john4789

Oh, probably then... didn't go back and check. When I take public transportation I wear a proper winter coat since I'll be waiting in the cold for the bus or train. When I ride in the winter I usually wear a much lighter coat if any. Typically I don't wear a coat, just long sleeves down to about 20deg F, then light jacket to 0deg F, and actual winter jacket to -15deg F (coldest ambient thus).

kickstart

Did 82 miles today on a Dutch bike, wearing jeans, polo shirt, Chucks, shell jacket, gloves, and helmet. Sunny, spring like, 60 deg weather did simplify things some.
Stopped at REI and got a Cateye 570 tail light, installed it in a park, grabbed a lunch snack at a convenience store. No prep time, no planning, just headed out the door on a whim.

Its one of the dangers of being an "enthusiast", making things too complicated and forgetting the simple pleasures of not doing it "right"..

halcyon100

Thanks for the good ideas! One of my lights charges by USB and takes 5-6 hours (niterider), so sometimes I go to bed before it is fully charged. I could charge at work, but I am usually very busy at work and liable to forget... I don't need keys to lock my front door in the morning. I never forget my keys when I drive, because I have to have the keys to start the car. I also take my purse to work when I drive, rather than my backpack, so there is some transferring of items from the purse to bike backpack and vise versa during weeks when I drive and bike. Some days, I have to drive due to offsite meetings.

john4789

Commuter Morning Protips:
1-Sleep in your gear, even clipless
2-Poop the night before, or hold it
3-Dentyne gum during ride instead of brushing
4-Patchouli
5-Profit

halcyon100

I really like the idea of doing a better chain lube once a week, maybe on the weekend, and making sure I get each link - that will help.

I like riding my carbon road bike to work for a number of reasons, but if my commute were shorter/flatter, I would look into using a more dedicated commuter bike.

I probably only need to inflate my tires every 2-3 days, but I worry about being slower if I don't have optimum pressure... I will try checking pressure/inflating every other night.

I also like the idea of doing more prep. in the evening. I have a tendency when I come home to sit down to dinner and a glass of wine and just unwind from the day. Getting prepped for the next day seems to take me away from unwinding, but I may try to do a bit of prep right before I go to bed.

I am not much of a morning person (at least before 9am). I do better in the mornings when it is lighter and warmer earlier. I haven't yet tried the automatic function on the coffee maker, but will look into that. I was amused by the idea of skipping the bathroom to help me pedal faster... Might be worth a try

I don't use headphones, GPS, strava or anything like that. I love music, but I get distracted easily. I once tried putting a cycle computer on my handlebars and got very distracted by it and biked right into a parked truck on my way to work. At the time, I worked in a bike shop and everyone made fun of me for getting hit by a parked car.

ThermionicScott 

Whatever floats your boat. I like chain lube that I don't have to worry about for 500-1000 miles.

TenSpeedV2

Thanks. I tried that one and it would not work. Tried Strava Quick Record and that works perfectly as long as the GPS is already on like the one you mentioned. Will definitely be using this!

acidfast7

I keep a 20L backpack that almost never gets unpacked, which saves time.

It has:

Wallet, passport, mobile phone, ipod, swipecard for work, keys for work/homes(one set northern England and one set London keys), spare London car keys in the small pocket. It usually has a mix of pound/euro/danish kronor coins in there as emergency reserve.

The large font/side pocket has an ipod and micro USB cables. A spare deodorant and face cream as well. This pocket hold my U-lock when I'm riding and the USB-lights when I don't need them.

I keep a MacBookPro in a separate sleeve inside of the water holding slot.

That leaves only the large pouch part that gets packed/unpacked on a regular basis ... over the course of the week, on any given day it holds a pair of socks and briefs, a pair of trousers and a dress shirt. I can also squeeze in a suit jacket and a pair of shoes, if necessary.

I usually pack my lunch in IKEA 365 containers which are leakproof and don't have snaps that can freezer/snap off. I have 10 or so and can cook a large meal and heat it at work for lunch.

IKEA 365+ Food container - 10x7x2 " - IKEA

I usually like due espressi every morning while I read the news, so I'm not in a rush, but this way I don't forget anything as I usually travel a fair bit every day.

chephy

Before bed tends to work well. It subconsciously prepares your mind for the next day, and at the same time it may help you fall asleep better, since you know the morning will go smoothly, which is a comforting feeling.

