tobywuk

What type of bicycle do you use to commute?

I have just bought a road bike to get some excersize and im just wondering how effective it will be for commuting to work?

Can you commute to work comfortably in normal clothes (t-shirt, jeans) on a road bike?
Do you ever wear cycling shorts when commuting?

Barrettscv 

1) Road bike

2) Road bikes are good for fast travel but not always good at carrying lots of stuff

3) Yes you can commute in normal clothes

4) Yes, I wear cycling clothes and change before settling down to work

There are many threads that will detail these discussions, take a look around and try the search function.

uke

1.) This bike or this bike.

2. As effective as you make it.

3. It's the only way I'll ride.

4. Never.

cyclefreaksix

Fixed gear road bike or when the weather is bad or I have to take in a bunch of stuff I'll take my hybrid with racks and fenders.
I wear cycling shorts/bibs and have access to a shower at work.
My route varies from 12 to 18 miles one way and I can't imagine wearing anything but padded cycling shorts. Summertime here means 100+ degree temps for the ride home, I sweat buckets.

jefferee

What type of bicycle do you use to commute?
-Cyclocross in summer, MTB in winter.

I have just bought a road bike to get some excersize and im just wondering how effective it will be for commuting to work?
-It should get you there no problem. If you wind up wanting a rack and fenders you may have to get a little creative.

Can you commute to work comfortably in normal clothes (t-shirt, jeans) on a road bike?
-It's certainly possible. Depends a lot on weather conditions, speed, distance, and tolerance for chafing.

Do you ever wear cycling shorts when commuting?
-Almost always.

If you do a trial ride to your workplace (and back) on a weekend, with whatever gear you plan to take with you, you'll pretty quickly get a sense of how well your plan is going to work.

daven1986

I use a road bike and a hybrid, prefer the road bike. My next bike is going to be a cross bike. I do commute in normal clothes, and I don't mind it (I am only doing 6 miles at the moment) but for longer commutes/rides I prefer cycle clothes.

EKW in DC

What type of bicycle do you use to commute?
-Hybrid.

I have just bought a road bike to get some excersize and im just wondering how effective it will be for commuting to work?
-See lots of people doing it on my route. A good-sized messenger bag or backpack should carry what you need for the day. I use a backpack right now, though I am considering installing a rack in the back and getting a couple panniers if for no other reason than to keep my back from sweating do much.

Can you commute to work comfortably in normal clothes (t-shirt, jeans) on a road bike?
-Can't comment on that one. On my hybrid I wear cotton cargo shorts and a t-shirt for riding. Added long sleeves or a jacket when it was still colder in the AM.

Do you ever wear cycling shorts when commuting?
-Haven't yet and my wife would probably sooner die than let me wear cycling shorts. Maybe I can convince her to let me get a pair of the baggy trail shorts like these (https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product..._200275_200479)... they have the chamois and all that, but look more like regular shorts. Probably a little better support and definitely better padding than the boxer briefs I wear right now.

tsl

I own two road bikes, and ride them both to work (but not at the same time.) Road bikes are not the frail, delicate flowers some people would have you think they are. Amazingly, road bikes work really well on the road. Imagine that!

Although I'd used backpacks for years, I found that on a bike, I prefer not having the sweaty back. Now both my bikes have racks. I use a trunk bag for typical commuting stuff (lunch, clothes, bike tools), adding panniers when I need to carry other stuff too (groceries, library books).

My first month commuting in "normal" clothes convinced me it's a foolish idea. I did not like arriving at work in sweaty clothes, then having to work in those same sweaty clothes. Yuck. My co-workers never complained, but it was uncomfortable to wear sweaty clothes while working, and it made me feel uncomfortable to do.

I commute in cycling clothes, carrying work clothes with me, then change in the employees can. The cycling clothes change with the seasons, but 52 weeks a year, I commute in cycling clothes. And ALL my commuting shirts, jerseys and jackets are hi-viz.

politicalgeek

Use a 30 year old Schwinn Le Tour at the moment. Working on getting it fixed up at the moment to make it a "better" commuter. Eventually it will have an internal gear hub in the back (NOS '80s Sturmey-Archer AW) and front dynamo hub w/ drum brake. Still wrestling with keeping the drops and just finding a wider pair or going for an upright bar style.

Don't have a rack at the moment. I use a back pack but will probably switch to a Carradice style saddle bag in the very near future.

