Commuting - My first commute

I put the bike on the bus most of my commute and then rode about 2 miles the rest of the way to work instead of transferring. I definitely need to go slower on the way home since the distance back home is 8 mi.

A few interesting things:
The ride on my 700c bike is much harsher than on my mountain bike even when I had street tires. I suppose with narrower tires and higher pressure, this is to be expected. I have 700-32 tires.

I miss my toe clips and straps. I don't intend to go clipless; but I also haven't tried them. The flat pedals that came on my bike are ok, but I missing being able to pull the crank up to the 10 oclock position when starting. I can still do it, but I just need to put my foot under the pedal first.

My ears are horribly painful after 2 mi even though it's in the high 50s outside.

Why do all the bikes stop in the crosswalk even when there are no cars behind the line? This encroaches on pedestrians' ability to cross the street.

Adding to that, why is there so much abuse towards pedestrian ROW? I stopped behind the crosswalk on a red light since this is a very busy business district and a lot of people were walking across. About 6 other bikes passed me, rode through the crowd, startling many pedestrians along the way, and stopped at the other side of the crosswalk - effectively blocking more than half of it and forcing pedestrians to weave through them. This happened at almost every stop light. I find this interesting that there is so much advocacy for sharing the road and safety of, more vulnerable, bicyclist on roadways but then I see this.

Thanks for posting about your experiences. Just out of curiosity, where are you commuting to? It sounds very similar to my commute in Los Angeles, (5 miles to the subway station - board train, exit, then 3 miles to work). For some reason, I don't see the same amount of ill-mannered cyclists on my commute that you describe. However, as far as stopping in the crosswalk goes, I'm guilty as charged. If there are cars in the lane next to me, I will go up to the crosswalk and maybe put my front wheel past the line, but I never block the crosswalk so that pedestrians have to go around me. I don't know why other cyclists feel the need to do this - the actions of a few reflect poorly on the rest of us.

As far as keeping warm, if you can keep your feet, hands, and ears warm, its pretty easy to have a comfortable ride in. I have a wide fleece headband that I wear around my ears when I ride in. It fits under the helmet, and its easy to put in a jacket pocket. As far as the ride being a bit harsher, yeah, thinner tires will do that. I ride in 700 x 32' cross tires and the ride can get pretty jarring over bad pavement - which is the only kind there is here in LA.

Anyway, welcome to the brotherhood and stay safe out there!!

ditto on those bikers. i have seen so many bikers that will bike onto the pedestrian crosswalk while waiting for the light and seeing some of them doing trackstands wiggling away while pedestrians have to navigate around them crossing the walk. really not sure what their mentality is - not really a car, but not really a pedestrian either. i just call them dicks...

Well, we hardly have any pedestrians in LA, so you don't have the same conflict you see in more walkable urban areas.

As for the crosswalk issue, there is a legitimate reason for cyclists to want to be out ahead of the cars (but still no excuse for being a dick about it...). If you're lined up parallel to the first car at a light (side by side), that car is going to block pretty much everyone else's view of you, dramatically increasing your chances of a right hook, left cross, etc. If you get out in front, everyone at the intersection will be able to see you easily and behave accordingly when the light changes. I never do that at the expense of pedestrians, though. I generally place myself ahead of the line and maybe about 1/4 of the way into the crosswalk, giving plenty of room to pass and also making myself very visible. I'd never force my way through a crowd to place myself on the opposite end of the crosswalk.

Thanks for posting about your experiences. Just out of curiosity, where are you commuting to?

I'm commuting to San Francisco Financial District.

I rode in my work clothes, 8" work boots and all, so suffice to say my feet did not get cold.

Welcome to the commuting club.

First rule about the commuting club, there are no rules. Seriously, use whatever bike you feel like riding and makes your commute enjoyable. You can't worry about other cyclist, just yourself. Be a role model and hopefully they follow your lead.

Your commute should be enjoyable and can be accomplished on any bike. Some bikes are better than others in certain conditions, but ride what you like. Commutify your bikes to make them as fun and efficient as your wallet allows.

As for peds, cars, and whatever else you will encounter, just let it roll off your back. Most of us have encountered wrong way ninja cyclists. Soccer moms in SUV's texting, disciplining their kids, and putting on makeup while driving. Pedestrians walking from in between cars, listening to headphones. Don't worry, they will generalize you in the same category as all cyclist and see you as a nuisance. As long as you get to where you need to go safely and with minimal hassle, you win.

