Originally Posted by
modernjess
Good for you!
But I gotta ask, why wait until official "bike to work day" next friday. Why not do it tomorrow? Sounds like you are ready. Any day can be bike to work day!
haha well, it's been pouring rain last night and today, and I have no proper rain gear, so...
Due to my wife's schedule the only days I would be able to commute on would be Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, unless I could somehow leave early enough to get home by 5 PM on the dot on M/W but that's not really feasible.
I think what has held me back for so long has been the hilly route, and also the fact that all those hills are 2-lane roads with no shoulder - and I mean ALL of them, 100% of roads between my home and my office, except for the interstate which bikes can't go on anyway (wouldn't want to either). I ride 40+ miles around Memphis proper with no problems whatsoever, but most of those roads are 4 lanes or have ample room for cars passing, and not as hilly. But slowly and surely my confidence has been building and I believe I can take on this 30-mile RT commute, despite me being slow.
Plus I want to do it on Bike To Work Day just to say I did it. Plus it gives me a good concrete date as a starting point, to help me prepare and all that.
Hopefully one day I will have a nice commuter-style bike with disc brakes, fenders, racks and all that stuff, but for now I'll use my road bike. If I like doing it I may try it on the hybridized MTB, which would be easier on the hills anyway.