Commuting - sunday night checkin

this is probably a beginner-commuter type thing, but i find that i spend a fair chunk of my weekends taking stock of how the commuting went on the previous week, and filling in gaps. it's all about being more ready for the upcoming week than i was this week.

the other thing that i've realised is that on sunday night i need to do a more thorough process to make sure i have everything ready to go the next day. during the week i just kind of live hand to mouth and accumulate a small pile of discarded bikeish stuff next to my bike. friday night or saturday morning i empty my bag, collect up the pile, and wash everything. and then come monday my bag's still all over the place and i suddenly can't find my [fill in the blank].

so tonight i think i'm almost ready. smilies :D denote improvements over last week. frownies :( denote dumb stuff i'm still mad at myself for from last week.

stuff i've got:

- :D new rainpants. wearing them now to see how breathable they really are.
- gloves
- shoes right by the bike
- rain jacket ready
- powerdry shirt drying on handlebars
- work clothes selected and packed in the bag. :D socks and underwear remembered!!
- shower stuff already packed
- know where my ankle-straps are
- know where my wallet, swipe cards and health-club membership are
- :D chain cleaned and re-lubed
- baggie of mixed raisins, almonds and soy nuts already mixed. :D discovered soy nuts that are edible !!

stuff i just noticed i still have to:

- find and set up a warmth layer, top and bottom
- fill water bottle and put in bag
- mix oj
- pack the darned gorp and come up with :( other food to take as well
- refill shampoo/conditioner bottles. :( PACK WHEN DONE.

okay, i'm good.

I just got all my stuff ready for the week, too.

Packed garment bag with two days worth of clothes, shoes, and underwear (I do a one-way commute so I'll bring it in the car tomorrow -- clothes are for Tuesday and Thursday.) Bike sandals are already in the bag and tomorrow's riding home clothes are already at work. I also remembered the new air freshener I got for my locker since it's in an office shared with several other adjunct faculty.

Load and lock bike on rack.

Load pannier, helmet, gloves, and sunglasses in car.

Load battery for bike (it's electric) in car.

Tomorrow, I'll need to pack my laptop in its bag and load in car.

I'm looking forward to a 70-mile week! :)

socks and underwear remembered!!

are you telling me you forgot those last time? :D

I don't really have to worry about all that stuff...

My commute is around 5 miles each way. I don't really sweat, and I just bring 1 shirt to put over my shirt I cycle in.

Its nice and simple.

Forget Sunday night, I have "bike stuff" to do everynight. I've been commuting about 30 miles round trip for about 6 weeks now, and I find I am always doing something for my bike. A lot of it is just begginer/one-time things, but I'm always fixing/attaching/adding/oiling/cleaning/preparing something for my bike. I'm working with an old mountain bike that I fixed up so there is always work to be done. I spent two weekends ago adjusting the derailleaurs. This week there was a nasty creaking sound coming from the crank so I had to open up the bottom bracket, clean, and repack with grease. Also this weekend, had to put a mudgaurd on the rear tire and attach a metal clip to my rack so my pannier wouldn't slide. I already know what I have to do next. The rear break is too tight, but whoever installed the cables on this bike many many years ago didn't leave any slack and cut it right at the pinch bolt. So that means I have to make another trip and pick-up a new cable. I also just a got a new (used) stem which is a nicer profile (longer and lower) than the one I have now. But its gonna take me a whole saturday to sand it, clean it, paint it, and find out how to install it. It's all fun though. I like fixing things and getting new stuff and putting it on. I learn a lot about the bike that way, so when I earn a new bike I will know how to do all the maintenance easily.

Heh, mooklekloon, I know what you mean. I finally ordered a work stand and a truing stand to facilitate the constant bike fiddling.

But back to to the OP... I actually went so far as to fold like three days worth of clothing into the shape that fits best into my backpack.

