6am biking on cold country roads

[Lan Mandragoran]

My car junkered out recently. So instead of buying a new cheap car, I have started biking to work :).

This deserves badassity because, I have to get up at 5am and leave at 6, bike half a mile on 60mph road, hop on a country gravel road(on hybrid tires its a bit rough), go 4 or 5 miles and then hop back on the bigger roads (which doesn't feel terribly safe I will admit).

I'm sure others here are more crazy, but i've never been hugely into bikes and 6 months ago I was like... yeah thats never happening. So yeah cool :). My coworkers and family all think I've lost my mind and will shortly get run over...

My office (I'm a sys admin at an electric coop) is just a huge truck and SUV parking lot, literally not a single person drives a car, let alone a bike, so their reactions are comical.


PS. Also anyone think I should get an ebike? If I had a mountainbike ebike, it would handle the gravel with ease, and be fast enough to be doable on the faster roads. I want to... but at that point(1400$ maybe to build one?) it seems like maybe I should just get a car.

[FamilyGuy]

Great. Be safe on the roads!

[nosythecat]

I think it's awesome.  I've changed alot of things just by reading this blog, I haven't bought a bike yet, but who says it can't happen right?  Stay safe and forget the naysayers.

[GuitarStv]

What width are the tires on your hybrid?  32mm?  Bigger tires will handle the gravel section much more comfortably (look for something 35 - 40mm if your frame can handle them), and should be much cheaper/easier to find than a whole new bike.

[acroy]

Badass!!
be safe!
I've been rocking a 26" mtb with 2" slicks as the commuter for years and years. Not a fast ride but handles anything - the SUV of bikes.

[Lan Mandragoran]

What width are the tires on your hybrid?  32mm?  Bigger tires will handle the gravel section much more comfortably (look for something 35 - 40mm if your frame can handle them), and should be much cheaper/easier to find than a whole new bike.

Good idea! Errr I'll have to check. I definitely should do something like that if I can!

 Do others bring a spare with you? I know my brother started biking (hes a mmm'er to he just doesn't do the whole forum thing ^^), and he has a tube he straps under his bike seat and lashes a tire wrench to his frame.

Thx for the be safe... however I'm not worried about me so much as people not paying attention. Have a reflective vest and taillight/headlight though so idk what else I can do really.  I think the risk/cost analysis probably weighs pretty heavily towards biking or I wouldn't be doing it, the risks are quite bad though (getting smashed). The benefits are pretty sick though, aka not being fat, and saving $$$ over my hopefully 9-12 year timeline.

[FINate]

What width are the tires on your hybrid?  32mm?  Bigger tires will handle the gravel section much more comfortably (look for something 35 - 40mm if your frame can handle them), and should be much cheaper/easier to find than a whole new bike.

Good idea! Errr I'll have to check. I definitely should do something like that if I can!

 Do others bring a spare with you? I know my brother started biking (hes a mmm'er to he just doesn't do the whole forum thing ^^), and he has a tube he straps under his bike seat and lashes a tire wrench to his frame.

Thx for the be safe... however I'm not worried about me so much as people not paying attention. Have a reflective vest and taillight/headlight though so idk what else I can do really.  I think the risk/cost analysis probably weighs pretty heavily towards biking or I wouldn't be doing it, the risks are quite bad though (getting smashed). The benefits are pretty sick though, aka not being fat, and saving $$$ over my hopefully 9-12 year timeline.

Congrats! Keep up the good work and you'll save a ton of money and have better health.

I've ridden my cargo e-bike 1400 miles since Sept. I don't carry a spare. Instead, I just keep some tire sealant in the tubes. I prefer Stan's NoTubes Tire Sealant, but there are other brands as well. If you get a puncture (the most common failure) it will automatically seal itself up with almost zero pressure loss. It also seals up tiny micro leaks which means your tires maintain pressure longer.

As for an e-bike, you can get a quality aftermarket mid-drive conversion kit for about $400 (https://lunacycle.com/bafang-bbs02-mid-drive-kit/)

EDIT: The conversion kit doesn't include battery. Lots of options depending on voltage and range, but plan on about $200-300 for a decent battery.

[GuitarStv]

Do others bring a spare with you? I know my brother started biking (hes a mmm'er to he just doesn't do the whole forum thing ^^), and he has a tube he straps under his bike seat and lashes a tire wrench to his frame.

You will flat sooner or later.  I did, and got a six mile walk home to think about my level of preparation.  I now bring my mini-pump, a spare tube, tire levers, and a small multitool any time I ride now.  Equally important is that you actually know how to change a tube.

[Rubic]

Do others bring a spare with you? I know my brother started biking (hes a mmm'er to he just doesn't do the whole forum thing ^^), and he has a tube he straps under his bike seat and lashes a tire wrench to his frame.

You will flat sooner or later.  I did, and got a six mile walk home to think about my level of preparation.  I now bring my mini-pump, a spare tube, tire levers, and a small multitool any time I ride now.  Equally important is that you actually know how to change a tube.

I'm a belt-and-suspenders kind of guy.  Two tubes, a mini-pump, and a CO2 inflator.

The latter is really nice when you're changing a flat in inclement weather.

I also carry some Tyvek material cut from a used FexEd envelope to use as
a tire boot in case of a nasty road slash.

[Lan Mandragoran]

Lol mmm forums are great. So much good information.

I may end up looking at that site.  Need a mountain bike for adventures with my bro and might be able to double it up as an e bike for work

[robartsd]

I'm a belt-and-suspenders kind of guy.  Two tubes, a mini-pump, and a CO2 inflator.

The latter is really nice when you're changing a flat in inclement weather.

