More biking to work!

[stacheasaurus]

Biked to work 3 out of 5 days this week! 13 miles each way, relatively flat, mostly painted bike lanes.  Alternative is aggressive highway driving.  Showers available at work too! 

45 min biking vs 20 min driving.  Wind = traffic for biking, can add up to 10 min extra.

Hard to motivate when it's dark both ways and 0F-20F, so this warm weather and sun is making it very enticing!

[tygertygertyger]

Whoa a 26 mile round trip commute is super impressive! You must be biking fast to get each way in 45 minutes.

When I used to bike (a paltry 5 miles each way!), I took it easy and it was a 30 minute ride. Glad you're enjoying yourself!

[Chris Pascale]

I'm impressed, and am sure that future-you is happy, too.

[Treedream]

That's really kick-ass, and not a short commute either! Well done!

I find that cycling to work really gets you to transition from home brain to work brain and vice versa, which is good for your focus and feeling you can relax at home. Plus some exercise, this is a relly good move!

[rockeTree]

Most impressive! I had a long flat daily bike commute a little like that in my 20s and loved it. Kept me sane.

Now that I'm older it's 6 miles each way, hilly so with an ebike, and only a couple days a week. Less badass but I haven't driven to work yet this year and hope not to at all.

[Serendip]

Nice work!

I walk to work (and often my partner picks me up after an evening shift so that we can eat dinner together earlier) but I've been considering biking so that I can still get home quickly but without the lift. We live at the top of a hill so it would also add a tiny bit of cardio training a few times a week.

[baludon]

That's quite a workout every day!

I used to bike every day to work 5 miles each way (plus a few miles at work riding around the buildings) to avoid the atrocious traffic and to get my cardio exercise done. I could never tell driving my car home after work whether it was going to take 30 minutes or an hour and a half.

Colleagues never understood why I would put myself in harms way twice daily in traffic. I have gotten into a couple of minor accidents with no injuries.  Once a taxi hit me while I was stopped in traffic in front of him.  He was on the phone and somehow didn't see me.

[glacio09]

Oooh, this may be a good place to ask my question if y'all don't mind a hijacking. I bike 8 miles one way four days a week on a bike with a foldable basket on the back and a seat that is almost all the way down (I have very short legs).

I'm having to buy my third back light. The first is below the seat but it can't be seen properly and is very difficult to remove to recharge. The second clips on the basket and has fallen off and been recovered twice, once into a river and the second run over by a brodowzer. The irony is palpable.

I also "need" (ok, want) a third cell phone holder because the first was stolen and the second was broken by the handlebars of the bike next to me.

Does anyone here have any suggestions that are not crazy expensive but also won't have to keep being replaced? It still blows driving out of the water, but it's starting to not feel so mustachian.

[Askel]

Steal a blinky from someone. The cycle will continue until the 1% equalizes.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI8O7rnQYG4&t=128s


(congrats OP, 13 miles one way is already an impressive commute. The time you do it in just makes me feel even slower than I already do. :D  ) 

[getsorted]

Oooh, this may be a good place to ask my question if y'all don't mind a hijacking. I bike 8 miles one way four days a week on a bike with a foldable basket on the back and a seat that is almost all the way down (I have very short legs).

I'm having to buy my third back light. The first is below the seat but it can't be seen properly and is very difficult to remove to recharge. The second clips on the basket and has fallen off and been recovered twice, once into a river and the second run over by a brodowzer. The irony is palpable.

I also "need" (ok, want) a third cell phone holder because the first was stolen and the second was broken by the handlebars of the bike next to me.

Does anyone here have any suggestions that are not crazy expensive but also won't have to keep being replaced? It still blows driving out of the water, but it's starting to not feel so mustachian.

This has been a problem for me, too. Do you have a rear rack or fenders where you could attach a light mount? I have had to use hose clamps and bits of dowel rod to make mounting sites for my rear lights where I want them. I bike on rural roads in pitch-dark, so I have high-end lights that are removable-- but I've still had to change up where the non-removable part mounts so that it's visible when the bike is fully loaded.

My favorite cell phone mount is a top bar bag/handlebar bag that has a clear top.

[baludon]

Oooh, this may be a good place to ask my question if y'all don't mind a hijacking. I bike 8 miles one way four days a week on a bike with a foldable basket on the back and a seat that is almost all the way down (I have very short legs).

I'm having to buy my third back light. The first is below the seat but it can't be seen properly and is very difficult to remove to recharge. The second clips on the basket and has fallen off and been recovered twice, once into a river and the second run over by a brodowzer. The irony is palpable.

I also "need" (ok, want) a third cell phone holder because the first was stolen and the second was broken by the handlebars of the bike next to me.

