Ready to start commuting! But with a couple questions...
 

Greetings all - and first a "thank you!" as I've been lurking around here for a while now and absorbing all of the information I can about commuting by bike. I have a 3-mile commute each way and I've decided with gas at or above $4/gallon, I have no more excuses to drive my V8, 4x4 Tundra to work every day.

I landed here when I was trying to decide whether to try and commute on my Gary Fisher Tassajara, my Bianchi Eros, or look for something new... My gut told me that the Bianchi Eros which hadn't been ridden since my 4-year-old was born would be up to the task so I got it down from its perch in the garage and drove it over to my LBS. I asked for a tune-up and a once-over since it's been collecting dust for 4 years and then ended up chatting up the mechanic about making it a workable commuting bike for my short ride.

The guy LOVED my bike. He said with the steel frame and rack tabs, it'll make a great commuter. In the end, I'm getting new tires (he's going to try for 32cc but go down to 28cc if they don't have enough clearance), new cables and housings, and a new stem (old-school threaded style) that is a bit taller and will allow a more upright riding position. I asked them to take off my SPD pedals for now since I'm no longer used to riding on them and just give me some clips and strips, and to re-tape the bars.

So for a fraction of the cost of a new bike, it's going to be mostly new to me! The only hold up is that he has to special order the stem so I won't get my machine back until Thursday or Friday so I have to wait one more week to commute by bike!!

With that way-too-long introduction out of the way, I have a couple questions...

Regarding the route, most of the roads here in Northern Colorado have ample bike lanes, but I'm debating whether to stick to the main roads (nothing major - not highways but not a lot of lights), or try to make my way through neighborhoods. Less traffic off the main roads, but also wondering if I'm more likely to get whacked by some guy backing out of his driveway in his Suburban and not paying attention than if I just stuck to main roads where people are sort of used to cyclists. Thoughts?

Regarding wardrobe - for a 3-mile commute, should I be thinking of riding in my work pants (weather-permitting)? I generally favor dressier khaki-like pants. Usually the no-stain, no-wrinkle ones from Eddie Bauer. I am a high school assistant principal so Monday - Thursday I usually wear a shirt and tie. I'm wondering about how people handle wardrobe on relatively short commutes. I'm thinking wear the pants with a t-shirt and leave shirts and ties at work (or carry them?)...

Finally, racks and panniers - I'm not tickled with the selection at my LBS. Any advice?

All in all, I'm pretty excited. I've put it off for a year and just need to bite the bullet!!

Thanks for the great info on these forums!!

Welcome to the board. I've been looking for one of those older Eros' for a long time. Great bike.

Personally, I think you'd be better off on the main roads. As you said, your chances of getting wacked by someone not looking for a bike is greater. This is the only time I've ever had any issues really is when riding through neighborhoods.

For clothes, you can easily wear what you have for that length of commute. Just take it easy in the morning. Maybe put a rack on the bike and a rack trunk or pannier and put some athletic clothes in it for the ride home. This is what I do as well. Make sure and get something to wrap your right pants leg though. Something like a strip of velcro works fine. If not, you'll get some nice grease on your pants leg.

I recently picked up a set of Trek Interchange panniers for $100 and really like them. Easy on and off and can hold quite a bit. Most places have Trek dealers. Check their site.

Welcome to the club. You'll soon be asking all sort of stupid questions. :-) Most people here are very nice and willing to help. Before too long you'll be wondering why you haven't been doing this all along.

As for the route, I'd say just try it out and see which you prefer. I tend to prefer side roads as I can deal with folks backing out without looking pretty easily. On the down side dealing with stop signs/intersections every 5 feet gets old.

For wardrobe, if you need to look your best then I would probably ride in workout clothes and put my work clothes in a bag (rolling helps prevent wrinkling). If that doesn't cut it, I would consider a garmet pannier such as this one: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=21437

At the very least if you are riding in pants, you will need something to keep the bottoms out of the chainrings/chain such as a chain guard or one of those velcro reflective bands that every shop usually has on the counter.

For a rack, if you are considering any sort of pannier, I would highly recommend a Tubus. One with two sets of top rails, such as the Cosmo and Logo, allows for panniers and a trunk bag to be mounted at the same time easily. Should also help keep the panniers out of the spokes. Check out:

http://thetouringstore.com/
and
http://biketrailershop.com/catalog/index.php

If you aren't going to be using a pannier, than you may be satisfied with one that just connects to the seat-post.

Nashbar's got a really nice folding wardrobe for about 80.00. Performancebike.com has the same one. Neither are waterproof. Someone does make a waterproof(or resistant) one for more money, but I can't remember who makes it. Delta Universal Mega rack...pretty much bombproof for around 30-35.00. Can recommend 2 sites for gear w/no shipping charges. http://www.brandcycle.com w/a 50.00 minimum or http://www.bikeisland.com w/no minimum. Get a Topeak Road Morph w/guage for your frame pump...you wont regret it. 30.00 from bikeisland.

