cooker

Making your own pannier would be cool. That dust pan thingy might be too low on one side - a large object could bounce out of it on a speed bump unless you strapped it in.

One concern about that lighting wire would be if it confuses drivers, so make sure you have a strong traditional headlight and rear red light so drivers recognize that you are moving vehicle on the road, and not something else.

chephy

Well, congratulations. It's not the fanciest bike in the world, but you could certainly do a lot worse. It sounds as though you're pleased with it, which is the most important thing. How far is your commute (or do you not have one yet)?

The number one accessory I always recommend to new commuters is fenders, even if you don't plan on riding in the rain. Because:

1) Sometimes rain hits unexpectedly and we ride in it without having planned to do so.
2) They're helpful for riding AFTER the rain too, not just during.
3) They protect you from all manner of nasty stuff (rotten roadkill guts, anyone?), not just puddle splashes.
4) After riding for a while, you might be addicted and decide that you do want to ride in the rain after all.

Panniers would be helpful too. I highly, HIGHLY recommend waterproof. Having tasted the freedom and peace of mind provided by good waterproof gear, I will no longer even consider buying a non-waterproof bag. Water-resistant = it will get wet.

Good luck, and keep us posted in this thread on how your biking adventures go!

mijome07

Nothing wrong with daydreaming. In fact, I encourage it. You see what you wanted to do and now you're putting in the effort to make it "come to life".

Now imagine all the other stuff you can do. Yes, I'm being serious.

Outnumbered

Oh not not a dreaded mongoose. Just kidding. Any bike you are happy with is a good bike regardless of anyone's opinion. Everyone that owns a bike can be told that there is a much better bike than that out there. I'm 58 and started commuting 11 miles each way two years ago just to show shut up the youngsters at work old jokes. Now I have two of them commuting not as far but still it shut them up. Now 2800 miles later, I am addicted I am upset the days I can't ride due to travelling etc.

I ride to work in the dark on the streets. I have a nice headlight that is usb charged and no wires, I have two tail lights since I don't know when one goes out so I always have redundancy back there. My jacket or vest is highly reflective and I have reflective tires on my run of the mill cyclocross bike. My panniers have reflective fabric. I have reflective ankle strips that I use. My fellow workers who pass me in the morning say they see me from a half mile away at least. I only wear high vis yellow during the day and my lights are always on during the day. I ride roads without bike paths that are fairly busy (45 mph speed limit). Most drivers are very courteous and try to give me as much room as they can.

As far as a bike lock I use an old kryptonite U type lock I had from many many years ago. I usually only stop in the stores for a short spell so security isn't to much of an issue. Weight I'm in it for a workout anyway so the extra weight doesn't matter to me too much. Luckily at work its safe since I work on a military base with two guard shacks I must pass through.

As far as your panniers situation you can pick up a set for around $35 that are flexible and made for the purpose. I wouldn't want anything to come off and get tn the spokes should you rig something up. there is a thread on hear this week about inexpensive panniers.

Jessica enjoy your new bike and the commute, it is the best - no stress by the time you get home and after the first few weeks more energy and better health.

Outnumbered

Jessica one other thing get a good flat kit with sturdy levers. Learning to change a flat quickly and easily comes in very handy.

RubeRad

Congrats on your cycling success! Your choice to live in a place that allows you to not use a car all the time is very Mustachian, you might enjoy Mr Money Mustache's ideas about frugal, non-consumerist living, early retirement, and especially biking.

If you want to fab a ghetto pannier for cheap, consider a "Kittier". Here's mine, decorated with 3M "Conspicuity" reflective tape to help out any cars that aren't sure where they should be driving.

Artkansas 

Nice bike Jessica. You may want to get fenders slick tires and lights. My main bike is a late '80s Hard Rock. So it's very similar. It gets up and down all the hills and provides me good solid transportation.

jade408

I'll second the fenders and the lights! Lights are great at night and at dusk, so you are more visible.

I just got Rivendell's Sackville ShopSack for my front basket. I added carabiner clips. I used it over the weekend and happily it clips perfectly to my rear rack too! It held all the items from my stops with a little bit of negotiation (takeout, produce stand, craft fair). It stayed perfectly on the rack and my takeout was perfectly positioned!

Bikeforumuser0019

I *love* this ! I had never heard of Mr. Money Mustache but this is exactly the kind I want more of! I'm not going to be a jerk to other people if they eat refined cane sugar, or have a job/car where they spend most of their time sitting, however I know those things are not healthy for me so I want them to go out of my life as much as possible. I lost a lot of income (+40k as a single person) when I left my desk job in January 2014... but it was literally injuring my body and my spirit. I am suffering financially, but my soul is more important than money and I haven't regretted it for one second.

I've already gotten a lot of good tips and encouragement from this forum.... I apologize that I have not responded more since I started this thread..... I have a job interview this morning.

Once my interview is over this morning, I'm going to replace the front tube on my bike and dig out my tools to start fitting it. If it's not raining tonight I'll take a ride!

Next things I want to work on are: building some fenders (a great suggestion from someone here, thanks!) and adding reflector tape to my spokes. I'd love to have one of those USB charging headlamps.... however they are too expensive! I was thinking about getting a cheap 12v cordless drill on Craigslist that comes with a flashlight tool... this seems like a cheap way to have a rechargeable, powerful headlight as long as it doesn't weigh too much.

Thank you all who have offered your comments so far.
Jessica

RubeRad

Two recommendations for affordable lighting (not USB-rechargeable though):

1. this plus this, or
2. something like this attached to handlebars with two interlocking hose clamps.

For #1 you want that lens insert to spread the beam from a circle to an oval. Still I found the beam too tight for my liking, so I use #2 ; the zoomable head allows you to choose a good beam width that lights up a lot of road, and if you point it appropriately downwards, not a lot of streetsigns, stopsigns, taillights, or human eyesballs. For #2 you should probably plan on shopping for higher-quality batteries, look for capacity like 2400-3000 mAh from an american-based source, maybe $10-15/pr.

For a tail-light (red blinkie), that's a "be seen" light not a "see by" light, so it's easier to get by cheap. Pretty much anything you can buy for $5-10 online will be sufficient.

nayr497

I'd been in graduate school for a bit and was working part time, after I was finished with my TAing responsibilities. I took a full-time job in October and commute to work by bike, around 90% of it on a dedicated MUP. I love the job and I love being able to ride to work. I don't own a car, so that's my main option. I've carpooled or driven in on weekends, but no matter how tired I am, I'd rather bike than drive.

I don't like how aggressive and selfish cars make people; they're bad enough without road rage. I'm lucky with the path and the office location.

I couldn't think of a better way to start/end a workday than an awesome cruise on one of my bikes!