How has your commute evolved over the months / years?
Originally Posted by
BobbyG
…The two biggest technical changes for me have been…and BIKEFORUMS.NET for fast, real-world answers divorced from commercial interests.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
What you got from BF transportation forums?
I have been an avid cyclist, as a lifestyle since about 1972; self-described year-round commuter, occasional centurian (in-training during the nice weather), and former cycle tourist, including a cross-country ride…I happened serendipitously on Bike Forums in 2008, and it was frankly incredible to find a community that shared so many concerns I had kept to myself as a lone cyclist.
This enthusiasm has definitely increased my enjoyment of cycling. As far as improving it, what I have gotten directly from BF are:
- the motivation and tips to ride in rain, and wintry roads, i.e. studded tires
- the Fifty-Plus Annual rides that motivate me to train in the nice weather
- the safety tip to watch the front wheels of a car rather than the body or hood to anticipate what the driver is going to do
- the opportunity to post and literally "journal" my thoughts and activities about cycling and lifestyle (even if nobody else reads them), but which I wouldn't write down otherwise.
Before and after subscribing, the basic routes and style of riding have not changed much over about thirty years. Not to read like a shill for BF, but to elaborate on the above:
- Before BF I had an arbitrary lower limit of 20ºF, and didn’t ride in rain, but now my only weather deterrent is drenching rain with/without lightning, and I’m not dissuaded by ice and snow on the roads.
- I now increase my 14 mile one-way ride according to a published century training schedule begining in April, to train for the Annual Ride, usually in July.
- Another useful tip to make quick cycling decisions I read subsequently on a thread is not to assume that if you make eye contact with a driver, that they necessarily see you.
- Many of my posts are about winter cycling, and urban commuting. When I joined BF in 2008, I wrote:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
…I have been perusing this site for a few weeks and I have had several comments to make so I hope to make useful contributions to future discussion threads, as well as glean from the comments of others…
Finally, after I was hit from behind by a car in 2012, I had to promise family and friends I would not ride home at night, so now I commute only one way, and return home via Commuter Rail with my bike.