Stocked the office today, even bought a blender for the protein shakes. Planned my clothes for the ride in and I have some options for the ride home. Got new sneaks at the office plus some socks and shirts. cleaned then lubed my chain and adjusted the front derailer alignment. Rigged a new custom seat post gear bag mount. Wondering if a water bottle would make a good gear container. You know - tube; patch kits and tools. The hybrid has a stem extender and new B&W bar tape. Hoping the fit will be close to perfect now.

What do you do to get ready?

I get on the bike

LOL. Really, no ritual. I ride 18 miles each way now, I take it easy for the first two or so just to warm up and then I turn the wattage up.

-R

"Ritual" seems like not quite the right word for getting ready for a commute; that's just preparation for me. I typically pack my bag and lay out my clothes the night before so I won't make a boneheaded half-asleep error in the morning and forget something crucial. At the office, I have a stash of cleaning-up supplies (restock from the CVS around the corner), a spare pair of Tevas, and that's about it. No elaborate work-clothes plan needed, work is uber-casual. No special food needed, I'm not riding 20 miles or anything like that -- I stop by my usual bagel place on the way in, and if I feel like a little something extra, I get some chocolate soy milk from the fridge (if my boss hasn't drunk it all first).

eat something, put on appropriate clothes, grab additional lights if needed, take bike out of shed, put shed key away, bike safety check, get on bike, ride away. eat/hydrate more later.

I have everything ready on my bike the night before with my food bagged up in the fridge. At 4 am I can spend an hr trying to find everything while sleepy but using this method I can be out the door in 15 min if I should so choose. Generally I spend an hr relaxing and then head out.

1. Carry bike down stairs.
2. Carry battery bags down stairs.
3. Carry lunch/tool bag down stairs with helmet/gloves.
4. Attach batteries and lunch/tool bag.
5. Put on helmet, gloves, and turn on lights.
6. Kiss wife goodbye.

Probably the only ritual I have is to check my tires about 15 mins before it's time to go. My bike is notorious for getting the slow leaks that don't reveal themselves until several hours after I get home at night. Other than that, I toss on the pannier and go. Like others have said, I pack it the night before so I know it will be ready, if my brain isn't.

1. Tell the kids, aged 5 and 3, to stop turning on Papa's lights, and pressing his bicycle horn
2. Throw a spare t-shirt into pannier
3. Make sure I have my wallet and cell phone in the pannier
4. Press the tires to see if there is air
5. Check that the lights are working
6. Kiss the kids goodbye (and wife too if she is still at home by that time)
7. Ride off

1. Pack everything in my pannier the night before.
2. Before heading out, drink water.
3. Roll/carry bike down the 4 steps of the front porch.
4. Set burglar alarm, leave and ride to work.

Mine seems to include forgetting my helmet/lock/lights/water bottle inside at least twice and having to run the gauntlet of cats and dog (all trying to zip outside to see the exciting world!) to go back in to get them. Not a relaxing ritual at all...

putting bag into rear basket. unlocking my bike from a bookshelf, outside(only use 1 ulock at home frame to bookshelf). decide what jacket/reflective vest to bring light wind breaker with reflective vest or heavy rain/wind jacket with reflective bits on it. then pants if needed. lastly puting on helmet, gloves and walking bike to back gate.

what i should do is check the tire presure. i know i've caused a few pinch flats cause i was riding on low tire presure. i tend to notice tire presure a few miles from the house and i adjust mirrors again on the road. i supose i should check front brake too just incase.

once at work/school dismount roll up to bike rack. take off gloves, helmet and striping off jacket/sweater layers. then lock rear wheel+seat tube to rack with ulock, then another ulock to front wheel+frame. i always forget to lock up the helmet too, so i undo the front lock and loop the helmet straps threw. take bag and water and go inside typical changing, shirt atleast.

Just found this item. Was looking through a Nashbar catalog before bed and I think I will order one.

Cage Rocket Storage Container

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product..._200279_200544

tis fun to see what others are doing to 'prep' -

Only 4 communtes for me so far - just started - but...

