a1penguin

Just tire check and inflation. Turn on Garmin. Check for three items: phone, wallet, badge. Done. It's more work prepping for the weekend ride as I have to prepare water bottles.

Mr Pink57

I used to have 8000 lights on my bikes. Now I mainly just commute with a Vis 360 on my helmet and go. Sometimes I take my Urban 550 but only if I go over a certain distance. I have a rack light and a fender light which hardly ever get turned on due to the Vis.

I keep most everything at work, including my breakfast. I do not need to bring any water past the glass I have before I leave. All my clothes stay at work for the week sometimes I bring two weeks worth. So really I just need my keys/wallet/phone/key card.

MichaelW

I have setup my everyday bike as a grab and go machine.
I switched from removable battery lights, to fixed lights run from a waterbottle battery, and finally, F/R fixed lamps powered by dynohub. Lighting is either on sensor or on darker/misty days, switched to ON.
My wheels have reflective sidewalls and spoke reflectors.
My U-lock lives on top of the rear rack, under a bungie chord, much quicker to access than any special mount or storage in a bag.
I fixed some reflective material to a backpack and my panniers are waterproof, so no stupid waterproof cover is needed.

You can get small f/r lights that are powered by induction from the rotating wheel. I wonder of you could reverse them so the light rotates and flashes on the wheel. No switch or battery.
You can also get flashing illuminated pedals.

bmthom.gis

If anything it takes me back to my days in the coast guard putting on my base layer, balaclava, drysuit, boots, goggles, 2 layers of gloved, then survival vest, except a lot easier than all of that.

jerrduford

I think there's honestly only so much you can get out of a forum in terms of getting used to swinging a leg over the bike in the morning. I only commute maybe 30-50 times a year currently, but on weeks that I commute more times (say, 3-4 days in a 5-day week) I get far more efficient at getting around.

Having just one very bright front and rear light will simply things. Even more so if you only need 'be seen' lights - The ones that take watch batteries/AAA's tend to last a lot longer between battery cycles than the ones that you have to hassle with taking off the bike. I use a bright 10,000 lumen headlight for dark days, especially when offroading, and there's a lot of extra brainwork involved in keeping it charged.

Depending on how much you need to carry, a backpack can greatly simplify things for commuting. No need to take gear off/on the bike, and when you get to work - park the bike and just walk inside; Your gear is on your back. This might not work for longer commutes, in which case, quick-release or easily detached panniers are priceless.

Mostly, though, just commute a lot and find what works for you. What works for me may not work for you, and most of what you learn will be done in practice. Most of all.. Don't get frustrated when things don't go your way on your commute. It happens.. You commute by bike to enjoy it (at least somewhat) right?

jrickards

Agreed! Getting as much prepared the night before (lunch packed in a container/s in a plastic bag, cycling clothes laid out, work clothes packed or already at work) and then the last minute stuff before the ride is lessened and less of a hassle. Even if I haven't done any prep work the night before and have to get up earlier to do that before I get on the bike, the benefits, no, the joys of cycling in override any hassle I might encounter before the ride.

CrankyOne

And we wonder why average people think riding a bicycle for transportation is a PITA (and obviously extremely dangerous because everyone needs a helmet). No wonder more people aren't interested in riding.

+1 That's me except I have an old coach computer bag I throw in the crate on my rear rack.

1983

Concur.

bigbenaugust 

When I was a wee lad, I watched my dad do it with his Honda Nighthawk S in the mornings. Boots, jacket, backpack (already packed), gloves, kiss Mama goodbye, roll the bike out, start it up, helmet, glasses, shut the visor, then off down the block.

I do it with my son. Shoes, kiss Mommy goodbye, gloves, helmet, roll the bikes out, get the luggage on (which was mostly packed last night), glasses, turn all the lights on (3 buttons), then off down the block to his school and thence to work for me.

No different than putting your clothes on, eating, and brushing your teeth in the morning.

Torker

My commute only being 1 mile, in the winter I spend more time getting ready to ride than I do actually riding.

Gresp15C

Nobody's even going to try winter commuting until they're pretty comfortable riding in fair weather in daylight. And at least in my locale, nobody thinks about helmets -- they just get one and put it on. Unless they're college kids, in which case they wore helmets before going to college.

Reynolds 

My bike has a dynohub, so I only have to turn the lights on (or I could leave them always on).
Chainguard, so no need for ankle strap.
Trunk bag always on the bike, with tools, flat kit & lock.
I don't usually wear a helmet.
So I only have to go to the garage, open the door, unlock my bike (yes, I lock it for the night), take it out, close the door and that's it. On a hot day I may grab a bottle and fill it with tap water. If it's raining, a cape and hat.

tjspiel

Whether driving or cycling, I think most people have had it drilled into their heads that there's some inherent danger in multi-ton vehicles operating in close proximity to people and each other. And for good reason. Statistically, lots of people are seriously injured or killed in car accidents. Most people don't think twice anymore about wearing a seat belt and expect cars to have features like air bags.

Taking some safety precautions on a bike you intend to operate on a street only makes good sense. There are already some inherent inconveniences in commuting by bike if you intend to do it on a consistent basis. You're going to have to put on a poncho or some type of rain gear if it's raining. Hills or high winds are going to require more effort than pressing down on the accelerator a little harder. Wearing a helmet isn't really a big deal relatively speaking. In most places it's optional anyway.

Personally, I don't go to near as much effort as the OP. Individually we have to decide what our risks are and what we are willing to do to mitigate them. I've known people that have gotten killed and seriously injured in car accidents. I bet most of us have. I also know people that have gotten very seriously hurt on bikes, - including some that were commuting at the time. I'm not going to criticize anyone for taking precautions, - even if they go beyond what I would do.

