max power

in honor of national bike to work week, i'm thinkin about biking to work tommorow with my road bike.

any of you guys do the same? whats your strategy? what do you pack for the ride and what do you pack it in?


i'm also worried about punctures on the way home. it seems that the only way i can avoid a puncture is to pump up my tires before every ride. i jmight have to bring a floor pump to work

photonick

I did before i moved to burbank, haven't really inquired if if i bring my bike into my office with me.

daoswald

Preventing punctures requires that you pump up again before every ride? Huh? What?

I pumped my tires up two days ago, rode ten miles yesterday, and another 40 today. Tonight I checked the pressure, and it was within a couple PSI of where I left it. If you have to pump up morning and again at night to avoid punctures, I think you must have some other issue. Your tires are losing that much air that fast? What type of puncture are you getting, pinch flats?

Inquiring minds want to know.

ukie

No, but I definitely could. I don't want my frame to get scratched.

the beef

Yup. But I work at the LBS now, so storage is not really an issue. I just bring my seatpack w/ tool, tire levers, tube, mini pump, and cell phone. I sometimes carry a chainbreaker as well; it's not a bad idea w/ a 10-speed chain.

max power

i guess it doesnt happen every time, but i've noticed everytime i get a pinch flat i hadn't checked pressures before the ride. so i've made it a habit to check before every ride

jccaclimber

I did last summer and I will be this summer as well.

BayernBiker

I bike to work three times a week. It is a nice 27 km ride over rolling terrain. On the days I drive I bring in a fresh change of clothes and take the previous day's clothes home.

I an lucky in that I have a place to shower after the ride and change clothes. Therefore, I only ride with the items I normally ride with.

I have not had many flats but I do have a frame pump, Top Peak Road Morgh, and carry a spare tube, as well as, a patch kit.

gurana

I don't but I would in a second.

The sad part is that I live about 30 miles from where I work. If I leave real early, I can usually make it in about 45 door-to-door. However, if I leave at a normal time (anytime after 6:30) It takes me 2+ hours on average. Under nominal conditions, I could probably make the ride in about the time it takes me to fight traffic or take a train. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to ride into DC from where I live.

Trufance

I do, can't afford a road bike and commuter bike.
About 12 miles each way. If you're going to be riding at night, get a good light. I invested in a NR, best decision evar.

I work in a kitchen, but luckily we have lockers I can keep my knives, shoes, and coat there.
I use a camelback too and put my work pants, undershirt, underwear, socks, wallet, phone.
I have a frame mounted Co2 pump that works great. Use my saddle bag for tools, Co2, tubes.

I just ride in my normal cycling gear, people at work get over seeing you in it after the first couple times.
If punctures are such a problem for you, invest in some better tires, seriously.

making

Yes I used my road bike a lot last year, 4 tubes maybe 5 lost count. Air up tires every other day. I am starting riding again today. My wife ahs been out of town so I have had to drive the kids around in AM. Today I am starting again and the wife will be home tonight. Hope to ride most days next week. Gotta go take my kid to weights, but comeing home and swithcing to road bike.

Falchoon

I usually ride to work at least 4 days a week on my roadie. I bring my lunch from home and take home my dirty clothes in a backpack. I also have a seat wedge pack that I always keep two spare tubes and spare batteries for my lights. I do go to (bike) training 2 days a week and a group ride on Fridays so I ride to work straight from there after dropping my backpack off at work on the way (adds about 15 mins onto my journey doing this). I have 2 MTBS as well (one old beater and one newer Specialized hardtail) that I am supposed to use for commuting but prefer the speed of the roadie. I drive my car to work on Saturday with a weeks worth of clean clothing that I store in a locker. I haven't had many flats while commuting but I did get one the other day on the way home. New tube and trusty Road Morph made light work of it.

barlows

Yepper, commute on my roadie regularly. I wear a backpack for clothes and such, and keep a spare tube and a couple CO2s in my seat wedge. I only touch the pump once a week, so I wonder if you may have a slow leak or something. I didn't read all of the replies, but you might try running your tires at the upper limit if you're having pinches.

