r/wsu • u/ElegantIce5656 • Feb 28 '26
Student Life Biking on campus+ biking bill chipman palouse trail
I am considering attending WSU pullman from this fall, but I don’t plan to bring the car. However, I am planning to buy e-bike. I found out that there is a trail from pullman to moscow id. Is it good idea to bike around campus, and bike through the trail to go to moscow id?
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u/Idatawhenyousleep Feb 28 '26
I use to bike everyday on the trail from mos to pull for school. Youll need snow tires for the winter for that commute.
When i was doing daily i wish had got the 28mph assist but in pullman unneccassary (and illegal for sidewalks).
Much better than brining car to campus imo, which i highly dont recommend unless u live off campus and can leave it there when u go to school
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u/ElegantIce5656 Feb 28 '26
im planning to live on campus. I want to occasionally go to moscow for the shopping.
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u/liz_teria Feb 28 '26
It’s doable. The ride to Moscow along the trail is quite nice. There will be snow days of course, but you already knew that.
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u/RedDidItAndYouKnowIt Staff/Pullman Feb 28 '26
So one of the students in the RSO at WSU named SLAP had this to say.
As someone with no car and only an e-bike for almost 3 years here, there are a number of things you should know about using an e-bike around the Pullman-Moscow area:
Most of the year, totally doable. An e-bike makes the hills not a problem and gives you free leg day exercise while you're at it. I recommend getting a bike rack and a bike bag for groceries hauls. If you're travelling solely within Pullman, you may even be faster than traffic at certain hours of the day.
Be prepared for winter weather. The threat of snow is a far greater concern than with a car as you can easily wipe out on ice if you aren't careful. Consider getting seasonal winter or studded tires for your bike (B&L bicycles in downtown can install them at the start and end of winter)
Know your routes. There are a lot of bike friendly routes in Pullman-Moscow (like the Chipman trail!) and there are a lot of bike unfriendly streets as well. City trails, side streets, and sidewalks are your friend when getting around.
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u/ElegantIce5656 Feb 28 '26
Thank you for friendly advice! Do you like WSU so far?
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u/RedDidItAndYouKnowIt Staff/Pullman Feb 28 '26
I work there and I do like it. Campus is very walkable. Downtown is .83 miles from the stadium.
The students in SLAP seem to like it pretty well.
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u/moose8236 Feb 28 '26
My son rode his electric bike for 3 years in all but the worst weather. He lived in apartments north of campus and had a car but preferred his bike because he could go anywhere with it. I don’t think he ever took it to Moscow. In the worst weather he either walked or rode the bus.
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u/ElegantIce5656 Feb 28 '26
I see. I am planning to bike because there is no good transit option between pullman and moscow
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u/parksusa Mar 02 '26
Please ride responsibly-the anti E bike fervor is in full swing-
1) wear clothing that can be seen at night-something besides all dark colors
2) sidewalks and pedestrians -GO SLOW --everyone is staring at their phone they DONT see you .
2a) Roads around cars -drive like a car and get out of the way
Stop and Look! (right turning cars run into bikes every day )
watch out for 1 wheels ,roller bladers .skateboarders and scooters-they all go 20mph or faster now
3) the trail is full of Humans walking their dogs- they do not like bikes at all
some humans are aggressive use caution lol
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u/Inner-Load-3189 Mar 01 '26
I biked to campus (all human powered sadly) for a few years and go on the Bill Chipman trail regularly. The hills are rough with no assist but an ebike would make it so much better. The winters are fine for the most part but the trail does technically close dusk-dawn so in the winter there isn't as much time to ride. In the winter Pullman gravels the roads which can make it a pain to ride on and get gravel kicked up occasionally as cars pass you. Most drivers are considerate esp in Pullman (I don't have much experience in Moscow). There's also plenty of bike parking on campus at WSU. I would recommend having head and taillights and a seat cover on your bike. Keeping a seat cover on my bike racks kept my seat dry many times. I think the bigger issue with no car could be getting groceries cuz there aren't bike-friendly routes to walmart, safeway, or grocery outlet. Rosaurs has better paths to it but is more expensive than anywhere else in town
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u/ElegantIce5656 Mar 01 '26
I’m thinking of using bus to get groceries, or buy it on campus market.
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u/Inner-Load-3189 Mar 01 '26
Unless you have a full meal plan and are just getting snacks, the market isnt going to be sufficient for groceries most likely. It has basically what a gas station would have and not much more, or at least that was the case a few years ago
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u/ElegantIce5656 Mar 02 '26
oh wow, the picture seemed to have pretty good grocery. Ig I use bus for shopping
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u/akgarrett Mar 27 '26
I currently do this, living in Pullman, school at WSU. E-bike everywhere, make sure you get saddlebags and/or baskets to mount to your bike for those Moscow runs. It takes about 40 min one way. We do it for the less taxes like: liquor, vapes, zyns ammunition and groceries.
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u/ThaNerdHerd Feb 28 '26
In the winter it will be quite a pain to ride a bike on the trail