Finally tried my commute on my bike...

[Home Stretch]

...and it is AWESOME!

To be honest, I never even considered riding to work and back because it was a 20-25 minute drive with some moderate elevation changes. I figured "well, if it takes that long by car, it must take an hour on a bike, and I can't afford to add another hour of commuting to my daily routine".

It turns out I was thinking about it all wrong!

First, the route that I take by bike is different than by car and involves some of my city's moderately well-developed Greenway system. This cuts down on a lot of the hills. Second, I'm getting crazy awesome exercise before and after work every day that I ride. Burning something like 450 calories each way!

But the real kicker... The real reason why I've been feeling like an idiot for not trying this sooner: I only have to get up 13 minutes earlier! See, my car commute is only 7 miles, but traffic is of course an issue during rush hour when I need to commute.

The bike commute is 8.5 miles because it follows some more bike-friendly roads, but it has only taken me 38 minutes the two times I've done it so far.

So instead of sitting in traffic and getting annoyed at how every year it gets a little bit worse, I am killing three birds with one stone: always getting to work on time (no traffic in the bike lane!), getting great exercise (I am very sedentary otherwise, so this is HUGE for me), and saving on gas/wear on the car.

SO HAPPY!

[abiteveryday]

It really does feel great.   I've only got a 4-5 mile trip, but on the rare days that I can't bike for whatever reason (like today, grr) I just don't feel as good.   The exercise wakes me up for work in the morning, and gives me some separation between work and home in the afternoon.   I'm much less likely to bring work frustrations home with me when biking.   

[Home Stretch]

Completely with you on how much it wakes me up in the morning. I'm not really a morning person so I'd always come to work groggy then drink coffee until I felt wired. On the mornings that I've biked (so far), I've felt so awake that I haven't had coffee until after lunch (still need that afternoon boost, ya know?).

The sad part is of the four commutes I have done so far, I have yet to see another cyclist during my morning commute... I can't believe it when the route I'm taking is literally either a dedicated biking trail or a bike lane on the side of the road. These are roads that are specifically designated for cyclists, and nobody else is doing this commute. In a city of 1m+ people. Crazy.

[nereo]

congrats Lone Mainer - and keep it up!  I'm betting that you will be commuting in under 30 minutes by this time next month as long as you bike every day.
I have a similar experience to your own - shorter 4 mile commute, but it takes 15 minutes during rush-hour by car, 25 minutes by bus, and now I reliably make it into work in 15 minutes on my bike.  I feel better, I have more energy, and I save money on fuel/bus fare.  win-win-win.
Best of all, I *like* being on my bike, whereas sitting on a bus or in my car just feels like I'm wasting away mintus of my life every day.

[acroy]

BADASS!!! The best kind!
I've spent my whole life commuting by bike (as a kid to friends and activities; as a student to school; as an adult to work). I try preaching it...
And it makes me super happy to hear a tale of someone (Lone Mainer!) who figures out how rockin it is!! !! whoo!!

[banjarian]

Awesome - congrats on the switch!

I have a 6.5 mile bike ride (slightly longer by car; there's a really convenient bike trail!) and it's beautiful. Yes, it takes a little bit longer. But if I was prioritizing exercise, it'd actually be saving me time.

By car, I can spend 25 minutes driving in traffic, each way. 50 minutes commuting.

By bike, I spend about 35-40 minutes each way, on beautiful nature-filled bike trails. 75-ish minutes total - all of it great exercise.

An extra 25 minutes spent commuting, for a total of 75 minutes of exercise? When I'd be getting zero exercise driving? If I were to go get an hour of exercise time in at the gym in addition to my car commute... driving would, in fact, take longer. :)

[Rollin]

Completely with you on how much it wakes me up in the morning. I'm not really a morning person so I'd always come to work groggy then drink coffee until I felt wired. On the mornings that I've biked (so far), I've felt so awake that I haven't had coffee until after lunch (still need that afternoon boost, ya know?).

The sad part is of the four commutes I have done so far, I have yet to see another cyclist during my morning commute... I can't believe it when the route I'm taking is literally either a dedicated biking trail or a bike lane on the side of the road. These are roads that are specifically designated for cyclists, and nobody else is doing this commute. In a city of 1m+ people. Crazy.

