First commute to work
 

First commute to work. 3.66 miles in about 18 minutes one way. The ride is fine, mostly well marked bike path. Except for the last .66 mile where the bike path ends and I have to navigate a busy intersection. It is a dicey intersection for cars. I merged into traffic and rode through the intersection that way. From one stop light to another it is a 45 MPH for cars and 2 lanes in each direction. Other than that it was smooth.

Congratulations!

Feels pretty good, doesn't it?

Great job! :thumb: I'll never forget the feeling when I arrived at work by bike the first time. Very satisfying on so many levels.

Yes it does feel great.

I did forget my badge to get in the building :) Remembered everything including my office keys and lunch but not that. It sits in my car.

I carried everything in a backpack. I sweat more on this ride than in the 8 miles I did when I got up this morning. Need to look for ways to hang gear on my bike and not on me.

-Andy

Congratulations, and commuting may be addicting. For me, getting a routine for everything from access badge to lunches helped a lot. Also as you continue you will see what you like and what you may want to change. I started with a backpack, and it didn't take long for me to determine what I can leave at work so I don't have to carry. I also looked for an alternate way to carry things. Personally, I really do not like backpacks while riding.

Congratulations. I started bike commuting this past May and my goal is to aim for two days a week if possible. I do try to pack everything the night before so I don't forget things and so far I've done pretty good. I did start to leave a pair of shoes at work for days I ride so that is one less thing to carry. I started using a backpack, then I switched to a trunk bag with pannier but now I use a combo. It will take a few times to figure out what works best for you. The more I do it the more enjoyable I find the rides.

You'd figure out pretty soon what you need to leave at work for next day and how to carry essential things, (badges access card, change of clothes, hydration packetc), I carry most of my stuff and lunch in a 2 liter Osprey back pack, different size carabiners work great for attaching stuff to back pack, riding home would be lots more fun than riding to work, relaxed no time pressure ride when your coworkers are driving in a hot car or other type of transportation, congradultions

The traffic in that scary intersection will feel like it slows down after you ride through it a couple of times. (But if it ever feels totally safe, you aren't focused enough on the danger)

You might look at Google maps satellite imagery around your office. You may find a sneaky route that lets you avoid that intersection. It could be an access road, a short dirt path through a wooded area, a quick jump between two almost connected parking lots, etc etc etc....any number of methods to avoid that intersection that you'd just never notice while driving a car.

I lived in my neighborhood for 10 years and had been working at the same job for 5 (in the same neighborhood I live in) before I started biking to work. The first couple weeks were awful. Then I started finding all kinds of alternate routes and paths I had no idea existed...all right where I live and work.

Obviously if you work on the other side of that intersection you'll have to cross the road. But you might find an easy route to another crossing a half mile down the road from the intersection that's a much easier place to cross.

Now the wife says we are going downtown for dinner with friends a couple of miles north of my work. They may head out before I am done at work. She said I could ride my bike home so I can drive my car back past my work or bike to them and hopefully throw my bike in the back of the minivan. Perhaps commuting on a Friday wasn't such a good idea :)

Biking to dinner? Sounds like fun to me!

It's a minivan. The bike will fit easily.

You can also just store it in the mini van during dinner for security, then ride it all the way home after!

Why not have them pick you up from work on the way to dinner? You can pick up the bike on the way home.

If you don't want to get crazy researching and shopping, I would just invest in a Topeak MTX DXP Trunk Bag/Pannier with a compatible Topeak rack. The DXP bag is large enough for all your tools, spare tubes, and even your lunch, plus has two fold-out panniers to carry your clothes, your shoes, and even a laptop. Best of all, if you get the right Topeak Explorer rack, the bag will slide right on and off so you can easily remove it when you get to work.

There are hundreds of options to choose from when looking to move your gear from your back to your bike. No two people here will have the same opinion about which is best, so don't make yourself nuts. The setup I described above took me almost two years to settle on, but once I bought it, I've never looked back.

Congratulations on your first commute!

Because I think they are starting earlier than I can leave work. Ill find them... No worries about that :)

I like the look of the Topeak MTX DXP Trunk. Thanks for the tip.

well done. got strobes front & rear?

Congratulations on your first commute!
And I agree with looking for a side route to avoid that intersection, if possible. I have a similar one near my place of work where I would have to cross 3 lanes of traffic to make a left turn. Instead I found an alternate that is slightly longer but lets me avoid that intersection.

Yes front and rear.

Cool! Welcome to your new obsession...now go, Go, GO!

My commute is my favorite part of the day. I love it when someone else gets it. Congrats!!!

Congrats on your first commute! Hopefully the first of many safe journeys.

​​​About the backpack - I have to drive in every few days, so I take a bag with a week's clean clothes when I do. Saves hauling in a backpack, as you say it's not pleasant especially in hot weather.

As do I. Even better, the quick release, rain cover, and the carry handles.


Pros and cons review:

I have that same Topeak bag and rack. Make sure to measure your wheel, the first rack I ordered was too short and didn't have enough clearance so I had to go with the 29er to fit my bike. Love the bag and system in general but I do at time supplement with my GoRuck GR1 backpack. Mainly because on some days I have to carry a bit more so I split the load.

Friday's are the one day that I don't ride because plans for after work are always changing. Any other day of the week works pretty well for me but I do stay away from Fridays. As others said, check Google Maps and put in your trip, there is a bike icon that you can select and it will pick up any MUP's and show alternate routs.

The other thing I did was go out and drove a few different routes to see what trails and paths I had available to me. Just discovered that one road added some MUP to a section that didn't have even a sidewalk so that just gave me yet another route I can take. I don't do roads, I'm just a casual rider so unless I'm in a neighborhood I try to stay off the roads.

The more I ride the more I enjoy it and what I like is I get to see and hear things I wouldn't have noticed before in my car.