Does anyone here have any suggestions that are not crazy expensive but also won't have to keep being replaced? It still blows driving out of the water, but it's starting to not feel so mustachian.

I like the Rockbros brand on Amazon.  I have a front light similar to this model:

https://www.amazon.com/ROCKBROS-Rechargeable-Headlight-Waterproof-Aluminum/dp/B0BJTGPQL1

And the rear light like this model:

https://www.amazon.com/ROCKBROS-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Taillight-Accessories/dp/B09VYY4V88

Both are sturdy, worked well and last a couple of weeks on a charge.

I don't use a phone mount.  If I get lost, I stop and pull out my phone and figure out where I am at.

[MustachioedPistachio]

Nice work!!

I don't have a commute anymore, but I do need to go out about once a week for an appt. It's about a two hour round trip, 85% paved trails. I couldn't do that kind of trip on regular streets here.

[Weisass]

Well done! This is the kick in the pants I need to remember how much I love biking to work and back. I have an 11 mile commute, but I have been letting the dreary weather in PA talk me out of good exercise outside the last couple of weeks.  Time to suck it up, butter cup :)

Oh, and @glacio09 , have you considered mounting a light to your helmet? That way you take it inside with you. My bern helmet has a light that attaches with a screw. It ain't going anywhere.

[Simpli-Fi]

I joined this club today!

Hoping this improves my attitude at work.

(Also joined the downshifting club…request 30/hr a week schedule)

[Kmp2]

I joined this club today!

Hoping this improves my attitude at work.

(Also joined the downshifting club…request 30/hr a week schedule)

Congratulations!

I found facing the elements on my bike commute to give me joy and accomplishment (even in some seriously suspect weather!), and I loved when I worked 32h/week!

Hoping you find joy too!

[Just Joe]

I need to get out there and ride to work again. The post-COVID traffic seemed to find my country road path and it just seemed more dicey than I was willing to brave. Also the area is growing and traffic is growing right along with that.

Need to give it another try. I had already shifted from one path that had too many blind and curved hills to something that was more manageable but that left me interacting with some quite fast traffic in a couple of places that wasn't great. Maybe I just need to shift my work time forward an hour.

As for lighting - I have a coworker who puts their blinky lights on their helmet and belt. It goes with them when they get off the bike. I bring my bike into the building and put it in a storage room so I don't worry about anything going missing. 

[stacheasaurus]

I need to get out there and ride to work again. The post-COVID traffic seemed to find my country road path and it just seemed more dicey than I was willing to brave. Also the area is growing and traffic is growing right along with that.

Need to give it another try. I had already shifted from one path that had too many blind and curved hills to something that was more manageable but that left me interacting with some quite fast traffic in a couple of places that wasn't great. Maybe I just need to shift my work time forward an hour.

As for lighting - I have a coworker who puts their blinky lights on their helmet and belt. It goes with them when they get off the bike. I bring my bike into the building and put it in a storage room so I don't worry about anything going missing. 

Did you get out there? sharing the road with cars is always a tough situation.  As for lights, i bought a pack of rear red lights that i put on my road and city bikes that can be recharged with micro-usb, and the headlight is nice and just switches from bike to bike as needed, carried in my fanny pack when i leave the bike unattended in public.

[Wintergreen78]

It hardly even counts as a commute - I’m 5 minutes by bike from work, but it still enough to help wake up in the morning. I’ve had my commuter bike for about 21 years now and it has been my primary transportation the whole time, except for two brief periods (about 7 months total) where I had 30 minute drives.

I used to have a 20 minute ride, which is about perfect.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

For lights, I wear an LED vest and have wheel lights, although I do also have a rear lights that I finally managed to get clipped to my wire side-rear basket. This is the one I got that finally stayed on: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KBEH1W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Like @glacio09 I am very short and my seat post is almost all the way down. On my new ebike I actually had to remove the reflector to attach the baby seat!

For my kids' bikes I got these cheap suckers but I think I did attach them to the seat posts: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F635KH4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My bike commute is only about 3 miles but there is one VERY steep hill. I finally broke down and got the ebike because I kept having to get off and walk up the hill, and if I had done any other exercise that morning (running, squats, etc.), I couldn't bike at all. I'm an overweight 42-year-old woman biking in work clothes and with a baby to get home to, so the ebike has been fabulous- I'm riding probably twice as often.

In the vein of things to make bike commuting easier- any suggestions for how to mount a garage door opener, either to a front basket or to BMX-type handlebars? Actually it's when I have my toddler that it's a huge pain- I have to take her out of the seat, go around the side to open the garage door, then hold her on my hip while parking a 65-pound ebike.

