Commuting - Considering Commuting...

I'm thinking about commuting to work via bike and need some advice. I'm relatively new to cycling and have been riding a particular 6 mile stretch on the bikeways around my home for a couple of weeks. Sometimes I ride twice a day, sometimes just once a day. Here in Houston, the City has installed a bikeway network that can almost get me all the way to the office (about 13 miles one-way). My questions are:

1) How long should it take me to build up the strength and stamina for the 26 mile daily trip?

2) I have a "cheap" (<$300) DiamondBack Wildwood hybrid bike. Is this bike good enough to endure what I'm considering? I'll need to carry my work clothes with me (fortunantely there's a YMCA very close to my office).

Any other advice that you can offer would be a big help. I sometimes wonder if I even know what questions to ask!

TIA

Paul

Paul,

Your first question is a toughie, individual performance may vary, but if you can comfortably put down a 15 - 20 mile ride now, knocking out two 13 milers shouldn't be a problem.

To answer question # 2, certainly your bike, if properly maintained is good enough. If you don't feel confident in bicycle mechanics (if true, you will need to learn to repair your bike and carry some basic tools and parts), have the LBS do a tune up to provide some inexpensive insurance. The last thing you want on a commute is a breakdown to cause you to be late or miss work. Good high pressure street tires are one of the first things to consider for your bike, my preference on the commuter bike is Tioga City Slickers.

I suggest you try the car / bike combo commute to start: On Monday drive the car to work and carry your bike along with everything you might need for the work week. Leave the car at work Monday night and ride your bike home. Ride back in Tuesday A.M. and drive home Tuesday night leaving the bike at work; Wednesday drive the car back to work and see how you feel about riding home that afternoon. Continue this rotation, increasing the bike miles and decreasing the car miles as you gain fitness and commuting savvy. This will give you the opportunity to see how the commute is, minimize the daily preparation you need to do and give you some flexibility and recovery options in event of an unforeseen event.

One more word of caution, once you start bike commuting you're going to have a tough time returning to cage jockey status ;)

Hope this helps.

If your workplace doesn't have anywhere you can keep stuff, you might want to check and see if you can rent a locker at the YMCA to keep a few changes of clothes in....it really makes commuting more enjoyable without the extra burden or worrying if you've forgotten something.

Do a trial run on a Sunday morning to see if you are happy with the route.
If you can ride 6miles without a problem, then you can extend it more. You dont have to ride hard or fast on a commute.
Your bike is plenty good enough for the journey.
I would agree that whatever your bike, high quality tyres will make your ride faster and more efficient, as well as reducing punctures. You need some kevlar banded, medium width slick tyres, kept at a good high pressure.

For a journey of that length I would recomend using cycling shorts, as well as helmet and gloves. Carry your stuff on the bike, not your back, and carry enough water. Apart from that, its only a commute, its not rocket science.

Good luck
Michael.

A 26 mile round trip is a fair bit, but not too bad (mines about the same). You might find just doing one way at first helps, or alternatively just cycle for some of the week. You're bike should be fine, but again I recommend getting a good pair of tough but fast rolling tyres - I like Vredestein Spiders, which are available in 700c and 26" - if you're running 26" Specialized Armadillos, or Vredestein S-licks are also worth a look. A rack and a pack or pannier will be useful.

Richard

Since you have been riding 6 mile stretches already, it should not take long to get used to the 26 mile commute (13x2)... perhaps one to two weeks. I suggest riding just 2 times on the first week then increasing the frequency the next week.

Before your first commute, bring your clothes, shoes, etc. to the office in advance on your car so you don't have to carry them around while you are building up strength.

You should at least learn how to replace an inner tube in case your tire suffers a puncture. I always carry the following items with me when commuting:

1) Tire levers.
2) A small frame pump.
3) An Inner Tube.
4) Tube Patch kit.

These items except the frame pump can fit in a saddle bag (the bag you attache beneath the saddle).

It also helps to have a multi-tool with hex wrenches and screwdrivers. Once my saddle loosened up during my commute and I was able to tighten it because I had the multi-tool.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm starting to get excited about the possibilities. I've driven my route by car, and yesterday I rode the route a little more than halfway with no problems (OK, I was a little tired :p). My goal is to ride the route all the way next Saturday.

