mc9000

https://vimeo.com/11581665


I’d always thought about biking to work. I’m lucky in that my commute is only 10-12 miles roundtrip, so physically it’s very doable. However, I’d never actually gotten beyond just daydreaming about biking because I knew my regular car commute involved some very non-bike friendly streets with lots of traffic.

Recently I discovered Google had added bicycle routes to Google Maps. For fun I popped in my home and work addresses and was greeted with a much more bike friendly route I hadn’t considered before.

“Hmmm. This looks very doable,” I thought. I tweaked the suggested route with a bit of dragging and dropping and soon had the best possible bike route to my work.

“Man, I think this could work!” I said to a nearby (and nearly comatose) Wubert (my Siamese cat). He breathed in and out a bit in agreement.

“Now all I need is a bike.”

So I spent some time doing bike research. I went to half a dozen shops. I test-drove 6-8 bikes, and finally picked one up last week. I spent the past week doing a little riding around the neighborhood to get used to the bike. I also used the time to figure out what I’d need to make the bike (and me) ready for an actual work commute. Some of the extra stuff I picked up:

ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED

• Side Handlebar Mirror (I realized I needed this the first minute I rode the bike)
• Rear Rack (My work backpack would be heavy with a laptop, notebooks, gym bag, bike stuff, etc., and my research had turned up lots of backpack wearing bicyclists with back problems)
• Milk Crate (w/ a cargo net the cheapest, easiest way to hold lots of stuff on a rear rack)
• Helmet
• Safety Vest (‘cuz I needed something to make me look awesome)
• Patch Kit, Pump, Lock, Spare Tube, Multi-Tool (some of this stuff I already had)

NOT ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED (BUT I GOT ‘EM ANYWAY!)

• Bike Computer (about the size of a pack of matches, displays speed, distance, elapsed time, clock)
• Lights (though I don’t plan on riding at night, I wanted them in my backpack just in case)
• Friday was my first commute (I figured there’d be less traffic). I even strapped my pocket camcorder to the back of my milk crate and shot some video (see above).

The ride went pretty well and was actually fun in spots, though I’m already looking for ways to lighten my 17+ pound backpack. I have a goal of putting a minimum of 500 miles on the bike by the end of the year (that’s how I justified getting the bike computer—to keep track of my miles.) I think I can do it. Wubert snores behind me in support.

Music Used:

“Aerial Boundaries” from Aerial Boundaries by Michael Hedges

iforgotmename

Nice...enjoy the commute.

undisputed83

Do they make Camera's specifically for bikes that mount on the handle bars?

JPprivate

Rear mounted camera? Nice summary. Some of the larger roads would put the fear or god into my bones, though.

waynesworld

Congratulations! Nice video.

rando

Looks like a nice commute! office parks are generally great places to ride, except around 5 pm.

mc9000

I think just about any pocket camcorder or camera that can be mounted on a tripod can be mounted on the right handlebar mount.

mc9000

Yeah, I just used a small velcro strap to secure my pocket vado camcorder to my milk crate. Luckily, I only have one stretch where the road is big with lots of traffic.

mc9000

Good point about the 5 pm part--I'll be thinking about that tomorrow afternoon. I was able to bike home early Friday afternoon and work from home for the rest of the day. I won't have that luxury this coming week.

BTW, nice beagle!

JeremyZ

Well, that is a really cool introduction to this forum. Did you ever say which bike you got? I'm curious.

That video makes it look so easy! Also, the quality seems to be higher than youtube, which I've always used. I might give that a try with my commute. I don't have an HD camcorder, but I don't suppose it needs to be HD for this purpose.

You should fill out your profile info. I'm also curious what bike-friendly town you live in? It is nowhere near that bike friendly where I live.

Yes, you'll want to prioritize & plan a bit to figure out what you really need to bring and how. The milk crate, while functional, is probably heavier than it needs to be. For instance, a lot of people bring their computers back & forth, but I question whether that is really necessary.

mc9000

Thanks, Jeremy. I ended up getting a Marin Muirwoods 29er. I like it so far, though I don't really have any past rides to compare it with. Vimeo.com is a good place for posting videos. To me, the video quality just looks better on vimeo compared to youtube.

I use an old vado HD for my videos. I just checked the price on Amazon and it's $90, not bad for a 720p HD camcorder that fits in your pocket!

I live in San Jose, CA and yes, I'm already getting a bit better at figuring out what absolutely has to go in the backpack and what doesn't. It's an ongoing process, I guess. I'll also fill out that profile!

Happy riding!