Commuting for the minimalist.
 

Hey guys,

Few questions for ya.ABout to enter my third year of commuting to school. My first year, I did the fenders and rack thing. Commuted every day 6 miles.Midway through the second year, the super utilitarian commuter got traded in for a zippy little fixie. The same commute although on rainy days I usually just took the train (I commuted in the winter though).


So I went from rack and panniers to messenger bag. I want to commute everydaythisyear, but need a bit of help with dressing on the rainy days.

A. I don't want full coverage fenders.They would look really silly on my bike. I will however put a seatpost mounted one on(I know you guys hate those) I use clips and straps at the moment, but am considering going clipless.

I usually wear jeans, something over them would be nice.


Thanks

Frank

I'm very happy with my O2 Rainwear pants: http://www.rainshield.com/p_cycling.html

They stuff into a small bag, so they shouldn't take up too much room in a pack. They are lightweight, and easy to just throw on in pinch. Certainly not for the 20mile+ club around here, but they work great for small utility rides under 10 miles.

But, they will make you look like a duck, and certainly aren't cool. Much less cool than full coverage fenders.

Minimalism is about reduction to the necessary components; I think you could make a good argument that a truly "minimalist" commuter bicycle would include things like fenders. That's just nitpicking though, as I'm sure you actually mean "minimal" or "bare".

Regardless, since I assume you'd also balk at wearing bright yellow plastic pants, you'd be better off wearing something that you can look cool in, and then changing into dry clothes once you arrive at your destination.

I agree with lambo_vt about the definition of "minimalist". With that said, I use a clip-on fender and it seems to work just fine. With only a six mile commute, you can often choose your moments, chill out for half an hour and miss the worst of the bad weather. As for rainwear looking dorky, riding along soaking wet looks dorky, like you're too stupid to come in out of the rain. If you want to ride in the rain, use some kind of rain gear.

rain pants over jeans could be exceptionally sweaty.

Agreed. There are few non-frigid situations in which I'd want something over jeans!

Minimalism is about having no more than one bike. Put whatever accessories on that bike are necessary .

just get wet, as long as the temp is above 55f you should be warm enough in wet jeans. If you are looking for a minimum equipment approach that's the way to go. That is my approach here in Iowa, it is rare that we get rain and its below 55 outside, if its that cold it usually falls as snow. By the way, if you are riding in the rain, fenders aren't going to keep you dry. They may keep you dry if you are riding on wet pavement, but if water is falling from the sky then the water on the ground should be your last concern.

It sounds to me like you are way too worried about appearance for bike commuting. I've got SKS Raceblade fenders on my road bike and keep my rain gear (Briko Hurricane bib-pants & Adidas Response rain jacket) with me at all times in my backpack. If it's raining out I don't really care how fashionable I look, it's more important to me that I'm 100% dry, don't have a reverse skunk stripe up my entire backside and I'm not sweating to death because my rain gear can breathe.
Wet jeans take forever to dry. On possible rain days why not just bring your jeans to change in to at your destination?

I ride one bike which is fixed.
When it rains I stick the rear fender, but I just planning on getting wet anyway.
When it gets cold I wear shoe covers and thickers socks, and last winter I stuck with the clips and straps and they worked fine. I have always used a backpack to carry stuff, but I am considering a cetma rack.

My fixed gear has fenders and a rack. Doesn't look silly to me. Showerspass makes rain pants. Put your jeans in your bag and change when you get to school. Get some shoe covers too or you'll be walking around in wet socks and shoes all day.

No, it's about keeping to a minimum you equip your bike with. I see some handlebars that look like a control panel for the space shuttle. Do you really need a GPS to get to work? Do you need a cyclometer? Can you not just put a mini pump in your messenger bag?

My bike is pretty smooth and sleek and has the very minimum that I need. i.e. nothing added on.

I like riding on the rain, a little sweady at the end. I bought my rain gear at Kmart, its red colored, its very important to wear bright colors when riding on rainy days, you wanna be seen at all cost!

