Commuting - New cyclist's first commute

it was easy.

the weather was very cool so i wore my slacks, dress shirt and tie on the ride (only a 13min ride!). I had to dodge a couple zoned out joggers. I learned just how much a little bit of water effects my tires and nearly ate pavement after rolling over a damp wood bridge on the MUP i was on. The ride back was a little hot and when I stopped at the store to pick up dinner I came back out to realize that despite having accidentally locked my bike to nothing but itself (i'm an idiot) it was still there!

all in all this is a totally repeatable event.

However, in this area nobody seems to expect to see cyclists on the road, I almost never see them, and since i'm slow and out of shape i'm sticking to the sidewalk (with the flow of traffic though).

the weather was very cool so i wore my slacks, dress shirt and tie on the ride (only a 13min ride!). I had to dodge a couple zoned out joggers. I learned just how much a little bit of water effects my tires and nearly ate pavement after rolling over a damp wood bridge on the MUP i was on.

Bike commuting is a learning experience :). It's what makes driving boring and cycling interesting.


all in all this is a totally repeatable event.

You'll see how much less often you fuel up your car from now on :).


However, in this area nobody seems to expect to see cyclists on the road

I often think this is for the better because while you'll get the occasional "get off the road", most motorists don't know what to do with you and so they're cautious and give you lots of space.


, I almost never see them, and since i'm slow and out of shape i'm sticking to the sidewalk (with the flow of traffic though).

Just make sure you're slow enough to stop if someone (in a car) pulls into a driveway in front of you. Riding on the sidewalk has its upsides but one downside is that you can go faster than a motorist expects you to.

Nice! And if it is often wet in your area, don't forget some nice fenders to keep your shirt dry :)

Wonderful! Welcome to the interesting world of commuting! My commute is about as short as yours too, and I think it is the perfect time to get that blood flowing before work. I agree with the fenders. They keep my clothes clean so I don't look too bad throughout the day and that way I don't swerve as much wanting to miss puddles.

If you want to get seen better, get a construction worker's safety vest from Home Depot or Lowes. Also, you will be more visible. Drivers are more likely to see you on the road than in crosswalks, where they are only used to looking for 3mph peds.

And congrats on the first commute.

I live in an almost cycling friendly community. There are tons of cyclists. You almost never see them on the roads here either (they're on the highways out of town, the bike paths in town, and unfortunately the sidewalk).

I ride a couple miles on the street twice a day for my commute. People see me just fine (well, enough to not rear end me at least).

Give it a couple times on the sidewalk, then give it a go in the street. It really is safer.

BIKE COMMUTING: A TOTALLY REPEATABLE EVENT.







ftw.

it was easy.

the weather was very cool so i wore my slacks, dress shirt and tie on the ride .

first of all, what i am about to say is a TOTAL joke, but did anyone mistake you for being mormon?

I went most of the 1/4 mile street stretch (where the park's MUP ends for a bit then resumes) on the right side of the street (with the flow of traffic). It was fine mostly.

On the drive back I was crossing the street and had to yell at a lady taking a turn to not hit me. Also, friday afternoon appears to be take you stupid tiny annoying dog to the park day! there were so many dogs (of all kinds there). I'm not sure what I plan to do if a dog attacks me, it will probably be violent though, hopefully that won't involve me actually killing them. i'm not a fan of uncontrolled pets.

I don't think i looked mormon, My slacks were tan and my shirt a nice earthy red.

first of all, what i am about to say is a TOTAL joke, but did anyone mistake you for being mormon?

We have 2 of those in Northfield that I see regularly, riding their mountain bikes on the sidewalk of the downtown area. they creep me out man. At first I thought they were cops, until I saw their dept store style name badges, then I thought the geek squad had gone green, then I read the fine print under their names, now I know they're the "god squad". They creep me out.

congrats to the O.P. on your first commute. And congrats on your first "freelock". I do it sometimes on purpose, it just depends on where I am and how comfortable I am with freelocking the bike in that area. if it's freelocked, I try to keep it in eyeshot.

We have 2 of those in Northfield that I see regularly, riding their mountain bikes on the sidewalk of the downtown area. they creep me out man. At first I thought they were cops, until I saw their dept store style name badges, then I thought the geek squad had gone green, then I read the fine print under their names, now I know they're the "god squad". They creep me out. . . .

On the Mormon note, we have a couple of Mormon kids who regularly ride through my neighborhood with dark pants and ties. When we recently had 20" of snow, they came through with snow shovels and helped people all down the street dig out. I wish more faiths encouraged their adherents to be that "creepy."