silver19

Hi guys I've been reading the forum for a while and you all have been so helpful in the preparation of my bike for the daily commute I began today. My girlfriend and I started ridding to work for fitness reasons and to save money on gas and maintenance.

Our commute is 13 miles each way and it took us 65 minutes to get to work because we were being extra careful and wanted to take it easy to avoid problems. We had a backpack each with our stuff and that was OK, but I realize we'll need a better way of carrying stuff on the bike not our backs.

Do you have any suggestions that won't slow us down too much or look out of place?

Thank you for everything

jrickards

65 minutes is a long time to carry a load on your back, especially, as happens to many of us, when a backpack, no matter what the design, will make your back sweaty (even during winter from my experience). However, what you call looking out of place and what I call looking out of place may be complete opposites. I'm fine with panniers on my bike but I wouldn't attach cat litter boxes whereas others on this forum don't have a problem with cat litter boxes. If you wish to continue with backpacks, there are options such as a backpack rack (image) or backpacks that mount on rear bike racks or a seatpost rack that a backpack (limited weight) can be strapped to.



As you can well imagine, I recommend panniers with a rear rack: it is a very versatile option.

joeyduck

Congrats on starting the commute. I think that 13 miles in 65 minutes is pretty fast when starting out!

I second the pannier and rack idea having that weight on the back must get uncomfortable. I think that racks and panniers are very versatile and can be loaded with more.

Also I think being a bike commutee with panniers you will look right in place. Soon enough you will think how foolish all the drivers look.

Darth Lefty 

Good job! Your pace is fine. You'll work out the details to your liking as you go. Try some things!

scoatw

here is some reading material for you. Bicycling Street Smarts - Table of Contents and a tip. get a mirror.

icepick_trotsky 

Try panniers or a large saddlebag. I have this Detours pannier that also functions as a backpack when you get where you're going.

Ballard Market Pannier | Detours

matimeo

+3 on rack and panniers. Nashbar sells some good panniers that I've used for years.

bmthom.gis

Congrats! The first ride is always the hardest. I also recommend panniers. These are what I use
https://www.amazon.com/Axiom-Seymour-.../dp/B009P3KQNO
Yes, amazon says they are a single bag, but there are two of them. They are big enough to hold a change of clothes (I've taken 2 pairs before as well), a pair of size 13 shoes, a moderately sized packed lunch, tools/spare parts and then some. They have endured some downpours with no leakage.
I tried a backpack on my first commute as well, and I hated it with a passion.
These bags will fit pretty much any rack, the clips that hold them are adjustable and easily replaceable, getting them on/off the bike is super easy, I really have no bad thing to say about them.

acidfast7

I can't really speak for panniers. I ride with a backpack, even when riding long distances (80 or 100km in a day).

I think the right backpack helps ...

I use an ARC'TREYX SPEAR 20:

the journeyman traveller: Arc'teryx Spear 20

noglider 

Congratulations! You're going to be glad you made this change.

13 miles is pretty ambitious, but you made it, and in general, it gets easier over time. When the weather gets tough, you'll get a little tougher, but you may have some days when you don't want to brave it, and that's OK.

downwinded

Welcome to the forum.

Congrats on starting! That's an impressive distance for a new commuter.

You will work out the issues as you go along. Everyone has slightly different wants/needs. I get by with a rear rack and trunk bag that has zip out fold down panniers as I don't use them every day.

There is no shame in taking a day off to rest. You'll feel like superman when your rested. Be safe and have fun!

Darth Lefty 

I am enjoying this thread. Congrats on starting to ride to save money! Here is a list of things you should buy

silver19

Thank you all for you words of encouragement! We made it back home alive, she made me walk a couple of miles when we were getting home because her seat is too uncomfortable...we'll have to figure that out.

I will not be doing the backpack again, I don't mind the sweating but my shoulders got a bit tired on my way home, so I will suck it up and buy the panniers. Acidfast7 Those panniers actually look really good compared to some I've seen so I will get that right now and hope they get here soon. I looked into some of the solutions mentioned here like the Ballard market pannier and the Arc'teryx backpack but my commute today left a sour taste in the mouth when it comes to backpacks. Thank you guys for suggesting your favorite accessories.