You are probably correct, but also depending on the dominant direction of travel it could be that other bicycle commuters are going the same way as you and you have a much lower chance of seeing them.  Wishful thinking I know!

Also, maybe people will see you and start to do it.

I have 7.5 miles one-way and 10 years ago I might not have seen one person a month.  Now I see 20-30 most days.  Bicycle commuters are patient if anything!  Hang in there - and ENJOY!

[Home Stretch]

An extra 25 minutes spent commuting, for a total of 75 minutes of exercise? When I'd be getting zero exercise driving? If I were to go get an hour of exercise time in at the gym in addition to my car commute... driving would, in fact, take longer. :)

This is exactly the way that I was explaining it to everyone (in a stupidly over-excited way, I'm sure). I'm actually saving time compared to if I were to go on a ride in the evening for 45 minutes, which is what I was doing in the past.

[bigalsmith101]

...and it is AWESOME!

The bike commute is 8.5 miles because it follows some more bike-friendly roads, but it has only taken me 38 minutes the two times I've done it so far.


SO HAPPY!

And the longer/more often you do it, the fast it will become. You'll be down to 30 minutes in no time, and then you only have to wake up a measly 5 minutes earlier, and then it' becomes a no brainer. FUCK YEA!

[Home Stretch]

And the longer/more often you do it, the fast it will become. You'll be down to 30 minutes in no time, and then you only have to wake up a measly 5 minutes earlier, and then it' becomes a no brainer. FUCK YEA!

Yep! I'm definitely not in shape now so I'm only averaging about 13mph. There are a few "nemesis hills" on my route, so once I can reliably rocket up those things without slowing too much, I think that will cut a few minutes off the commute.

I also am routinely biking when it's over 85 degrees f outside with high humidity, which makes it a little harder to maintain a fast pace.

What do you more experienced bike commuters average in these conditions?

[StockBeard]

Completely with you on how much it wakes me up in the morning. I'm not really a morning person so I'd always come to work groggy then drink coffee until I felt wired. On the mornings that I've biked (so far), I've felt so awake that I haven't had coffee until after lunch (still need that afternoon boost, ya know?).

Same here. I don't bike, I walk, but I'm definitely feeling it: a bit of exercise really helps waking me up and getting ready for the day at work.
And +1 on the time+money it saves compared to going to the gym!

[banjarian]

And the longer/more often you do it, the fast it will become. You'll be down to 30 minutes in no time, and then you only have to wake up a measly 5 minutes earlier, and then it' becomes a no brainer. FUCK YEA!

Yep! I'm definitely not in shape now so I'm only averaging about 13mph. There are a few "nemesis hills" on my route, so once I can reliably rocket up those things without slowing too much, I think that will cut a few minutes off the commute.

I also am routinely biking when it's over 85 degrees f outside with high humidity, which makes it a little harder to maintain a fast pace.

What do you more experienced bike commuters average in these conditions?

Honestly, I never push myself for speed or performance on my bike commutes. I still get some good exercise, but I get passed by a lot of people on the trail. I have plenty of time - I may as well take it. And there are no showers at work or anything, so if going slower means not feeling gross all day, then great. It sure is nice being outside and enjoying the fresh air.

[sol]

What do you more experienced bike commuters average in these conditions?

Speed totally depends on your route's elevation change and stoplight density, but a 13mph average with hills is totally respectable. 

Bikes get less efficient at higher speeds, so there a practical upper limit to how fast you can go even on flat ground.  I'm a regular bike commuter in pretty good shape and I can manage an average of 12mph if I hustle.  Too many lights.

If you can manage 13 in sticky weather without any training, consider yourself blessed to have such an ideal bike route. 

[Home Stretch]

Thanks for the input banjarian and sol.

I think I have kind of a natural build for biking (always been naturally good at skiing, mountain climbing, and long-endurance types of exercise), so I think that has something to do with it along with my route.

My route has about 350 feet of vertical climbing on the way out and 500ft on the way back, so I don't think that part of the route is very ideal. The ideal part is definitely the stoplights. I generally only have to wait at three lights the entire way to work, as compared to about ten when I drive.

[Cookie78]

Awesome! Congrats. I've been biking to work every day this month so far and loving it. I have experienced the same benefits as you, except I am still always late to work (that's no different whether I drive or bus or bike).

