Author Topic: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!  (Read 2776 times)

Heart of Tin

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Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« on: May 12, 2017, 07:11:51 AM »
I won't lie. I was intimidated by some of the traffic, and I mistimed the gear shifts on a few hills, but I biked to work today!

I've walked to work three of five days for the last two weeks. While I enjoy walking, it takes over half an hour from door to door. Even without feeling comfortable on the bike/route I was there in 12 minutes today.

Picture:


meghan88

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Re: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2017, 10:25:46 AM »
Way to go!  It will get easier and more comfortable.  Stay aware, and don't assume anyone can see you.  Sometimes when I'm on my bike I feel like I'm invisible, except maybe to dogs.  Bikes just don't compute in the minds of many motorists.  Maybe you can experiment with the route until you find one that works best.  Walking sucks by comparison.  All you need is a gore-tex poncho for rain days and you're all set.

nouveauRiche

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Re: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2017, 10:45:18 AM »
Awesome.  Great work. 

Is there another route that is less direct but safer?

Rock on.

Heart of Tin

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Re: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2017, 10:52:18 AM »
I think there's a flatter road that I can take which would get me off the busiest street more quickly and eliminate  the steepest hills. I'll try it out on the way home!

Optimiser

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Re: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2017, 10:55:10 AM »
Congrats on increasing your badassity!

SarkastikNinja

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Re: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2017, 12:27:55 PM »
Congrats! I really dig the 90s feel of the bike. Do you mind if I ask about how much you paid for it?

I've been debating between buying an older used bike in that 75-150$ range or shelling out more like 650-800 for a brand new commuter that I don't have to worry about servicing right away. I don't know anything about bikes currently, but want to slowly learn.

Heart of Tin

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Re: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2017, 12:46:50 PM »
It was $60 off craigslist from a guy who used to sell this model. He was downsizing to an RV with his wife, and they were heading out to the Pacific Northwest. This is a Raleigh Technium Tri-Lite from the late 80s. It has a lot of miles on it, but the former owner really loved it and maintained it well. I specifically sought out a rough-looking, older bike with a conscientious owner since I live in a high property crime area. It only took a few weeks on craigslist to spot something with the right frame size in my price range that ticked my other boxes.

meghan88

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Re: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« Reply #7 on: May 12, 2017, 07:21:14 PM »
It was $60 off craigslist from a guy who used to sell this model. He was downsizing to an RV with his wife, and they were heading out to the Pacific Northwest. This is a Raleigh Technium Tri-Lite from the late 80s. It has a lot of miles on it, but the former owner really loved it and maintained it well. I specifically sought out a rough-looking, older bike with a conscientious owner since I live in a high property crime area. It only took a few weeks on craigslist to spot something with the right frame size in my price range that ticked my other boxes.

VERY smart.  I don't live in a high-crime area and I always ride beaters, I always lock my bikes with decent locks, and even still, I've had one or two get stolen.  Meth-heads don't seem to have very discerning taste in bikes.  I have an old Trek 3700 now that I bought for $80 and I'm using an Abus U-lock that cost as much as the bike.  Sigh.

Sillbeer

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Re: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« Reply #8 on: May 12, 2017, 09:32:16 PM »
I was biking to work a couple days a week last year but it just adds too much time to my day.  I'm 31 miles from my house to work and it takes me right at 2 hours to get to work and 2 hours 15 minutes to get home.  Fortunately there is a trail all the way to work and I thoroughly enjoy biking but I don't think it's something I will regularly do.  If I was 15 miles or less I would bike all the time.

CdnChris

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Re: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« Reply #9 on: May 13, 2017, 01:21:54 PM »
Way to go!
I am trying to convince myself to start biking to work for the summer occasionally. It is about 15 km and the company is not really setup for cyclists in terms of storage or a shower, so still trying to figure out the details.

Heart of Tin

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Re: Bought a bike last night. Rode it to work this morning!
« Reply #10 on: May 13, 2017, 01:59:23 PM »
Do it! I loved the bike commute yesterday, and today I biked to the farmer's market, Aldi, and the library. It's addictive once you get started.

I work at the county health department. There are no bike-friendly amenities. I locked my bike to a basement emergency exit railing yesterday, and I brought a wrapdress that I put on over my shorts and undershirt all day. My dress, heels, and lunch seem to fit well in my backpack, but I plan to install a basket soon.