For the seat issue I think a seat cushion may be good for her, we'll see how she likes it. It almost rained today and we were not prepared for that so thankfully we made it home before it started. I've read that for the rain a couple of fenders should keep you clean at least but I wonder.

I will try to ride tomorrow but the backpack is so uncomfortable I may not make it to Friday. Maybe I'll rest tomorrow and Thursday to give myself a break.

Again thank you for all the input and suggestions, I'm getting some valuable info thanks to it.

gsa103

If you're not used to distance riding take it easy at first. Commuting by bike is great, but you can burn out pretty quick if your body isn't used to 2+ hrs of daily exercise. Riding 1-3 days per week is a good goal initially. Another option I liked was split commuting. Put the bike in the car, drive in the morning, bike home, and bike in the next morning. It cuts down on the daily time impact from commuting.

The backpack really depends on what style of bike you're riding. On an upright mountain bike, a light backpack is fine for hours. On a road bike where you're leaned forward, the backpack gets uncomfortable quickly. Panniers are fine but expensive, for light loads a quality messenger bag with a secondary strap is quite good.

The biggest factor with comfort is figure out what you need to carry. Taking a 15lbs backpack to a 5 lbs pack makes a HUGE difference. Since you're not entirely car-free, can you leave items at your work place? For example, drive in on Monday with clothes for Tues/Wed? Go through you backpack and figure out what you actually NEED. When you're driving, hauling 5 lbs of extra papers, books, electronics doesn't really matter. In a back-pack you notice that immensely. The biggest thing for me was leaving my shoes at the office. I wear clipless cycling shoes, so not having to carry 3-4lbs (size 13 feet) and the extra bulk meant I could use a small messenger bag instead of a full pannier.

This is going to sound counter-inituitive, but big cushy saddles are TERRIBLE for longer distances. If she's got a big cushy saddle, see if you can't get a cheap replacement that has less padding. There's plenty of good options for ~$30 in terms of saddles. Good bike shorts can also help.

silver19

I was going to leave my shoes at work today but I forgot...go figure. I can leave stuff in the office but I work on the 5th floor and the gym (were the showers are) is on the first floor of a different building so it would only be feasible for me to leave things I don't need to get dressed like the shoes.

I bought a hybrid Trek bike (upright) and I did not have an issue in the morning but the backpack got bulky quickly and therefore uncomfortable (not to mention that it weighted around 15 pounds between my stuff and her bike lock (I attached mine to my bike).

Her seat is an Oval Concepts 300. The seat is less cushy than mine, and I believe her when she says it hurts because I've ridden her bike and it was not a trip I enjoyed. We wanted to get biking underwear to help us ride but she might need more time with her bike before deciding on any extra support.

On another note, she bought her bike about a year ago and they measured incorrectly. she can barely touch the floor with her tip toes (to my understanding you should be able to stand up over the frame tube without issue). Her seat is at the lowest position and it still about 1, 1.5 inch too tall for her. Is there any workaround for this?


Thank you again

PaulRivers

There's generally 2 things to do for commuting to work like that:

1. Keep as much stuff at work as possible. Whether you can do this depends on your job, but I have a cube, so I keep an entire change of clothes in a drawer - shoes, pants, shirt. If drive 1 day/week, you can change clothes then, though to be honest I work in a climate controlled office building - they just don't need to be changed very often.

2. Get a rack for your bike. If you have to carry everything, panniers work, but if you don't or your stuff isn't that big a rear trunk bag -


Panniers are totally manageable, and required if you want to carry a lot of stuff or a laptop, but a trunk bag is nicer in my opinion. No noticeably wind resistance (I can feel it with panniers), doesn't make the bike slightly heavier on one side. Either one it totally workable, I just like the trunk bag better. :-)

Gresp15C

My personal preference is a basket, but definitely get either panniers or a basket. My spouse developed some pretty bad neck pain due to commuting with a heavy laptop in a backpack every day. Some other ideas:

1. Instead of transporting a laptop, could you just carry a small USB hard drive with your files on it? Or use the cloud? I realize specialized software, or workplace IT policies, can frustrate these plans. Laptop avoidance should be at the top of the list for bike commuters.