Welcome back! :thumb:

Got aced on the Nashbar Garment pannier...I type too slow. :-)

The side streets would be better, in my opinion, IF they are through-roads. Here in my area, though, the major roads go through, and the side streets don't, so you wouldn't have too much choice. Riding around the local neighborhoods, I've never had problems with cars backing out, etc. Of course, I'm going 15 mph and not 25 mph, too.

For 3 miles, I'd wear work clothes if I didn't get them totally sweaty -depends on your fitness and the weather.

Edit: Just noticed you're in Loveland- street clothes should be fine there! We lived in Loveland one year, Fort Collins for 4 years- great riding weather in the summer.

Thanks for the responses so far! Lots of food for thought which I appreciate.

My wife and I grew up in Florida and lived there until about 3 years ago. Before kids I was quite the mountain biker and occasional road biker, but my cycling recently (over the last 4+ years) has been limited to using the Gary Fisher to tow the kids around in the Burley... Looking forward to getting back into it!!

In the year-round heat and humidity of FL, I never considered commuting by bike, but the nice thing about CO is that even in the summer the mornings are generally cool and dry. Add in the fact that I work in a school and am usually at work by 7AM and my morning commute shouldn't be too bad.

Congrats on deciding to make the change. I would always opt to take the backroads when possible, even if it meant increasing the mileage or ride time (not necessarily a bad thing) by a bit. The best thing about going by bike is you really do have the freedom to explore different roads, paths, and streets on a whim. Everyday can yield a new discovery.

Performance brand Transit rear rack and small waterproof panniers have done the job well for me, and for about $60 total invested. My only gripe about the panniers is that over bumpy terrain, they have the tendency to slide forward on the rack, causing some heel strike. It's simple stop and adjust thing when that happens.

And because of the panniers, I have begun wearing shorts while riding, and rolling and stuffing my work pants and shirts in the panniers, along with a jacket, lunch, patch kit, and pump. I usually keep a towel, face wash, and body spray at my desk. Once in, I just head off into the restroom. Takes about 10 minutes to freshen up.

I was fortunate in that I can wear knit shirts to work instead of shirt and tie. I put on warm up pants and roll the dress pants and carry them with me, but wear casual dress shoes and black socks for the ride in. Now that a heat wave has hit, I'll switch to shorts for the rides I think. I have the similar dilemma regarding main roads vs side and usually take the side roads; early in the morning I just clear the intersection as soon as safe (very little traffic even in our urban area, at 6:45 am). Since my commute is only 3 miles like you, the start and stops (when necessary) add to the exercise aspect of the ride.

You may want to try both main and side roads and see what your prefer. I'm a bit timid to ride 12 MPH on the 40 MPH main road portion of my commute so I go one block down where it's a residential neighborhood. The cool thing about that road is that it's really wide - wide enough to put 2 lanes per direction even. That way I can stay well away from parked cars and driveways and cars have ample space to pass me without giving me the squeeze. The down side is 4-stops every 500 to 700 ft.

Again - great advice so far! I scouted a couple of "side roads" on my way in this morning. Having a Nuvi in my truck helps quite a bit seeing whether roads connect where I need them to.

I'm so anxious to get my ride back on Thursday... This week is just going to drag on!!

I'm liking the look and practicality of this TransIt Metro Pannier. You can carry it over your shoulder when you arrive at your destination. I'm undecided as to whether I'll leave my ride in the bike rack with the kids' bikes... I don't think it will fit in my office, but there is a large storage closet in the administrative area that might work. Either way - having the ability to carry the pannier(s) off the bike may be handy...

While you're out scouting, you may want to note elevation changes and inclines. When I first started commuting, I went only through residential neighborhoods to avoid a main street that has a street car running on it (street speed limit 25 MPH mostly commercial). However, I soon got tired of the route because I had to climb about 100 ft up along the side of a hill just to go back down about 1/2 mi away from my destination. That was on top of a 100 ft climb over 1.5 mi.

I later used the street with the street cars because it went along the base of that hill and was basically flat. Elevation change was about 150 ft up over a distance of 3 miles or so. Lots more traffic on 1.3mi, vehicular and pedestrian, due to commercial strip and bordering residential areas and light rail for about 1.5mi but it was a much easier ride.

I would stay away from this one. I have it and hate it. The strap intended to keep the bag on the bike does not work well. It is hard to fasten and I found the no matter how tight I got it the bag would come lose going over bumps, pothole, etc. I have to use bungee cords to strap the bad boy down. Some other panniers actually clip on. Ortlieb has some, I think you can get those all over including REI. some front Panniers work on the back and are slightly smaller if you don't have a lot to carry.

I ride in my work clothes for my 8 mile each way commute. Pants and a t-shirt when it's warm with a spare t and my shirt in my bag. Take it slow in, enjoy the morning, set speed records on the way home.

