OK here's some info for commuting by bike in Australia.

1. Safety

* brakes must be perfect

* Helmet - required by law.

* Rear red reflector - law.

* bell - law.

* Brightly coloured shirt.

* Short-fingered gloves (if you should fall, they wil give protection to the all-sensitive hands)

* Sunglasses


2. Comfort

* Bike must be fitted to your body frame properly - poorly fitted bike may cause aches eg sore knees, back, shoulders, arms. Fitting includes saddle height, saddle fore/aft position, saddle tilt, handlebar distance and height.

* Good quality saddle - not too soft, that may cause numbness. Anatomical cutouts in saddle are good for preventing numbness. Make sure the horn of the saddle does not crush sensitive spots. Sitbones must do the supporting work.

* Avoid all cotton clothing including underwear and socks. Cotton holds on to moisture and becomes very uncomfortable. Use polyester, which will wick moisture away from your skin and allow it to evaporate rapidly keeping you dry. (Compare synthetics and cotton after a spin cycle in washing machine - huge difference.)

* Backpacks tend to cause a large sweaty spot on your back. Better to have a rack/basket on the bike.

* consider getting a few chamois-padded cycling knicks for longer than 60 minutes rides - they increase comfort quite a bit. These are worn with no underwear for maximum benefit.

* Use layering for warmth. A heavy garment will quickly trap body heat from the exercise, then you have to remove it and will be too cold. A few layers are best and you can remove some when too hot or add some when too cold, which will be rare.

* The most valuable garment I have is a windstopper cycling vest - nylon front, mesh back. I don this when the temperature dips to about 13 deg C. Below 10 deg C, I add arm warmers and knee warmers.

3. How to ride

* Ride as visibly as possible - that is the most important safety tip. Also, expect drivers to miss seeing you even if you are blazingly obvious, especially cars coming out of side streets or angle parking spots.

* Don't ride sidewalks - drivers tend not to see sidewalk-cyclists at intersections and there are actually more crashes involving sidewalk-riders than road-riders. It's illegal anyway except where a sidewalk is shown as a shared path.

* Don't ride too close to the kerb - drivers will be tempted to squeeze by and cause you danger. Ride one pace away from the kerb. Rear-end collisions are quite rare.

* Act like a vehicle - drivers will expect that sort of behaviour and respond safely to it.

* Obey all traffic laws.

* Don't be timid to take the entire lane for yourself. Especially at intersections or roundabouts. All you are is just a slow vehicle.

* Don't ride in parked cars' door zone - drivers suddenly open their doors without looking and this is the most common serious crash reason. If you have to squeeze by, check to see if there is a driver in a parked car.

* Expect P-platers to shout obscenities ("Get off the f- road!!). These soon become ridiculous. Ignore or wave friendly.

* Don't give drivers the bird - that merely tends to escalate. Rather wave thanks if a driver saw you and let you go through, or is riding patiently behind you when you have to take the lane.

* Don't use headphones - listening to traffic is quite important.

* Conversely, bikes are silent so drivers & pedestrians can't hear you. On shared paths, use the bell to alert peds. Peds will walk all over paths, not keep left and won't know how to react when you warn them, so be ready for just about anything. Peds often wear headphones so won't hear you - you may have to shout, I often do. Occasionally peds don't realise that you are warning them and nothing works. They often thank me for ringing the bell as warning. As often they get a big fright if you suddenly race past.

* Be on the lookout for dogs which are completely unpredictable.

* Magpies are a particular pest for cyclists in Sept, Oct & Nov. The season appears to be past now. I have suffered many many attacks until I put some cable ties on the helmet.



4. How to tackle difficulties

* Always select the right gear. Practice to switch gears and be able to use all of them.

* Don't pedal too slow - this is a common mistake for beginners and is hard on the knees. Pedalling faster is like light aerobic exercise - you can keep it up for longer. Pedalling slow is like lifting heavy weights - you can only do a few and then you must head for the shower. Knees may give problems later on if pedalling too slowly.

* Combining the above 2 rules, try to select a gear which makes the pedals go around as fast as your legs would during brisk walking or a light jog, no matter what the conditions.

* If you do this, uphills and headwinds will completely disappear in difficulty. Both these will simply be like riding a bit longer distance. Your legs won't know the difference.

* don't be discouraged if you get tired. In the first few weeks your fitness will dramatically improve and soon you will be able to do stuff that you could not even dream about. And you'll feel absolutely great. Not to mention excess body fat will melt away like magic.


5. How to prepare for work after a ride

* Wait a few minutes to cool down. Do some stretching exercises in this time.

* Wipe sweat from body with a damp synthetic cloth, or use the shower.

* Don't ride in work clothes - bring clothes for the day. It is a good idea to bring some spare stuff and keep it at work for those times that you forget to.



6. What to carry along with every ride

* full water bottle. It is a good idea to use sports mix - replacing lost salts is vital to avoid dehydration especially on hot days. Water is absorbed faster if potassium and sodium salts are in the water. Salts and plenty water keeps cramps away. Adding glucose gives you quick energy. I mix my own stuff - gatorade is too expensive and it's just sugars, salts, flavour. Sip every 10 minutes - not when you feel thirsty - that's already a bit late. One bottle per hour on a warm (not hot) summer day. More in high heat, less in winter.

* patch kit - glue, patches, tyre levers, scuffing pad, pump. Check glue is not dried out and that pump fits the valve type. Know how to use the stuff. Especially find and remove the cause of the punctue or you'll be stopped again after 10 minutes. Happened to me once in the rain.

* Spare tube in case of a blowout. In fact changing a tube is faster than patching a puncture. Just change tubes and do patching at home. Make sure tube is right size.

* light nylon jacket in case of heavy rain. For light rain, just get wet. You're hot from riding so won't get cold, except maybe on the coldest winter days.

* pain killers (I get mega-headaches)

There you have some of the stuff I learned the past year.