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Are Bike Lanes Good for Businesses?
Plus, Mount Blue Sky hill climb, my repair kit, and stats for the nerds
Sam Westby
February 06, 2025
Welcome to the Bike Bulletin. It’s like a smooth quiet country road for your inbox.
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—Sam Westby @samcwestby
This is a weekly newsletter about bike trips, urban cycling, and a love for two-wheeled transit. The more time you spend on a bike, the better. I share new editions every Thursday, gearing you up for the ride ahead.
Here’s what we have today.
🌍 RIDE: Mount Blue Sky Hill Climb
❓ RESEARCH: Are Bike Lanes Good For Businesses?
💡 TIP: What’s in My Repair Kit?
🎥 WATCH: A bivvy, a phone, and a drone: cycling home from China
🚲 ARCHIVES: A Tourist’s Manual (1892)
📰 STATS FOR THE NERDS
RIDE ON MY RADAR
Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans) Hill Climb
Kevin J. Beaty - Denverite
Here’s what you’d be getting yourself into.
Located 40 miles west of Denver
The highest paved road in North America
Ending at 14,130 feet (4,307 m) above sea level
27.5 miles (44 km) while climbing over 6,500 feet (1,980 m)
See the route on Ride With GPS
And there’s an official race
This scenic byway closed for repairs in September 2024 and is expected to reopen in Spring 2026. You can expect to see me riding it around then.
My friends who’ve done it say it’s a surreal experience.
RESEARCH
Are Bike Lanes Good for Businesses?
My city, Boston, has recently been adding bike lanes all over the city (which I love). The common complaint from the opposition is that “bike lanes hurt businesses”. Do they actually?
Here are the takeaways from a literature review published in Transport Reviews. You can use these points next time you’re in a heated debate:
Bike lanes can hurt businesses — if the business is auto-dependent (gas stations, furniture stores, auto parts stores).
For other businesses (especially retail and food service), bike lanes have a positive or a neutral impact on business sales (even when they remove parking).
The extra environmental, health, and mobility benefits from bike lanes make it a “no regret” investment.
Sadly, new bike lanes aren’t a win for everyone. If the business relies on drivers to survive, then reducing the number of drivers will hurt the business.
As cities continue to evolve toward cycling, the businesses that thrive will accommodate this wonderful form of transportation.
BIKE TRIP TIP
What’s in My Repair Kit?
Thanks, Emma for sending this question.
On every ride:
Crankbrothers M17 multitool
2 tire levers
Vulcanizing patches
Stans NoTubes Darts (if you have tubeless tires)
1 tube
Portable pump
Additional items when I’m on a trip:
Chain lube + rag
CO2 inflator (if you have tubeless tires)
Gerber dime mini multitool
A few straps (like Voile Straps — these saved my life on the Tour Divide)
Spare brake pads
Spare M5 bolts — the type that holds my rack & bottle cages.
Spare chain quick links
Thread and needle (in case I slice my tire or rip my clothes)
Mini Gorilla duct tape
2 spokes
2 spoke nipples
None of the brands mentioned are sponsors. They’re just what I use.
WHAT I’M WATCHING
A bivvy, a phone, and a drone: cycling home from China
Josh Reid picked up his Giant bicycle from the factory in Shanghai and rode it all the way home 15,000 km to England.
Watch on YouTube
FROM THE ARCHIVES
A Tourist’s Manual (1892)
How to fix your damaged tire back in 1892:
Small cuts in solid rubber tires can be repaired by use of a liquid cement, which is set in the cut, then drawn together and held tight by being wound around with a piece of cloth and allowed to stand till dry. This can be removed and the tire used in a couple of hours. (Page 60)
You can read the whole 160-page manual at the Library of Congress.
500 bikes. The size of Baltimore’s brand new bikeshare program. (WBAL)
6.7 million. The number of trips on Divvy in 2024, Chicago’s bikeshare program. A new record. (Smart Cities Dive)
182 miles (293 km). The distance I commuted by bike in January. The cold can’t stop me!
8.6 miles (14 km). The length of Seattle’s recently completed Waterfront Bike Path. (Seattle Bike Blog)
$16.3 million. The recently approved bid to build a pedestrian bridge over I-277 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bridge is set to open in mid-2028. (Good News Network)
A Note From Sam
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