Hello from Colorado - new bike commuter here
07-31-13, 10:31 AM
#1
High Plains Luddite
Thread Starter
Hello from Colorado - new bike commuter here
First post.
I'm 45 years old and the notion just struck me out of the blue one day: why aren't I riding my bike to work? It's 5.5 miles away by car and a little less than that by bike trails. It's hilly, but not too bad. We have a covered, fenced-in, access-controlled bike cage in the parking garage and showers with towels provided. I've been a fool not to have been doing this since I got my current job 1.5 years ago.
So, I pulled down my crappy (but cheap at the time) Mongoose E303 full-suspension mountain bike from the hooks on the ceiling in the garage, blew off an inch of dust, and have been riding to work three or four days a week for the last three weeks. I hate the bike (too small for me, heavy, wheels out-of-round, gears change on their own, one pedal is bent, front brake is self-loosening, etc.) but I love to ride. I rode constantly as a kid but after college it just became something I forgot about. Add a wife and kids and there's just hasn't been time or even the thought of bicycling in a long time.
If you saw me ride, you'd know I'm a commuting newb: I'm the guy with the department store bike, no helmet (yet), baggy casual cotton shorts with boxers underneath, sweat-drenched cotton tee shirt, regular old sneakers, an old backpack better suited for hiking than biking, and so on, but I'm having fun, feeling great, and losing weight.
I've been haunting local bike shops and craigslist and trying to figure out if I need to spend $600 and up for a new bike or if something used would be a better deal. I've been reading a lot in the Commuting forum here and it looks like you guys are riding everything under the sun, new and old, and I like to see that.
My biggest wish: a bike with a rear rack so I can stop wearing a backpack. It starts out light but seems to weigh 50 pounds as I huff and puff up the final hill to my office, and it makes my back sweat as if I had a heater strapped on.
I'm having fun not only riding but also educating myself about bikes and saving my pennies for something decent to spend an hour a day riding. This looks like a great forum and I'm glad I've found it.
I'm 45 years old and the notion just struck me out of the blue one day: why aren't I riding my bike to work? It's 5.5 miles away by car and a little less than that by bike trails. It's hilly, but not too bad. We have a covered, fenced-in, access-controlled bike cage in the parking garage and showers with towels provided. I've been a fool not to have been doing this since I got my current job 1.5 years ago.
So, I pulled down my crappy (but cheap at the time) Mongoose E303 full-suspension mountain bike from the hooks on the ceiling in the garage, blew off an inch of dust, and have been riding to work three or four days a week for the last three weeks. I hate the bike (too small for me, heavy, wheels out-of-round, gears change on their own, one pedal is bent, front brake is self-loosening, etc.) but I love to ride. I rode constantly as a kid but after college it just became something I forgot about. Add a wife and kids and there's just hasn't been time or even the thought of bicycling in a long time.
If you saw me ride, you'd know I'm a commuting newb: I'm the guy with the department store bike, no helmet (yet), baggy casual cotton shorts with boxers underneath, sweat-drenched cotton tee shirt, regular old sneakers, an old backpack better suited for hiking than biking, and so on, but I'm having fun, feeling great, and losing weight.
I've been haunting local bike shops and craigslist and trying to figure out if I need to spend $600 and up for a new bike or if something used would be a better deal. I've been reading a lot in the Commuting forum here and it looks like you guys are riding everything under the sun, new and old, and I like to see that.
My biggest wish: a bike with a rear rack so I can stop wearing a backpack. It starts out light but seems to weigh 50 pounds as I huff and puff up the final hill to my office, and it makes my back sweat as if I had a heater strapped on.
I'm having fun not only riding but also educating myself about bikes and saving my pennies for something decent to spend an hour a day riding. This looks like a great forum and I'm glad I've found it.
Last edited by Squeeze; 07-31-13 at 10:35 AM.
07-31-13, 10:40 AM
#2
LET'S ROLL
Howdy! Looks like you got the right attitude for this site. 
I've been bike commuting for over 6 years now, my only
regret is that I didn't do it sooner.
I've been bike commuting for over 6 years now, my only
regret is that I didn't do it sooner.
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09-11-13, 08:31 AM
#3
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I commuted by bike for the first time 5 years ago when I lived about 5 miles from work, but when I moved to my house now which is 12+ miles away I thought commuting would be preposterous! Then I met a guy I'm now friends with that commutes 9.5 miles each way every day of the year which got me thinking. 9.5 miles...12 miles? What's the difference? Why couldn't I do this? Now, the commute isn't long enough!
Hope you can't get enough of it as well!
Hope you can't get enough of it as well!
09-11-13, 11:23 AM
#4
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Welcome to BF, congrats on moving into the bike commuting mode and be sure to get a helmet soon!
09-11-13, 11:37 AM
#5
Life is good
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Welcome to Bike Forums.
Kudos for bike commuting.
$600 for a commuter bike? Go whole hog. When I got my first dedicated commuter bike I got a 2005 Jamis Nova cyclocross bike. With rear rack and panniers and lights and whatever else it was right around $1600. Loved that bike and rode through all kinds of Atlanta weather till I retired.
Let us know what bike you get and be sure to post pics.
Kudos for bike commuting.
$600 for a commuter bike? Go whole hog. When I got my first dedicated commuter bike I got a 2005 Jamis Nova cyclocross bike. With rear rack and panniers and lights and whatever else it was right around $1600. Loved that bike and rode through all kinds of Atlanta weather till I retired.
Let us know what bike you get and be sure to post pics.
__________________
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. - Psalm 103:8
I am a cyclist. I am not the fastest or the fittest. But I will get to where I'm going with a smile on my face.
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. - Psalm 103:8
I am a cyclist. I am not the fastest or the fittest. But I will get to where I'm going with a smile on my face.
