Hello All! I figured I would go ahead and post a little more now that I have been spending my evenings looking at bike P0rn while it is still cold waiting for spring to happen!

First point I'd like to make which I find very encouraging, there seems to be a fair amount of discussion about how to improve the bicycles we already have for commuting purposes rather than heading to the store to purchase a shiny new carbon belt drive, rolhoff, fullly loaded commuter. Impressive! This is what I like to see! So advice one:

Use the bicycle you have (assuming it is decent quality to not fall apart on you on your ride to work).

Second, in my 30 years of life I have realized there are two main types of people across the world...coffee and tea. I'm about coffee and my work friends, nice as they are, have no clue about a decent cuppa....so I gotta portage mine in. Find a decent way to transport your stuff around with you. I hate backpacks/messenger bags so I have storage on my bicycle(s) to carry stuff. A rack is good (essential for me) and if you don't have a bicycle that can accommodate one time to think about a new bicycle (because you probably have a bicycle that can't accommodate decently wide tires either or fenders).

Backroads.....learn to love them. I travel exclusively through neighborhoods/ a mutli-use trail most of the time on my 6 mile one way commute. Some days I take the direct route on my more "roadish" bike but thats because I am used to it...newbies, learn to love bike commuting and the freedom from the car routes it provides you. I get to hit a multi-use trail on my ride in, cross Belle Isle in Richmond Virginia (a historic civil war prison camp/city park) and pass through residential neighborhoods before passing directly by the Federal Reserve Bank (no car is getting past those guards!) and three blocks of actual downtown traffic. Also, in my city, traffic is the worst (and attitudes) between 7-9am and 4-6pm. Any other time of day it's fancy free and remember regardless of what that idiot in the road is yelling at you, you are not the reason they are going slowly. Look around, I doubt you are surrounded by other cyclists. Primarily, the roads are clogged with autos. They are the reasons for the traffic problem, not you...try to be nice but always remember you have a right to be there just as much as the cars do. Obey the rules and take your space when you need it, thats what it is there for otherwise we could build houses, commercial buildings, and the like where the roads are and actually collect revenue to improve the community rather than give away free space to accommodate travel for people who probably don't live in your vicinity for a total of a couple hours a week. Not a very economic use of resources if you ask me....I digress.

My commuter bike.



My other commuter bike:

^^^^matching light...sweet!

I'm going to start commuting after I get my Surly LHT.

There is a bike rack which is cemented to the ground, and it is right next to a badge reader entry/exit door.

I feel pretty secure leaving it there. Where do you guys leave nice bikes? How do you lock them?

If you can use the same rack every day and it's not in a secured area (maybe even if it is) get the strongest U-lock you can afford, and keep it either locked on the rack, or in your office, so you won't have to carry it both ways. This only works, of course, if you only ride to work and back, you would need to bring the lock with you if you rode to the store after work, etc.

If at all possible, see if there's indoor storage area where you can store the bike. I bring mine inside my office and keep it in a locked closet, there really isn't anything more secure than that.

I don't need a lock at work, so others can comment on their favorite locks and methods.

I know this was posted in 2006, but that is so helpfull torward dealing with my knee pain and periodic foot numbness. Will look for a less soft seat and try to stick to higher gears when not on hills.

haha, so true!

Great thread - I just joined the forum a couple days ago, but I've been commuting for a while now - around 1300 miles so far.

Best advice I can give is that you, as that lone cyclist, represent all of us in your interactions with the cagers - do right by me, and I'll do right by you - be calm, reasonable, courteous, and respectful. know your rights, and require that they are granted. Most of all, arrive alive -

Wonderfully put. If you respect the drivers and communicate with them, it will make them a little less nervous and things will go more smoothly. Someone else on here also said to go at similar times each day because drivers will get to know you. I agree!

i'm going to start biking to school (about a 5-6 mile intercounty commute on a busy roadway with a lot of /bad/ drivers.)
would you guys suggest instead of going straight for it (i know how to ride a bike but its "been a while") to tune up and practice for a week or two before i start biking regularly this stretch? i definitely know i'll have to practice gestures.
i have the stamina but the last time i biked i had total disregard for traffic laws and relied on intuition/luck like every other teenager.

Yey for you wanting to ride to school. I assume you have already taken a couple of short rides around your neighborhood. If not do that just to get back into riding. You could go for it everyday, but maybe start with a goal of riding to work once or twice a week first. If you feel like just trying it everyday don't feel back if you have to cut back for a few weeks to get up to the task. Have fun!