2. Make sure you're equipped with the means to fix a flat while on the road. Otherwise it will happen exactly at the 6.5 mile mark, in the rain.

3. I don't think there's much you can do about a too-tall bike except get a new bike. Being too tall may also mean that the bike is too long. Don't go back to the same shop.

4. My own approach is not to work through pain. You might be better off in the long run, riding every other day, until you get all of the kinks, aches, and pains worked out. A few more car rides won't be a big deal in the grand scheme of things if it helps you make biking a more regular part of your life.

5. Every cyclist comes from a different place in terms of their mechanical skills and experience. If you've depended on a shop to take care of minor repairs, this is a good time to start heading up the learning curve on maintenance.

gregjones

Good job and a smiley for both of you!!!!

bmthom.gis

+10000000 No need to go all out and buy stuff until you know exactly what you want.

I would try cycling shorts before you go with a seat pad. Also, just being on a bike helps. She will get used to some of the discomfort. Personally, I am not a fan of seat cushions - every one O have come across ends up looking horrible and slides around. What kind of bike is she riding?

If the ride wasn't 13 miles I might agree with you on the messenger bag for light loads, but schlepping one of those for 26 miles a day seems miserable. You don't have to spend a ton on Panniers. The set I have cost under 70 bucks and I couldn't be happier. It also lets me be flexible if I need to stop on the way home to pick a few things up.

Hey, someone else with size 13s! Man, shoes take up a lot of space when they are that big.

As for the size of bike, if you don't want to go for a new one, she will have to lean it when stopped. I have a bike I have to do that with (and so does my wife, though it is hard finding her a road bike with her at 4'11"). It is more about the reach she has. A good solution would be to go to a different bike shop with her, take the bike, and ask them what they would do. You can look into getting just a different frame and having a shop move all of her old components to a new frame, or if you don't want to go that route, she can also get a shorter stem and shorter cranks. She will still have the stand over issue but things might be a bit more comfortable for her.

Is that her on the seat barely touching the floor, or over the top tube?

A great way to lighten your load would be to make her carry her own lock! I jest. Aren't you the nice boyfriend though. I'm not that nice of a person.

silver19

We took a break today, will be back at it tomorrow. I need to attach her lock to her bike...I haven't done that because I don't feel comfortable putting it on the lower part of the tube where it will get on the way of her rear brake cable.

You're right gregjones...I caved in and bought panniers and a rack, you won't see me carrying a backpack again if it can be avoided.

I also have a couple of tire tubes and a patch kit I carry just in case of tire malfunction.

I guess she can ride it comfortably, the problem is the stops, it makes it more uncomfortable not being able to touch the floor properly. We'll bike a few more times before deciding on any solutions for the seat, if we do then cycling underwear will probably be it.

bmthom.gis

are her feet not touching when she is in the saddle? Or is it stand over height with the top tube?

caloso

Not sure I understand this. Is she trying to keep her butt on the saddle while stopped? If so, that's not how you do it. Coast to a stop, stand up, scoot forward so that your butt is in front of the nose of the saddle, and step down, straddling the top tube.

Now, if she is straddling the top tube and still can't put a foot down without being tip-toe, then yes, the bike is likely too big for her.

silver19

While on the saddle...hahaha now I feel like an idiot, we didn't know that's how you are supposed to rest on stops.

caloso

It's also the best way to get going again. Instead of pushing off with your toes, try this:

While you're straddling the bike and waiting for the light to turn, pull one of the pedals up to the 2 o'clock position with your toe. Now put your foot on it. When the light turns, just stand on the pedal. The bike moves forward because you've just given it a half rotation of the cranks, and you sit on the saddle, and you're on your way.

Easy peasy.

mikeybikes

See: Starting and Stopping