By the way, I'm kind of used to packing my clothes for work, because, get this, for the past two years, I've been DRIVING 20 minutes to the YMCA by the office to workout (I usually ride a stationary bike or Precor machine) in the morning for an hour or so. How crazy is that? Only now do I see how ludicrous that is. By using my bike for the commute I can get my workout in, avoid sitting in traffic, and feel good that I'm not contributing to the traffic problems.

Now I have to figure out what to do with my bike once I get there...

Originally posted by pforbes
By using my bike for the commute I can get my workout in, avoid sitting in traffic, and feel good that I'm not contributing to the traffic problems.

Congratulations on discovering the most obvious secret of the universe. Don't tell anybody; you could cause the entire health care industry to collapse and bring on another Depression. :D

You've gotten plenty of good advice from the usual gang, here. A hybrid like yours is fine for commuting. Later on when you realize how much money you're saving you'll probably want to upgrade, but that can wait. Just make sure you carry tire-repair tools and know how to use them, plus perhaps a multi-tool with a chain tool incorporated. Being able to re-pin a broken chain and fix a flat will get you home 99% of the time.

Carry plenty of water, especially on the way home. Personally, I make my coffee and carry it into work in a stainless thermos that fits in a bottle cage, since one bottle is enough in the cool morning. I fill the empty thermos with cold spring water for the trip home, so halfway there I can refill my plastic water bottle with cold spring water.


Now I have to figure out what to do with my bike once I get there...

Yes, and do that in advance. Are there other bike commuters in the company? What do they do? How you'll be storing your bike can have an effect on your choices of lighting systems, panniers, and other items you'd have to remove and reattach daily if locking the bike in an unprotected area.

Don't sweat it, though. You'll establish a routine and within days it will come naturally. Within weeks you'll be addicted.

The first time I did my current route (the same distance as yours) the big surprise was how easy it was. I felt almost embarrassed over how overprepared I was.

RichC

Everyone's given you good advice here, the only thing I can add, is to prepare your bike etc. the night before, so you're not rushing around in the morning trying to find things. Give yourself enought time so you're not in a big rush. As someone said it will become routine after awhile, but bike commuting does require a bit of organization.

Good luck!

Are there other bike commuters in the company? What do they do?

Unfortunately, no, I'll be the first. I work in a 45 story office building (my company only takes up 1.5 floors), and I think I may be the only one in the whole building! I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to strip everything off the bike because it will probably be exposed to the general public. My best-case scenario right now is that there is a decent bike rack at the Y. Here's the plan: from home, I'll ride to the Y, lock my bike, shower and change (leaving my gear in the locked day locker), and walk the 1 block to the office. In the evening, I'll walk back to the Y, change, and ride home.

I think I have most of the stuff that I need, save the rack and panniers. At the advice of threadend, my bike is at my LBS right now getting overhauled (it had been quite a while since the last tune-up).

I know it's considered bad form to ask another question in the middle of a thread, but it's sorta related. Any suggestions for panniers? I seldom bring very much home from work and my attire is usually dress pants and a dress shirt, but no coat and tie.

Originally posted by pforbes
Any suggestions for panniers? I seldom bring very much home from work and my attire is usually dress pants and a dress shirt, but no coat and tie.

I'm a big fan of Arkel panniers (www.bicyclebags.com), partly because they go on and off the bike so easily. I have two small ones that I use singly or in pairs, on the rear or on the front (my tourer has front pannier racks).

And I just got, for Father's Day, their Briefcase Pannier, which is extremely cool and very beautifully made. It has the same mounting system as the other panniers. I can't wait to start using it!

They also make a backpack/pannier, and several sizes of touring and commuting/errand panniers. Very nice stuff.

RichC

I use mid-range Altura panniers, that come with R&K fixings - pretty much instant on and off. Generally I just use a single pannier, keeping a suit and shoes at work, carrying in the rest. I'd also look at rackpacks. If you cycle in the rain don't rely on claims of waterproof-ness, most will cope with a heavy shower, but I'd use a plastic bag inside to be on the safe side.

There is probably an undground parking area/utiltiy cupboard that you can use. Have a poke around the basement . If you ask, the answer will probably be "No we dont have anywhere", so look around first then prepare your "case".
Where do workers park their cars normaly.

Once you do find a place, pref under CCTV observation, leave a heavy duty chain and padlock at work, and carry a smaller lighter lock.

If there really is nothing to bolt your bike to, then get your building manager to bolt a wall-mounted security attathment to a suitable wall. If all this fails, just park your bike in the middle of your normal parking area.

