MurometsVLD

Well after about a month of debating if I should sell my car I finally decided to just get rid of it after I realized it is going to need more maintenance work in the next few weeks. So today was my first day with out a car and I want to say it was all fine but the wind just killed my commute home. what usually takes me about an hour and ten minutes to bike took about 1 hour and 45 minutes...so Im just a little tired lol. Other than that though relieved not to have to worry about parking tickets, insurance, gas prices etc.

Ekdog

Congratulations!

Sundance89

It's a truly smart commitment on many different levels. Congrats on living it out.

Roody

At least the wind makes you stronger so your next ride will feel like a breeze. (sorry about the bad pun!)

I know a lot of routes through my area. Some of these routes are more sheltered so I take them on windy days. Likewise, if it's hot I know shady routes and if it's cold I know sunny routes.

Krow

Congratulations. I just paid for major maintenance on my car. All I could think was, "that would have bought a sweet bike."

MurometsVLD

Well you know the saying up hill both ways....well in to the wind both ways. Had the wind from the south last night when I was heading home and this morning wind from the north heading to work but thankfully it was still from the north on my way home and yes today was a little easier. Ill have to try and find some more sheltered roads the only problem is that the main one to get to work is very open and no real way to get around it.

Smallwheels

An hour and ten minutes ride to work. That's a long ride. When I worked across town it was a fifty minute ride to go a little over eight miles. I hated the headwinds. Luckily early in the mornings the wind hadn't started yet (most of the time).

MurometsVLD

Yeah the long ride is a bit of a pain so Im looking for a job a bit closer while I am in school. But for now its a good workout.

Sandlotje

Be sure to let us know any inconveniences you come across. Rainy and snowy days might be a little bit of a challenge -- as for now its summer though so not too much snow to worry about for another 9 months.

MurometsVLD

Well the rain was a bit of a pain on my way home but one of my friends helped me out and gave me a ride home. Wont be so bad once I have some waterproof pants but at the moment just a little inconvenient. I should also probably try and get some sorta fenders for my bike....might be a challenge since its an older road bike.

wahoonc

Actually an older road bike may be easier to fit fenders to than a more modern aggressive geometry one. What brand and model of bike is it? Got pictures? You would be surprised what fenders can be mounted on. As a general rule I like the Planet Bike fender line, but there are some other nice ones out there, SKS, Honjo and Velo-Orange are some that come to mind.

Aaron

MurometsVLD

Bike is a Zebra Sprint that my dad got from a rummage sale years ago but it just sat around collecting dust so I decided to take it.

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Titmawz

One more mile closer to enlightenment =) Look at it this way, you have spend one more hour outside and it made you stronger =)

wahoonc

Dayum! You must be at least as tall as I am if not taller! That is a huge frame. Good news is fenders will fit, it has eyelets for the mounts on front and rear. Depending on the tire size I would probably get a set of the PB Cascadia for a hybrid, might have to notch them out a bit where they go through the fork, but they will probably give you the best coverage for the size tire it looks like you are running.

Aaron

MurometsVLD

I dont think a full fender would work. There is very little clearence between the brakes and the tire. 3 maybe 4 mm at best.

MurometsVLD

Oh and as far the size of the bike goes it is too big for me Im about 6'-6'1" but for the moment I'm saving up some money to get something different(A lot of the money from the sale of my car went to my dad who helped me pay for some repairs to the car and the rest credit card bill lol). Hopefully Ill have a new one by June which should not be too difficult without having a car to maintain.

Roody

I'm no expert, but I think there are adjustments you can make cheaply that will "force" a wrong size bike to fit a little better. I believe you can change things like the handlebars, cranks, and saddle to make the bike work better for you.

Some of the experts here might respond here, or you could do a search on the forum.

MurometsVLD

I probably wont put any more money in to this bike just because I am planning on getting a new one in a month or two so I think I might just put all my money towards savings.

wahoonc

That would be my recommendation. And when you get ready to look at new bikes, look for a "cross" bike. It will have better clearance for fenders, still have the drop bar riding position for battling headwinds.

Aaron