The problem with urban bicycling...

Even in the wet of winter, it's a constant commuting drumbeat in Portland: Get out of the car and go by bike! It's good for your health.

Generally, that's true. But a yearlong Oregon Health & Science University study shows that one in five two-wheeled commuters in "Bike City U.S.A." also risks being injured in a crash over the next year.

In what the university says is the most extensive study ever of injury risks to people who regularly bicycle to work and school in North America, researchers tracked 962 adult Portland bicyclists of all skill levels from September 2007 to August 2008.

About 20 percent reported being injured in a crash, and 5 percent said the trauma was serious enough to require medical attention, according to findings published in the November issue of The Journal of Trauma.

A possible solution...