Biking around Pioneer Square

So far, I haven't been brave enough to bike around downtown. Plus, right now I don't own a bike, so that does put a damper on things. However, in the spirit of someday, hopefully soon, not only will we own bikes, but we'll have a place to keep them and the bravery to bike downtown, I found a few really good resources of information:

Seattle Department of Transportation: Bike Program. Download a downtown biking map, complete with the best ways to keep from getting killed marked and the best ways to get out of downtown... for example, Dearborn connects to the I-90 Bike Trail. Very cool.

Bikestation Seattle is located in my new favorite neighborhood--Pioneer Square. If you're considering the leap to biking as your major transportation method, or if you just want to talk to someone about biking around the city, stop by sometimes. They have a BIKE PARKING area for members. This may solve my quandary about where to keep our bikes, since we live in a supertiny apartment.

If you combine biking and riding the bus, you can pretty much get anywhere around Seattle for $1.50 and your own pedaling energy. But, recently, Metro has stopped using their newer 3-bike racks on certain bus routes, so if you're trying to bike and ride on any bus with "antennas," the bus driver might leave you stranded. The routes affected are a lot of routes that go through Pioneer Square: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 12, 13, 14, 36, 49 and 70, and some trips on routes 7, 43 and 44. So, beware. Check out the Metro site for more information.

Finally, there are actually a few places locally that you can get your bike fix:

Pioneer Bike Repair is a full service bicycle repair shop. I haven't tried them out yet, but their location is SO CONVENIENT to us Pioneer Square dwellers.

Elliot Bay Bicycles for the very serious. (And not economically challenged...) Not in Pioneer Square, but an easy bike ride away.

Remember, Goodwill sometimes has decent bikes, too. There's a Goodwill at Rainier and Dearborn. The Metro #7 or #42 goes there from Pioneer Square, or you could walk if you're feeling lively.

Any other resources I'm missing? I'll add to this list as I learn more.