Well, after much discussion and not enough action, I finally took the plunge and rode the bicycle in to work today. It wasn't easy (I'm a clyde at 5'11, 235)-- a bit over 5 miles, and a few hills, but I did it. The turbo diesel truck is parked at home (talk about overkill for 5 mile commute!! ). I've always dreamt of being courageous enough to do it (laziness is a powerful deceiver--it is SO easy to sit in a comfy truck, slip in a CD, and cruise to work); my bulging waist line and my heart demand it, though.

There were a couple spots where I was thinking "what the heck am I doing? Why suffer? I can turn around and drive the truck," but I pushed through, and then started enjoying it.

Couple things:

The biking shorts under my work pants are a huge plus--no sore rear at all (I know, 5 miles, but still--not any discomfort whatsoever).

I need to leave the mountain bike at home and ride the road bike (yeah, I chickened out an grabbed the MTB--I need to not worry what others think about a big guy on a road bike... ). Those tires that are so good on the trail make for slow-rolling anchors on the asphalt climbs.

I need to bring the lights--even though it will be daylight both ways for now, it was a bit overcast and I can see where I'd want to be more visible.

Cagers fooking suck some times! lol! Two cars "buzzed" me in anger. Hey, I belong on the road too! I'm not gonna lie--I wanted to catch one particular truck and smack the crap out of his mirror. But I decided that discretion was the better part of valor...

I need a bigger back pack. I overwhelmed my Fox Camel-Back pack with stuff. I need to find a comfy pack that is still relatively light...

I need to use more bike appropriate upper clothing (it started out chilly, but got warm soon enough and I couldn't open my sweater enough to let air in).

Thank goodness I can pull the bike into my office (I'd hate to have to park it outside in the city I work in...).

I really am hoping to commit to 5 days a week for the foreseeable future. Hopefully my excuses don't over power my desire to improve.

Congrats! Every so often, you'll wonder "WTF am I doing?" but it puts the rest of your workday in perspective.

Awesome! I bet that it becomes second nature to you within a few weeks. Good luck on your five-day-a-week commitment. I've always been in physically active jobs, so I sometimes found the extra exertion unnecessarily taxing and had to drop it back to three or four days a week. It's fun to push yourself, but you should also give your body time to heal every week.

The rude motorists, and my anger towards them, are things that still plague me - the worst parts of an otherwise joyful experience. At least you part ways quickly!

Thanks guys. Being in a sedentary job, I really can't use the "too much exertion" as an excuse, though I'm sure I will try...

But ah, yes, the careless drivers...

Welcome aboard. You've joined an elite group. We are the 1/10 of a percent who have figured out that life really is better if you're not forced into your car everyday.

You'll see. Yes, it takes effort, but not as much as people think. And yes, it can be uncomfortable. But not nearly as much as most people think. Most of the time it feels very, very good. And it gives at least 1000% return on your investment. And that's an underestimate, if anything.

If you just stick with it until it's second nature --you'll be surprised at how quickly this comes-- you'll find that you're halfway to nirvana.

Cool! That's very motivational. Well, I made it home ok. Into a nice headwind (wow--that sucked the joy out of it for a bit... Lol!), but tried a different route home (paralleled some RR tracks for about a mile). The quads are feeling a bit sore, but I can't wait until I do it all over again tomorrow!

Congrats! Your heart and your waistline will both thank you. By the time you start to SEE a difference, you will have started to FEEL a huge difference. Let your body tell you how much to "push". Address the issues/problems that arise to what best suits your commute. Sometimes it takes more than one try to figure out what works best. Lots of good info from folks that have been doing this for some time to be found on this forum. Good luck, BE SAFE, and stick with it.

I was about to offer you advice, when I recalled that I keep re-inventing my commuting gear all the time. Lately, I evolved into wearing jeans, for example, more often rather than bike-specific clothing. Also, very font of wool sweaters last few years.

I guess my suggestion is to let your ride and road conditions dictate what you wear and what gear you need rather than listening to the advice of others.

Congratulations on your success with commuting!

way to go... do it as often as you can and when you don't, move on and start doing it again.

Well, Day 2--and I made it to work again... I changed the bike up, but didn't go straight to the skinny wheeled road bike yet. I mounted a set of Michelin Run't slicks on the Merlin MTB (on Mavic UST rims, used some Stan's stuff and mounted them tubeless, mounted up the lights (KNightrider LED front), raised the seat post, and went to town... And I made it! It was incrementally easier today (and I took the "flatter" route in).



And at work:



This was my commuter yesterday:

Congratulations! As a clyde who started commuting ~9mi RT 4 days/week about 6 weeks ago, I can tell you it's totally worth it. My strength and stamina are way up, I've made some new friends w/ other bike commuters at my work, and it's inspiring to my daughter. It did take me a while to figure out what I liked to wear, so I'll share what I came up with. I live in a dry climate and morning commute temps have been ~25-45, so YMMV based on your circumstances.