Same as banjarian, I don't push myself too much on my commute, especially in the morning. All the speedy bikers pass by me, and it's a rare occasion that I pass someone else. There's no rush (and my bike is not made for speed).

[Faraday]

...and it is AWESOME!
...(great stuff here)...
It turns out I was thinking about it all wrong!
...(greater stuff here!)...
SO HAPPY!

Hi Lone Mainer! Another NC Mustachian here. I bike commute when I can, but it's a kind of massive thing for me, 32 miles each way.

I use an ebike, and although some people say "that's cheating", I say "you're not making any sense. It's not a sports event, it's transportation". I use electric more on the ride in so I arrive without being sopping wet, then on the way home, I pedal my ass off to get a great workout AND to go faster.

My auto commute takes 1 hour, 10 minutes each way. For days when there's an accident, it can stretch to 1 hour, 35 minutes either direction (usually the ride home does that).

The bike commute takes 1 hour, 20 minutes each way. I've made it in 1 hour, 13 minutes by pedaling even harder.

When you said "I was seeing it all wrong", I could have said the same thing. I thought, to equal the time it takes in the car, I'd need a 40mph-capable ebike. Not true, for two reasons:

1) The ebike doesn't have to wait in traffic. That's a big deal.
2) Average speed across any given path is affected far more by the number of STOPS and not the top speed of the vehicle. So in that way, if a bicycle doesn't have to make a stop that a car does, the bicycle just netted 20-60 seconds and a higher average speed traversing the stoplight than the car does.

Now, I'm not advocating running stoplights - far from it. What I have observed is that the slower cruise speed of the bicycle increases the liklihood that I will encounter the stoplight after it's already switched back to green, triggered by the waiting autommobiles.

I've measured, and seen that when I'm in the car during rush hour, I'll stop an average of 80% of the time. when I'm on the bike, I'll stop an average of about 50% of the time. That's a huge time gain for the slower vehicle.  So much so that by averaging 30mph on the bike, I can equal the time of the much faster automobile.

Now here's the neat thing: my Prius has an "average MPH" figure on the trip odometer, and when I use it on the commute, it reads...about 31mph. At first I thought this was bogus, but it's not. The average plummets at stoplights and doesn't rise much at all during the (rare) moments when I'm at cruise speed.

So, yeah: I was seeing it wrong too, and the exercise is fantastic. Overall, it's a net gain in time and a HUGE gain in fitness! The only real problems you have to deal with are flat tires, wind and rain/precip. And I've been able to successfully find workarounds for those problems.

SAME ROAD, SAME RIGHTS!

[BCBiker]

...and it is AWESOME!
...(great stuff here)...
It turns out I was thinking about it all wrong!
...(greater stuff here!)...
SO HAPPY!

Hi Lone Mainer! Another NC Mustachian here. I bike commute when I can, but it's a kind of massive thing for me, 32 miles each way.

I use an ebike, and although some people say "that's cheating", I say "you're not making any sense. It's not a sports event, it's transportation". I use electric more on the ride in so I arrive without being sopping wet, then on the way home, I pedal my ass off to get a great workout AND to go faster.

My auto commute takes 1 hour, 10 minutes each way. For days when there's an accident, it can stretch to 1 hour, 35 minutes either direction (usually the ride home does that).

The bike commute takes 1 hour, 20 minutes each way. I've made it in 1 hour, 13 minutes by pedaling even harder.

When you said "I was seeing it all wrong", I could have said the same thing. I thought, to equal the time it takes in the car, I'd need a 40mph-capable ebike. Not true, for two reasons:

1) The ebike doesn't have to wait in traffic. That's a big deal.
2) Average speed across any given path is affected far more by the number of STOPS and not the top speed of the vehicle. So in that way, if a bicycle doesn't have to make a stop that a car does, the bicycle just netted 20-60 seconds and a higher average speed traversing the stoplight than the car does.

Now, I'm not advocating running stoplights - far from it. What I have observed is that the slower cruise speed of the bicycle increases the liklihood that I will encounter the stoplight after it's already switched back to green, triggered by the waiting autommobiles.

I've measured, and seen that when I'm in the car during rush hour, I'll stop an average of 80% of the time. when I'm on the bike, I'll stop an average of about 50% of the time. That's a huge time gain for the slower vehicle.  So much so that by averaging 30mph on the bike, I can equal the time of the much faster automobile.

