downwinded

Congrats on starting! As others have said, it's very addictive. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a day to rest while you build your strength. Everyone has different needs/likes. You will figure out yours as you go along. This is a great place to pick up tips and get ideas. Be safe and have fun!

TrekNerd

Congrats to becoming a bike commuter. I suggest stretching after each ride or before going to bed to reduce the chance of cramps. As always drink plenty of water. Do you have the basic essentials for your bike such as a multitool, tubes, reflective gear?

Nas

I have my Swiss army knife - does that count? haha
No tubes, no pump, no rain gear, nothing. Vancouver is going into the fall / winter season so it's more like Raincouver this week. First order of business is to buy boot covers and a waterproof jacket. I will make sure the jacket is reflective

joeyduck

MEC is open to 7 pm tonight so here is a shopping list to get you started:

MEC ATB Deluxe Patch Kit - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

Filzer Filzer Mini 10 Multitool - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

MEC Tire Lever Set - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

Planet Bike Superflash Turbo LED Rear Light - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

MEC Cosmic One Watt LED Light - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

Spare tube, there are two main sizes 26 inch and 700. There are also two valve types schrader and presata.

Get an appropriate pump and know how it works (some can switch between valve types).

MEC Shell Major Seat Bag - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available (two smaller sizes also, or find an easy to remove one (theft prevention) or just throw it all in you back pack.)

Mirrycle Incredibell Micro Cycling Bell - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

Cactus Creek Reflexite Ankle Band - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available (don`t need with shoe covers)

Cactus Creek Safety Vest II (Unisex) - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available (mine is 8 years old and getting ready to be replaced)

In my opinion the lights, tools, pump and bell are must haves. The ankle straps are nice if you wear normal pants and they increase visibility. I also like wear a high vis vest.

I like Top Peak brand pumps, but MEC doesn`t sell them.

So for the basics (plus fenders $30 and shoe covers $29) it comes to $131; I didn`t include reflective vest or seat bag. A little higher than a two zone bus pass, and they all last longer and will make up for it. Especially today.

Riveting

ill.Clyde and I have a very similar story, and his posts have kept me motivated, thanks Clyde. I was 42 and 225 lbs (now 203 lbs) and started commuting a little more than a year ago, 20 miles per day and have commuted (along with some recreational rides) about 2,200 miles since I started. But to this day it still wears me out trying to ride 4 or 5 days in a row (today is day 5 for me and I feel it). And the longer distance, slightly uphill climbs you mention are still difficult on the heart/lungs. Just do them slow and low. In the past few months, I have also gotten into longer group rides of 35-50 miles (on a 19 lb road bike that is 25 lbs lighter than my hybrid commuter with a standard load), and will be attempting my first Metric Century (100 km, aka 62 miles) this Sunday.

I don't think anyone recommended clipless pedals/shoes yet, but they are a great investment, $45 for pedals, $85 for shoes. A good pair of clipless shoes (I recommend Shimano XC30) are very stiff from toe to heel, and will spread the force across your whole foot, especially when pedaling uphill while standing, and they also guarantee your feet stay on the pedals when accelerating hard in wet weather, and allows for a much faster, care-free cadence. IMHO.

Congrats on your lifestyle change, and keep the rubber side down!

ill.clyde

Wow ... thanks @Riveting, those are very kind words.

I did four days again this week, and last night I added on 5 miles so my legs were a little tired this morning for sure. If I could, I'd try for a full week tomorrow, but I've got to go pick up my kids after work tomorrow, so I'll need the car. Maybe next week I'll give a full five days a shot. I'm really pushing to hit 2K commuting miles this year. I'm 490 miles away.

Good luck with the metric!

Riveting

I finished that Metric (63.4 miles) in 4 hours 5 min. Towards the end, my palms are where most of the suffering came from. Losing another 20 lbs over the winter riding a trainer, may help that.

HydroG33r 

First off, welcome and well done! I started commuting last June (2013); have to say it was easier for me to keep it up through the fall and winter having had a few months of conditioning under my belt already. That said, the people in this forum will help keep you motivated - visit often

Within a month or two you'll find you don't even notice the hills anymore; at least the gradual ones. You won't be scared of the bigger ones either. It'll come

Protein (as others have mentioned); lots of water on your commute, and maybe a watered down Gatorade or something after if you're feeling a bit dehydrated?

