Commuting - First ride in today

Well, after months of thinking about it, I finally got my rear in gear and rode in today. Feels great. Next time I'll be packing the night before, though -- kinda overpacked. And in my rush to get out the door, I actually put my shorts on backwards ... and didn't even notice until 10 miles into it. Oh well.

That's cute! Were they uncomfortable that way? Maybe you've started something!

I've learned to cut down on packing a bit, too. Part of the learning curve, I guess.

Congrats!

Good for you KreatonR! How long did it take you?

Congratulations! Soon you won't believe it took you so long to get started.

Probably took about an hour and 15-20. It's 20 miles plus a little. Beautiful day.

Funny thing about the shorts on backwards: when I realized it, my first thought was "oh crud, it'll be so embarassing walking into work with bike shorts on backwards." But then I realized that few people here would actually know the difference between bike shorts on correctly or not!

Funny thing about the shorts on backwards: when I realized it, my first thought was "oh crud, it'll be so embarassing walking into work with bike shorts on backwards." But then I realized that few people here would actually know the difference between bike shorts on correctly or not!

That's what I was thinking!

KreatonR, congrats on the commute. It does get easier and smoother the more you do it.

As for the shorts wear 'em like that. It adds to your street cred -- you're such a bad a$$ biker you won't even wear your shorts like everyone else. Just a rebel in every way!!

Actually, another benefit of bike shorts on backwards is that the chamois sits forward much more, making certain parts of the anatomy appear quite a bit larger ... But of course, that can also be a bad thing when walking into work.

Yay, welcome to the club. Is there anyway to cut down your load by leaving stuff at the office?

Well, after months of thinking about it, I finally got my rear in gear and rode in today. Feels great. Next time I'll be packing the night before, though -- kinda overpacked. And in my rush to get out the door, I actually put my shorts on backwards ... and didn't even notice until 10 miles into it. Oh well.


"Yer humpin' too much stuff, troop!"

You'll trim down your payload as you become more familiar with the ride.
It doesn't hurt to be prepared, but as time goes on you'll learn to pack the necessities with more discretion. Good luck.

Well, for starters, I'm gonna pick up a much smaller bottle of shampoo, and the same goes for the sunscreen. And I can probably leave a pair of shoes here, which would make a big difference.

I dunno where you work but I'd just leave all the toiletries there if you can. In fact, after you've done the commute a couple days, take a look through your stuff and figure out everything that made the trip BOTH ways every day and think "Why can't this just sit in the office?"

Well, for starters, I'm gonna pick up a much smaller bottle of shampoo, and the same goes for the sunscreen. And I can probably leave a pair of shoes here, which would make a big difference.

I have shoes and sunscreen in my office. The only things I bring are clothes, shampoo, soap and a towel. I only bring the shower stuff because I want to ride straight to the shower instead of my office first. I also have baby wipes in my office in case I'm late or only rode 1/2 way (not needing a shower for the short trip).

Not that I'm one to give advice about packing for the commute, I forgot underwear today!

Hey, great advice everyone. I think I'm going to try to take a real minimalist view of packing. See just how little I can take. Will remember the underwear, though!

I bought a plactic box about the size of a shoe box with a latching lid and keep my stuff in that. I keep a couple of pairs of underwear, couple of pairs of socks, soap, deodorant, comb and 4 Handiwipes (or some version thereof). They work well as washclothes and are seviceable as towels (not perfect but since I can only wipe off anyway I don't need a full towel). The handiwwipes also dry out easily when hanging with my clothes. I do recommend washing them before using them the first time. I also leave shoes in the office which really reduces weight and bulk to carry.

Since my office is private, storage is not much of an issue, but if you don't have the option you might consider ways to hang things or store things in the knee well of your desk. Someplace on here was a guy who put some cup hooks under his desk to hang clothes while they dried. I would think with a little ingenuity a lot of things could be stored in the knee well