Don't be in a rush to go clipless. I did and eventually went back to toe clips. I'm no racer, I don't do "training" I just ride my bike and I'm not terribly concerned about being as efficient or as fast as possible, and you can't beat toe clips for pure utilitarian cycling.

I also use straight platforms in the winter, but that's because I'm in Michigan and I need to have shoe covers, and on really bad sloppy snow, I need to be able to put my foot down in a fraction of a second with no warning sometimes to keep from falling, and even powergrips are too restraining for this.

The people stopping in the crosswalks may be just dicks, or they may be responding to aggressive/bad driving by creating their own de-facto bike box. Personally I stop in the center or left of the lane, behind the stop line, but I wouldn't presume to just label others as inconsiderate jerks without riding their route for a few weeks to see which way the wind blows there.

Evening commute was 8.5 miles per Google Maps since I did not use the bus. I covered the distance in 55 minutes.

There were a lot more bicycles. Same story with the crosswalks as in the morning.

Gotta say trying to go around buses while at the same time trying to prevent my wheels from falling into the street car track was quite hairy.

I ended up taking two breaks on my ride home because my calf kept cramping up. I guess I'm not strong enough yet, dehydrated, or both.

After getting home my quads were pretty tight for the next 3 hours or so. I'm probably not strong enough yet.

My plan from here is bus + bike to work and bike home 2 times next week and then gradually increase to 5 to build up strength.

Good job on getting started, and best of luck in your plan!

Definitely make sure you bring enough water with you, 'cause dehydration sucks. I always find that it helps if I pause after a half mile or mile and do some leg and back stretches before I take on a serious ride, and when I was starting out last spring, 5 miles counted as a serious ride :) Then I'd stretch again when I got to where I was going. That said, I didn't have San Francisco hills to deal with...

Come to think of it, with those hills you might want to consider sneakers for the ride and the boots in a bag. You need to be able to articulate your ankles while you're pedaling or your calfs will be flexing differently... that could be the whole problem.

Congrats on your first commute - sounds like you did the right thing by taking it easy and resting when you got tired. It does take a little bit of time to get your stamina up but it will be there in a few weeks, so don't worry.

+1 on making sure you have enough water - even when its cool out, you lose a lot of fluids through sweating, so make sure you have plenty on hand. Overall, seems like you have things well thought out and in hand. Best of luck on those SF hills!!

I miss my toe clips and straps. I don't intend to go clipless; but I also haven't tried them. The flat pedals that came on my bike are ok, but I missing being able to pull the crank up to the 10 oclock position when starting. I can still do it, but I just need to put my foot under the pedal first.

Clipless pedals are really great for a lot of situations, but not for everyone. I love clipless and use them all the time except for winter - then again my commute is all on bike and about 10 miles each way. For a short commute that involves public transportation, normal shoes would seem like a plus.

I've use cages for a lot time, and recently started using Power Grips (http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222362655/114/Power-Grips-Power-Grip-Sport.html?utm_source=bikeforums&utm_medium=forum&utm_campaign=social) for winter commuting (the XL size works with big heavy boots). They take a couple days to get used to, but retain the foot better than cages, are super easy to get in and out of, and you wear normal shoes. Worth taking a look at if you are in the market for some new pedals.

Congratulations and welcome to the asylum...at least this particular wing. :p Ride what you like, accessorize to suit your needs and most of all have fun. But don't cheap out on your rain gear. :) There are plenty of good tips to be had on this website. I was a 20 year commuter when I joined BF and have learned alot in 3+ years.

My intent was to do my bike commute Tuesday and Friday. I just realized critical mass is this week. I think I'm going to skip the Friday one. I unintentionally became part of it once. Suffice to say it was not a fun experience.

As far as hill climbing, my commute isn't all that hill. That spike up to 300ft just before the 6mi mark is incorrect. I'm not sure where that hill is located, but I know for a fact there isn't a section where I climb 50ft in .1 mi.

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/6286/elevation.jpg

Where did you find that elevation map of your ride? Of course, maybe I don't want to see mine....

On the harsh ride: A common misperception is that you should inflate your bike tires to their max rated PSI for the most efficient riding. The actual PSI that's best for you depends on how much weight is on your tires (you + gear). You typically don't need to inflate the front as much as the rear for example.

