Guest

Well, it's not like I've not commuted, but it's never taken me more than about 15 minutes to get to work. But now I've moved and I'm in a new town, and the maps they give us to get around are just horrid. I've got a new job, and after a summer of riding around as much as possible, I still haven't figured out my way around the city. But hopefully, since I'm commuting to DC and I'm trying different routes, things will calm down for me.

In the meantime, of course, I'm going to lean on you guys. I took the train for my first week of work and that just was terrible- a bus and two trains to get to work when I could have had forward momentum if I'd left from work and just cycled the entire way. I took my bike and loaded up my bag with my locks and some stuff I needed to take to the store and timed my trip- almost an hour, but not quite. Luckily, I work at a fitness club too, so when I get there, I can take a shower and get out of my clothes. I just wish we had a washer and dryer too so I could keep my clothes at work from now on. Oh well, I can't have everything!

I am planning to take about 3 changes of clothes with me on Monday so I don't have to drag clothes back and forth, and I'm also taking a couple of towels too. I'm leaving an hour early, and as I become accustomed to the traffic and the route, I'll probably cut that time down way lots. But I feel much better taking my bike and riding up than getting on that godforesaken bus and those crowded assed trains with people who don't even brush their teeth in the mornings (uuuugh!), and now you've got to stand next to them. Plus, when I was taking public transportation, I never saw the sun more than 30 minutes every day. Now I can ride outside and get at least a modicum of sunshine and clean air.

I guess what's next on my list is better rain gear... it's not as snowy as in Chicago, but I imagine it rains a lot more.

I feel good... being a new commuter and all.

Koffee

Metieval

I am ..... well new to commuting so I don't have all the answers and I am open to critical judgment from the commuting professionals.

I still drive to work a few days, to drop off clothes and picking up ones that need washed. Usually I have other things to do in my truck those days so it works out.

But with my distance to work, it's not that bad of a drive. I guess my question would be where is the closest nicest laundry matt to your place of work? Is that an option? I also know you don't drive, that is why I thought of laundry matt.

Rain gear? ick!!
My advice would be to splurge on the clothing and buy stuff that works. I have found it easier to dry off after the ride instead of spending my entire ride being uncomfortable. Be it rain gear that doesn't vent good enough, or getting wet anyways because rain runs down my neck. My solution was to buy clothing that keeps me warm on cold days when I'm wet. And clothing that isn't to heavy when wet, or restricts movement. It just a personal preference because I hate rain gear.

Bekologist

An hour long commute ride is pretty much ideal, Koffee, luucky you!

Enjoy, you'll probably get it down to under 50 minutes pretty darn quick.

Guest

I took the dry run today. It was... dry. I'm still not familiar with the area. I'm telling you, I could live in DC for years and never figure out which way is up. The maps are not drawn to scale at all. They give the impression that it's just an easy scoot from point A to point B... until you start riding it! What I'd like to do is figure out how many miles it is to work, so that when I look at my map, I can at least visualize distance better. My dry run took me nearly an hour, but I'll figure it out. I'll have to keep scoping out the area and hopefully, I'll find a more direct route or get a bit more familiar with the area so I can change my route to a better one.

Koffee

late

Hi,
Burley makes great raingear.
https://www.burley.com/products/bicyc...nt+Jacket&i=32
https://www.lickbike.com/productpage.aspx?PART_NUM_SUB='6580-50'

Guest

I see the Burley stuff, but if I don't have a store location, I'll just stick with Performance and have it shipped. It looks really great, but I don't have a ton of time to call around to bike shops looking for this stuff... though it looks great!

Thanks, though.

Koffee

Dchiefransom

It's not good to drag clothes back and forth, better to put them in some type of bag and carry them off the ground.
See if you can get a rain jacket that has something to keep it off the back of your neck. Some have hoods, but those might restrict side vision.

pinkrobe

One of us, one of us, one of us... If DC is really rainy as opposed to snowy, invest in some waterproof/breathable [i.e. Goretex, Entrant] gear. You will be way more comfortable. I'd also avoid getting anything with a hood unless you're planning to ride without a helmet [but that would be silly]. It sucks that you can't keep your clothes at work. If you can, maybe leave some shoes at work so you won't have to cart them back and forth all the time.