Now here's the neat thing: my Prius has an "average MPH" figure on the trip odometer, and when I use it on the commute, it reads...about 31mph. At first I thought this was bogus, but it's not. The average plummets at stoplights and doesn't rise much at all during the (rare) moments when I'm at cruise speed.

So, yeah: I was seeing it wrong too, and the exercise is fantastic. Overall, it's a net gain in time and a HUGE gain in fitness! The only real problems you have to deal with are flat tires, wind and rain/precip. And I've been able to successfully find workarounds for those problems.

SAME ROAD, SAME RIGHTS!

Wow! That is a really long commute by bicycle, even with the electric assist! I am at 14 miles each way manual with mild to moderate hills and moderate to heavy traffic and it takes me about 55 minutes on average so going 33 miles in 1 hour 20 minutes is booking it (~24 mph on average!).  I don't know what my limit would be for total miles but 66 miles per day would probably be close to it. That is awesome!

[Rollin]

When you said "I was seeing it all wrong", I could have said the same thing. I thought, to equal the time it takes in the car, I'd need a 40mph-capable ebike. Not true, for two reasons:

1) The ebike doesn't have to wait in traffic. That's a big deal.
2) Average speed across any given path is affected far more by the number of STOPS and not the top speed of the vehicle. So in that way, if a bicycle doesn't have to make a stop that a car does, the bicycle just netted 20-60 seconds and a higher average speed traversing the stoplight than the car does.

Now, I'm not advocating running stoplights - far from it. What I have observed is that the slower cruise speed of the bicycle increases the liklihood that I will encounter the stoplight after it's already switched back to green, triggered by the waiting autommobiles.

No matter what mode of wheeled transportation, stop lights are the great equalizer,

[Home Stretch]

Now here's the neat thing: my Prius has an "average MPH" figure on the trip odometer, and when I use it on the commute, it reads...about 31mph. At first I thought this was bogus, but it's not. The average plummets at stoplights and doesn't rise much at all during the (rare) moments when I'm at cruise speed.

So, yeah: I was seeing it wrong too, and the exercise is fantastic. Overall, it's a net gain in time and a HUGE gain in fitness! The only real problems you have to deal with are flat tires, wind and rain/precip. And I've been able to successfully find workarounds for those problems.

Hey Mefla, I'm also in the Raleigh area!

In my completely limited experience doing this commute, I've already done the trip average mph thing in my car (it has the same feature as your Prius) and my average speed is between 20 and 30mph in the car because of all the lights/traffic.

As far as flat tires are concerned, I got one the day after I bought my new bike in March this year. Haven't had one since (knock on wood), but now I have an under-seat pouch with a spare as well as a mini-pump attached next to the water bottle holder.

Mostly though, what amazes me is how not inconvenient the whole process is. Sure, I'm in NC so I sweat during the morning and evening commutes, but if I shower right before I leave in the morning and bring a change of clothes (thankfully the office is super casual), I don't feel gross at all during the day. Mostly, the crazy thing that I was not expecting is that I get excited about my evening commute now because it poses a sort of physical challenge. As ridiculous as this sounds, I love the fact that my own motivation and physical ability are the only things that are going to get my home in a timely manner, and I love pushing myself on the way home.

I've been sleeping much better too!

[windawake]

Congrats! Getting over that first hurdle and figuring out all the benefits is a big step, so kudos to you for trying it out. It's awesome that you found it so convenient.

I've been using my bike as my main form of transportation since 2011 when I started grad school and I haven't looked back. My commute is around 5-5.5 miles, depending if I take a shortcut or not, and I don't worry about getting there fast. In fact, I just replaced my drop handlebars with more upright handlebars so I can sit back and enjoy the view. I like being on my bike, so it doesn't bother me if a bunch of people pass me because I'm enjoying myself.

It's getting hot here and I just bike to work and air dry there, don't change my clothes. It's cool enough in the morning that I don't get too sweaty, and coming home doesn't matter.

[banjarian]

When you said "I was seeing it all wrong", I could have said the same thing. I thought, to equal the time it takes in the car, I'd need a 40mph-capable ebike. Not true, for two reasons:

1) The ebike doesn't have to wait in traffic. That's a big deal.
2) Average speed across any given path is affected far more by the number of STOPS and not the top speed of the vehicle. So in that way, if a bicycle doesn't have to make a stop that a car does, the bicycle just netted 20-60 seconds and a higher average speed traversing the stoplight than the car does.

