Originally Posted by phx1973

Big mistake! For one thing, even though it wasn't raining, my pedals were a little wet from yesterday's rain and from the bottom of my shoes. They slipped off the pedals more than once, which was annoying. Can't imagine what it would have been like if I'd tried wearing dress shoes with slick soles, ala The Netherlands. For me I guess clipless is the way to go, even in the city. I never have much trouble getting in and out of them quickly anyway, and I learned today that I like the stability. I guess I'll go back to keeping a nice pair of shoes at work so I don't have to carry them.

Then there is the weather factor. It was a very cool morning, and I have a reasonably short ride of about 4 miles each way. So my thinking was that if I took it easy I wouldn't get very sweaty and would be fine without a change of clothes. I hadn't thought about how hilly it is here. I guess I never realized that until I tried riding and not sweating in non-bike clothes! I will just make good use of my panniers next time! Quite a few lessons learned today. I'm just getting back into commuting, or biking at all, very recently. So it's like I have to learn this all over again. haha.