1. You are already doing this, but the bike shorts under the work pants has been great for me.
2. Polaterc makes a fabric called Power Dry which is fantastic (various manufacturers use it, I got some long-sleeve shirts from REI). It is a 2-sided fabric and the inner layer wicks really well. It keeps my skin dry during the ride and, by absorbing all the sweat, makes me stink a lot less before I clean up.
3. Get a lightweight jacket with pit zips! Traditional layering is hard on a bike since you have to stop to add/remove layers. With pit zips you can adjust them along with the cuffs and main zipper to help regulate temperature without stopping. I also often start with some behind-the-head ear muffs that I remove part way through the ride.

and my favorite tip: Don't ride a fast bike. That way it's obviously the bike which is being slow

Another Clyde commuter here... The commute will get much easier much faster, trust me! There are a couple hills that I was struggling to get up a couple week ago that I can power right on up without doing as much shifting. Feels incredible.

BTW, it sounds like you have some route options similar to what I do. I have a shorter, hillier route and a longer, flatter route. I take short and hilly in the morning and long and flat in the evening. Not saying that is what you should do, but don't be afraid to mix up your routes a bit to vary your training and your scenery!

Great tips--thanks guys. I'm going to look into the double-sided shirt thing, as I'm currently using an Underarmor type shirt for this very purpose. And with regards to the dual routes, yup--I like that idea--and I actually did that today, but in reverse--rolled in on the slightly longer but flatter route, and will take the slightly hilly route back home. I can't wait until I get stronger/better "stamina'd." It's quite humbling to see just how out of cardio vascular shape I am, even though I lift weights regularly and considered myself "semi-fit."

BTW, I figured out that my North Face Messenger bag is perfect for this commute. I initially did not want to use it as it has a tendency to "slide around" towards the front (an annoying trait of any messenger bag without the additionaly waist straps), but embarassingly enough, I discovered that my bag does, in fact, feature those very straps, and that they were merely "hidden" in a velcro-sealed pouch behind the organizer... doh!

So its gonig to work out great--its water resistant (not that it rains much, but still...), it's voluminous, it fits right over my Camelback, and it is nicely adjustable. And, ok, its NorthFace--I can be be semi geeky-cool too! LOL!

Bike commuting is great cardio exercise - my biggest problem now is that I don't want to go to the gym anymore, even in winter time when I can't bike

In a month you will be completely addicted !
You will wonder why you didnt do this years ago.

Nice bikes too . . . Some quality iron

I get the cardio one way or another - when it snows I don't ride, but I work up a sweat shoveling the snow

Good on you for getting started and doing it the second day as well. As other people mentioned it gets easier the more you do it, and you know your addicted when you miss commuting on vacation days.

Have fun!

Congratulations!

Don't worry too much about 5 days a week for a while. You'll need time to build up the strength and endurance. I've been riding for about 8 months now and am just now able to do all 5 days without feeling like my legs are on fire coming home on Friday. Even 3 days a week is enough to start noticing a real difference in your aerobic health.

Cars stink, but if you ride at the same time every day, they'll get used to you and give you some space (hopefully). Try not to break off any mirrors, but do speak to them if they've passed you too closely. A lot of times, at least in my experience, they don't realize how close they were and will apologize.

You'll also want some hi-viz clothing if you don't have it already. Once I started wearing a yellow construction vest from Home Depot, cars gave me noticeably more room, especially in the morning. And they're big enough to wear over a sweatshirt or jacket on those cold days.

That Merlin, you've got it wrong, it should be sitting beside my desk, not yours! ENVY!!!

I sold a nice motorcycle to "spoil myslef" with a couple nice bicycles...

Day 3. This is nothing short of amazing for me. Didn't even try to talk myself out of it this morning--had everything laid out the night before (this is key...), and just got up, showered, and suited up. The ride in was more fun than yesterday--I actually started enjoying more sections, "attacking" the slight inclines I like to call hills, and even rallied with a couple road bikers on my route (yeah, they killed me eventually, but hammering up the incline, I was right there--I coulda' been a contender! LOL!!).

I know it's only my third day, and who knows what the statistics say about people in my position sticking with it, but I hope this can be of some inspiration for someone out there on the fence, less than fit, contemplating taking the plunge. If someone like me, as unfit as I am, can do it, anyone can. I'm taking it one day at a time. Just do it.

Again, I envy you! Your commitment after 3 days is more than I had after 3 months a few years ago. Keep up the good work.

If you're worried about traffic getting to close, get a shirt like one of these.

https://www.cafepress.com/mf/28551313...-police_tshirt

Those are great points--thanks! My legs feel a bit noodly when I get home, but then that very cool "I just worked out" feeling comes to them and its great. I feel a bit more leg-tired today as I sit in my office, but it could be 'cause I was messing around on the ride in

Regarding hi-viz, I'm all for it. I wear a jogger's yellow reflective velcro strap that I use to keep my pant leg out of the chain rings. I might tie another one tot he back of my bag. My helmet is mostly white, but I know that's not saying much around some of these drivers. Oh, and I tend to run with my headlight on and rear light blinking. I might try to get a brighter, rechargeable taillight soon too.

Thanks for the encouragement!!

Great job on getting going!

My only advice is that remember how it feels when you are in a car and someone is holding things up in front of you while you are trying to get somewhere, be it an inconsiderate driver going really slow, a tractor trying to get to their field, or yes even a bike going somewhere. Remember that just because you have a legal right to be on a road doesn't mean it's a good idea. Us commuters need to be as considerate to people as we want them to be considerate to us.

Having said all that and assuming you WERE being considerate, some people (cars, bikes, etc) are just jerks. Burns me up bad just like it did you.