Now, I'm not advocating running stoplights - far from it. What I have observed is that the slower cruise speed of the bicycle increases the liklihood that I will encounter the stoplight after it's already switched back to green, triggered by the waiting autommobiles.

No matter what mode of wheeled transportation, stop lights are the great equalizer,

The funny thing is when some indignant vehicle driver thinks I've really inconvenienced them with my presence on the road, and they honk and make a big show of racing by me, and then we end up next to each other at the next red light anyway.

Sorry to have kept you from reaching this red light 2.5 seconds earlier, dude.

[Home Stretch]

The funny thing is when some indignant vehicle driver thinks I've really inconvenienced them with my presence on the road, and they honk and make a big show of racing by me, and then we end up next to each other at the next red light anyway.

Sorry to have kept you from reaching this red light 2.5 seconds earlier, dude.

This happened to me yesterday morning. I rolled up to the fat woman in her Durango who had just honked at me 30 seconds earlier and just stared at her with a completely blank expression on my face. It took all my willpower not to laugh, because she looked so nervous/mad!

Edit: on re-reading this, it sounds like I was being a jerk. I regret nothing. You should never honk your horn at a cyclist who is going approximately the speed of traffic in a 30mph zone. I hope she remembers the awkward stare-down and doesn't fire her horn off at random cyclists in the future.

[AndreaGS]

I yelled at a couple of teenagers the other day who did the same thing. Seriously, people? I was in the bike lane, too--I wasn't blocking them at all.

My commute is 6 miles each way, and due to rush hour traffic, I get there in the same amount of time as if I drove. Keep it up! I think it's awesome to get a workout and commute in at the same time.

[cerebus]

Biking to work is the single best thing I did this last year. It's the most enjoyable time of the day, even when it's frigid and windy outside you feel like a total badass on the road. I actually started a few months before I discovered MMM, but what I read on MMM about the cost savings just confirmed that I was doing the right thing. My one colleague thinks that all road cyclists should be banned but whatever.

[lpep]

This makes me so HAPPY!!!

I'm also from Raleigh, and did a Cameron Village to north Six Forks (near 540) car commute before I found MMM. Eight miles and 18 minutes on a good day, 25 on a bad day. I don't know if biking could have beat that but I really wish I had biked it--those greenways are sooo nice.

[Friar]

That's awesome.

I have my bike and I finally live close enough to work to make cycling feasible (8 or so miles) but have been advised against any prolonged activity due to patellar tendonosis. It's frustrating but equally not as frustrating as a lifetime of bad knees, so for now I take the hit.

[GuitarStv]

My route has about 350 feet of vertical climbing on the way out and 500ft on the way back, so I don't think that part of the route is very ideal.

The longer that you commute the more ideal having a route with a bunch of hills becomes.  I know each elevation change on my route intimately at this point, and have different attack plans for each one . . .  Hills are a big part of what makes riding fun!

[alsoknownasDean]

Congratulations! It's pretty awesome.

I've been riding to work regularly for the last three months, and am well and truly in the habit now. It takes about 30min to do about 7.5km (lots of lights). It's starting to get a bit chilly now and even that's no big deal.

It's faster than taking the tram (as the tram stop is about a 10-15min walk from work), cheaper (and probably faster) than driving (especially when parking is about $12 a day), and better for me than both.

[nora]

That's great!  Well done! I have just started biking recently too. I love saving $20 a day on parking!

[Rollin]

That's awesome.

I have my bike and I finally live close enough to work to make cycling feasible (8 or so miles) but have been advised against any prolonged activity due to patellar tendonosis. It's frustrating but equally not as frustrating as a lifetime of bad knees, so for now I take the hit.

Ever consider an Ebike?  I have one and it can help take a lot of stress off while still getting good movement, fresh air, and no gas used (2-3 pennies to get to work for me vs. 5 US dollars).

[Faraday]

That's awesome.

I have my bike and I finally live close enough to work to make cycling feasible (8 or so miles) but have been advised against any prolonged activity due to patellar tendonosis. It's frustrating but equally not as frustrating as a lifetime of bad knees, so for now I take the hit.

