By Frank Mungeam

Folks from the U.S. Census Bureau chose to release their latest findings in the Rose City because their latest study found that Portland was #1 in the nation among large cities for bike commuting.

The finding is all the more impressive when you look at the details. Porland's rate of bike commuting was more than 50% higher than the next-closest city in the survey.

On the other hand, Portland's "winning" bike commuting rate was just 3.5 percent. And that's 3.5 percent of those surveyed reporting that they used their bike at least once in a year to ride to work. So the actual rate of regular bike commuting, even in Portland, is much lower than that 3.5 percent number.

As someone who tries to bike to work a couple of times a week, those numbers make sense to me. Between weather issues, the challenge of finding a safe route from home to work, and the logistics involved, it takes a lot of commitment to leave the car at home and use pedal power. If you're a bike commuter or have tried it, click on the "comments" link below and share your experiences.

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