Thread Up in Your Head
 

Hey everybody, I’m thinking about riding to work tomorrow. It’ll be the first time in a long time. I know it will be good but I still have the jitters. My commute is super short, 2.2 mi. I’ve done it before but not in about a year.

I don’t really know why I’m posting, but I have the sort of 50% excited/50% worried state of mind. I know the commute will be fine, but I’ll feel better when I’ve done it.

When you commute, you think “This is so incredible, I’ll never stop.” For some reason you do stop. I do, anyway... Then the thing becomes simply re-starting. Re-starting is the thing.

Let us know how it went!

Hey everybody, it went fine. My new Power Grip pedals need to be a little tighter, and I could still use a few more teeth on that big cog, but the tiny commute went very well. The first one's the hard one.

I'm back baby!

The nice thing about commuting is that in the afternoon, you're already on your bike. You don't have to go straight home. ;)

My commute is 5 miles. I rarely (not even 1/week) go straight home. My shortest alternate route is about 8 miles. It's not unusual to do 18-25 if I have time. I love hauling ass at over 30 mph in my velomobile. The looks I get are great. I can push that kind of speed for 3 miles or so before I have to dial it back a bit. :D

Are people still out and about in Virginia?

I think it is was a mistake for some Governors and Mayors to bake in the thinking that people can't even bike outdoors. I mean ... on my bike I don't come within 25' of anyone. How can that possibly spread virus? Perfectly healthy people are going to have health complications from sitting on their butts for months without any exercise whatsoever. How can that make sense, to avoid spreading (or catching) COVID-19 but losing your job because you didn't work for four weeks, or made your diabetes worse because you did nothing for four weeks, or, or ... I don't know, I think our authorities need to allow people to think that they can go about life as close to normal as possible as long as they take common sense precautions.

It's interesting that different places are handling things differently. I'm very pleased that my governor (NY) has waived all fees in county and state parks. We should go out and get fresh air.

My first commute will be April 6th. That's when we'll be allowed back to work, on a reduced schedule.
My commute will be 14.5 miles. Nothing to sneeze at afaic. Wish me luck.
Honestly, the worst part will be having a backpack on and then the very tired ride home after 10 hrs. of hard work. I sling a lot of steel and weld it together. I'm an outdoor dog, not an indoor dog. Lol!

Hamstring welcome to BF. For a commute that long, it might be best to attach your luggage to your bike.

I agree. Looking at these now.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/cart/view.html?ref_=nav_cart

Hamstring, you posted a link to your cart which turns into a link to my cart, not the product. Panniers? There are a few top-notch pannier brands, Ortlieb being one of them. They are worth it if you use them a lot. One problem with panniers is that they're not useful anywhere else, not as a shoulder bag, backpack, etc. I have Ortlieb panniers and like them. My spouse has bottom-of-the-line Nashbar panniers, and they are crappy, but she barely ever uses them, so they are right for her. Another possibility is a basket, because you can toss in whatever you're using that day whether it's a backpack, briefcase, or anything else.

Serious props for combining a decent bike commute and an active job! :thumb: Good luck - you'll be in really good shape after a week or two of that.

Truly! I had a 13.5 mile commute, and it was a bit much for me. I only did it two or three days a week, because it made me so tired.

This is my actual goal, maybe twice a week. Especially in the heat of Summer. It's rarely below 90 degrees here and it's over 100 quite often.

This is the set-up I'm looking at noglider.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...96d8237c8c.png

If that's what you're looking at, then may I suggest you consider the Topeak MTX DXP combination trunk bag/pannier set and compatible rack? It's very similar, with the very cool quick-release system, but it also has two fold-out panniers in which you can carry clothing, shoes, a notebook, etc. I've had mine for several years now and consider it the very best bicycle-related purchase I have ever made.

Will do. I've a Topeak seat bag on it now. Topeak seams to be of reasonable quality.

Unless they have changed models, there's the "DX" and the "DXP," the DXP being slightly larger. Though it may not initially seem like you'll need the extra space, I am so glad I returned the DX and added a few bucks to get the DXP instead. It's DEFINITELY worth the extra investment. Good luck, and don't overthink it like I did!

the more you do it, the fewer teeth you'll need :D

reminded me, I used to have a nemesis hill that I got better at over time. then I switched bikes & had to battle that darn hill again, but I eventually got back to good performance despite harder gearing. keep at it.

btw if you're working from home now you can still do your work commute, just as a round trip. I almost did mine the other day but I had a nother goal, so I didn't

Absolutely agree! I'm fed up wth sitting on the same place, you know, it makes me mad.

I had a couple of those nemesis hills, too, @rumrunn6. After a few weeks, I didn't even notice them. I don't live near them any more, but now they are jokes to me, so small and easy. Funny, I'm 59, and I'm a better climber than when I was 20. Or maybe I just tried to go up too fast.

>>>Funny, I'm 59, and I'm a better climber than when I was 20. Or maybe I just tried to go up too fast.<<<<

Hah! I know exactly what you mean, and I think your analysis is correct. When I was in my 30's and got back into cycling, I used to obsess about what people in cars were thinking when they passed me on a steep hill. For that reason, alone, I would overexert myself and bonk halfway to the top. Now that my grey hair makes me look like I have no business even being on a bicycle, I care a whole lot less. And because I pace myself, I get up hills a lot easier!

@Papa Tom, I'm not convinced that's what was going on with me at age 20. I remember huffing and puffing and not going fast. I will never know. My breathing rate barely goes up on that hill nowadays. I'm talking about the hill that the George Washington Bridge is on in Manhattan. I lived north of the hill (at the bottom) and work and college were south of it, so I climbed the northern slope in the morning and the southern slope in the evening.

Later in life, I lived in a hilly part of NJ and learned to pace myself. I'm not amazingly fast, but I manage to climb most hills without stopping or walking.

I guess the trick is to not question "why" and just keep doing it. It's awesome when SOMETHING doesn't hurt these days!

Sorry for the late response... I’d have to say ‘not really’ it seems lots of people are scared by all the hysteria.

Totally agree. Sunshine and fresh air, it’s got to be good.