Ever consider an Ebike?  I have one and it can help take a lot of stress off while still getting good movement, fresh air, and no gas used (2-3 pennies to get to work for me vs. 5 US dollars).

Rollin has a great point - you might be an ideal candidate for an ebike.

[Friar]

That's awesome.

I have my bike and I finally live close enough to work to make cycling feasible (8 or so miles) but have been advised against any prolonged activity due to patellar tendonosis. It's frustrating but equally not as frustrating as a lifetime of bad knees, so for now I take the hit.

Ever consider an Ebike?  I have one and it can help take a lot of stress off while still getting good movement, fresh air, and no gas used (2-3 pennies to get to work for me vs. 5 US dollars).

I've not investigated eBikes any further than a cursory glance but they would be very useful especially considering there are lots of hills on the journey.

The problem is that it's not just the stress of pushing down on the pedal that aggravates my knees, it's the movement as a whole. It's strange because according to all online literature I can find, cycling is recommended as a "non-inflammatory" exercise.

[GuitarStv]

Check your saddle height (specifically if it's too low - most people set their saddle too low).  If my bike saddle is set an inch lower than I usually set it I get very painful/swollen knees after ten or twenty miles.

A good starting place for saddle height is you want to have your leg fully extended if you put your heel on the pedal, this way there's a slight bend when you're pedaling normally with the ball of your feet.

[Home Stretch]

A good starting place for saddle height is you want to have your leg fully extended if you put your heel on the pedal, this way there's a slight bend when you're pedaling normally with the ball of your feet.

Damn... I think mine actually may be an inch or so too low. I haven't had any knee pain yet (even on my Sunday 45 mile ride) but it would sure be nice to know I'm getting optimal efficiency with the right saddle height.

This is awesome though - maybe I can knock a minute off the commute sooner than I thought!

[Friar]

A good starting place for saddle height is you want to have your leg fully extended if you put your heel on the pedal, this way there's a slight bend when you're pedaling normally with the ball of your feet.

Thank you for the advise. I just checked and it looks like the positioning of the saddle is fine. I only got the bike a few months ago and it was set up for me when I picked it up.

Yes, I bought new! Many UK employers offer a "cycle to work" scheme to encourage bike commuting that allows you to get a new bike and/or accessories at 0% APR for a year, paid pre-tax and directly from your wages.

It basically means a 30-45% discount and no up front costs.

[kraken7]

Biking 27km to school is a bit much, but having a look at google maps I think I've found a solution!
For the last two years I've been busing, which takes 40m on a lucky day and closer to an hour at worst. This is mostly due to having to wait about 10 minutes for a transit.

HOWEVER, if I ride about halfway then bike from there, it's 7km of 25 minutes riding, which actually gets me there in about the same time I would just busing.

Buses don't have bike racks after October, but I'll figure that out when I get there.

[theknitcycle]

Congratulations and keep it up!  Isn't it great when you figure out that the commute can be the best part of the workday? 

[Sister C]

Congratulations!  Out of curiosity, what do you do on rainy days?  Any gear/riding/clean up tips? I have been biking to work on non-rainy days (6 miles) but would like transition to daily bike commuting.   I know I need to get fenders for one thing...

[theknitcycle]

Congratulations!  Out of curiosity, what do you do on rainy days?  Any gear/riding/clean up tips? I have been biking to work on non-rainy days (6 miles) but would like transition to daily bike commuting.   I know I need to get fenders for one thing...

Fenders, waterproof panniers (Ortliebs are expensive but do a great job and last forever.  Or plastic buckets may be the more Mustachian option), rain pants, rain jacket, wool socks.  Carry a change of socks if your shoes aren't waterproof.  Your coat sleeves go over your gloves, not the other way around.  Also, make sure you have good lights.  Same as how you need headlights on a car in the rain, but doubly important for bikes.  Oh, and the rain never feels as heavy after the first half-mile as it looks from inside!

[Sister C]

Fenders, waterproof panniers (Ortliebs are expensive but do a great job and last forever.  Or plastic buckets may be the more Mustachian option), rain pants, rain jacket, wool socks.  Carry a change of socks if your shoes aren't waterproof.  Your coat sleeves go over your gloves, not the other way around.  Also, make sure you have good lights.  Same as how you need headlights on a car in the rain, but doubly important for bikes.  Oh, and the rain never feels as heavy after the first half-mile as it looks from inside!