Hal Hardy

The bad thing about our rain is that we're in a temperate weather zone and the rain can't decide whether to stay liquid or freeze.

How do you like D.C.'s idea of naming two completely unrelated streets with the same name? It must drive tourists batty.

Guest

It's ridiculous. I was trying to find first street, which disappeared into another street (I think New Jersey or something like that), only to reappear as 1st Street at Union Station. It just doesn't look that way on the map at all. Someone was smoking some good weed when they put together that map.

I'll avoid the hoods. I have a rain jacket, but I do need rain pants. I like to wear all my pants baggy, so it's a matter of finding rain pants baggy enough to suit me.

Koffee

Hal Hardy

Actually, the names aren't identical. One might be XYZ St. and the other one XYZ St. N.E. It's easy to confuse the two on a map if they're close to each other in the same quadrant of town. They should have called one of them Daisy St. or something. Considering D.C. used to be the murder capital of the country, you would think the city would make every effort to keep some tourist from getting confused and ending up in a bad section of town.

unkchunk

I have a sister who lives in DC and getting around should be easy. Every location can be reached by going down Glebe, turn left at the brick colonial town house, and then turn right at the brick colonial house. That's the way it seemed to me anyway. Riding a bike is the best way to get to know a place, it just takes a little time. Places settled in early Colonial times have many roads that were originally plotted by deer and cattle. So I can see why the East Coast can baffle people who are used to north-south and east-west grid system with a few diagonal streets like Chicago.

Be carefull with the DC weather. Although it will be mild compared to Chicago, the damp cold can really penetrate... right into your bones. After 30 minutes of riding, I think sweating will start to be a factor. Probably would be worth it for you to invest in a good Gortex jacket.

mike

Whenever I go to DC, I always notice it has a lot of bicycle commuters, so it surely must be do-able. I have heard some folks say that the streets are in really bad shape in DC which makes bicycling difficult. That seems to be true.

Downtown DC looks like a very good place to bicycle because all the other methods of transport are so terrible. With all the anti-terrosim barracades today, you can barely get around by automobile.

oknups

I thought I read another post that in DC it was illegal to ride on sidewalks. I don't know for sure. I also do not use them but some do, so it something to keep in mind.
And about snow don't worry too much if DC gets 1/2" of snow it pretty much shuts down, same as baltimore, plenty of car accidents, and general motorist panic. Main roads get plowed pretty quick, but side streets, alot slower. Road ice in a very thin layer is a problem in Baltimore, and DC, studded tires might be worth looking into.
I lived in dc less than a year near the Cathedral, I worked in Baltimore, so I did not bike commute. Just fun rides around town.
Lastly have you considered Metro and the bike friday to get around? Ride to a Metro stop hop on the train get close to where you work, and ride the bike the last leg. It might make sense in bad weather.

jagged

Koffee, welcome to DC. (And Arlington!)

It does snow here. Far less snow than in Chicago, but even a slight dusting completely freaks out the residents here, and they all raid grocery stores to buy bread and water because they fear the snow plows will never come and they will be trapped forever. Also, the drivers here by and large have no idea how to drive on snow; they go too fast, give themselves too little stopping distance, and in general make idiots of themselves.

But yes, rain is more common than snow, and it can rain well into December sometimes. My rain gear now consists of:

-- Inner layer: The clothes I will be wearing at work (business casual office)
-- Outer layer: Waterproof, yellow, high-visibility "shell" type rain jacket. Not just "water resistant," but water proof--you could put it under a faucet and stay dry; Also, pull-over rain pants, and full-finger bike gloves.

If you have not already found these sites, check out WABA , the local bike commuter advocacy group, and the Bike Washington site , which gives lots of advice on recreational routes (but those recreational routes can be a great way of discovering new commuting routes). Arlington County cares about its bike commuting residents, and offers comprehensive maps of the entire county showing the extensive bike trail and bike lane network we have here. That, along with the ADC Bike Washington map should be enough to get you started on your commute route planning. Also, don't forget to register your bike; you can do it online, and it is free.

My route is to ride on local roads to the Custis Trail, then take that trail across Arlington to the Key Bridge. I cross the Key Bridge, and then ride down M Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. That takes me downtown, where I work.