If we had separate infrastructure available to us everywhere we wanted to go, it would be a different story. That's not the environment that most of us in the US are dealing with currently.

bmthom.gis

The only hassle I had this morning was realizing my rear wheel was a bit crooked. Easy fix. On the road I went!

noglider 

I use spoke lights, too. I'm the stiffest person I know. I can't touch my toes, and lately, I have a terrible shoulder problem. I can't lift my arm above my head. But I can deal with my spoke light. If it's a hassle for you, you need to be more flexible.

You should also try dynamo lights. I didn't really see the point for a long time. Then someone sent me a dynamo hub as a gift, so how could I not try them? I built a wheel, bought the lights and wired them up. Man, what freedom! I leave them on all the time. I hang a blinky light on my tool bag which hangs from my seat, so I have four lights: dynamo headlight, dynamo tail light, blinky tail light, and spoke light.

Suiting up in the winter does take some time, but it's nice to ride on work days. That way, I'm guaranteed to have at least a little fun.

InTheRain

Winter commute prep is definitely a lot more work than summer. Dynamo lights are great... but I still have more lights for my winter commute than the dynamo's. My biggest hassle was pulling on rain booties over my spd cycling shoes. After ripping several over the years, I made the switch to platform pedals and ride in waterproof hiking boots. As far as clothes... I have a pannier that is all just clothes for cold weather and rain... I just leave it loaded all the time (reload if things need to dry out.) The other pannier has other cycling related items... It has remained loaded - I couldn't tell you everything that is in there. Having an e-bike is great for not worrying about the weight of the load that your commuting with.

I'm ready for summer already.

Phil_gretz

I'm only in my 4th month of full time commuting, so I'm still learning how to be efficient. Just this week, I've begun leaving my chain and lock at the bike rack, so one less thing to pack, carry and take out/put away. That's progress.

As for lights, front/rear on the helmet and front/rear on the bike. Each is just a push button. The front ones I can turn on as I ride. I also have reflective sidewalls on the tires, and reflective bits/piping on my jacket, panniers, gloves, leg warmers and shoes. I wonder what I do look like, probably something like *Tron*. Ha

Motolegs

Wake up earlier. Put on your riding clothes when you get up. (I shower when getting home, not in the AM.) Sip coffee, watch the news. I like packing stuff up bit by bit as it occurs to me, not all at once. Like when commercials come on I'll pack some.. then flop back down for more TV. Rarely forget things- well, sometimes a block or so from the house I have to turn around!

Sometimes it feels like a hassle, mostly not. In the end it's worth it.

Engineer

If getting ready for a commute seems like a hassle, it is time to simplify. I used to wear lycra, reflective vest, special shoes, shower at work and have extra accessories on my bike. Then I realized I was only going 5 miles. Now I wear clothes that are appropriate for my office, I slide on a Topeak bag (no bungies required) turn on two back and one front light if needed and roll away. I agree that layering it up for winter riding can be time consuming, but I think it is worth it to get outside and ride twice a day.

There are a lot of extras you can buy and add to your ride which will make it faster, cooler or more comfortable, but after awhile you question whether it is really needed.

essiemyra

The reason I wear the extra gear, spoke lights and reflective vest is because someone like me who commutes in the early am (5:30) feels that maybe if the driver has his head up and watching the road I have a better chance of being seen in the dark. Unlike when I ride on a fun ride which is done during the daylight hours, so usually there is plenty of light, not necessarily do I feel the need for a reflective vest.

Miele Man

I have one battery light on the front (CygoLite Rover II) and one light on the seat bag. It's really quick to turn on both lights. That's it for the electronics.

Gear is cariied in a pannier that takes just a few seconds to put on or take off.

Why do some people have such problems that it becomes a hassle?

Cheers

rumrunn6

https://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/files...n_legacy01.jpg

Jim from Boston

I have not seen lighted leg/arm bands, other than those clumsy cylindrical lights of the 1970’s requiring two D-cell batteries with yellow and red lenses, Just this past weekend, I posted to this thread on the 50+ Forum, ”Bike commuter cccorlew vs truck”

So here are what they look like. Note that I had to clip the lights vertically on the inside of the leg bands to expose maximal brightness from the undersurface, because the lights are meant to be mounted horizontally. The battery life is touted as eight hours in the flash mode [see EDIT, below] so I will ration their use to the most dangerous areas on my dark ride.



Along my route a major thoroughfare intersects my street on the right at the bottom of a swooping downhill run. This led me to formulate an axiom of dark cycling, “When riding at night, look for cars, not just headlights.” It’s always better to have active illumination, than relying on drivers to passively illuminate for you.

EDIT:
I incorrectly cited the battery life. Should be:
Front: 16 hrs flashing, 8 hrs steady
Rear: 48 hrs flashing, 24 hrs steady.

My commute is about 1:15, about 0:30 to 0:45 in the morning darkness.

InTheRain

Yep, you nailed it. Weather and clothing related issues are what are the hassle for me. I absolutely despise putting on rain gear... especially if it's cold - 34 to 40 degrees, It means more layers and possible overheating before you get on the bike. It can be a 15-20 minute ritual hunting down the appropriate layers. I even have different types of rain gear for the amount of moisture that is expected. Water resistant and much more breathable for light rain. Goretex type of rain gear for moderate to heavy rain... it's not breathable... don't believe the marketing.

I love mid June to mid September bicycle commuting in the Puget Sound area... throw on your shorts, shirt, shoes and GO!

jrickards

The benefits to me of commuting by bike overshadow the effort it takes to get organized and on the road (and the more organized you are the night before, the less effort the morning start takes).