Some people strip everything from their bikes on lock-up. I leave almost everything in place, but I have replaced qick release levers with bolt to discourage casual tampering.


Yor town sounds like a poor environment for bike thieves, if there aren't many bikes. You may find a few opertunistic ones who will steal a bike if it is unsecured, but you are not likely to find the tooled up professionals who can get through U-locks in a minute.

Welcome, pforbes, and prepare yourself for some fun! I love to commute on my bike whenever I can. You have gotten a lot of great advice (typical of this forum) and I just had one thing to add. I park my bike right in the office with me. Don't know if that would work for you, but it sure is nice. I used to have it parked where I could see it out of the corner of my eye, but I found that too distracting, so had to move it to where it is just out of site unless I turn my head.
Enjoy yourself, and don't be too surprised if before the summer is out, you find yourself addiing little detours to your route...just to get in a little extra time on the bike!!

pforbes,
Welcome to BF and commuting. :)
Here's another thing no one mentioned you should consider.
Eat a good breakfast (complex carb) about an hour before leaving in the morning. Thirteen miles is a pretty long haul on an empty stomach. You don't want to leave the house on "empty". And eat a good snack (fruit, peanut butter sandwich, fig bars, etc.) about an hour before heading home in the afternoon.

Keep us informed of your progress. :thumbup:

I couldnt manage a one hr delay between eating and riding. I got used to a 20min space with no problem. You do need to eat a lot more, so dont mix a weight-loss diet with a new cycle commute.
I found that I tucked into my lunch sandwitches by 11:00 as well.

Micheal is right about the time thing. I'm lucky if I have 40 minutes between eating and riding.
One hour was a recommendation.

Originally posted by pforbes


Any suggestions for panniers? I seldom bring very much home from work and my attire is usually dress pants and a dress shirt, but no coat and tie.

I use Serratus Aquanot 18-2. I chose it because of its highly visible color as I cycle thru main streets. It is designed to hook into carriers and it is also waterproof. Here is an image of the pannier:

http://members.rogers.com/jay.mendiola/AquaNot182.gif

If I was leaving the bike behind, I carry 2 locks with me. One short and heavy for locking the frame / front wheel to an immovable object, and another to lock the rear wheel, saddle to the frame. Sadly, I have witnessed bike commuter's wheels, saddles get stolen. My brother who is a bike courier in downtown Toronto had his bike stolen too.

The good thing about carrying all these added weight is that it increases your fitness further so come weekend you will feel stronger when you ride you bike without all the stuff attached.

Thanks for all the ideas and support. I went to the Y today to check for bike racks. I also emailed them over the weekend. The only bike racks they have are outside in the middle of the parking lot!:irritated

So I explained to the nice lady who was helping me what I was wanting to do, you know, commute to the Y, leave my bike there all day, come get it in the evening, and commute home. I told her I would really like to have a protected place to keep my bike, maybe in the parking garage. She gave me a strange look about my plan, but then told me she would be glad to talk with her boss about getting something installed. She then told me that, in the meantime, I could leave the bike her office during the day. They already have a motorcycle parking area that I could probably use without anyone saying anything, but it would be great if they would actually install racks in a secure place.

I’m actually considering bike commuting myself. It’s about a 7 mile ride from my house to the World Trade Center (or the ex-WTC) with HEAVY TRAFFIC! From there, I take a ferry across the Hudson River to New Jersey to where I work.

Now here are the problems. I’m afraid of turning into road kill before I get to work. But my biggest concern is that I have no place to secure my bike. I don’t have a real “good” bike. It’s a ’01 Specialized Sirrus. But I don’t want it to be gone after work.

I asked building mgmt about locking up my bike right in front of the building. They said “NO”. They said the closest place where I can lock my bike is 1/2 a block away. There are about 5 bikes locked there daily. But I really don’t trust it since it’s out there in the open.

But it would be awesome if building mgmt would allow me to bring the bike to my cube upstairs or at least let me lock it up right next to the building where all the smokers have their breaks.

Any ideas? Is there a law which requires an employer to have a bike rack so employees have a secured place to lock their bikes?

Time to really explore your building. Take a look down the utility stairs, if there is no space to park a bike in the basement, I would be very surprised.

Originally posted by MichaelW
Time to really explore your building. Take a look down the utility stairs, if there is no space to park a bike in the basement, I would be very surprised.
Park inside.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

The problem is that building mgmt will NOT let my bike inside the building.