ScottE22,

As a HS asst. principlal maybe you could have access to the gym locker room and shower. That is a big bonus in itself. I commute alot but still there are days I need to drive so I take advantage of it by taking extra clothes to work, clothes I know I'll be needing in the near future, and bringing home the old ones. Congrats on making the move to commuting. It's one of the few things in life that's good that becomes addictive.

I have a Kensington laptop bag and two carabiner clips on a Blackburn Mtn. rack as my pannier. Detaches in seconds and goes everywhere with me on a shoulder strap. I usually ride (~5 mi one way) in kahkis and loafers, t-shirt or wool sweater, and some sort of jacket. I bring a clean t-shirt and dress shirt with me and do a quick rinse-n-change when I get to school (I"m a CC student) or work (as a waiter in a nice place), although the restaurant provides clean uniform shirts. Add a small hairbrush, a can of Axe body spray, and some goo for my hair-all easily stashed.

Advice = pedal faster.

:D

I sometimes ride in my work pants which are drip dry poly blend and a casual dress shirt (if there is such a thing). However there is a risk of getting chain grease on your pant leg so I usually only do it in black pants, and of course I use a velcro cuff strap. The shirt is less of a worry. I always have one backup set of clothes at the office, but I bring clothes most days anyway just in case I brought the spare office clothes home and forgot that I did!

I don't usually have to shower at work until it gets up to high 20s (close to 80 F) and humid. But that's partly because my morning ride is mostly downhill and I can coast a lot on hot days.

I ride around 10 miles each way here in Denver in my work clothes... mostly jeans or khaki pants and decent shirt... Nice thing about riding a bike is that if you start to sweat you can slow down and take it easier. :)

Your biggest enemy will likely be goathead thorns... I'd recommend kevlar belted tires and thorn resistant or slime tubes... With only a three mile commute it won't be the end of the world if you get a flat, but you may want a spare tube, pump, and patch kit anyway.

Good tip! Thanks!

Yeah - I was reading this on some of the reviews once I started to look a little closer...

Sometimes the most obvious solutions are right in front of you!! I can't believe I didn't think of this...

I paid for some thorn-resistant Specialized tires - the name is eluding me right now, but this is a huge consideration. I even got thorn resistant tubes in our Burley a year or so ago.

I was car free for 4 years commuting North West of Denver. Oh yes, tough tires in the spring summer and fall. In the winter I wish I had known about studded tires. They would have saved me many nasty crashes and a lot of time when I could have gone faster during icy conditions. Be very protective of your face, hands, and feet during low temps. Quality shoe covers and gaiters for wet,slushy, and cold times.

Shoe covers? I wear a pair of $20 waterproof hiking boots from Walmart when it's cold/wet. They keep my feet nice and toasty. ;)

I loves me my campus pedals! :D

There is no one way to decide on a route. Some main roads are great and some are very marginal. It depends a lot on your tolerance for road noise, traffic, etc. Three miles isn't much but having a nice quiet morning ride has value too.

As for worrying about being backed into, road position is key. Don't hug the curb or be a jack-in-the-box, i.e. popping in and out of the spaces between parked cars while you ride down the street. Ride in a consistent and predictable manner. Don't ride right next to the parked cars either...be about 3 feet out so that you don't get doored. And keep the same line when you hit a gap between parked cars.

The best approach to any kind of riding is to constantly think "Can they see me?" and to be prepared for when you are wrong.

Clothing is a very personal choice. I can't ride 3 blocks without being soaked...at any speed. I'd suggest maybe not riding in the clothes you are going to wear for the day but in something else and changing when you get there. You might not need high tech fabric or clipless pedals, etc. but something light and cool wouldn't be bad. Leave a pair of shoes at work and don't schlep them back and forth every day.

However, if you do wear bike clothes to ride in, you have an opportunity to go ride on the way home. Nothing will reduce the stress of dealing with herds of teenagers better.

For racks, just about anything will do. Go to REI and look for a Delta Mega Rack Universal. Good and cheap rack. I have panniers (several sets actually:innocent:) but I rarely use them for commuting. A rack trunk will carry a huge amount of stuff. Performance (there's one in Boulder) makes a really good one called the Transit that will stand up to years of abuse.

Good luck.

I used this site to scout and map my ride then I drove the route to see if traffic was OK.

www.mapmyride.com

Kev

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...e/456050948714

That is a great site once you get past the learning curve of how to plot a route! Looks like my ride to work is mostly downhill which means the ride home will be a little more work -- perfect!

The "Direct" Route
The "Neighborhood" Route

Strangely, both start and end in the same place but the max elevations are off by 200 feet! I live on the side of a hill, but not that much of a hill that a little mousing to the left should change it by 200 feet!!

+1 I lived in Idaho for two years, those thorns suck! Combine Kevlar or tire liners with slime tubes, heavy but very effective.

+1 I lived in Idaho for two years, those thorns suck! Combine Kevlar or tire liners with slime sealant (more goo if you put it in yourself), heavy but very effective.