PatrickGSR94

I'm guessing the busy 3/4 mile section is Lynnway, and then you probably turn somewhere near Market Street for the last bit, am I right? Riding on the sidewalk along Lynnway *might* be okay, but there are a few spots that look like there might be a few pedestrians, and cars turning in/out of side streets and driveways. You have to be super-duper careful there, especially if you're riding opposite the direction of traffic.

I see lots of parking along Lynnway in the right-hand lane. Is that allowed all the time? Only on certain sections? Where there are no cars parked, it looks like it would be fairly easy to just ride in the right-hand lane, controlling the lane (centered in the lane), which allows motorists to pass in the other two lanes. That will keep you out of the debris in the gutter. That would also make it much easier to get past the fork in the road at Washington St, as opposed to having to negotiate crossing the street there if you're on the sidewalk.

As for stuff, I started out with lights, bottle and cages, and a backpack. Got sick of that pretty quick and added a rack and trunk bag with fold-out panniers. I also have a mini pump strapped to my bike's downtube.

Oftentimes on weekends I'll just jump on my upright utility bike with just flip flops and sunglasses, no helmet or bag or bottles or GoPro camera or any of that stuff, and do a quick 4 miles over to my parents' house using neighborhood roads. Once you get the hang of it, it gets really easy.

Bertha

@Jade: I have a just-below-chin length bob that I can get into a small ponytail but my hair is stick-straight & super baby-fine & gets weighed down/greasy looking easily. I'll never be able to be one of those people who only washes their hair once or twice a week! I have to wash it daily to keep it from looking gross. Maybe if I load it up with dry shampoo before a ride? Or maybe just freshen it with dry shampoo when I get to work. I do have some sweat-wicking yoga headband-type things, maybe I'll try that underneath too. I do have a helmet, I just got a typical $25 black/silver Schwinn helmet from Target but it does have ventilation so at least I'll be cool while looking dorky

Patrick: Yes, it's the Lynnway! But I don't turn at Market St, I turn onto Commercial St a little further down. On the side going against traffic is a park and there aren't as many side streets/driveways. I'd have to cross at the light at Commercial St. If I ride on the sidewalk with traffic, there are many more side roads/driveways but I wouldn't have to cross a major intersection. I'm actually not sure if there is sidewalk the entire length of the Lynnway on the side going with traffic, I'll have to check on my drive in tomorrow. There definitely is on the other side though. I don't know about the parking situation, I never paid attention to it before because I never had to! Motorist privilege! Thanks for the tips!

jade408

@bertha I'd bring some dry shampoo with your makeup wipes and moisturizer.

I find the back of neck is the place most impacted. And maybe a few hairs at my temple. A nice wide headband works great.

Also a great way not to get too hot is to pedal slow.

BobbyG

After 10 years of commuting I found male pattern baldness helped me avoid helmet hair.

PatrickGSR94

Wow, that intersection at Lynnway and Commercial St is really odd. Seems there's no traffic light to go north on Commercial Street across Lynnway, and no crosswalk on the east side of the intersection.

If you can get to where you're comfortable controlling the right lane on Lynnway, that would have the least amount of conflict. But I don't know what the traffic volume is like through there. If you're on the sidewalk on the bay side of Lynnway, it might be better to cross to the other side earlier, like at Shepard Street or something.

Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bertha

@Jade: I have ajust-below-chin length bob that I can get into a small ponytail but my hair isstick-straight & super baby-fine & gets weighed down/greasy lookingeasily. I'll never be able to be one of those people who only washes their haironce or twice a week! I have to wash it daily to keep it from looking gross.Maybe if I load it up with dry shampoo before a ride? Or maybe just freshen itwith dry shampoo when I get to work. I do have some sweat-wicking yogaheadband-type things, maybe I'll try that underneath too. I do have a helmet, Ijust got a typical $25 black/silver Schwinn helmet from Target but it does haveventilation so at least I'll be cool while looking dorky

FWIW, I wear my hair short, but long enoughto part, and I use a water-soluble hair gel (J Crew). I wear a light weightpaper Operating Room surgical scrub cap under my helmet, that keeps my hair inplace without the ridges from the helmet, even on hot days, and it easily brushes into place when I take the cap and helmet off. Perhaps some similar fitted cap would work too.

