Commuting mistakes
 

Just a thread to while away a slow Sunday afternoon - can't even go cycling at the moment :(

I consider myself new to commuting, because this is the first time I'm trying to do things correctly. However, I commuted by bike for two years in Duluth, Minnesota, when I studied there. My bike was a hand-me-down Walmart bike that had never seen maintenance, and apart from filling air regularly, I didn't do any either.

I cycled through winter as well, going to college, grocery stores by bike (and bus) and using a big camping backpack for stuff. I never carried a puncture kit, nor did I have any lights or even a helmet. On the few days when I biked at night, I carried a torch in my hand. I couldn't afford a car, and it never occurred to me to figure out a better way to cycle. Mine was the only bike that tied up to the rack outside college most days. Apart from one spill on the ice, and one near accident when an undergrad came roaring out of her hostel in her car, I managed okay. Looking back, it's a miracle I survived.

Anybody else here made such mistakes when commuting by bike? This thread may even provide a list of what not to do when commuting by bike!

For one winter in the early 80s I biked everywhere in Huntington Beach on a cheap Sears bike that was too small and without any safety gear. I worked at a hospital every day and one day I finished my commute to work in an ambulance. I was holding a light in one hand when my front wheel hit a pothole and turned sideways, sending me over the handlebars. I'm sure I had a concussion but at the time they released me once I could answer questions.

Now I always wear a helmet and the light is attached to the bike. If only I could get my college aged kids to wear helmets.

I have forgotten things like underwear, chain and most recently my water bottle when it was 95 degrees:(

Treadtread, I see nothing in your post that was a "mistake." I see a college guy, presumably with a limited budget, getting from point A to point B in one piece. Actually sounds like fun.
As you (we) gain more experience, we typically make a series of adjustments in equipment, gear, and riding methods which make us safer and more comfortable. It's not necessarily "right" or "wrong" (although BF can make it seem so) it's a process. Enjoy the ride!

Well, maybe. I'm quite particular about safety now, maybe its just a factor of growing old and having a kid. But I consider the lack of safety considerations back then a mistake. Especially when you consider that if I had gotten knocked out, at -20, I wouldn't have survived too long. Even simple things like checking in with friends online after getting back would have been sufficient, without adding any cost of gear.

reminds me of the time I had a great I dea to go x-country skiing at night with headlamps with my room mate. we almost killed our selves in the woods that night and my buddy broke both skiis forcing us to walk out a couple miles

1. Choosing the most direct route to and from work, which put me on high-traffic streets with people in a hurry. Research your route well, and be willing to add extra miles to take advantage of quiet streets, parks and campuses.
2, Locking the bike in a hidden, off-the-beaten-path site. I learned that visibility and high foot traffic is safer.
3. Forgoing fenders and rack, thinking they were uncool and would slow me down. Getting forced into an oily puddle changed my mind on fenders, and the gift of a pannier showed me what a relief it was to get the laod off my back.

what globie said. here are a few of my mistakes
1. route choice--for me the most direct way wasn't the best. too much traffic, too much tension.
2. started with knobbies on Mtn bike-- not horrible but much better with slicks
3. never, ever, ever ride against traffic on the sidewalk or bike lane. had my worst accident doing just that. cars are looking for oncoming traffic the other way and will pull out right in front of you!
4. not paying attention.... let's just say it WILL get you in trouble. be there, in the moment, all the time. no daydreaming. your life might depend on it!

The only commuting mistakes I have made were when I allowed other people to convince me to accept a ride rather than to ride my bike due to inclement weather conditions. I have actually found that commuting on my winter bike is more reliable as transportation than sitting parked on a snow covered highway while other drivers found new and inventive ways of stopping traffic (e.g., sliding into each other, spinning off the road, etc.).

oh here's one, using water to clean my bike when I got home during the winter. I didn't use much water but days there's just too much of everything on the bike here in NE not to use water. anyway I thought I did a good job and even dried it down. I forget if I kept it outside that nite or in my basement, probably outside. anyway - ok 2 mistakes - on my first 1/4 mile stretch I realized I could not shift my rear derailer. it was about 20 degrees and pitch black out. I had to pull over, disassemble my rear derailer cable & housing, clean, re-install and adjust. obviously the moisture seized up the cable in the housing. so mistake 1 was using water, mistake 2 was not checking my machine before leaving home. kneeling in the snow, in 20 degrees, in pitch black darkness with whatever portable light I had was not good. it took 15 minutes but in those conditions it was an uncomfortable 15 minutes.

The mistake that most readily comes to mind is the first winter I commuted without investing in studded tires. I crashed a lot and spent the whole season banged up. I also had to take 2+ weeks off of riding after an ice storm. Things don't melt off very fast up in these parts.