Is there a law somewhere that requires a building of a certain size to have bike racks? I don't want to be the squeaky wheel here, but I really want to commute on my bike.

This thread reminds me of my first tentative steps a few years ago. The logistics at the time seemed daunting. What today I take for granted I used to mull over for hours.

Today, bike-commuting is so ingrained in my everyday life that it's second nature.

To the original poster: keep at it. Don't overdo it. You will have some down days (changing flats in the rain, etc.). But I can't imagine not b-c'ing at least 2-3 times a week. I'd go crazy.

I've built up over the years to doing 20 miles each way with little problem whatsoever.

get friendly with the buidling janitors or maintenance men. There are usually areas in the building for storage. (I'm lucky in that I get to use a garage).


Re pforbes 13 mile commute, that's the same length as mine, and i sometimes have 5 mins betwen eating and riding so my breakfast tends to consist of energy bars and coffee :)

It might be an idea for the first few weeks to commute one way by bike only, or have alternate days awayfrom riding.

if you start to feel tired and lethargic, it will put you off riding.

I try to ride 5 days per week, but don't get worked up if I only manage 4.

As a vegetarian, I also take a multivitamin/mineral complex which I think ensures I'm not sweating away vital minerals.

You will enjoy your commute, even when the weather is bad. And days like I had this morning, no wind, t shirt warm and watching a cruise ship going under the bridge as I crossed make it all worthwhile.

Poor ol' Cadd, nobody knows the answer to his question. Well, bike laws tend to be localized, so best thing to do is check the New York laws.

It really sucks! :(
I was looking forward to a biking commute too. It's not because I'm doing it to cut transportation expenses or fitness......I want to bike commute because I KNOW I WILL ENJOY IT.

Wow! I didn't realize that there were such difficulties in bike commuting. It sounds like the building managment, Cadd, is just being plain dumb and stubborn.

I get to enjoy an organization where we are encouraged to bike. When they remodeled the building they put in a locker room with 2 showers and tons of bike parking. With 300 people working here I would say about 60 bike on a nice day. Of course, during the winter the number reduces significantly.

Keep trying, Cadd! Where there's a will there's a way.

Remember a while back when I mentioned that I carry a spare tire with me? Well, this morning on the way to work, after topping a hill and starting to wind her up for the trip down, BLAM! Catastrophic sidewall failure! So, I replaced the old tire and tube with my new one, and was back on the way in very short order.
As I was on one of my detours on the way to work, and I knew I would be passing this spot again, I took the old tire and tube across the road and hid them in the grass, then, on my return, picked them back up to be thrown away properly. As I was riding along with the tire over my shoulder, I was reminded of the old black and white photo of the TdeF riders carrying thier extra tires with them. Although the only real similarity between myself and the pictured riders is that we are both on two wheels and have tires over our shoulders...it was fun to mentally place myself in such august company! Man, does biking rule, or what?

Bill, you're a tribute to the boy scout motto. :D

What kind of tire was it that blew like that? Any idea why?

I'm riding on Continental Top Touring tires that have a reputation for premature sidewall failures. They also come with recommended max pressures that are 10-15psi lower than the same size tires from other manufactuers. It's been speculated that the TT failures are a result of chronic underinflation, but I've never seen anything but anecdotal support for this. But I nevertheless keep mine pumped to 95 instead of the 80 stamped on the tires. 3500 miles on them, no cracks or other problems in the sidewalls, no flats.

RichC

Thanks, Rich! Well, besides commuting, I have been known to wander a ways from home on the weekends, and "Be Prepared" is not a bad motto!

So far, I have used Conti's, Avocet's, Vittoria's and Michelin's and never had any problems. The tire that failed was a used one that came in a lot of assorted tires I had gotten last winter, seems to me the brand was MD-something or other. I would not hesitate to use any of the 4 brands I named above, they have all served me well, and being the dainty little guy I am I always run them at full pressure as stated on the sidewalls.

Is 95 psi on 80 psi tires a comfortable ride?

I did it! Well, sort of. I had a dry run this evening from the office. I drove to the office and rode home. The plan is to ride back to the office in the morning. I didn't have any problems as traffic was very light on my route on Saturday evening. I was pretty accurate on my distance estimate - it was a little over 13 miles and I made it in just over an hour. Right now I feel great. We'll see how I feel in the morning!:p All I need now is to get the rest of my equipment. I'm waiting on my rack and panniers to come in and I should be all set.