Another option is to prep RIGHT after you get home from work. Don't consider yourself mentally "home" until you've completed those little chores. Then the evening is all yours for unwinding.

curbtender

About a year ago I needed to change the battery in my cateye 8... I didn't write the mileage down, about 8500. My goal was to see it at 10K before I shut it off. It bothered me so much that I didn't know the exact numbers that I never put it back on.

tarwheel 

I've found various ways to make more efficient use of my time in the morning, mostly all mentioned by others. Eg, I charge my lights as soon as I get home in the afternoons, keep my bike bags loaded with tools and flat-fixing supplies, and make lunch and set out clothes the night before. Establishing routines is very important for me, mainly to avoid forgetting things.

However, to be honest, the biggest reason why I run late in the mornings is from messing around. Some days, I keep hitting the snooze button on my alarm. Or I get caught up reading articles in the sports pages or working crossword puzzles. Or I wait around to see the weather forecast and radar. When I really need to get to work at an early time, I am amazed at how efficiently and quickly I can get going.

I oil my chains at most once a week. I do pump up my tires before every ride, an old roadie habit from riding bikes with 23 mm high-pressure tires. I could probably get away with pumping tires less often, but one day I skipped that ritual and I got a flat within the first 2 miles. Coincidence? I think not.

tjspiel

It's rare that my afternoon commute is cooler than the morning one. It's usually the other way around so I don't have to worry about bringing extra clothes for the way home. I ride in some really cold weather though and I never wear more than one pair of merino wool socks but I do have warmer shoes for the winter.

I have a separate set of keys for work and a bike lock key that stays in my backpack. I bring the backpack into work whether I bike, ride the train or drive. I don't transfer the keys. Could you get a second set made?

I don't lube the chain or inflate the tires every day.

My taillight uses AAA batteries that last quite awhile. I put rechargeables in it. The headlight gets charged at work. Are second chargers for work an option for you?

I've heard it takes about 30 days to establish a new habit.

Papa Tom

Say no more! I know there are many people on these forums who can tell you exactly how many miles they rode last year, how many miles since greasing their chain or changing a tire, etc. I feel like not knowing these things makes riding a lot more enjoyable for me. Mostly, I feel like having the equipment required to measure them would slow down my routine drastically. Anyway, once again, good luck in the blizzard.

CrankyOne

I got worn out just reading this :-)

Full confession — when I do training rides on my road bike I have to grab my Garmin & Go Pro, fill water bottles, stretch on a bunch of cycling clothes, try to thread my heart rate strap through my bibs since I forgot it earlier, and in the evenings find lights that are accidentally charged. Glad this is only a few days a week and not for every time I go to work, a meeting, lunch, or for my afternoon wine.

bmthom.gis

Everything is pretty much there, for me. Maybe take the lights out of the chargers and put them on (maybe 30 seconds?) The only thing I do differently on days when I ride vs drive are instead of showering at home, I pick out my clothes, roll them up into a mesh bag (which goes in my panniers) and put on my cycling clothes. When I get to the office I shower and change. The rest of my morning routine is the same as any other day. I air up my tires every 2-3 days. Again, we are talking maybe a minute or so of my time.
For me, it is more about timing with traffic than anything else. If I leave too early, the first 1/2 mile once I leave my subdivision will be me sitting in traffic (no shoulder or any way to get around the cars at all). Too late, and well, I get to work late. The earliest I could leave is probably 7:15, but that is rushing my morning (wake up at 6 am, walk the dogs from 6:30-6:50/7:00 with the wife), eat, make lunch, etc. 7:45 is my ideal time to leave. The worst of teh traffic has moved off, I get to work between 8:30 and 8:45, putting me at my desk before 9 and I can leave about 4:30ish (give or take).

Also, I am not a morning person. So that time between 6 when the alarm first goes off and 6:30 is spent waking up, turning on the news and catching the weather report...the wife usually gets done in the bathroom and heads downstairs by 6:10, leaving me 20 glorious minutes of "me time" to get myself together.