Get a helmet mirror-
I can't believe I ever rode without one-

or glasses mounted of course but I agree, get a mirror.

+100. Mirrors mounted to the bike are subject to blurred images due to vibration. A helmet mounted mirror is not, AND... it can be aimed as you ride by just turning your head. Takes a little while to get used to, but I feel naked without it now.

Basic Bike Safety Tips

If you are going to ride your bicycle when going to work or school, when commuting or in running errands, you should take note of the following pointers that can help ensure your safety while you’re on the road.

Make sure to wear a bicycle helmet at all times while on your bike. This is probably the most important of all bike safety tips.

Always obey traffic rules. Don’t be a defiant bike rider. Ride your bicycle only in designated areas and always pay attention to traffic rules.

Use hand signals when your are planning on stopping or turning. Don’t just stop or make sharp turns in corners without signaling first. Always make a hand signal to warn the vehicle or bike behind you where you plan to turn.

Don’t carry another person on your bike especially if you are on busy roads or bicycle lanes.

Always be on the lookout for unexpected vehicles that cross the street or those that are leaving the driveway or parking lots.

Also, make it a point to check your bicycle and make sure that it is in tip top condition before hand, especially if you intend to use it for a long commute or in public roads.

Well i did start biking to school- I ended up finding this route that uses two intersecting mainly bike trails (for those in the DC/MD metro area its sligo creek and anacostia tribunary ) so I basically don't have to regard cars until I cross the roads. it about 8.2 miles, out of the way but I don't have to be scared for my life. I chose the worst time to try it out (right when it just rained so the bridges were slippery) and did wipe out during a totally absurd sharp turn on a bridge, but its just a bloody elbow, not new to me. I got chased by a chihuahua off his or her leash and I tried not to stop but at the same time the dog was like RIGHT UNDER me so I didn't want to run him/her over. xD

I'm sure whenever the weather clears up its going to be even more phenomenal.

I live in San Jose and the roads here are terrible!! There is glass, and debris on the road everywhere. I think when they cut the budget to try to climb out of the monster debt that we are in, street cleaning was one of the first things to go. After all who cares about the minorities right? Two thumbs down! (Sorry about the rant, it is just frustrating) That being said, there are a few things that you can do minimize your chances of having an accident.

1.) check the weather - There is an application available that will show you what days of the week are safer to ride by looking at weather conditions and providing a rating for the next five days. It is called Cycle Weather and it is available for iphone and Android phones.

2.) Wear the bright clothing that everyone here has mentioned - Amazon and REI should be your economical options.

3.) Blinking red and solid white - Even if you are riding in the daytime, having a blinking red on the back and a solid/blinking white light on the front is a must have.

4.) Dork it up- If you live in an area where there is debris on the shoulder/bike lane buy a mirror, it might save your life!

+1 if you can pull it off.

Here's my bike at my office, in clothesline mode:

True dat... If I cannot comfortably stay above 75 RPM, I know that I am pushing too big of a gear. Getting a computer w/ cadence helped.

Just curious, would my hybrid be a decent bike for commuting? I avg about 12 - 18 miles a ride per day on my bike, and it's 14 mile round trip.

Yes, it would work fine. I assume it has clearance for fenders and maybe even fender mounts. You should have versatility on tire size as well.

Yes it does have enough clearance for fenders and fender mounts. The current tires I have on there are the Specialized Borough XC Sport and they are approx. 700x45. I was wondering if 700x32 would be a better tire. Like these CX Armadillos https://https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=57655

700 X 32 Armadillos...another nice choice in my opinion.

Wow. It took me 6 hours or so over the course of 3-4 days to finally finish this thread. Good reading.

I was planning on commuting to work (5 miles) by Labor Day. Through late July and early August I had dusted off my 10 year old Pacific bike and was riding around the neighborhood. I had the bike in the hardest settings (is that high gear or low? lol)because I figured that would help me prepare for the commute. I was doing 7-11 miles a ride. Things came up and I missed my goal but I'm still planning on it for next Tuesday. Wish me luck!

That would be high gear, and watch how much you use the highest gears on your bike especially if you are not in shape - pushing too big of a gear can be hard on your knees. Good luck, man!

Thanks, that's what I keep reading. I was only doing that in the days and weeks leading up to my first commute fr training purposes. I figured it would help me get stronger quicker. For normal riding I'm usually somewhere in the middle.