PatrickGSR94

I don't really know anything about women's hair and bike helmets (I keep my hair buzz-cut short), but as far as sweat wicking, my Halo skull cap is awesome! My head feels cooler in the summer even with the Halo cap covering my whole head underneath my helmet. It also has a strip to keep the sweat from running down into my eyes, which is the main reason why I use it. It also keeps the helmet padding from getting all gross, as it's much easier to wash the skull cap than it is to wash the helmet padding.

snow_echo_NY

good luck @Bertha, you have a lot of good advice on this page. please tell us how it goes and report back~ also if there are any further Qs.

don't be overwhelmed, take it slow. maybe do a practice run on the weekend when you have time to figure out logistics. on my first commute i got lost coming off the manhattan bridge. it happens don't sweat it and enjoy! commuting by bike is an amazing thing. it can be hard at times but it is so much better than driving or taking the train (well it's better than the train here during rush hour).

DumbPartsGuy

Check and see if a local shop has a freebie how to change a tube class. Grab a spare tube and a set of Pedros spoons and throw them in the bottom of your backpack. The only failure I have had out has been tubes. Not a bad idea at all to pick up a bicycle multi tool or a metric folding Allen key set in case anything comes loose. I'm still just using a backpack. I put a rack on my commuter and didn't not find any use for it without panniers myself. I would pick up a taillight for the times you will be on the street. Planet bikes blinky3 is about 10 to 12 bucks and is a great little budget taillight.

If the sidewalk is empty, go for it. There is absolutely no shame is lowering your own level of risk. Heck, I have a 5.5 mile journey each way, and half of it is by sidewalk due to the roads I would be on and the fact that they are usually abandoned.

Have fun. It's a great way to start and end work days, and that much less carbon emitted into the atmosphere that your kids generation will have to figure out how or if it can be fixed.

rumrunn6

+1 on that & I would add "motivation" with the right personal motivation, one can endure great inconveniences.

Fargo Wolf

Just curious as to how the commute went. How was the ride along Lynnway?

Jim from Boston

Hi@Bertha,

There was a recent thread on the Introductions Forum from a new (female) commuter from Malden, “Hi from Boston", and I had replied to it, referencing your current thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimfrom Boston

…Recently, a new female cycle commuter from Nahant(MA) along the North Shore wrote this thread, Newb potential commuter feeling overwhelmed!, and got a lot of helpful replies….

You may find this post below interesting, about the Northern Strand Bike Path, from Malden to Lynn.

mr,grumpy 

Hello. Sadly I know noting about ladies hair-care and am a piss-poor bicycle commuter but I grew up just a the other end of Lynn Beach. Howdy!

If memory serves me correctly there are some pathways and cut thoughts that would allow you to navigate through most if not all the parking lots, ally and side streets along the "Porthole" side of the Lynnway. I think that there was even a recreational path going down behind the apartments at one time, but don't see it on Google Maps now.

You would be insane to ride "inbound" on that street in the "outbid" lane, Through the beach parking lot in the summer or along the causeway itself. I'm not sure if you know or not but there is a paved path though the Dunes that runs the length of the beach and dumps you out at the rotary. Slower but safer than the car-ridden options.