1. check weather forcast
2. load up back pack if a feed of clothes and food to work is needed
3. check the check list posted in garage - phone, water, helmet, keys , work badge etc...

then to quote Freddie Mercury ...

"Get on your bike and RIDE" ...

FJ

I forgot my water bottle AGH AGH AGH!

Pack as much as I can the night before. Check the weather (and here) before I head out.

Morning: pack backpack with clothes/breakfast/cell/etc, shower/dress, give bike a once-over, connect headlight battery, inflate tires (once every 3 to 4 days), lube chain (once a week), ride.

Afternoon: change into riding clothes, give bike a once-over, ride.

Periodically: check/refill: wipes, body spray, tubes, etc. Make sure emergancy skull cap, gloves, tools, money, etc are in backpack.

I guess the only "ritual" that I engae in is to ride the exact same route to work in the morning then, change it up in the afternoon depending on wind direction/conditions, etc. I also spend the first mile or two just warming up then, I'll crank it up depending on how I feel.

I reverse commute. In other words, my car is at the office in the garage, not at home.

Sunday night: Load the car up with underwear and resupply with belts, shoes, suits, etc.
Monday morning: Load the bike on the car (if its at home for maintenance), go to dry cleaners, pick up clothes. Go to gym at work, work out, shower and change.
Rest of week: Bike in in workout clothes. Grab suit and accessories from car in work garage. Light workout if I'm up to it, shower and head to office.
Friday afternoon: Load bike on car (if i feel like it) or lock to work rack in underground secured lot. Drop off dry cleaning on way home.

I like a quick goat sacrifice. You only have so much time for ritual in the morning. Then it's off to work.

I have everything packed and in my bag so I put my shoes on, unplug my night rider front light and ride off. I do have one kinda compulisive thing, I turn on my taillight before I leave garage, then I go out garage door, wait for do to shut, make sure my back light is still working and then ride off. Then I look down between my legs at the back of the bike to one more time make sure my light is still working. Then I dont think about it for the next 13 miles or so.

I use the bathroom, put on some weather-appropriate cycling clothes, make a PB&J for breakfast, toss some leftovers into a tupperware container for lunch, chuck it in my pannier, put the MP3 player in my pocket and one earphone in my right ear, and start up whatever audiobook I'm working on. Get on the bike and ride. I shower and change when I get to work. Every week or so I swap in new clothes.

Every week or so you change clothes?

I love that
I have to check my tires and make sure I won't need a toilet

Same thing here.
I work in an office and bring in dress pants, shorts, and jeans in every other week.
The other items I tend to bring in every couple days. It is just that pants tend to be fairly bulky.

A peanut butter jar, (12 oz I think) makes a great gear container. I wrapped mine in duct tape. It holds a spare tube, patch kit, bell multi tool, tire "irons", and no one messes with it because it looks crappy.

1) I pack my bag the night before with clothes, towel, wallet, keyy, swipecard, etc. and put it on the bike...makes me think twice about wussing out because of rain or snow.

2) The only other thing I do to get ready is set the alarm, shower, eat something and go.

I stock my desk file drawer with food every other week or so; either brought by car on the days I have off site meetings or purchased at the local grocery over a lunch hour

I leave shoes at under the desk so I don't have to schlep them back and forth.

Clothes and food are shuttled back and forth with a car once a week or whatever. Like the other guys, I typically only keep one set of clothes here at work, but I bring in more shirts as the weather begins to warm up.

Morning routine starts with the basic 3-S's. I then guzzle a cup of cold-brewed coffee, chew on something or down a gel, toss some food in the bag, squeeze tires to check air P, throw on some clothes, plug in the lights, and off I go.

When rolling, I usually freeze for the first 5 minutes (all seasons except maybe 1 week in July) before getting comfy for a 15 minute downhill run, but quickly begin to overheat when I reach the flat. I usually stop at this point to make a clothing adjustment, peel off a layer, ditch a hat, change the gloves whatever feels like it needs it. I then finish the trek without issue -- here lately, I turn the lights off after 1/2 hour.