Haven't crashed or been forced to drive due to ice since I bought my studs.

oh yeah, I got my studded tires the 1st day I slid! definitely get those! black ice is a bad bad thing!

The newbie mistake I made was to assume that because all my other bikes were equipped with quick release hubs, my commute bike would be too. So, in anticipation of possible flat tires, I packed a couple of spare tubes, tire levers, tire boot patch and pump.

I thought I was all set. But no. Turns out my commute bike (DaHon Curve SL folder) has a rear wheel attached by two 15mm nuts. So when that first flat occured, I found myself totally wrenchless and therefore incapable of fixing the flat. I phoned my wife to come and pick me up. Fortunately, she was amused. I wasn't.

So . . . I came onto this forum and lots of posters suggested the Portland Toolworks tool that has a tire lever on one end and a 15mm wrench on the other. I purchased said tool and have changed many flats (13, but who's counting) using that tool.

Rick / OCRR

Gear mashing. Ever since I discovered spinning, I actually have a higher average speed with less stress on my knees, which is nice since I already have a job that is hard on my knees. It's not like I don't get a good workout either, and my muscles and cardio actually enjoy a long ride and recover way faster than when I was mashing.

Hi folks!

I totally agree that mashing just ain't that easy on the body.

It's interesting that I've not bike commuted before six months ago; bikes were for riding fast, chasing cars, mainly pissing off LA drivers...With some of my youthful arrogance behind me, I'm making the albeit short four mile commute uphill here in lovely Santa Cruz (25 minutes up, 8 minutes down). I started with gearing with a few teeth too few to spin and continue spinning up hill.

I've changed my equipment outlook since those formative bike years, I like using a wide range of gears now; I've since adjusted gearing and my legs are happier for it, not to mention that I've dropped about 5 minutes off my commute time and don't arrive in as much of a sweaty mess at the top of the hill!

One rookie mistake I made in my short commuting tenure is not carrying a spare tube on the one and only occasion that I needed it! But, living in a small town makes walking home easier though and now I have extra tubes in a pannier, a desk drawer, and garage!

If ever in Santa Cruz, the downtown CVS is open 24 hours and has lots of tube sizes!

One of the biggest mistakes that could've turned out bad for me was being in too much of a hurry to make it to work on time on a rainy morning. I took a turn too fast and tight and ended up going for a ride on the ol' asphalt slip 'n slide across half a lane. Luckily, the cars at the intersection whose lane I slid into were stopped at the light. I only took the risky turn 'cause I knew they weren't coming, though so I guess it wasn't super stupid. My tires were also pretty worn at the time.

That's just riding in general though. For commuting, definitely it would be not having a spare inner tube or patch kit. That usually leads to either calling a friend for help or a walk of a couple of miles.

Thanks all, this is good. Some of it is more cycling related I guess, not specifically commuting related. But I hadn't thought of some of the points above, can definitely take more care now!

Forgetting how dangerous wet railway tracks are when crossing at other than a 90 degree angle. 'Nuff said.

One of my mistakes was trying to go too fast on the way to work. Going at a slightly slower pace only adds a couple of minutes to my 6.5 mile commute and I arrive less sweaty and more ready to go. I actually think going slower saves time overall since it takes me less time to get ready to work (change, wipe down, etc.). Since I'm not worried about getting ready for anything when I get home, if I want a better work out, I'll push harder on the way home or take a longer route.

So you were just a normal ol American bicycle rider? Now that you've been made aware, you can no longer be just a regular 'ol American bicycle rider anymore. I hope you have the money now.

I did enjoy the read.

Not a whole lot, but more than before anyway :) And being older, I have a bit more patience so I can schedule my purchases. But yes, impossible to go back to uninformed and uncaring.

ITEM 1:
I got a new bike with a rack and didn't realize my panniers sat slightly differently on the new set up. I managed to have the back corner get stuck in the wheel, destroying all the pannier attachments.

I dropped by a muffler repair shop where they gave me enough duct tape to tie all my crap on the rack so I could get home.

Lesson: Make sure panniers are where they should be.

ITEM 2:
Sometime puddles conceal expansion join uneven pavement and can cause ones front wheel to be ripped out from under them.

The biggest mistake I made early on was mentioned above: route choice. I chose to ride on roads that were busier and more confusing. I took the Brooklyn bridge which has a shared path with pedestrians (mostly tourists) who are always wandering into the bike lane, when I could have taken the Manhattan Bridge which has a bike-only path. I rode down Broadway when I could have gone down the East Side bike path. Many, many mistakes related to route choice. My route now is totally different than it was two years ago. It's a little longer, but much calmer. And I can actually go faster on some parts because they are less congested, so it doesn't take much more time.

Oh, double doh!

rim brakes. in the pnw the roads are covered with wet sand and dirt that eats through rims in a couple of seasons. i almost bought it twice from cracked/exploded rims. fair weather riders need not comment.