Chris's Commuting Experience
 

Hi Everybody,
I'm a very new cyclist and a brand new bike commuter giving it a try. I'm going to ride my bike to work as many times as I can throughout this summer. I'm going to update this thread from time to time with milestones, things I learn, things I see, and my general impressions and revelations of commuting on a bike.

My commute is 34 miles round trip, I'm riding a used Trek 7.1FX, and I'm in pretty bad shape at 6 foot and 255 pounds. So far I've ridden to work twice, Wednesday and Sunday of last week.

Here I am.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D550/ry%3D400/

Objective in sight! (I'm a mechanic at an amusement park and two of our rides are visible in this picture)
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Secure bike parking.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Well dude, in one day you put in more commuting miles than I do all week so good job so far!

I bet if you shaved that beard the aero efficiency would improve your commute time by 4 seconds for a PR on Strava.

Super, keep biking man!
We'll follow you up in this blog-like-thread and instantly coach you :)

Welcome to BF. Great start to commuting. Looks like your parking at work is nice. Keep riding.

hi! excellent idea!

i would make sure to get photos of the bike and also of you as you progress :D

also, that's a helluva commute

Good job!

Wow, 34 miles is out there for a new rider. My total weekly commuting mileage is a paltry 55.

To me those first few are the hardest. Convincing yourself that it really is feasible and that you're up to it. Well done! From here it gets easier, although it might not seem like it the first month but stick with it and you'll see that I'm right. It was a couple of months until I realized "this isn't so hard" and a month or two more it dawned on me, "this is actually fun". You're younger than I was so you may get to that point faster, but the key is to give it every chance to work.

What an excellent sunrise to commute under though.

It'll be hard if you try to go two days in a row. I'm not saying don't do it, but I'd advise against it at least for the first few weeks. Don't be surprised if you're kind of wiped out the first time you go two days in a row, I definitely was. At 34 miles round trip, I'd think that M/W/F is a good target to try to get to by the end of the summer, unless you do better than I did at first.

Silverwood Theme Park North of Coeur D'Alene? Pretty Country that.... Love to see images of your commute. Keep on riding.

Dr. Joe

Welcome! If you want reinforcement try reading and posting in the "How was your commute?" thread. If you like try the commuting mileage thread too, don't be intimidated by the high scores. At 34 mi round trip you'll pass me up quickly.

+1 ... mine's 24 miles round trip and I was in no way ready to do back to back commutes at first.

Welcome to the fun though!

I agree about taking it easy the first few weeks. Also I suggest bar-ends for added hand positions because those flat bars give you only one, and 17 miles at a stretch can be tough on the hands and wrists. Or even change out your bars for ones with more hand positions, but bar ends are inexpensive and easy to install. BF has been an invaluable resource for me and my commuting over the last few years. The tone of the forum is mostly helpful and encouraging. Based on your photo you look hale and hearty. Bike commuting will only improve your health, increase your enjoyment of life and extend your years (unless you come down with gear-itis). go Go GO!

I agree with all those who say to stagger rides M/W/F at first. I myself am new to commuting and have a 19 mile RT ride. When I started, my knees used to get really sore (not sure if I was pushing too hard, which I was, or if my knees were just weak, which they were), but after putting in 1600 miles in the last year, I'm now able to ride 5 days in a row (which I did for the first time last week), without blowing my knees out, by making sure to not push myself too hard when I know I'll be riding several days back to back to back.

Well done! I have a Trek 7.2FX and love it. The FX line really is great. As mentioned previously, you may want to invest in some better grips/bar ends if you start to have sore hands from the stock grips. Lights are also very important. Commuting really just becomes a habit after a while.

Congrats on getting started!

I agree about not trying every day and building up to it.

My commute is about the same length as yours and has a good climb in the middle. At first I couldn't do two days in a row. First I did 2 days a week, then 3, either M, W, F or two days in a row then a break then a third day. I eventually got to the point I could do 4 days a week, usually taking W off. I tried four days in a row and it was really hard the last day. I don't know if I will ever do 5 days, partially just as there always seems to be one day that my schedule makes riding impractical.

On your off days, try to do a good walk or even a very short ride or you will likely be even more sore the next.

Good luck and have fun!

Nice place to commute!

Nice job! Keep at it! Good advice from all poster. You'll sort it out as you go. Think safety, and enjoy the ride. Like said before first month is the worst. The next three are better and after a year, you would be missing the ride when you don't commute! Good luck, God bless!

Firstly, welcome aboard!

