Okay i want to start commuting with my mountain bike but to my high school not work. I usually only ride my bike weekends and during the summer but cycling would be much cheaper than a car and gas. I would be a total newbie at this so i read the rest of this thread but still have some questions.
1) Since the total commute would be only around 8 miles, not much and always in the day, how much of this equipment would i really need? My ride would be during the day at all times.
2) Would i be able to ride with a normal backpack? A messenger bag really doesnt have enough room but the thought of a heavy backpack on a rainy day doesnt sound good.
3) this is a route question. one route i could take would be shorter and less hilly but also goes on extremely busy streets that im not sure i would be comfortable riding on. the other way is around 2 miles longer, not much, but with lots of large hills (not good with heavy backpack). the 2nd route is a lot less busy though. Either way i would have to ride at least half a mile on the busy road including over a bridge (i dont like bridges) which kind of freaks me out. Any suggestions on which route would be helpful.
4) one more quick question, at least for now. how much time should i allow for riding there, and changing, etc.?