RyanML

Hi all, Ryan from Dayton, Ohio new to the forums so this is kind of an intro. I've just taken up commuting in the last few weeks after only doing trail riding previously. I have a few questions...need advice and such, been looking through a lot of the forums to find information, but finally decided to just condense it all...please don't flame me

So I ride to work ~12 mi RT, School ~17 mile RT....and starting this fall will be doing both the same day for 5 days a week. I'm really not prepared for the weather so I'll start accumulating rain/protective gear and such now.

My school has highly visible bike racks and I have a cable lock and now I see I need more. So I think I'll be getting a Krypto U lock for front wheel/rack/frame and use my cable lock for rear wheel/Brooks seat/ frame. After reading some posts I have also opted to get some panniers a.s.a.p. and I'll be using a bike rack mountable backpack for my school books in between the panniers.

After my first night commute (Tonight at 10pm) I immediately see a need for a better headlight at night. Not only that, when I start having to leave at 6:30 am, it will be dark part of the year. My new LED front light is soooo inadequate and I can't see squat. Thinking of a Dynamo light....not sure though, don't know enough about headlights.

It's a Trek 820 I picked up at a yard sale for $60 that I switched the tires on to 26x1.25's I also use this bike as a road bike, looking to try and do 50 miles or so per day on the weekends, maybe more sometimes. I also just put on a B17, fenders, a frame pump (goes to 120 psi) and some Egg-Beater clipless pedals. Matter of fact I'll just post a pic.

Any practical advice would be great.

I love my bike.

exile

I work overnights myself. My lighting needs are different though since I have only a 3 mile commute to work. I use 2 MTE P7 flashlights which are adequate for me and my length of time. You may need to look into something with longer run times for your commute (I think Dinotte is highly recommended).

On the rear I can run a PB Superflash Stealth, a Mars 3.0, a NiteRider Cherry Bomb, or a PB 5 led Rack Blinky. I also have an Ultrafire 501b I need to attach. My minimum suggestion would be to get a PB Superflash. You may also look into a reflective vest. Just dont over do it as you want people to recognize you as a cyclist and not a carnival.

Clothing wise I always dress in layers. Merino Wool has alway worked well in the cold for me. This may be something you have to experiment with as the temperatures change. If it rains a lot than perhaps a good rain jacket would work (I think Showers Pass is recommended or perhaps a Gore Tek).

Racks and Panniers I have the Axiom Odyssee rack and Axiom Kootenay panniers. Others like the Topeak racks and panniers.

Hope this helps

schu777

Reflective vest - Harbor Freight - cheap, but works for those nightly commutes

Flashlights?? - I know there are some posts from the past about some types of flashlights that work - use rechargeable batteries and you’d be set…might be cheaper in the long run…

Panniers – Ummm – depends on how dorky you don’t mind being. I personally have used the kitty litter boxes to haul cloths in – it works and keeps things pretty dry so far – as long as the lid stays down.

Clothes - this is one to experiment with - Goodwill and such type stores are where to buy what you need - keeps the cost down. I'd recommend getting a full face covering - it works pretty good, expect for glasses where they fog over.

This winter will be my second one and I'm still working on the cloths bit.

Good luck.

tsl

My first winter I tried riding with regular clothes. I managed, but I was usually cold, the layers bound up my knees and hips making pedaling difficult, and there was zero sweat management.

For six and eight-mile rides you may want to look at cycling-specific winter wear. It was a revelation last year when I finally got over myself and bought winter cycling gear.

The insulated, windproof, water-resistant tights alone were worth their weight in gold. I ended up with two pair for different temperature ranges. The heavier set was good to the single digits before I had to think about adding a second layer. The big thing is that my legs were always warm and there was no binding and bunching at the knee and hip, so pedaling was no more difficult that riding bare-legged in summer.

Building on that, I bought a cycling-specific jacket. It's my outer layer starting from around 50. It's hi-viz, has reflective bits, and breathes, yet repels water. The big benefits are the gorilla-length sleeves that fit down inside my winter gloves, the cut of the neckline, the long tail to cover my butt, and vents to let out excess heat and sweat.

Between the tights and jacket, it transformed my winter riding.

Hot Potato

google dinotte lights. excellent stuff, if you got the bucks.

bizzz111

P7 flashlight with 18650 battery from deal extreme. Brightest light you can get for a small amount of money. And a Planet Bike superflash for the rear.

dellwilson

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I also recently started commuting and this is very interesting. Two questions:

1. What about head/face gear?

2. Do you have specific makes/models of clothing that you recommend?

tsl

Down to the mid-teens I wear a winter-weight cycling skullcap, (pictured in my avatar). Mine is from SweatVac.com. Below that I wear a balaclava. Got mine from Nashbar.

I can speak only from my own experience. My LBS stocks Endura. I prefer clothing I can feel and try on, so I buy there. I have their Gridlock jacket and Windtex Bib Tights. It looks like they have several new models of winter tights for this year.

BTW, I recommend tights without pad. Wear shorts under them for a second layer and so frequent washing doesn't wear out the water resistance of the tights. I recommend bib tights so you don't have two sets of elastic waistbands squeezing your middle.

FWIW, I found the bibs with clips were a better idea on paper than in practice. I thought they'd be easier when it came time to make yellow snow. The straps sprung up inside my jacket, then I had to take my jacket off to re-clip the bibs.

My mid-weight windfront bib tights are from Sugoi. I also have regular, non-windfront tights, but find them a little breezy for anything under around 40 or so.

Other people around here like the ShowersPass jackets and Pearl Izumi AmFib tights. I don't own either, so I can't say how they compare to what I have.

annc

If you're buying anything from dealextreme, make sure you give yourself a lot of lead time. It takes 2 weeks to several months from placing the order to receiving all the items.

caloso

OP: I don't have much to add (my riding is in much less extreme temps than you have). But I just want to say that you, your bike, and your can-do attitude give me great hope for the future of our society.

Seriously.

wirehead

Other point while riding at night... under no circumstances should you be one light failure away from disaster. So I have two lights in front. Alone, neither one is bright enough. Together, they are. When I'm under streetlights, I leave one in blinky mode.

herrbrahms

I find that the best way to go is to have one light mounted on the bike, and the other light on an elastic band around my forehead. For the latter I'm not using anything fancy, just an Energizer 2 LED that runs on 2 AAA batteries. It's more than adequate under streetlights, and gives me just enough light doing 15 on a dark trail. I see bright cat eyes, and branches/potholes show up well enough to avoid.

Another reason to wear a headlamp is for oncoming visibility. I have no doubt that traffic from the opposite direction sees a human occasionally moving his head, and if I were ever to feel someone bearing down on my rear, I could turn around quickly and give them a blast of white light.

(But that doesn't happen to me because I have a Planet Bike Superflash bolted to the rear of my helmet. Nobody will ever overlook me from behind again.)

So far the only disadvantages to the headlamp are: 1) slight discomfort 2) reduced forward visibility in a downhill crouch. The lamp occupies the uppermost area of my peripheral vision, and while in a descent I find it can be difficult to get my chin up enough so that I can beam light down the road and see my path through foggy glasses.