Commuting - My First Commute WOOHOO!!

Hey gang, did my first commute to work, about 5 miles..man am I out of shape..I made it though..Now I have to make it back home BAHAHAHAH!!! Bike was flawless...my body less so..I guess turning 40 is kicking in...Not that anyone cares but I had to tell someone LOL..

Steve

Congrats! I remember how good I felt on those first few commutes a couple years ago. Come to think of it, I felt pretty darn good on this morning's commute, too.

Good for you. Soon enough that 5 miles will feel like nothing and you'll start looking for ways to make the commute longer.

Hi, thanks for the replies/advice. I'm sure it will get easier as my conditioning improves, it was fun, but it was a workout...the good news is that going home is more downhill...Thanks again.

Steve

Good for you. I still feel good after my commute. It's what keeps me going at work.

Well done! The wobble in your legs will go away before you know it. :)

Hey gang, did my first commute to work
Great...I resumed commuting at about age 40 and had to walk up a modest hill, that I now hardly notice, since I too was out of shape.
I would suggest you get a rack and pannier(s) on that bike if you plan to use it daily for commuting...much more comfortable and you won't get as sweaty on your back. I use a road bike in the hotter weather to also minimize sweating, but I have the advantage that my morning run is downhill.
Robert

yes - hope you don't get too sore the first week, but it will go away, and you'll have a good excuse to relax on the weekends

what are you using for storage? you may consider a rack and rack trunk, will allow you to do errands and things on the way home, or stop at the store and bring food into work, or store repair kit and things (which i still don't have)

best of luck!

Hey gang, thanks for all the replies...Cooker, I had to walk a bit myself, an uphill bridge over a freeway...towards the end of the ride and I was feeling it LOL. I don't know how much I'll actually commute as with my job, sometimes last minute jaunts around town are required and I'm supposed to be a professional bidness man LOL..cant show up on a bicycle. But, I just had to try it and see what I was in for.

Honestly, I will probably use the bike more for exercise around my home. I originally got a bike as a result of a knee injury from weight training. Ortho Surgeon said "no more squats and dead lifts, get a bike and walk" LOL.

Another biker in my building has told me I need to get a repair kit and inner tubes as flats do happen, along with some tools, air pump, etc. I just got the bike and now I realize that it was just the initial investment. I also want to get my wife a bike as she's interested in bicycling also, like me, for the exercise effect.

Ok gang, thanks again for the replies.

Oh yeah, did someone mention storage? here's my storage LOL (for now anyway):

Steve

Hey...good job! I say stick with it when you can.

Sure we care! We all remember how great it felt the first time we commuted! :)

On my first day, I went into the learning lab where I tutor just to show off my bike clothes and red, sweaty face! My boss called me "Kendra Armstrong." They're really proud of me and ask me about it almost every day. (Not that they need to, since I love talking about it. ;))

If you keep at it, you'll be amazed how quickly you improve. I'll be 50 this Saturday and I've never really been athletic but in just a few months, I've gone from being wiped out doing six miles to finding 20 miles no big deal.

Good luck and enjoy!

Good job! Feels great, doesn't it? I did my first commute this past Saturday (figured as long as I had to work anyway, it would be better to experiment on a weekend...) This week so far hasn't been conducive to riding in (errands requiring a car & such) but I've brought in changes of clothes for tomorrow and Friday. I'll get two days in at least.

I'm in the same boat you're in -- my bike is not yet set up for commuting. I want to add some paniers or something. Just haven't decided what yet. It's definitely getting fenders and bright lights!

Cheers!

Cheers! :beer:

Hey gang, thanks for all the replies..Made it back home, even had enough steam to stop at the bike shop and look at a bike for me wife and a mirror for the bike. Anyway, continuing with my 2 wheel theme for the day, here's what I rode back to work. Not as good a workout as the Specialized but fun all the same.

Steve

Before you know it you will be saying, "today is a day off so I'm only riding 5 or 10 miles to losen up".
Won't be long at all.

Hi Capejohn, I look forward to that day LOL..

Steve

Hey gang, thanks for all the replies..Made it back home, even had enough steam to stop at the bike shop and look at a bike for me wife and a mirror for the bike. Anyway, continuing with my 2 wheel theme for the day, here's what I rode back to work. Not as good a workout as the Specialized but fun all the same.

Steve

Nice, but I think you are going to have to surrender your backpack to me. You are in clear violation. :D

http://www.pbase.com/image/40983509.jpg

WOOHOO!! You caught me, but in my defense I got the backpack when I had my Triumph T595, so I guess I'm grandfathered. I have some pic's of it here: http://www.pbase.com/desmoface/bikes

Now, may I make a helmet suggestion?

Steve

P.S. Nice bonny.

lol, ya i figured you must have had a Triumph first. ;)
All nice bikes.
That helmet does have similiar graphic shapes as my bonnie. I have a white Arai Astral-X that I was hoping to get some orange graphics painted on someday.

Another biker in my building has told me I need to get a repair kit and inner tubes as flats do happen, along with some tools, air pump, etc. Steve
For tools, I carry a Topeak multitool which includes hex keys, tire levers, and flat and cross screwdriver and I carry a small pair of pliers, a light crescent wrench, a patch kit and a mini-pump. (The pliers are to useful for gripping the end of derailleur or brake cables while adjusting them). In theory one can change a tire without the levers and just with fingers but I've always found that difficult.

I've never had a flat on my mountain bike in several years of occasional use but I get 2-3 per year on my road bike. I don't carry tubes while commuting. I'm in the city, so if I get a flat on the way to work I lock my bike, take the bus or flag a cab to work, and come back to fix the flat at lunch hour or on my way home. I sometimes pick up some latex surgical gloves and keep them with the bike tools, since changing a tire in business attire is risky if you let your dirty hands fall on your clothes.
Robert

Arai really makes the nicest helmets but they are sooo expensive. If I were to buy my phil read today it would probably be over $600 from an authorized dealer. Hell, thats more than I paid for my bicycle. But they are the top of the line.

Steve

Hi Cooker, that topeak multitool looks like it would be nice to have with the bike. I may have to pick one up. I have to get a patch kit too...I was thinking about how dirty your hands would get performing surgery on a bike on the side of the road, those gloves would be a good idea...Oh well, I guess I'm not done spending money yet LOL..Thanks for the advice.

Steve


For tools, I carry a Topeak multitool which includes hex keys, tire levers, and flat and cross screwdriver and I carry a small pair of pliers, a light crescent wrench, a patch kit and a mini-pump. (The pliers are to useful for gripping the end of derailleur or brake cables while adjusting them). In theory one can change a tire without the levers and just with fingers but I've always found that difficult.

I've never had a flat on my mountain bike in several years of occasional use but I get 2-3 per year on my road bike. I don't carry tubes while commuting. I'm in the city, so if I get a flat on the way to work I lock my bike, take the bus or flag a cab to work, and come back to fix the flat at lunch hour or on my way home. I sometimes pick up some latex surgical gloves and keep them with the bike tools, since changing a tire in business attire is risky if you let your dirty hands fall on your clothes.
Robert

Before you know it you will be saying, "today is a day off so I'm only riding 5 or 10 miles to losen up".
Won't be long at all.

nice -- i don't think of my day as going to work, i prefer to think of work as a 8-9 hour break in my daily 20 mile bike ride.

it really does make the day a lot more enjoyable, and if the weather gets bad sometimes challenging or at least interesting :)

Oh well, I guess I'm not done spending money yet LOL..Thanks for the advice.
Steve

There's an end to spending money on bike stuff? :eek:

Every time I think I'm done, I read about something else I MUST HAVE on this board. :D