I also carry some Tyvek material cut from a used FexEd envelope to use as
a tire boot in case of a nasty road slash.

I usually have 1 tube, a patch kit, tire levers, mini-pump, and multi-tool - most of this kept in the side pockets of the trunk bag strapped to my rack that carries my lunch. I haven't used CO2 inflators, but I also opt for the bus when I expect inclement weather. Tyvek tire boot is a good idea.

This deserves badassity because, I have to get up at 5am and leave at 6, bike half a mile on 60mph road, hop on a country gravel road(on hybrid tires its a bit rough), go 4 or 5 miles and then hop back on the bigger roads (which doesn't feel terribly safe I will admit).

That's more challenging than my commute (I would probably choose it too in your situation).

PS. Also anyone think I should get an ebike? If I had a mountainbike ebike, it would handle the gravel with ease, and be fast enough to be doable on the faster roads. I want to... but at that point(1400$ maybe to build one?) it seems like maybe I should just get a car.

Upfront costs sure, but energy, maintenance, and insurance are way lower for the bike. Not saying you should go buy a $1400 mountain ebike, but it would be hard to make it more expensive than owning and operating a car of any sort.

Most hybrids can take wide enough tires to be reasonable mountain bikes (2-2.5"). I think many of today's hybrids would be at least as good at mountain biking as my mid-90's hardtail mountain bike.

[GuitarStv]

I also carry some Tyvek material cut from a used FexEd envelope to use as
a tire boot in case of a nasty road slash.

I carry a small, tightly rolled bit of duct tape for this reason.  I've found that that little bit of extra stickiness makes keeping the boot in place much easier when you're changing the tire.  :P

[ohmylookatthat]

just buy a used car

[Lan Mandragoran]

just buy a used car

Weakling (i kid ;P)!

I may eventually lol, if my wife gets tired of the inconvenience or something. Im on like 13 months in of like 150 months of work, so I'm pretty intense about getting some real forward momentum going atm ^^.

[Lan Mandragoran]

I'm a belt-and-suspenders kind of guy.  Two tubes, a mini-pump, and a CO2 inflator.

The latter is really nice when you're changing a flat in inclement weather.

I also carry some Tyvek material cut from a used FexEd envelope to use as
a tire boot in case of a nasty road slash.

I usually have 1 tube, a patch kit, tire levers, mini-pump, and multi-tool - most of this kept in the side pockets of the trunk bag strapped to my rack that carries my lunch. I haven't used CO2 inflators, but I also opt for the bus when I expect inclement weather. Tyvek tire boot is a good idea.

This deserves badassity because, I have to get up at 5am and leave at 6, bike half a mile on 60mph road, hop on a country gravel road(on hybrid tires its a bit rough), go 4 or 5 miles and then hop back on the bigger roads (which doesn't feel terribly safe I will admit).

That's more challenging than my commute (I would probably choose it too in your situation).

PS. Also anyone think I should get an ebike? If I had a mountainbike ebike, it would handle the gravel with ease, and be fast enough to be doable on the faster roads. I want to... but at that point(1400$ maybe to build one?) it seems like maybe I should just get a car.

Upfront costs sure, but energy, maintenance, and insurance are way lower for the bike. Not saying you should go buy a $1400 mountain ebike, but it would be hard to make it more expensive than owning and operating a car of any sort.

Most hybrids can take wide enough tires to be reasonable mountain bikes (2-2.5"). I think many of today's hybrids would be at least as good at mountain biking as my mid-90's hardtail mountain bike.

Yeah I think the first thing ill do is just see about the bigger tires and go from there.

[Thegoblinchief]

When I had a commute I carried a known good spare tube, tire levers, a mini pump, plus some patches and vulcanizer. I had a CO2 inflator but the design of the particular model wasn’t very good. Never tried the sealants so I can’t comment on that. I had a rear rack with two big Ortlieb panniers so I could carry quite a few tools without putting a dent in cargo capacity.

What kind of road is the 60mph one? I’ve bikes on a lot of highways and felt comfortable on them if they had big shoulders, but definitely did not like biking on rural 2-lane roads with minimal shoulders. And the drivers on those often hate bikers because of the recreational cyclists that hog the lane running 2-3 wide on weekends, so you get a lot of cyclist hate on roads like that (at least in my area).

[Lan Mandragoran]

When I had a commute I carried a known good spare tube, tire levers, a mini pump, plus some patches and vulcanizer. I had a CO2 inflator but the design of the particular model wasn’t very good. Never tried the sealants so I can’t comment on that. I had a rear rack with two big Ortlieb panniers so I could carry quite a few tools without putting a dent in cargo capacity.

What kind of road is the 60mph one? I’ve bikes on a lot of highways and felt comfortable on them if they had big shoulders, but definitely did not like biking on rural 2-lane roads with minimal shoulders. And the drivers on those often hate bikers because of the recreational cyclists that hog the lane running 2-3 wide on weekends, so you get a lot of cyclist hate on roads like that (at least in my area).

The 60mph one is coming off a major highway(so people are used to going 80), its a 2 lane no shoulder road slightly in the country so the people aren't terribly progressive about bikes....

Only have to be on it for about 30 seconds or I wouldn't do it. The other major road I have to take is similiar, but its far less busy and I typically only get passed by 1 person on my 3~minute section of that road so I'm willing to live with it.

Incoming mini-rant:

It's all just craptastic, there shouldn't be asphalt barriers where its dangerous to cross without a dirt spewing missile of your own, or at least not so many.  I have 60mph roads on all 4 sides of my sheltered little community.  People are fat, lazy, and inefficient wish the rest of murica would just do 10% of the optimization they could and we'd end up with a wildly different world.