Originally Posted by
drjunkie
So I finally went out and settled on a Giant Escape 3. I hadn't ridden it more than 5 minutes before this morning when I rode it to work. I did learn a few things:
1. 17 miles is a looong way for me. I may just end up taking the train home depending on how I feel.
2. Riding at 5 in tha a.m. with no lights is really, really dark. Will definitely have to pick some up before I do this again.
3. My sitting parts are more sore than they've ever been. Is there a way to make this better? I tried sitting farther back on the seat, don't know if that helped or not.
4. Chasing down a nice 4 point mule deer on a bicycle is fun. I was hot on his heels until I remembered the antelope vs. cyclist video and dropped back.
Unfortunately due to scheduling between my wife and I, Tuesdays are the only days that I will be able to commute for now. I'll have to make time to ride other times in the week.
All in all it was a very enjoyable experience. Going to have to add lights, fenders, and maybe a rack and bags so as not to have to wear my backpack the whole time.
1. 17 miles is a long way. I had to build to my commute (20 miles one way) and now I'm working on reducing the elapsed times of that commute. Good for you for jumping right in.
2. Get lights.
3. Yeah - a sore rear end is one of the problems you'll have early on. It doesn't take long to toughen up there. It can be an ongoing problem if you're not properly kitted. I wound up w/ a giant boil on my butt. I learned the hard way. Now I wear some cycling undershorts (lycra w/ a chamois where my rear contacts the seat). There are those that don't and never have a problem. I had a problem and decided I'd not like to repeat the problem. I have not had a saddle sore since starting to wear the undershorts.
4. When I'm riding after dark I'm not about to chase anything. It's easy to miss the pothole until you run your front wheel into it.
It sounds like you have a great commute! I'd love to have an early morning run down a MUP before anyone else is out on it. My commute is mostly city streets/residential areas. It's OK, but there's not much wildlife to see, unless you count dead possums and raccoons that didn't get out of a car's way quickly enough the night before.
OTOH, I have learned that it doesn't take a dog long to decompose, that scavengers will drag a relatively heavy carcass all over the place, and that mosquitoes don't taste bad (In fact, they have no flavor at all). Well, I think they were mosquitoes.
EDIT: Oh, yeah - ditch the backpack and get the rack & pannier(s). You'll be glad you did. Get a rack that will help you avoid striking the panniers w/ your heels when you ride. Any old rack might be fine for you (don't know about your shoe size or the chain stay length of your bike). I've heard good things about
these. It's on my list of things to buy (my rack is sits too far forward).