Thanks for the tips!  Plastic buckets is the way to go for now, at least until the student loan is paid off.  My goal is not to buy any bike gear until then.

[cerebus]

Congratulations!  Out of curiosity, what do you do on rainy days?  Any gear/riding/clean up tips? I have been biking to work on non-rainy days (6 miles) but would like transition to daily bike commuting.   I know I need to get fenders for one thing...

I'm scared to ride in the rain. I have glasses and I lose visibility very badly. It doesn't feel safe at all.those days I'll actually just drive in.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GuitarStv]

I wear glasses as well and regularly bike in the rain and snow.  You will lost some visibility, but (with fenders on the bike) unless it's a torrential downpour it shouldn't be so bad that you can't see anything.  In a worst case scenario you can look over the top of your glasses for large colour blobs.  My vision is terrible, and that works well even for me.

Fogging up in cold in the winter is a much worse problem IMHO.

[Heather in Ottawa]

I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the ride, way to go! I find it kind of amazing how the bike makes almost any weather tolerable... always a good breeze to keep you cool in summer (or at least not totally overheated), and in when it's a bit colder outside, you just put on the wind-proof clothes and keep warm with all the heat you generate. Keep us posted on your progress.

[banjarian]

I wear glasses as well and regularly bike in the rain and snow.  You will lost some visibility, but (with fenders on the bike) unless it's a torrential downpour it shouldn't be so bad that you can't see anything.  In a worst case scenario you can look over the top of your glasses for large colour blobs.  My vision is terrible, and that works well even for me.

Fogging up in cold in the winter is a much worse problem IMHO.

I haven't found a good solution to fogging up in the winter yet. The worst part of the year is when it reaches ~10 degrees F or less, and I need to wear goggles. I found some really cheap rx goggles on zennioptical.com, and they're pretty great... but on the coldest days, when my face needs to be bundled as well, the fogging creates an impossible problem just a couple miles in. Having rx lenses inside of plastic goggles creates far too many surfaces that can collect condensation.

[GuitarStv]

My anti-fogging strategy currently revolves around a neoprene face mask that forms a seal along the upper part of my face and cheeks and redirects all the breath away from my glasses.  Ski goggles don't work at all for me, too much heat generated when I'm underway.  Regular glasses, my toque, and the face mask work OK down to about -30 though, you just have to pull the toque down to the top of your glasses. . .

[grantmeaname]

I hope you have a

...

 frugal toque.


But seriously, I'm very thankful to move to a place that doesn't have real winter like you guys do (or even like we get in Ohio). I can be a total wimp and still ride 12 months.

[GuitarStv]

I'm a weenie about the cold too . . . The rest of Canada laughs at Toronto because we don't get a real winter in comparison to most places.  :P

[Faraday]

I'm a weenie about the cold too . . . The rest of Canada laughs at Toronto because we don't get a real winter in comparison to most places.  :P

That photo is total badassity!

[ChardJungle]

Bike: yes, yes, and yes. 
I've been on two wheels since 2010 and don't care to look back.  I found the advice given previously as true: its your clothes not the weather.  (Winter biking is, for a large part, about keeping yourself from overheating.) 

Something not mentioned yet:  Folding bicycles.  I bought a folder three years ago.  Coupled with some public transit, your options open enormously. 

Bike on! But, signal your passes, please!

Chard Jungle

[Jack]

Congratulations!  Out of curiosity, what do you do on rainy days?  Any gear/riding/clean up tips? I have been biking to work on non-rainy days (6 miles) but would like transition to daily bike commuting.   I know I need to get fenders for one thing...

Fenders, waterproof panniers (Ortliebs are expensive but do a great job and last forever.  Or plastic buckets may be the more Mustachian option), rain pants, rain jacket, wool socks.  Carry a change of socks if your shoes aren't waterproof.  Your coat sleeves go over your gloves, not the other way around.  Also, make sure you have good lights.  Same as how you need headlights on a car in the rain, but doubly important for bikes.  Oh, and the rain never feels as heavy after the first half-mile as it looks from inside!

Speaking of places that don't have a real winter, what tips do y'all have for wet weather gear when it's hot (or perhaps worse, temperate)? There are lots of days in Atlanta where you'd overheat wearing a rain jacket and rain pants, but (considering wind chill) you don't necessarily want to be soaking wet, either.