Yes, and yes. Get good fenders, and if you can, have them professionally (and permanently) installed. I originally had bought some SKS fenders designed to be taken on & off easily; unfortunately, several times on each ride they'd get knocked out of place and start rubbing on my tires, making a God-awful noise. Took them back and had some Planet Bike fenders installed; been over a year and a few thousand km's, and they haven't budged. I'd contemplated taking my fenders off for the summer, but really in Vancouver it's not worth the hassle.

My commute is 13 miles each way, with ~300m of climbing coming in, and about 385m going home. I found that breaking it up with bus/Skytrain was too time consuming and more hassle than it was worth. I did, however, start by riding in Monday, then home Tuesday afternoon, then in Thursday and home Friday afternoon, for a total of 2 x return commutes. Built it up to 3 and 4 return trips/week, and have done 5 a few times; don't even notice anymore. In the beginning though it's good to have the recovery time; pace yourself so you don't get injured and/or discouraged. Never feel like it's a defeat if you decide to take a break one day.

Also, stretch lots, and if you have extended health coverage, get a massage and/or chiropractic adjustment now & again. Helps a lot

Last advice: get your bike professionally fitted. PM me if you'd like some advice on this. It'll really help maximize your efficiency and reduce your risk of injury!

HydroG33r 

I learned the hard way a month or so into commuting that it sucks to get a flat when you're unprepared. Gotta take your dead-weight bike on the bus or in a taxi or whatever, get it to a shop.. it's a pain. Tubes, multitool, tire levers, pump, bag, maybe even CO2 aren't that expensive, and well worth it if you need them. MEC is great for that stuff. PM me if you'd like any advice.

HydroG33r 

Great shopping list; covers the basics

While it's not cheap ($290), I bought the Showers Pass Elite 2.1 rain jacket from MEC last year. It's amazing; breathable, super waterproof... and if you buy from MEC, you essentially have a lifetime hassle-free return policy.

joeyduck

I got a sweet pair of Brooks runners from MEC last week for $29 on clearance!

I think that @Nas has a similar commute to you also. So you can offer route pointers.

Nas

Wow thank you all for more replies, support and great advice!

Even a shopping list! I am going to check that out in detail later tonight Thanks, @joeyduck!

EDIT: Who was I kidding. Of course I stopped working and checked out the list right away! haha

Excellent suggestions.

@HydroG33r
I was actually looking at that jacket! Thanks for the recommendation.


I will see how winter goes but I'm not intending to stop cycling for the winter.

I was a year-round m\c rider for several years until I started working in downtown Vancouver and stopped riding my m\c to work. My limit was when snow started really sticking to the road, and until then I would ride every day. I've been out in -10C (14F) and in snow, slush, you name it.

So rain and cold don't scare me. We'll see how it goes with ice though. On my motorcycle I would only use the part of the lane that cars actually drive on and unless I'm out very early or very late there is really not much of a chance for black ice. On the bicycle though I'd be using the curb or side streets or bike paths - and they all don't get much traffic so that's where black ice could be waiting for me. I guess I'll just have to take it easy, watch my speed, and see how it goes.

HydroG33r 

@Nas - @joeyduck tells me that you and I may have a similar commute. Roughly whereabouts are you coming from? I saw that you work downtown. I'm New West to Kits.

Nas

@HydroG33r I go from South Burnaby (Edmonds) or from New Westminster (New West Skytrain) to the Rogers Arena area.

EDIT: forum won't let me PM until I hit 50 posts! haha
So here it is.

When you were talking about getting the bike professionally fitted, what's the place you would recommend for that?


My seat height is set so that I can barely reach the ground while tippy-toeing. Although it feels I'd like to be even higher so that I have better pedaling power...


What else is there to fit? Keep in mind it's a cheaper bike so it probably won't have all the awesome adjustments of you guys' fancy bikes

joeyduck

Yeah it is the ice that is the scary bit to me. I found that as I came up into Burnaby and NW (from SFU to the river) there was always colder air sitting on the Kingsway ridge, making ice more prevalent. Most bike paths are less used by traffic and tree covered therefore more ice is the norm. I only crossed the ridge so travelling along it may be different.