I'm not a particularly big guy and even though I have one set of 23mm road tires rated to 150 psi, I typically only inflate them to a bit over 100, and never more than 115. The wider the tire, the lower the PSI you need. Sheldon's brown's website has a chart someplace that recommends tire pressure based on load and tire width.

For your ears use a thin skull cap or head band.

If you like clips and straps, put them on your new bike. I prefer just about anything else personally, but if you like them, why not?

Congrats on the first commute! I will frequently roll into the crosswalk (usually past the crosswalk actually) to encourage motorists pulling up behind to come up to where the sensors are. I wouldn't do it in an area with pedestrian traffic. When I'm commuting, there are rarely many people out on foot - even downtown. Experiment and you will find what works for you and your route.

Where did you find that elevation map of your ride? Of course, maybe I don't want to see mine....

Plot your route as you want it in Google maps.
In the upper right, click where it says "Link" and copy the URL it gives you.
Paste it into your browser address bar and append "&output=kml" to the end and press return.
You will be prompted to save a file
Open this file with Google Earth and it will show the same route.
Right click somewhere on the route and choose show elevation

I don't know a more direct way to do it as I'm not very familiar with Google Earth and how to plot routes.

On the harsh ride: A common misperception is that you should inflate your bike tires to their max rated PSI for the most efficient riding. The actual PSI that's best for you depends on how much weight is on your tires (you + gear). You typically don't need to inflate the front as much as the rear for example.



I'm actually not sure what the tires are inflated to right now since the bike shop inflated them and I don't have anything that will mate with to a presta valve.

One of your first purchases should be a tire pump with gauge and second a good lock.
Actually it is more like:
1a. tire pump
1b. lock.

yep, you need a pump soon. I don't know why, but bike tires dont hold air for months at a time like car tires. (at least not for me). I usually need to add air every 3-4 days.

I will frequently roll into the crosswalk (usually past the crosswalk actually) to encourage motorists pulling up behind to come up to where the sensors are.

Congrats on your commute. Keep it up and it will get easier every day.

As an aside, 'round here, they paint little white "X"'s on the pavement that mark where you should put your bike wheel in order to trigger the light to change. Even so, I often come across cyclists who don't know what the "X"'s are for and stop in or in front of the cross walk. In the afternoon when there are many cars out, it's no problem - a car will eventually pull up behind them and trigger the light to change. In the morning I've watched many a cyclist just sit there waiting until I pull up behind them and trigger the light change. I try to nicely explain how it works to them, but about 50% just ignore me.

1. Rear blinky
2. Co2 cart for road
3. Quality floor pump. Emphasis on the word quality unless you hate yourself.
4. 3 spare inner tubes.
5. flat liners
6. Plastic tire levers
7. Wax-based lubricant for chain
8. Some kind of bearing grease (I paid $2.99 for a tube of park tools grade stuff)


That would be my "must have, minimium" list of things.

You could supplement that with
Chain tool
Sears quality hex head drivers
ratchet metric wrenches (I paid $30 for a craftsman set that I wouldn't live without now - I want park tools, but wife said no)
Pedal wrench
Quality pair of needle nose


I think I probably have $150-200 invested in tools to maintain my bikes, and that's not even close to the "wish list" yet.

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/2937/pumpa.jpg

This attachment comes with my pump. Is this for presta? I forgot about it because I have never used it.

The nozzle on the left is for shrader and the lever is behind it.

Congrats on your commute. Keep it up and it will get easier every day.

As an aside, 'round here, they paint little white "X"'s on the pavement that mark where you should put your bike wheel in order to trigger the light to change.
Yeah, I wish we had those. I can sometimes trip them on a steel framed bike by riding right along the grove where the wire loop was put in.

This attachment comes with my pump. Is this for presta? I forgot about it because I have never used it.

It looks that way. It should screw on to the presta valve stem. When it's on you should be able to connect the schrader head of the pump.

Unfortunately I have to sit it out for a few weeks if not months. Red light running bicyclist nailed me this morning as I was walking across the street and broke my nose and finger.

you dont need fingers to ride a bike!

you dont need fingers to ride a bike!

As long as you don't need to shift or brake with that hand.

ekijncam, I hope that's not some weird karma harbinger or anything like that. Was he (or she) hurt too? Get well fast.

Staying on the middle chain ring is fine, but I kinda need that front brake.

The biker fell but then picked herself up and fled the scene. I assume any injuries were minor.