ThermionicScott 

Same here. I've "dawdled" ever since I was a little kid who was late for school. But this morning, for example, I got dressed and on the bike in about 15 minutes. I was so worried about being late for my morning meeting that I hustled on the ride in and had just enough time to take a shower.

Dave Cutter

I keep my ID, cash (and change) phone, (and keys) all in a Ziploc bag, I used to use the flimsier sandwich sized bags but upgraded to the tougher slightly larger Ziploc bags.

Nice thing about the bag is nothing gets wet or sweaty. I lay the bag (loaded) on the counter with an empty water bottle so everything is together in one place. I keep the bag in the center (rear) jersey pocket. Before closing the garage door I actually touch the lump in my jersey to make sure the bag and it's contents are there, I also touch my water bottle, helmet, and cycling glasses.

A stupid routine... similar to something we did back in the Army. It works.

noglider 

I trust you say this in a "to each his own" spirit. I have my limits in how much effort I make and how much accuracy I demand. Just as an example, action cams look fun and useful, but I will not be getting one in the foreseeable future.

I have known the joy of not measuring, and I have known the joy of measuring. To each, his own.

takenreasy

For me the beauty of commuting by bike is the ability to keep things simple. As a few have already have mentioned, getting everything ready the night before if the key to simplicity. Wake up put on whatever will be worn while riding, have a cup of coffee if you like and then hit the rode. Oh and I think you are losing too much air unless you've had major temp. swings. Check your tubes over the weekend along with other maintenance items.

no motor?

Before the office moved last spring my commute took 5 - 10 minutes less than it did for the coffee to work it's way through me. When I wanted to make sure I got to work on time I'd pee just before I left and then have some more coffee.

scroca

Not stupid, IMO.

I do the same with my keys, before I close the locked car door and set off for work(I drive 10-12 miles and then park and ride the other 18-20 miles). Without the keys, I can't get into my office when I get there and also I couldn't get back into my car after work. I have to know they are safely in my pocket.

ThermionicScott 

+1 to this as well. I have a system where my badge/lanyard goes into the left jersey pocket, reinforced Ziploc bag containing iPhone and cards in the center pocket, and keys in the right pocket, and I do a quick pat-pat-pat before I close the locked house door behind me in the morning.

PaulRivers

a. Charge lights without removing them from your bike
b. Leave your cell phone charging in your bike bag in the evening, just unplug it to get going
c. Leave your keys in your bike bag. If you have multiple sets of keys, put the keys you need for your office on a seperate key ring. I always personally also always use my key to lock the door on my way out - 100% guarantee that if you locked the door, you have the front door key with you.
d. You don't need to lube your chain every day. Every week at most, in the summer I'll only lube it once a year or if I've been riding in the rain. In fact lubing it to often can just attract more dirt and cause it to get dirtier faster.
e. Top off the tires the night before. It's not a big deal to skip a day or two though. To make this faster, always keep the pump right next to where you store your bike.

P.S. Having a second set of duplicate ideas is another great idea. Dynamo lights definitely remove charging hassles. I love mine but it depends on your budget - if you can store your bike by an outlet and leave the lights charging overnight without removing them from the bike, it's not *that* much less hassle to have dynamo lights. I also find it typical to lose 5-10psi from a 25c tire. The higher pressure the more quickly they lose pressure.

I also keep all of my bike stuff in exactly 1 bag. 2 bags increases the hassle a lot.

Oh, another suggestion if you can is to leave your ulock locked to the bike parking at work overnight so you don't have to deal with carrying it back and forth and taking it in and out of your bag.

Seriously, you save a *ton* of time and hassle if you're not regularly taking your lights on and off your bike to charge them. The time itself isn't even the main factor for me, it's the part where you have to remember to go back over and remove them from the charger and put them back on the bike. If you can just leave your lights on your bike and just plug them in every time you get home and unplug them when you're leaving, it makes battery lights much, much less time consuming.

Buffalo Buff

Damn, I wish I lived somewhere with summers that long

Booger1

No batteries and I'm too busy to eat lunch.....Teeth clean themselves overnight in the glass....Just wear normal clothes,same blue pants and blue shirt for 40 years....wipe sleep from eyes and drag brush through hair and beard.....Grab hard boiled egg and some fruit and/or nuts to eat on the way .....throw a chicken in the pond to feed the pet on the way out...