With that being said I only went down once due to ice; it was late one November on the 90° curve on 6th to Edmonds. I made it through the corner and thought I was in the clear (expecting ice) and then went down. Just keep that concentration on the acceleration is what I learned. I remember my only MC crash was after winter on sand patch while braking and turning. I literally just took the bike out of storage and just push started it and went for a lap around the storage unit and the front brake was much stiffer and touchy then expected. MCs and bikes are the same you go down before you know it, even when you expect it.

joeyduck

youtube/google Arts Cyclery. They have a lot of useful videos on adjustments, repairs and fittings I think (maybe more geared towards road bikes though). Park Tools also has great mechanical videos and resources for all repairs.

Seat height, fore and aft seat adjustment, seat tilt and handlebar adjustment are the normal ones. I do not think these vary much between plain and fancy bikes. The ease and range of adjustment may vary.

EDIT: Your seat seems to need two wrenches for adjustments, where I need one allen key. Also look up locking techniques to ensure both wheels are where they were left when you return. A u-lock and cable are likely needed, your seat may need theft deterrent also. I feel the best method is to lock the U-lock through the portion of the rear wheel in the rear triangle (seat tube, chain-stay and seat-stay) to a solid immovable post and use the cable to loop your front wheel and seat if needed. The rear wheel is the most expensive to replace if stolen.

HydroG33r 

Nice - very similar to my commute. I ride from New West; I found a route that runs just north of Edmonds Station; more gradual climb and less up/down. From Royal Oak onwards I'm pretty much on the millennium trail following the Skytrain, then take 10th Ave across Vancouver from ~Victoria Drive to Kitsilano. If you're interested in meeting up one morning for the ride in, let me know. Most mornings I'm leaving New West around 8am, but there's flexibility on my end most days.

I commented a while back on this thread re Bike Fitting. Hopefully that helps; let me know if you have any other questions?

The measurement they'll be looking at is seat height to centre of your crank; they'll also look at adjusting your seat forward/backward, and possibly adjusting your handlebar position up/down or forward/back by changing the stem. Most important in my opinion is seat position; I was too low to start, which caused pain and stiffness. Once I went clipless, being too low also caused extreme calf tightness. Too high will be hard on the knees. There's leeway there, but it's good to get fitted. You could probably do it with Youtube's help, but if you go to a chiropractor that does fittings, you can actually claim it through extended health.

I'm just particular about having things "just so". Others are less sensitive.

Nas

True story!

Nas

@HydroG33r
Awesome, I will go talk to the guys at West Point Cycles as soon as I have the $$$ for the upgrades.
I have coverage for chiropractors and such in my extended health - thanks for the tip! I had no idea this kind of stuff could be claimed.

Give me another 1-2 weeks to get in better shape and then I'll race ya to downtown Vancouver!! haha

Let's meet up for a ride FROM work in a week or two. I'll buy you a healthy beverage and we can chat about cycle-related stuff. I am not a very chatty person in the morning lol

Squeeze

A bike called a Luddite?

I love it!

Nas

I also found the name very fitting

Update on my progress. On my third week of commuting, and today I was 10 minutes faster than a week ago! I wasn't pushing really, I was actually thinking that it was going to be my slow day today... So I was very surprised to find out that my time was 10 mins less than before but I definitely got it right so I guess it was!

It's starting to get chilly huh

canuckjgc

Yes it is. I do a 30 mile return commute in Van. I'm going to give you an alternate persective. If cash is tight, don't buy all that stuff. You just need fenders, good lights, and some mail-order Marathon plus tires that will virtually never flat, especially on your route. If you have BCAA, you don't even need those as you can call for a pick-up. See how you like commuting when it really gets cold and wet. Lots of people love it when they start, but in my experience, lots of people also stop and everything goes on Craigslist for a fraction of the price paid. That's just the reality.

If in the middle of November when it's dark, raining and cold, and you are loving it, then go bananas.

Nas

Very true! People do the same with guitars, they are full of enthusiasm, they want to learn, then they realize quickly that it's not that easy and they lose interest. Then they sell everything on Craigslist.

I agree with your idea to wait before spending lots of money. That's why even if I had money I would not be buying a $1,500 bike right now. The one I have will do just fine to get me started.

OneLessFixie

Shaddup you! You're making me homesick. I lived in Vancouver for four years and I desperately want to go back.

scroca

Look into studded bicycle tires and studded snow tires. Schwalbe, Nokia and Kenda all make them, to name a few.

They aren't cheap, but they are way less expensive than an emergency room visit or a funeral.