OP, congrats on the 13 miles! That's no joke and a bike commitment.

[stacheasaurus]

In the vein of things to make bike commuting easier- any suggestions for how to mount a garage door opener, either to a front basket or to BMX-type handlebars? Actually it's when I have my toddler that it's a huge pain- I have to take her out of the seat, go around the side to open the garage door, then hold her on my hip while parking a 65-pound ebike.

e-bike for the win! that sounds like a very nice commute. As for mounting a garage door opener to handlebars, if it is a standard button pusher opener, i would suggest velcro on both the opener, and the bars, so that you can place it and remove it as you please. They probably have them at your local arts and craft store, or searchable as "velco strips" on amazon

[Wintergreen78]

In the vein of things to make bike commuting easier- any suggestions for how to mount a garage door opener, either to a front basket or to BMX-type handlebars? Actually it's when I have my toddler that it's a huge pain- I have to take her out of the seat, go around the side to open the garage door, then hold her on my hip while parking a 65-pound ebike.

e-bike for the win! that sounds like a very nice commute. As for mounting a garage door opener to handlebars, if it is a standard button pusher opener, i would suggest velcro on both the opener, and the bars, so that you can place it and remove it as you please. They probably have them at your local arts and craft store, or searchable as "velco strips" on amazon

You can also get a little bag that straps to top tube just behind the handlebars. One of those would be the right size for a garage door opener. Search for “top tube bag”.

[Askel]

For things like garage door openers, phones, bluetooth speakers, cold ones, and just general cargo carrying, I can't recommend front baskets enough. Wald baskets are cheap and easy to fit on nearly any bike. Being able to root around in the stuff you're carrying while riding is game changing.   

[GuitarStv]

I don't drink and cycle.  Too many dead sober cyclists around here for me to think of risking that.

:P

[Artem_F]

I would recommend front basket with a mount, which stops it from tilting forward - otherwise you'll need a tight mount with strong screws.

[SpaceCow]

I only work in the office twice a week now, but at 35 miles, my commute is far too long. I make the most of it by riding my bike 7 miles to a bus stop, then riding the bus for an hour to get to work. My employer pays for my bus pass. I have a pannier bag that converts to a backpack, which holds my work laptop and other items. Usually I'm able to catch almost a whole hour of extra sleep on the bus ride!

My 1.5 hour commute becomes a lot more reasonable when it costs me nothing, involves 30 minutes of exercise, and an hour of extra sleep!

[tygertygertyger]

I only work in the office twice a week now, but at 35 miles, my commute is far too long. I make the most of it by riding my bike 7 miles to a bus stop, then riding the bus for an hour to get to work. My employer pays for my bus pass. I have a pannier bag that converts to a backpack, which holds my work laptop and other items. Usually I'm able to catch almost a whole hour of extra sleep on the bus ride!

My 1.5 hour commute becomes a lot more reasonable when it costs me nothing, involves 30 minutes of exercise, and an hour of extra sleep!

This sounds so good! I used to alternate either biking or riding the bus, and there were good things about both. If you've got a super long commute like this, you're definitely doing a good job making the most of it.

[Just Joe]

I need to get out there and ride to work again. The post-COVID traffic seemed to find my country road path and it just seemed more dicey than I was willing to brave. Also the area is growing and traffic is growing right along with that.

Need to give it another try. I had already shifted from one path that had too many blind and curved hills to something that was more manageable but that left me interacting with some quite fast traffic in a couple of places that wasn't great. Maybe I just need to shift my work time forward an hour.

As for lighting - I have a coworker who puts their blinky lights on their helmet and belt. It goes with them when they get off the bike. I bring my bike into the building and put it in a storage room so I don't worry about anything going missing. 

Did you get out there? sharing the road with cars is always a tough situation.  As for lights, i bought a pack of rear red lights that i put on my road and city bikes that can be recharged with micro-usb, and the headlight is nice and just switches from bike to bike as needed, carried in my fanny pack when i leave the bike unattended in public.

Well I charged my ebike battery and cleaned a couple of things that needed it and went for a fun ride. Still one of my favorite things. Haven't ventured back to the route to/from town. Almost did it today but was a bit rushed this morning.

Also dug out my mtn bike and pumped up the front tire only to have the tube pop. So I have a replacement I'll install tonight. Will this weekend make a point of taking that bike to ride around a nearby lake (new to me) that I hear has a mtn bike path around it.

So closer to pedaling again... ;)

[GuitarStv]

Also dug out my mtn bike and pumped up the front tire only to have the tube pop.

