Hi all.

This is an interesting little thread. Since most of you seem to be stateside I thought I would internationalise it a bit. My commute is a 32k round trip through central Tokyo. It is not as bad as it sounds. It takes 45 mins which is the same as the train and actually quite flat. Apart from being a very interesting little trip past lots of tiny shops etc. it also provides an excellent workout. I go even in the winter and find if I arrive at my office with 1/2 hour to cool off I don't even need a shower. Tokyo of course has hellish traffic but also a LOT of people using heavy shopping bycycles. These things I would say are the major hazard, appearing from nowhere in the maze of tiny streets one uses to stay off the main roads and generally giving one palpitations when one is cruising along at 30kph. Buses and taxis are the second most deadly predators. Apart from that though it is a brilliant ride and I would not give it up. I use a hybrid Merida citybike and have changed the tyres to panaracer thinnies and put on toeclips. I have lots of flashing lights to aid my survival stats, a helmet and a cateye bike computer which is invaluable.
Anyone else cycling in Tokyo or Asia?