The test run is a go. You're all set.

Keep it up. It will be different when you encounter some traffic but the test run builds up confidence.

GO GO GO GO !!

Originally posted by IowaParamedic
Is 95 psi on 80 psi tires a comfortable ride?

They're 700x32c tires, so there's still plenty of cushion there. And the combination of me, the bike, and my usual load comes to 250 pounds or so; that calls for higher pressure anyway.

That particular bike is a ti frame with a cro-mo fork, with a Selle Italia Max Trans Am saddle that has just a little bit of springiness from the elasomers the rails are mounted in. All in all it's just right for me: not teeth rattling; good for long rides; no "bouncing."

RichC

Originally posted by pforbes
I did it! Well, sort of. I had a dry run this evening from the office. I drove to the office and rode home. The plan is to ride back to the office in the morning. I didn't have any problems as traffic was very light on my route on Saturday evening. I was pretty accurate on my distance estimate - it was a little over 13 miles and I made it in just over an hour...

Awesome, I gather that you have been able to settle the bike / gear storage dilemma you were struggling with earlier.

Be sure to let us know how your first live commute goes. I'm sure you will have some very interesting observations. Remember, we're pulling for you, well not literally but figuratively, so here's hoping the wind is at your back.

Originally posted by pforbes
I did it! Well, sort of. I had a dry run this evening from the office. I drove to the office and rode home. The plan is to ride back to the office in the morning. I didn't have any problems as traffic was very light on my route on Saturday evening. I was pretty accurate on my distance estimate - it was a little over 13 miles and I made it in just over an hour. Right now I feel great. We'll see how I feel in the morning!:p All I need now is to get the rest of my equipment. I'm waiting on my rack and panniers to come in and I should be all set.
pforbes, I did a test run to my work place this weekend too!!! But unfortunately, I cannot ride to work unless I figure out how to secure the bike :( Boy, it felt great!

I bet all you commuters out there are full of energy at 9am!

Originally posted by Cadd

I bet all you commuters out there are full of energy at 9am!

Fired up when I get in, yes. But positively giddy by mid afternoon when I know I can zoom home again !!

Funny how the relatively long (20-mile; one-hour-and-ten-minute) ride in becomes a distant memory shortly after arriving. It's really no different in terms of my daily routine than commuting by car.

The difference is you feel a whole let better.

Originally posted by Andy Dreisch
The difference is you feel a whole let better.

That is the natural high you get from endorphins acting on your brain after riding :)

Right.

We tend to explain and promote the benefits of bike commuting with "data" -- better health, lower costs, cleaner air, less traffic, etc.

And that may be why we convince ourselves to start doing it.

But we keep doing it because we've become endorphin junkies.

Athletes talk about this all the time, and it's true, but there's something really special about starting the workday under the influence of an endorphin high that changes your perspective on everything.

And you really miss it when it's not there.

RichC

I want to be an addict too! :beer:

Well, Iowa, I always run the max rated pressure in my tires. One of the guys I ride with always goes 5 pounds over the rating. I suppose if you are not experiencing tire failures, the extra pressure is not hurting anything...however, if I thought I needed that kind of pressure, next time I replace tires, I would find some that are rated to handle it! That's just my opinion.
Hope to see you in just a few weeks!!

And, congrats to our new commuters! It is Sunday evening, and I had other obligations that kept me off the bike all weekend...so I am looking forward to tomorrow!! Not many workers look forward to getting to work after the weekend!!

:D

I DID IT!!!!:D

I packed all of my stuff last night, and got up this morning and rode to the Y by the office. 13 miles, right at an hour. Very uneventful, but felt GREAT all day long.

At about 4:00 pm, I started looking forward to the ride home. I left the Y at about 7:00 and made it home at about 8:00. I'm still a little nervous about the traffic in some spots, but I think I'll be fine with more experience. I had a chain problem on the way home, but I fixed it within a couple of minutes.

I can't wait to get my real panniers. I have to make do with a camera bag, until my panniers come in later this week.:p

I guess now I can contribute to the "How was your commute..." thread!:D :D :D

Congratulations! If it's this great now, just imagine how it will be when you're trained to it and confident. It just gets better and better.

RichC

Way to go! We'll watch for you in the "How was the commute" thread! :p