The Davis Enterprise: Apr. 10, 2009
(first appeared in Monday online edition Mar. 2, 2009)

Davis Bicycles! column #11

Title: Bicyclists on the train: We're a mobile community
Author: Jay Johnstone

photo caption:
Librarian Jay Johnstone exits the cab car of the Capitol Corridor train with his well used road bike. For the past year, he has commuted from Suisun/Fairfield to Davis and then pedaled from the train station to work at the Stephens branch library and back.

There are now lots of riders carrying their bikes on the train. I'm one of them. Most riders say they take the train because it costs less than operating a car. We also take pride in doing something about greenhouse gases. At the core, though, we're simply bicyclists. The train just gets us to and from the most bike-friendly town in the USA.

I've been using the train almost a year. In April, 2008, I re-discovered the words of Gandhi that one should be the change one seeks to happen. I had been telling myself for years that when gas hit $4 a gallon, I would use the Capitol Corridor train to commute to Davis from Fairfield/Suisun. The moment I read Gandhi's words, I actually jumped out of my chair and committed myself to riding the train. I was slightly ahead of the wave of train riders that was to come.

For almost 25 years I've ridden a steel-frame 10-speed bike. It's a conversation piece now, among the 21-speed carbon-fiber jobs. The brakes have two levers each: the normal pair for riding crouched on the dropped bars and a set that can be operated from the upright posture. I especially value this feature because it combines speed, comfort and safety in traffic.

I bought a monthly rail pass and began biking between the Davis train station and work. At first I used my hybrid for its cushy, upright ride. I could usually fit the big bike into one of the few racks on the cars. More bikes began to appear on the trains as the gas prices doubled. Frequently, there were a dozen bikes on one car and only three racks. I soon rolled out the 10-speed because it was lighter and tighter for narrow spaces.

Bicyclists are conscientious about the congestion. The train crews are helpful, too. Bike racks have replaced seats on at least one car on each train. Some trains have a special bike car. There are bike decals on the cars with racks. The main bike car is on the opposite end of the train from the engine.

The first rule is that bikes must be secured in case of an emergency. A bungie cord is useful in case you have to tie onto something like another bike. The Friday afternoon train is notoriously full.

There is such a variety of bikes and accessories on the train: roadies and mountain bikes, minimalist fixies, bodacious townies, compact urban commuters and amazing folders. Also there are various luggage systems: collapsing baskets, detachable saddlebags, converted milk crates, backpacks, courier bags and even trailers.

The riders are a diverse community: the athletic biology tech from Martinez on her elegant new roadie; a rough HVAC mechanic from Vacaville on his gnarly stump jumper; an enthusiastic Berkeley grad student on a sedate 3-speed, a retiree returning from riding/camping around Lake Tahoe on a hybrid, couples rolling through on sturdy touring rigs, and youngsters with jazzy BMX jobs. We have bikes and the train in common. It's a little mobile community, and another aspect of the lively bike culture of Davis.

Davis is a hub of bike culture. Picture the rush hour trains. One rider commented that it feels like it should be accompanied by Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries." Near Putah Creek, just before the Davis station, riders don their helmets, gloves and packs and line up. It reminds me of smoke-jumpers. When the doors open, a wave of bicyclists rolls across the station plaza. I love being in that swarm, cranking together, teeth in the wind.

Taking my bike on the train has revived my love affair with my machine, extending both its utility and our range.

— Jay Johnstone has been the regional librarian in charge of the Mary L. Stephens Branch of the Yolo County Library in Davis since 1994. When he isn't reading, hiking or kayaking, he and his family ride their bikes around town and while camping in the national and state parks.