As soon as I started keeping all the stuff I needed for my commute in one place (like, um, in the bags on my bike) things got easier. I have a 17 mile round trip

Things that stay on the bike:
Tools (quik-stick, multi-tool, tube, pump)
gloves
helmet
raincoat
shades w/mirrow attached

I leave a shirt and shoes at work (have to ferry them home on friday and back to work on Monday)
All i have to worry about is lunch (if I plan to eat in)
and that day's weather (what I need to wear that day)

by the way, it is hotter n' hell today for October

At work, I keep 5-8 days worth of clothing in the bottom of a lateral filing cabinet, as well as my dopp kit. This way I know I have everything there. I usually keep a black belt and a brown belt in the drawer. When I get to work, I pack what I want in a bag I keep there and go hit the shower. At the end of the day, UW and socks come home. About once every week and a half or so when I am not riding for whatever reason, I refresh my wardrobe.

I ride with a blackburn hydration pack in which I pack my keys, wallet, ID, phone. Once the colder weather sticks, I will ditch the hydration pack and carry those items in my fleece.

Wow tokolosh how long is your commute? And what kind of temperatures are you having right now?

Mine's 4.5 miles, and in the about-60-degree-weather this morning I still got warm enough to have to cool off in front of the fan once I got to my desk. I can't even imagine being able to make it 5 miles without sweating like CagerTools...

I sweat. I go from Coquitlam to Richmond, which is about 25k each way, with a darn 600 ft hill in the middle called New Westminster.

Actually the hill is in the first 15 min of my hour commute, so i get warmed up and then the rest of the trip to cool down and dry out :)

Tokolosh, i wish i could wait till the weekend before doing the wash. I currently only have 3 sets of shorts/base layers though. So i gotta do the wash at least once mid week. Waiting for sugoi to have one of their annual factory sales so i can go load up :)

Oh and wool socks, i need more. Went to mec on broadway on the weekend, all they had were xtra large, lol everyone paniced in the first rainfall and bought em all.

I did remember to bring in a bottle of Frebreeze today :)

I find that the only way I can get to work without forgetting something (whether I am biking or driving) is if I rigidly adhere to a routine. I have to brush my teeth, pack my clothes, drink my coffee, kiss the wife and kids, etc. all in the EXACT same order or something gets forgotten. All it takes is a tiny interruption ("Honey, could you water the grass when you get home...") for me to be completely lost. Still, I have forgotten water bottles, socks, belt, etc on numerous occasions. Maybe an actual written checklist would help...

are you telling me you forgot those last time? :D

yeah . . . wanna make something of it? :D i'd been sick for two days and was not thinking straight. turned out not to matter since they took one look and let me go home again. i'm pretty sure it was because i looked sick. i hope so.

Wow tokolosh how long is your commute? And what kind of temperatures are you having right now?

Mine's 4.5 miles, and in the about-60-degree-weather this morning I still got warm enough to have to cool off in front of the fan once I got to my desk. I can't even imagine being able to make it 5 miles without sweating like CagerTools...

lol. now i'm self-conscious. it's only about 6 miles, but it's been pretty changeable weather and i've been in this hair-tearing cycle of getting sick, staying home, getting just better enough to go out and get myself sick again on the way, and i'm sick of it, particularly since i'm the only grownup we got and i bill for my work by the hour. the baggie (which i left on the kitchen counter this morning) is because there is, believe-you-me, NOTHING a person would want to eat within howling distance of the place i go to and nowhere particularly useful to fix that along the way either. if i don't take stuff with me i end up just toughing it out on nothing, and then riding home in that state. if a thing's worth doing, it's worth overdoing, say i.

the only thing i carry on my way to 10mile work is just two spare tubes, 6 CO2 canisters and patch kit, blade, flashlight, knife and vinyl gloves. i usually don't carry water as it's only 50 minutes ride.
good thing we don't get too many rain around here and temp is usually around 70F :)

You carry SIX co2 canisters?!?! What's wrong with a pump?