Check the rim tape.  Sometimes it shifts and exposes the spoke holes - then every tube you put in and start pumping will result in a pop.

[tygertygertyger]

Yep - seconding the above comment. My partner went through multiple tubes before we figured that out. Some tape along the rim and now it's been fine for several years.

[Just Joe]

And that was the situation. The rim tape. It broke where the tape was the thinnest next to the valve stem hole. Will pickup some new tape at the LBS Monday.

[GuitarStv]

Nice!  That's what I like about bikes . . . an awful lot of irritating problems have simple solutions.

[rockeTree]

Yup. My commuter had a terrible sounding noise that turned out to be a weak spring in the adjustable rack clamp on a pannier. I don’t need both of them to adjust so I epoxied the weak one into place. No more pops as it comes out of place, no more grinding noise as the lower retaining hook then slides over the fender braces, no more creaks as the load shifts.

[stacheasaurus]

Beautiful sunny morning today, but decided not to bike in with threats of monsoonal rainfall around when i leave from work. 13 miles of rain doesn't sound appealing. 

What rain gear do you all use to avoid this soft bellied wimpy attitude?

[GuitarStv]

In the summer I don't really use rain gear other than a cycling cap under my helmet (keeps a lot of the rain off your glasses) - I find that for rain gear to be waterproof it makes me sweat so much that there's no benefit.  Just make sure that your work clothes are in a plastic bag so they stay dry.

Late fall I add a windbreaker (or gilet and arm warmers), gloves, toe covers, headband around my ears, and sometimes leg warmers.  It's mostly to keep warm rather than to keep dry though.

[Wintergreen78]

Fenders are the most important rain gear. I’ve turned soft, so don’t ride to work if it is actively raining. In California that doesn’t happen often, and fenders keep you dry unless there is standing water.

When I lived in Georgia I would keep rain pants and a rain jacket in a bag on my bike. Keep a change of socks and shoes at work.

[GuitarStv]

Fenders are the most important rain gear.

YES!

I can't believe that I forgot this.  I ride my winter bike which is setup with fenders when any kind of heavy rain is expected.  They make a world of difference to your comfort.  Otherwise your eyes, mouth, and clothes will be slammed with every kind of disgusting thing that the road has seen.

I also find that getting flats happens more often in the rain than the dry (maybe it lubes up those nails so they slide into the tires better?) so prefer to use heavier flat proof tires on rainy days.

[SpaceCow]

In the summer I don't really use rain gear other than a cycling cap under my helmet (keeps a lot of the rain off your glasses) - I find that for rain gear to be waterproof it makes me sweat so much that there's no benefit.  Just make sure that your work clothes are in a plastic bag so they stay dry.

Late fall I add a windbreaker (or gilet and arm warmers), gloves, toe covers, headband around my ears, and sometimes leg warmers.  It's mostly to keep warm rather than to keep dry though.

Same here...I deal with rain by, well, dealing with it. I don't find that getting wet for 30-60 minutes on the ride home is really a big deal. I just take a shower when I get home and put on dry clothes. My pannier bag is waterproof, so I don't have to worry about my stuff getting wet.

[rockeTree]

Yes to fenders, yes to keeping a set of dry socks and shoes at work if you can. If it seems like it might really downpour in the evening, as is possible for a lot of summer here, I toss a big camping poncho in my bag. Makes the slog home less miserable and seems to keep the battery on the ebike, my core commute bike, dryer. My everyday pannier bag also has one of those flimsy ones you get at events that will do if I for some reason want to keep my clothes dry. Rarely used but appreciated when it is, adds maybe an ounce to the bag of tools and eventualities.

[Wintergreen78]

I can officially say I’ve been commuting on my same commuter bike for longer than my newest co-worker has been alive! I got it (used) in 2020 or 2021. Someone was throwing it away because everything on it was rusted. I stripped it, repainted it, and spent about $200 replacing parts to get it running.

[stacheasaurus]

I can officially say I’ve been commuting on my same commuter bike for longer than my newest co-worker has been alive! I got it (used) in 2020 or 2021. Someone was throwing it away because everything on it was rusted. I stripped it, repainted it, and spent about $200 replacing parts to get it running.

Can you elaborate on what you mean here? you've had the bike since 2020 at earliest, and you've been commuting on it longer than the age of your newest co-worker? Is your newest coworker under the age of 4?

[Wintergreen78]

I can officially say I’ve been commuting on my same commuter bike for longer than my newest co-worker has been alive! I got it (used) in 2020 or 2021. Someone was throwing it away because everything on it was rusted. I stripped it, repainted it, and spent about $200 replacing parts to get it running.