I also have a great job for riding, and keep my bike within 10 feet of my desk.

Steve

04jtb

Have done it a couple of times, have noticed it is a fair bit faster than my '83 Dawes Galaxy, knocking a couple of minutes off the time.

I carry the same on any bike to commute, which is:

• Zefal SP-4 Frame pump
• Tyre levers
• Tube
• Patch Kit
• Multi-Tool
• Adjustable Spanner
• Cash
• Cable (Zip) Ties

botto 

nope.

logdrum

That is about 40 mph. What continous 30 mile hill goes to DC?

logdrum

I do --- It's only ~8 miles to work. Fixie sometimes, but since it's been windy. I take the geared road steel. Work has a bike-to-work program and I have a locker in the gym at work. Been doing it on and off since 2000 but doing it more (daily) since Sept 2007 4-5 times a week. Even on telecommute days, I take the loop + some to work and back during lunch. If I have to drive... I take the bike to ride during lunch.

I bring one extra tubular or tube, C02. levers and 15mm wrench when riding fixie. Since I actually have 2 lockers, I take 1-2 weeks worth of clean pants and shirts. I aso have a couple extra shoes at my desk. Wet jersey I leave on the bike whihc is at covered bike parking rack so I don't stink my workspace. Or sometimes rinse it out with soap and dry it using the heat off my workstation at work.

logdrum

Botto -- I can't quite figure out if you are in the Netherlands or Memphis at any given moment.

Spreggy

Yes.

It's 4.5 miles. So I build training around that, doing the day's workout on the way in, and have an easy spin home.

I usually pack the day's clothes and food supplies, my wallet and cel phone in a trunk bag like this. I have a drawer in my filing cabinet full of foods for breakfast and lunch, protein shake ingredients, etc.

The rack is on with four screws, so I pop it off for the weekends.

If you want to avoid the rack business, you can bring in a duffel bag full of clothes for the week, and bike 4 days.

milchad

I wish. Back roads to my work would be about 45 miles and I have to be here at 7:00.

carpediemracing 

I rode to work occasionally when I had a shop. No shower so it was a wipe down type thing. One of the guys would ride in with me. We both won a bunch of races that year so it probably helped. Once it got too warm we stopped (we basically commuted in Jan, Feb, some March). It was about 12-15 miles each way, we'd take the long way home to get in more miles.

I rode to work regularly when I worked at a nice IT office in my second life. Showers, lockers, nice gym, left bike outside the security guard window which also happened to be under the entryway surveillance camera. I think it was 12-14 miles each way. Lots of fun, this commute, since I worked from 7 AM. I could, and did, ride down the middle of a normally super busy road because it was totally deserted. Kind of like being able to ride down I-95 because traffic was stopped due to construction.

I rode my bike as is, even used my race wheels frequently. I'd carry tube, levers, mini tool kit, chain tool (integrated into a second mini tool kit), that's about it.

When on race wheels I'd just carry a mini tool kit.

I'd drive my clothes down to the office on a rainy day and bring them back the next time I drove. For the shop I left multiple changes of clothes there, ditto on swapping them out on non-ride days.

cdr

JBS103

Ditto. My commute is just long enough that I don't mind kitting up and carrying some clothes on my back. I leave a set of my sneakers at the shop because they are the most difficult thing to carry.

thechemist

all the time. I leave shoes and clothing at work. Drive in on a sunday to change everything out for next week. Lunches are either bought or stuffed in ziplock bags in my jersey

bdcheung

- Yes, I ride my road (and race) bike to work.
- I pack my work clothes, food, spare tube, cell phone, wallet, keys
- If it's raining, I pack a hand towel.
- Everything goes in my Chrome messenger bag on my back.
- I keep a Road Morph frame pump on my bike or in my bag for the possible puncture.

My building has a keyed room containing a bike rack. Tenants must register to get a key from building management. I keep my bike in this locked room.

umd

Every. Day.