Also on your capabilities. Who's better off: a MacGyver who knows first aid and can improvise a bandage, sling or splint out of the materials at hand...or someone carrying a "first aid kit" who doesn't know how to use it?

At some point you have to stop planning and start riding. Years ago, I stated commuting with a bike and a backpack filled with work essentials and nothing more...there was no planning. Over time you'll discover what is worth bringing with you and what is dead weight.

Your first winter will be a fun challenge as you discover, via trial and error, what kind of clothing and how much clothing to wear. In the winter the first thing I do every morning is evaluate the day's forecast, then spend the next 5-7 minutes in the shower pondering what combination of clothes will work best for the day.

That's a 'False Dilemma'.

Funny, but true. :thumb:

As is "it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it" -- which was exactly my point (note that my example includes a third alternative). Now, who's creating the "false dilemma" again?

The "it's better etc." is not a false dilemma. :)

So true, years ago when I was younger I would do things with no plan & just jump into things with both feet. The sink or swim mentality. I have grown older and wiser & learned that planing something out increases your chances of success considerably. I can build a deck on the side of your house off the top of my head but it is much better to draw a set of plans on paper and discover the problems before you start to build. Only fools rush in I believe is how the song goes. Patients & wisdom is the gift of age

And when you get really old you learn both patience and spelling! :thumb:

I've done it (deck) both ways and I agree with your conclusion. :thumb:

I see you have uncovered my weakness. spell check only works if you know what spelling you want LOL

Do you want some punctuation humour? :)

Sorry to go drastically off topic, but I've recently given up on Modzilla and now use IE 8. Is there a spell check function?

Timber,

If you're using Modzilla, you have no excuse. :)

Oh. And my "Who's better off" is?

Right. Thanks for the lesson in logic, I'll have to remember that the next time someone tries to tell me that a comparison of two things means something different depending on who's comparing them.

Good luck, have fun!

Riding a bike is much simpler than deck building.

Tell it to them in A&S :lol:

I have learned things the hard so I try to apply what I have learned to everything I do

Indeed, it is. You gave two options. There's at least one more, right? :)


You're welcome. :)

True dat! :twitchy:

Ok here is my ride
 

The only other thing I will carry is my fanypack. I am traveling as light as I can.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...er_8/010-1.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...er_8/007-1.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...er_8/009-1.jpg

1. Get a light you can mount on the rack...the one on your seat bag is going to be next to useless angled downward as it is. A different seat bag might help...the Avenir Big Mouths have one of the better blinky attachment straps I've seen, but either way two blinkies are better than one.

2. The seat bag is going to make it harder to use your rack if you need to, consider using a trunk bag (which you can also mount a blinky on), or going to an actual rack, rather than a seatpost mounted one, which might end up lower, thus allowing you to use both a seatbag and the rack.

3. Consider using 2 water bottle cages

4. Consider some bar-ends...you will appreciate the additional hand positions.

one of your grips is on backwards


good luck! let us know how it works out. I am going to start commuing again this week as well.
I would recommend some light as well. front and rear blinkies

You'll be fine. Just start riding, and you'll figure out what you need pretty quickly.

wow I never noticed the grip on backward

Like a different bike. Don't worry it happens to us all. I commute on numerous different bikes.

Seatpost racks are overheavy and underuseful. Also if those are stock pedals with a plastic body and metal cage, don't expect them to last long, maybe 500 miles, before it's time to replace them.

To be honest I only put the post rack on because I like the way the bike looks with it. I am considering the folding baskets though. Much depends on the feed back in that thread though

Thanks I got my hand grips all squared away LOL. I have my lighting all set. I am running a Cygolight with 350 lumens. I am running the Mightycross 350

http://www.cygolite.com/products/index.html

The blinky light that is on my seat bag is now on the back of my helmet and I have another Blinky on my Fanny pack at the center of my lower back. I would like a light on the back of my rack but we will see. I might stop at my LBS tomorrow and grab a few things

I'm thinking about buying the Mightycross. After you've used it for a while, please post a critique.