Secondly, get used to feeling tired at first. This is normal as you gain muscle and your body adjusts to the new level of activity. Depending on how difficult hills on your route are, you might want to try muscling up one or the lessor ones. That may give you the boost you need on days when you feel like you're dragging.

Again, welcome, and please feel free to ask any questions! :)

- Andy

Hey, my friend worked at a theme park near Coeur d'Alene as well. Not sure what it was called but probably the same one.

34 mile commute is hardcore. Very impressive for an out of shape guy who is just starting out.:thumb:...Try doing it three times per week, with one day of rest between rides...Keep riding and very soon you'll be in great shape to do it everyday. As long as you follow good nutrition then the distance shouldn't be any problem. Good luck and keep us updated.

If you do that commute 2-3 days a week the pounds will start flying off. Your one day round trip is also more than my 5 day commute. But I have gotten so into biking over 3 years of bike commuting that I now supplement by adding 15-20 miles to my morning commute a couple of days a week and doing another 40-60 miles on the weekends.

Like others said, start slow and don't get discouraged

This is awesome. Keep us posted!

Good going!!!:thumb:

Nice bike and wonderful place to ride/live. I love Idaho....especially the the I90 stretch.


Remember there's a Winter Cycling forum, and read all of tsl's posts.

You work at Silverwood! Does that mean you bike commute on 95!? Serious kudos if you do...that stretch of highway is scary enough in a car. But things are improving out there...last time I was home to visit I was surprised to see that the shoulder along Hwy 53 between Garwood and Rathdrum is now a bike lane...how things have changed!

Chris, I'm impressed. You will be amazed at how your fitness condition changes.

Wow I didn't expect such a response. Thanks very much everybody for your encouragement and advice! My ride was great today. I work Wed-Sun so this is only the second day of my week, yesterday I ran out of time and had to drive. I work a closing shift tonight so I rode mid morning which was nice. I don't know if I'm improving this quickly or if it's because I got six whole hours of sleep last night but I felt like I kicked butt today. I was able to keep the bike in the highest gear for the entire ride. There aren't any big hills on this route, just a couple of overpasses and then a slow climb right at the end but as I crested one of the overpasses I went to shift into high gear for the downhill side and realized I had been in high gear the whole time. The first time I rode I never got into the highest gear except for downhill. The other two times I've ridden to work I get about two miles from my house and get this overwhelming feeling of regret/dread/"I'm never gonna make it," and then around the half way mark it turns into "I can conquer the world on my bike." Today I didn't go through that, I just got on the bike and started pushing. It feels like such an accomplishment when I get to work. I know I will have bad days just like good days but today was a very good day.

For my bike however it was a different story. I noticed a "tick tick tick" sound from the rear wheel and checked and saw that I could wiggle one of the spokes. No problem there's a bike shop on my route. The guy there was very helpful, said my rim wasn't bent the spokes just needed to be tensioned. After getting some advice I bought a spoke wrench and went on my way. By the time I got to work though the tick was a big clatter and both front and rear wheels were way out of alignment. I started to wonder if they could actually come apart while I was riding. Made it safely though, and I've been reading about spoke tensioning and got them both dialed in pretty well. I'm curious to see if they stay tuned up on the way home.



You would barely recognize it if you haven't been here in the last year or so. There was a huge 2 year long highway project and it's much nicer now. No more stopping in the fast lane to turn left onto a dirt road. There is a sidewalk on the east side of the highway in Coeur d'Alene, and when you get into Hayden the signs start saying "Bike Route" and it is separated from the highway by a big grass swail. It goes all the way to Garwood rd and from there I get on the new frontage road all the way to the park. The path is nice and clean, no glass or anything, just some gaps and potholes.

Here you go!

Starting out in Coeur d'Alene
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Stopped in here
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Government Way heading north out of Hayden
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Nice path to ride, too bad it doesn't go much further than this
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Pope Rd
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Stopped here for no apparent reason
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Chilco Sawmill - There used to be probably a dozen mills around here. Now there's just this one and one in Priest River.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Random 45acp round on the ground
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Broke 100 miles on this ride
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

The park hides itself well in the trees, we actually have over 65 rides. In the foreground is a model airplane field.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D720/ry%3D480/

Too bad it wasn't sunny today, this area is ten times more beautiful in the sun.

Thanks again!

Very impressive way to start out commuting by bicycle. Very ambitious.

As others have mentioned, be prepared to take rest days, especially early on.

You are doing it right. A+.

Chris, awesome. Enjoyed the pics.