Other points:

• It is illegal to ride on sidewalks in DC in the "Central Business District," which comprises a big chunk of the city. Maps of this area are available somewhere on DC's web site, and also from WABA and commuter-friendly bike shops. But just stay away from sidewalks, and you should be fine.
• The best bike shop for commuters is City Bikes in Adams Morgan. The other bike shops tend to cater to the weekend recreation set. Fittingly, the easiest way to get to City Bikes is to bike there--it's far from metro stops, and car parking is hopeless in that neighborhood.
• When street names have a direction like "NW" or "NE," pay attention. M Street NW is a very different location than M Street SE. The guy who designed DC, Pierre L'Enfant, was probably smoking tobacco rather than weed, but yes, it's screwed up. I usually use Google Maps to plot a course before I set out to ride.
• I have found that cops don't care a whole lot about bikes here, unless you are part of Critical Mass or taking part in a WTO protest or something. Recently, though, I've heard that they have begun cracking down on red light runners as part of a "quality of life" campaign.

Dchiefransom

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yespatterns

Welcome Koffee, and gabba-gabba. I too have shower facilities at work, so my own outlook on rain gear in this area is pretty simple--- stay warm. I usually work up quite a sweat commuting, so staying dry is pretty much a non-issue. I just concentrate on having a good wicking base and maybe a fleece or wool outer shell, wool preferrably since it retains it's insulating properties even when soaked. Obviously once the freezing rain and below freezing temps begin in earnest, you'll want more, but since you're from Chicago, i assume you have that aspect covered

librarian

Ditto on the Cabalas stuff. Thats what I use. None of the "bicycle" rain pants are baggy enough for a big guy.

Just think of carrying your clothes every day as weight training.

Guest

I thought Glebe was only in Arlington. Regardless, if there's a Glebe in DC, if I don't need to take it, then I'll not bother with it. My real problem with DC is mainly that I don't have a visual point that I can always refer to in the event that I get lost. In Chicago, I just looked for the Sears Tower and/or the John Hancock. When I was closer to the lakefront, I could also scope for the water and I would at least know which way east was, and I could get my bearings. I'll have to find another way to find my orientation. Right now, my only real understanding of DC is by visualizing the maps. Since I don't have a clear visualization for where things are in the city, it means I'll just be memorizing streets. The alphabet part is ok, but the other stuff can be frustrating, especially when you throw in the NE and NW, etc. Oh well. Right now, I'm just focused on getting to work and home, and any other parts of DC I'm not too interested in right now.

I have my wardrobe figured out, but I may invest in a second Goretex jacket just to have an emergency backup at work. The one I currently have is a Pearl Izumi, and it works wonderfully. And I just picked up some cheap fleece from Target on sale yesterday, so all that's left is getting my rain pants.

Koffee

Koffee

Bekologist

...Regarding rain pants, if you spend a c note on some Schoeller Dryskin tights or pants (made by many outdoor gear companies) you will vanquish the rain pants to the back of the closet where they will die from dry rot and neglect.

Besides bike commuting, I ski on volcanoes year round out here in the Northwest, and wear Schoeller pants for 95% of the time, even blizzards, instead of shell pants because backcountry skiing is aerobic activity and soft shells just work better for legs .
In addition, you will bike 5% faster because you will be layering for aerobic activity and not steelhead fishing.

ItsJustMe

I bought a waterproof breathable jacket and a helmet cover from this place. Good stuff and a decent price
www.bicycleclothing.com
I was thinking about their rain pants, but then I noticed this on Cycle-licious this morning:
https://www.icebike.org/Clothing/WinterRainPants.htm

Guest

What about waterproof gloves? I hate those performance neoprene gloves. They are only rain resistant, and when the rain finally penetrates it, man are my hands COLD! Then they never dry out in time for me to head home.

Koffee

huhenio

Enjoy cheating traffic jams ...

cooker

Here's the utility to help you figure out your mileage. https://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

jyossarian

Waterproof ski gloves work well. So does soaking your shirt in liquid laundry detergent and riding it in the rain. When you get to work, just towel off, ring out the shirt and hang to dry. It's clean and so are you. Voila!