any physical infrastructure would be, is a designated light where bikers heading east and west could cross without any other traffic. Please share your thoughts!

Quick pic from my sunrise ride in Eden Prairie today.

ETA: I chose this spot to climb back up the bluff and rejoin the LRT. Great payoff with a view over the Minnesota River Valley from the top, but definitely a challenge hauling my fat ass up that hill, lol.

Edina is hiring a Transportation Planner to fill a position that was recently vacated. If you work in this space, please consider applying.

I received an email advertising this, because I had registered for the e-bike lottery 1 or 2 years ago:

You are invited to join a research study about human-powered and electric bikes. This research is being conducted by the University of Minnesota, with research funding provided by Minnesota cities and counties through the Minnesota Local Road Research Board and support by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

We are recruiting Minnesota residents who are 18 or older and use human-powered bikes or electric bikes (e-bikes). Whether you use an e-bike that was purchased with the support of the State E-bike Rebate, an e-bike that you purchased yourself, or a human-powered bike, we want your input.

Your participation helps ensure that decisions shaping Minnesota’s transportation system reflect real riders’ needs and experiences.

There are two parts to the research project:

Part 1: A 15-minute survey Your answers help us understand biking and e‑biking across Minnesota and will inform transportation‑related policies that affect traffic, the environment, and quality of life. All information is voluntary, confidential, and non‑identifiable. Survey link: https://z.umn.edu/2026-bike-survey

Part 2: A paid year‑long travel behavior study At the end of the survey, you’ll have the opportunity to express interest in being considered for a longer, year‑long biking study running from October 2026 through August 2027 – for 10 days each season. If selected, you will be contacted separately with additional details about eligibility, expectations, and compensation. Not everyone who volunteers will be selected.

Note that your participation is voluntary. If you choose to participate, your data will remain anonymous, you will be free to stop the questionnaire at any time, and no personal information is being stored. We anticipate this questionnaire will take around 15 minutes to answer.

Please use this link to take the survey: https://z.umn.edu/2026-bike-survey

This survey will be open until Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

If you have questions or concerns about this project, you may contact Kaitlyn Denten, [612-626-9934](tel:(612)%20626-9934), [iurif@umn.edu](mailto:iurif@umn.edu). If you have concerns about this project, call the Research Participants’ Advocate Line: [612-625-1650](tel:(612)%20625-1650) (toll free: [1-888-224-8636](tel:(888)%20224-8636))

Thank you for your interest in this University of Minnesota research project!

They do have a hard stop on one of the final bridges before the fancy connector bridge. But had no signage saying trail closed up til that point.

https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/projects/hennepin-lake-improvements/

https://www.minneapolismn.gov/media/-www-content-assets/documents/Hennepin-Lake-Improvements---One-Pager_V2.pdf

I'm glad I went. I'm bummed that the city is spending $20k on interim improvements this fall that include adding sharrows striping on the two blocks of Hennepin to show that bikers can take the lane. They're also adding paint to show where delivery and rideshare drivers can park in the hope that the drivers don't park in the bike lane (example) but call me a pessimist, I don't think people read or follow directions nowadays. There will be some delineators (flex posts) though (we can start a pool on how long it'll take for them to get squished).

But in 2028, they'll pour the concrete for grade-separated bike path for Hennepin Ave and then curb protected on Lake St for the one block. I went toward the end of the open house and I did hear grumblings from some folks about why the city is doing these improvements...

Wtf is up with the canvassers who think that blocking the bike lane on Lake and Bryant to trap cyclists into their donation pitch is an appropriate thing to do?? That’s such a busy intersection and clogging bike traffic at that spot is incredibly dangerous. This afternoon they trapped the guy at the front of the commuting peloton in a sales pitch so when the light changed to green, all the other commuters had to slowly and chaotically waddle around the canvassers and their mark which confused the drivers turning left and gave them just enough time to almost run us over in the intersection. The canvassers delay cyclists ability to start crossing which gives drivers who want to turn left 2 choices: either go while the cyclist are stuck behind the canvassers or wait and likely miss the light. This happens multiple times a week and I’m shocked nobody has been killed yet. THEY LITERALLY STAND IN THE BIKE LANE. What they’re doing is as inappropriate and unsafe as going up to a car at a red light and knocking on their window to trap them in a sales pitch. I’ve explained to them so many times how dangerous their tactic is but it’s always new people. Seriously, how do I contact the ACLU to tell them to cut that shit out? Or can I call 311 or something? I genuinely just can’t believe how oblivious they are about something that’s so clearly fucking dangerous. You’d think people have a shred of common sense.

For people who live and/or bike in Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Saint Louis Park, Hopkins, and Maple Grove, I want to put WMATA on your radar. They're a wonderful group of people advocating for better multimodal transportation in the west metro.

https://westmet.org/wmata-launch-party/ - come join the launch party on October 3 to meet these lovely folks and see yourself in the movement too!

Just venting! This afternoon, I stopped in a bike lane to let a car clear before turning. The car HONKED at me while I was stopped, then waved at me, so I was confused about whether I should go or not, but other than putting my foot back on a pedal, I didn’t start going — then they sped ahead while shaking their finger at me.

I was stopped and waiting for him to pass! I think some drivers are looking for reasons to be pissed at bikers? Every other car I’ve let by at that turn has been completely normal, and I’m always doubly cautious right there, so I’m frustrated because apparently that’s not enough for some drivers.