About fenders, if you have rain gear no need for fenders, BUT, your gonna have a nasty street fudge line on your back and head.....fenders save you from the dity street.....plus fenders look cool no matter what bike =-)

i saw a nice water resistant messengers bag on: www.sciplus.com under militaria (this website is grea!)

My fg commuter is my minimalist bike, although I do rock a pair of full fenders and mudflaps on it because I also ride long distance with it. If it didn't rain for 9 straight months I might consider a different option. I also don't bother with raingear since I have a full shower/locker setup at work, so I'm a wool advocate.

For a truly minimalist fg setup, though;
- 1 bottle cage
- 1 blinkie light, 1 reasonable headlight
- Speed-EZ or Raceblade fenders
- carry your extra gear in your bag

From a "minimalist" perspective I see no difference between a mini-pump in a messenger bag vs. a mini-pump on the bike. It's a matter of personal preference.

Actually I do see an advantage. If you're riding some place where you don't need to carry anything, if you've got a spare tube, patch kit, and pump on your bike, you can leave the mess bag at home.

I like my zefals - easy on and easy off -- good for switching from bike to bike (mtn to roadie), plus I use my hardtail mtb as commuter and will also change tires out occasionally and use it off road.

http://www.cyclepathbrampton.com/acc...efalSwan07.jpg

:)What do you do then with that stuff if want to lock up and go inside, or walk away from your bike? Carry it?

I like the looks of my bike and hate to see it all lumpy with add-ons and attachments. I will not commute with the bike equivelant of the family truckster. ;) :)

So your body will be all lumpy with add ons and attachments instead. :)

Minimalist, to me, means the minimum you need. In my case, I feel I need fenders, and a rack and pannier in order to get to work clean and dry on wetter or hotter days. However, to each his own.

This is one thing I've never understood about certain types of weight-weenie cyclists. They'll brag for hours about how light their carbon-everything dream machine is, and tell me how much weight I could save by not using my handlebar bag or Carradice. Then they'll stuff 2 tubes, 3 CO2's, an inflator, levers, 3 Clif Bars, 3 gels, a tube of NUUN, 2 bananas, some sunscreen and packs of Chamois Butt'r into their jersey pockets and now their shirt hangs halfway to the bottom of their shorts.
Weight is weight, whether you carry it on the bike or on yourself, you've still gotta lug it up the hills just the same.
I can see if you carry a courier bag and put everything in it, then there's no additional pull on your clothing. All I ever carry in my jersey pockets (left to right) is garbage (wrappers and pages of cue sheets), spare water bottle, and a bandana I use to mop my brow.

Don't know how much difference it actually makes, but weight on your body is "sprung" and weight on the bike is "unsprung".

I said "necessary", not "excessive".

You've have it backward. Raindrops are harmless. Roadspray, on the other hand, is evil. It makes you filthy and throws grit, salt, and other contaminants all over your bike, gets grit in you bearings, prematurely wears down your drive train and makes you and your bike an ugly filthy mess. A good set of full fenders with mudflaps mostly protects roadspray from you and the bike.

Generally, I leave it on the bike. If I was really worried about the pump more often than not I'd have a way to carry it with me. If I had to leave my bike parked over night at a place like a college campus, then I probably wouldn't carry a pump on my bike.

I won't loose any sleep over the possibility of a patch kit or spare tube getting stolen.

Any chance you can wear shorts and a wicking tee or jersey? Then just allow yourself to get wet, and change when you get to your destination. (carry work clothing in your pack or bag.)
this is what I do in warm weather.

In cold weather, when overheating is not an issue, I use the cheaper rainsuits from Kmart, or from discount outdoor clothing stores.

With this system, fenders are nice to have but optional.

Around here, that stuff will get stolen if it's left on the bike, especially in areas where there are a lot of cyclists. I wouldn't lose sleep over a stolen tube or patch either, but I might lose a lot of time if I had a flat and no way to fix it.