I don't wear true cycling clothes. Rather I tend to wear things that make riding more comfortable. I teach swim lessons and lifeguard, so wearing work clothing isn't ideal on the bike. In the summer I have a few pair of nylon athletic shorts and a pair of baggier shorts on top. I also have a handful of wicking tees from the local Walmart that work well. In the winter I did well with the wicking tees/long underwear, nylon wind-pants in layers and thrift store wool shirts. I bought an Endura cycling jacket as well that worked very well to keep the cold and wet out.

When I have just biked down the street for coffee or groceries, normal clothes work just fine. Just make sure to roll the drive side pant legs up or get a reflective strap.

I haven't crossed over to spandex-yet. May look at some wool jerseys sometime.

dobber

I started my commuting on an old Jamis Durango



Within two years I'd acquired nine more bikes, the penultimates being my CrossChecks




I wouldn't want to commute any distance in just street clothes, at a minimum I'd have cycling shorts. I typically wore cycling shorts under a pair of ordinary shorts.

stringbreaker

Take your pick. I ride all of these depending on my mood

subclavius

I ride a MTB that's really built more as a heavy-duty hauler/utility bike than as a commuter bike, but I commute with it anyway. It's got slicks for tires and front & rear Surly racks with panniers all the way around.

Converted MTBs work if the roads are rough, if you're bigger than the average guy, or if you carry heavy loads. The key to this style is getting rid of the bike's original knobby tires. You may end up changing a few of the components to alter your riding position to a more upright style.

Converted road bikes work when you've got a longer distance and lighter loads. Here again the frame geometry and rider position may not be ideal for someone who is mainly interested in commuting, but you can make a road bike work, definitely. The advantage is you'll probably be getting to work before all the guys riding hybrids and converted MTBs so you'll have the best spot in the bike rack.

I only wear padded shorts on longer rides. For the daily commute, no, but anything over 30 miles, yes. My commuter clothing is dictated by the weather, but it's all daily wear minus the gloves and reflective vest. There's not much need for a lycra outfit if all your doing is going to work & back. Plus, commuting clothes gets washed a lot more than regular clothes, so it tends to wear out more quickly.

JanMM

With a rear rack and panniers. And fenders.

MrCjolsen

I ride up to 30 miles a day wearing regular, non-cycling shorts. If your commute is half an hour or less I see no reason to wear special clothes as long as the bike is set up properly.

Same thing for the type of bike. For a really long commute, a road, cyclocross or touring bike is really the only option. For a short commute, any bike, including your road bike, would be fine.

I see it this way. If I'm only riding three miles, then I can wear anything, carry just about anything on my back, and ride just about anything. It's only with longer distances that having the right gear really matters.

Santaria

1. Current commuter is my trusty Cykel 3-speed conversion.
2. A road bike is fine. Take into consideration that if its a touring bike it will have connection points for racks and fenders and be designed to carry a heavy load with a lower center of gravity. If it's a race frame it'll have more compact geometry, and be designed for sprints and not for carrying cargo. Otherwise, yeah, it'll do.
3. You can, definitely. The problem I've found is that I went from having a messenger back, to a pair of panniers, to a pair of panniers and trunk over the last 6 months. Going between my job at the LBS straight to the newsroom has started me changing my habits. I don't ride with jeans because it'll rub you raw if it's hot, your underwear is going to get mushy and rot and T-shirts soak up any perspiration and become damp rags very quckly. So over time, you might find yourself adapting more bike-centric habits like jersey-style shirts, etc.
4. I wear MB-style shorts because, well, I MB and that's where I've put my funding. I've worn road specific cycling shorts in the past without any real issue.

xtrajack

Although I own three other bikes,the only one I ride is my xtracycle. It is just more practical/fun than my MTB, my touring bike or my road bike. I wear street clothes for all my riding,Hi Vis lighted vest,gloves and my helmet.

jeffpoulin

1) My main commuter is a 2008 Trek 7.7FX. My 'backup' commuter is a 1999 Cannondale T700 (touring). I have full panniers for the cannondale, so I use it when I need to bring lots of clothes.

2) I think a road bike is fine for commuting but eventually you'll probably want something that takes fenders and has braze-ons for a rack.

3) I see lots of people commuting in street clothes.

4) I usually wear cycling shorts or tights to commute (25 miles RT). However, I have a locker and shower at work, so I keep my work clothes in my locker, ride in, take a shower, get dressed, then take the elevator to my office to start my day.

ryanz4

You can pretty much commute on any bike you'd like. However here is my primary bike:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

I always wear normal or everyday clothes. For me personally, I'd never wear the lycra/spandex clothing. They get away with wearing proper work clothes in Europe while riding, no reason it can't be the same over here.

d2create

I could ride my road bike but it wouldn't be ideal, nor as enjoyable (on a day to day basis).