OK, If you're not feeling punk enough to try the "cut through the parking lots" option, this is the route that I suggest:

Dune Path to the rotary. Cross over where Christies used to be and Lynway to Newhall St. Stay on the sidewalk at first but go slow. Get used to "being there" then use the right lane. Own the right lane. You're only going couple hundred feet. Climb up Newell St but turn right down Sagamore. Get up onto Broad street, cut through North Shore if you can. Follow Broad St WITH traffic onto the Lynnway again and take a right onto Pleasant St. and a left onto Alley. IIRC, Alley is WICKED commercial but the road surface is WICKED beat up (good for your bike and bad for cars, keeping them slow). It will take you down to the "city" side Commercial. I think that there is a light with a button and a cross walk there. Use them. Cross Lynnway safely and arrive at work.

(for a trip like that you shouldn't need special clothing: i did it ALL THE TIME in whatever I was wearing. Of course I was 13-14 but.....)

randomgear

Just ride! Even on the sidewalk if it isn't crowded; just yield to pedestrians. Your safety (and your perception of safety) is important and many, perhaps most, people are not comfortable riding in heavy traffic.

Front racks can work very well for lighter loads, just have it mounted as low as it can be mounted. It won't make getting on and off your bike any more difficult. Riding with heavier loads on a front rack, such as a gallon or two of milk, can make the bike handling suffer.

Get a lock and use it to make sure your bike doesn't wander away while you work or run an errand. In Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, and Somerville I would recommend a decent U-Lock. I don't know enough about Lynn or Nahant to give a recommendation of anything less secure.

If you bike shop is midway between home and work and is open during those hours or you can make last second arrangements to be picked up along side the road with a flat(or can walk the rest of the way in) then being able to repair a flat is not a real issue. Or lock the bike up and pick it up later when you have time.

If you prefer to be more self reliant, learning how to change a tire can be very worthwhile.
Possibly the best how-to guide I've seen: How To Change A Bicycle Tire Without Levers - TeamEstrogen.com
To change that tube in a timely manner and still be able to ride, I would suggest a spare tube, tire levers, and a small pump or a CO2 inflator and cartridges. You should be able to change out a tube in 15 minutes or so and be back on the road.

GeneO 

I was not very confident and I put it off for some time (my RT is 28+ miles, but I have a shower at work). The first time was just a mental hurdle to overcome. After that first ride I had wished I hadn't put it off, it was quite easy compared to what I had imagined. Go for it!

Bike Gremlin

If the bike feels good, it fits. If you got a working bike, you're good to go. 400$ for a well functioning bicycle is OK, especially in the long run.


Ride where you feel safe, you'll get used to traffic in no time. This video is VERY good:



Equipment? I used to ride an 11 km one way commute, all year round in work clothes. I did carry a change of clothes for rainy days. No equipment except lights is forced by law in my country and I've been commuting for 30+ years in "civil" clothing, nothing bike specific, apart from carrying a tube patch kit in my backpack. So far so good.

Mudguards and rear rack are a must for me. I put backpack on the rear rack to prevent my back getting all sweaty. For pouring rain days i use Ortlieb waterproof panniers, which cost about 100 euros.

Fastening backpack with bungee cords:



My ugly loaded mule:


Take it easy, one day at a time, experience will come.

Tools:
You need a way to patch a flat tyre, everything else is less important. Flat tyre is like rain: it happens.
Patch, glue and a "spoon" for removing tyre. Some sand paper to clean the puncture place, and a spare tube. You replace punctured tube and patch it when you arrive to work (or come back home).

Tyre patch kit:



In order to remove the wheel for changing tube, you might need 15 mm wrench, uless you have quick release hubs on both wheels - in which case you don't need tools.

I wrote a series of articles on my blog for novice users. These one walk through patching punctures:

1) Removing the wheel
https://www.bike.bikegremlin.com/2016...emove-a-wheel/

2) Removing the tyre and tube
https://www.bike.bikegremlin.com/2016...tyre-and-tube/

3) Patching a tyre
https://www.bike.bikegremlin.com/2016...tching-a-tube/

4) Mounting the tyre

Back to 1) for reinstalling the wheel, just do it the opposite way.

Archwhorides 

Great thread! I would only add that "off hours" is a great time to explore new route options in lower stress, lighter traffic conditions.