Can you elaborate on what you mean here? you've had the bike since 2020 at earliest, and you've been commuting on it longer than the age of your newest co-worker? Is your newest coworker under the age of 4?

Whoops - I’m still struggling to accept what decade we are living in. I got the bike in 2000 or 2001. Where have the last 20 years gone?

[ca-rn]

Biked to work 3 out of 5 days this week! 13 miles each way, relatively flat, mostly painted bike lanes.  Alternative is aggressive highway driving.  Showers available at work too! 

45 min biking vs 20 min driving.  Wind = traffic for biking, can add up to 10 min extra.

Hard to motivate when it's dark both ways and 0F-20F, so this warm weather and sun is making it very enticing!

Wow!  Impressive bike commuting miles! 

My commute is just 2 miles but I've been consistently bike commuting for over 8 years now- changed bikes several times. Latest is an ebike but its too long to fit in tiny bike locker at work.

I don't know about biking in 0F morning commute but I do prefer a chilly morning ride vs hot/muggy one- one can only take off so much.  I run bright lights all the time.  And getting cheap blinkies to add down the seat and chain stay to be more visible for winter...

[GuitarStv]

I rigged up four blinky lights on my backpack, one solid on my seatpost, and one solid on my helmet - plus two bright headlights on the front of my bike.  That was when I was cycling regularly in the winter - dark in the morning and on the way home in the evening and often with a fair amount of snow.  You cannot be too visible.

[Just Joe]

I have Planet Bike fenders on my bike. They are looking a little rough so this winter I'll pull them off, glue a crack in the rear fender and give them a coat of black truck bed liner. Maybe I can get another decade out of them.

I love my fenders for all the reasons y'all have mentioned. And my waxed canvas panniers which are holding up really well despite many years of use.

The whole bike really needs new paint.

[Fire enthusiast]

There are many benefits to commuting by bicycle, besides protecting the environment and exercising. You also save on parking fees, gas, etc. that you would need if you drove.

[stacheasaurus]

There are many benefits to commuting by bicycle, besides protecting the environment and exercising. You also save on parking fees, gas, etc. that you would need if you drove.

Yes! so many benefits, financial, environmental, logistic, personal fitness, etc.

Inspired me for another ride (13mi one way) this morning.  A gorgeous 55F degree morning followed by a shower at work.

[Wintergreen78]

There are many benefits to commuting by bicycle, besides protecting the environment and exercising. You also save on parking fees, gas, etc. that you would need if you drove.

Yes! so many benefits, financial, environmental, logistic, personal fitness, etc.

Inspired me for another ride (13mi one way) this morning.  A gorgeous 55F degree morning followed by a shower at work.

Awesome! Cool morning rides are my favorite.

I once mentioned to my Jeep-driving coworker that I average less than 20 gallons per month of gas. I saw her immediately doing the math on how much that saves.

[stacheasaurus]

There are many benefits to commuting by bicycle, besides protecting the environment and exercising. You also save on parking fees, gas, etc. that you would need if you drove.

Yes! so many benefits, financial, environmental, logistic, personal fitness, etc.

Inspired me for another ride (13mi one way) this morning.  A gorgeous 55F degree morning followed by a shower at work.

Awesome! Cool morning rides are my favorite.

I once mentioned to my Jeep-driving coworker that I average less than 20 gallons per month of gas. I saw her immediately doing the math on how much that saves.

Amazing.  2021-2022 we had good WFH policy, so between riding in once/week and WFH once or twice per week, and driving a small commuter car, only filling up once per month was entirely possible. Savings of about half a roth IRA per year!  compared with that jeep-driving coworker (in my case a gladiator with a fixed tent thing in the bed, eye roll) who told me to "not die" getting ready for my commute home.

[stacheasaurus]

3rd workday in a row riding in (Fri, Mon, Tues) - saved 80 miles of car driving in that time.  Strava says "fitness increased!" which is awesome doing the exercise as part of commuting. However, got a flat yesterday after riding over some glass presumably from a car accident -___-.  Had to patch the tube on side of the road, couldn't hear/feel where the hole was for the longest time.  Spent $20 on another tube, more patch stuff, replacement C02 canister, on way home, after repairing, from local bike shop. Still cheaper than driving, and still more fun.  Feel more badass now for being able to change tube more efficiently each time i do it.

[Askel]

FWIW, I've been running Schwalbe tires with green guard puncture prevention on my commuting and touring bikes for the last several years and have not had any flats with them over thousands of miles. 

They do lose a little feel compared to nice supple, high TPI tires. I continue to run those on my mountain bikes (which I also commute and tour on) and occasionally pay for it in a roadside rest.   Last incident has me considering going tubeless on those though......