So instead, my Rivendell is my main commuter bike. It's set up more like a touring bike so it has a more relaxed geometry, steel frame and longer wheelbase to soak up the bumps, room for fatter tires to deal with the poor pavement and other road hazards in town, it can go off road, it has all the braze-ons for racks and fenders which lets me attach all kinds of bags... overall it's a lot more practical and better suited for the job at hand. I even built it up with a generator hub in the front wheel so I don't need to worry about batteries for my headlight.

Same with clothing. I could wear jeans and t-shirt but that would be a huge mistake. I'm in Houston, but regardless of temp (whether it's 40 degrees or 100 degrees), I pedal hard and when I pedal hard I sweat. Cotton soaks up sweat and holds on to it, making life miserable. Seams in your crotch are no picnic either. So now you end up at work in wet, stinky clothes and probably a rash in your nether regions. And your clothes will stay wet and stinky all day because that stuff just doesn't want to dry. So again, you use what's appropriate for the job at hand. The cool thing is you don't need to wear the same stuff you wear on the weekends, nor do you even need to wear cycling specific clothes. There are plenty of options out there for sports clothing that blends in better with everyday fashion. Personally I wear baggy mtn bike style shorts (without a chamois/padding) and a relaxed fit cycling jersey. I stay super comfy on the bike, and when i get to work I change into my jeans, t-shirt and underwear that I brought with me. I have a couple pair of shoes I keep at the office. Now I'm comfortable all day, and by the end of the day my cycling attire is dry and ready to go again.

In the end it all depends on how far you commute, your location, and how you like to ride. You then have to determine what is the best tool for the job.

crhilton

I commute in normal clothes about 98% of the time. I commute all year, rain or shine (although rain here is usually pathetic) heat or cold, dry or iced over.

In the winter I add layers and may wear long underwear. You end up changing out of most of your warm clothes in the winter because businesses heat offices to around 76.

In the summer I wear regular shorts. Occasionally I'll change into athletic shorts and an athletic shirt if it's very hot.

Road bikes are great for commuting. I don't have a bike that wouldn't qualify as a road bike. In my opinion, though, racing bikes don't make great commuters. Fenders are wonderful as are racks. Most racing bikes won't allow for fenders because they don't build in clearance and many don't allow for a rear rack either. But you can commute on a racing bike. You just wear a backpack and if it's wet you'll want a change of clothes.

Kens6161

What type of bicycle do you use to commute?
-Cyclocross (Bianchi Axis, 2009)


Can you commute to work comfortably in normal clothes (t-shirt, jeans) on a road bike?
-I wouldn't

Do you ever wear cycling shorts when commuting?
Never.

My commute attire is Basketball shorts and a plain white t-shirt.

cyccommute 

I use, in order of decreasing mileage:







It just depends on how the mood strikes as to which bike I use. I even ride the mountain bikes off-road because I have a great mountain right behind work Neener. Neener.

Pugdawg1

I don't take my fancy schmancy road bike to work. But I do have an early 80s univega that I put tires on with a bit of tread, that works well. I use a light backpack when I take it. I love the oldies.


And my comfy cadillac. Love it. Most everything is carbon fiber, except the odvious. Built up with XT and XTR mtn bike components, spinergy tires. Made for comfort and remarkably speedy, too. Both bikes sorta split commuting duties, I'm a moody female, I never know what I want.


No I do not wear cycling gear when I commute. Not even cycling shoes. My diamondback has the two sided pedals.. when I'm doing nice long rides on it, I'll use cycling shoes.. for commuting, I just commute in my work shoes.

bima.pringgo

1. A makeshift MTB-based hybrid..

2. Depends on your route. The streets on my commute are in terrible condition so for me a road bike would not be ideal.

3. Don't know. Never ridden on a road bike.

4. No. Usually just normal shorts.

crazybikerchick

Usually a hybrid. But I also have (and have commuted on) a recumbent, a rigid mountain bike with slicks, a touring bike, a single speed cruiser, 20" wheel folding bike.

Should work fine for commuting to work. Road bikes are lightweight and fast and ideal on good pavement. How far do you have to go? Will you be carrying much with you? Road bikes often don't have brazeons for racks, but you should be able to clamp something on anyway if you find you are carrying more stuff than you want to put in a backpack.

I wear normal clothes on any bike You'll want some straps to keep your pant cuffs away from chain. This is what I like about my old cruiser and folding bike - chain guards!

Nope, I usually only wear cycling shorts for rides over 50 miles.

I encourage you to just try out your commute (maybe on the weekend first, as an exercise ride) and see how it goes for you.