Want to Bike to Work - What are the Logistics?

[tripleM]

I Want to Bike to Work - What are the Logistics involved & how can I organize & prep for all the things involved with it?

My ride is about 2-3 miles through city streets to office.
Preliminary concerns are:

Business casual clothing change/storage.
Winter/cold weather gear.
Afterwork night riding.

Would welcome any of your comments or experiences.

 

[paul246]

Funny, I'm starting today as well, but will be riding my wife's motor assisted bicycle. I'm going to do it for a week while awaiting a part for my motorcycle.

I realize this isn't quite what you were asking, but there are no shower facilities where I work (office with other people) so I don't want to arrive at work all sweaty, otherwise I would use my MTB.

 

[sciphi]

You can drop off clean clothes at your office if you have a place to store them. If there's a shower available, then ride your heart out. If not, slow down so you don't arrive too sweaty. A rack over your rear tire is great for carrying stuff. Otherwise get a messenger bag, as a backpack will make you sweat a lot.

For lights, do you want to be seen, or to see? I have some lights by Planet Bike, the Blaze and Superflash, that let me be seen a long ways off. I can't count how many times I've been glad to be lit up even in the daytime.

I bike to my graduate classes, about 3 miles away through the urban jungle. It works darn well as long as I give myself a bit of extra time to get to class, obey all the traffic laws, and don't arrive all sweaty.

 

[AHC]

I’ve been bike commuting for over a year full time and log about 100 miles per week.

In addition to or as a repeat of previous advice:

Cleaning up
• Clean up at the office or a nearby gym that has a shower or take it easy and a combination of bathroom sink cleaning or baby wipes (buy a case from Costco).

Clothes
• Bring clothes for the week into the office by car or bus or train on Monday or bring clothes in every day. Haul dirty stuff home.
• Visit Civia Cycles dot com (resources section) for good clothing recommendations based on weather.
• Helmet, gloves, wool socks, padded shorts, tights, long & short sleeve shirts, windproof vest, rain pant & jacket, headband, thin stocking cap = what I use in Seattle.

Gear
• Lights – I like Planet Bike Blaze 1W and Super flash. Consider a set of spok lights for your helmet.
• Rack/Pack – I like to use a rack and make my bike do the work. If not, consider a backpack or a messenger bag each having a waist belt to keep the pack centered on your back. Jandd is a good brand. There are many others.
• Bike – ride a wreck, ride a slick titanium bike. Doesn’t matter because your ride is short. Longer rides warrant features like ram horn bars for wind, narrow tires for speed, etc. Just make sure it’s properly maintained.
• Have a basic repair kit – spare tube or patch kit, multi bike tool, small pump, tire tools.

Research
• Research your route. Is there a local bike advocacy group that has produced a bike map for your area? What about local municipalities, what are they up to?
• Don’t think like a driver. The safest route may not be the most direct.
• Ride your route on the weekend when traffic is lighter to get an idea of how it will be during rush hour.
• Learn how to ride with traffic. Take a class, ride with someone experienced, etc.
• Bikecommutetips dot blogspot dot com = good place to start.

Misc
• Be confident but not aggressive. You will become more comfortable with time.
• Get a good u lock unless your bike is a clunker. Leave your u lock at work. Why haul the weight. Just lock it out of the way for other rack users.
• OBEY traffic laws.
• Use hand signals.
• Take the lane when appropriate.
• Pull over if you are holding up 3 or more cars.
• Be predictable.
• Thank motorists when they do something nice
• Try to avoid getting too upset when they do something mean
• Be a good representative for other cyclists

 

[moribundman]

Papa Bear might suggest switching from an office job to one that suits the bike commute: bike messenger. You can smell iffy, grow weird face fuzz, be rude and generally be a total donkey.

 

[moribundman]

Oh, the most important thing to get when riding all the time in the city on public roads: umbrella insurance in addition to personal liability insurance. Otherwise they might sue the tights off you after you maim some more or less innocent pedestrian, biker et al.

 

[tripleM]

Thanks guys. I am going to digest some of your comments.

Any tips on night riding as the days' light is getting shorter & the work hours are getting longer.

Any tips on cold weather riding?

 

[paul246]

Originally Posted By: paul246
Funny, I'm starting today as well, but will be riding my wife's motor assisted bicycle. I'm going to do it for a week while awaiting a part for my motorcycle.

I realize this isn't quite what you were asking, but there are no shower facilities where I work (office with other people) so I don't want to arrive at work all sweaty, otherwise I would use my MTB.

Can't believe how cheap it is to run this thing. At today's price for gas ( $5.13/gal) it is costing me 13 cents to travel the 3.4 mile route to work.

I'm going to have to do a more scientific test, say empty the tank completely, dump in 500ml and then see how far it will go.

BTW, this thing is a ball to ride, plus you can still get all the exercise you like if desired. Will probably keep riding it even after my motorcycle is repaired.