Is commuting by bike in my future?

[liberty]

I am so excited! Went to a job interview today, and it is looking pretty positive. It is roughly as close to my house as my current job, but I would be able to ride my bike to the new one. :) Showers at the business, 10 miles away... Course there are showers at my current job, and it too is about 11 miles away. But it has about 1 mile of horrendous road/interstate/bridge combination that keep me from riding my bike... No shoulders, several lanes of traffic across a nasty bridge. Trying to make myself not sound like the wimp I am. :)

SOOOOO..... In thinking about this, let me ask you: how many use a hybrid/commuter bike to ride, and how many use a road bike? I'd prefer to use my road bike. Much better condition, etc. But how is a backpack on one of those? I don't anticipate doing errands on the bike. LOVE the idea of taking my bike!!!! Yeehaw!

[makbike]

Liberty:

I commute two miles one way on my road bike. I have a rear rack on which I place my panniers which contain my work clothes, my lunch, any papers I have graded, etc. Most of this two miles is on a very busy road (the main road leading to five of the schools on this end of town) which has no shoulder. The road surface near the outer edges of the roadway is very rough most of the way in so I often have to take the lane (I'm sure this upsets some of the many parents who are dropping their kids off at one of the schools). I have learned that if I leave my house by 7:30 the traffic is somewhat lighter and easier to handle than if I depart my house at 7:40 - what a difference 10 minutes makes. Either way I contiue to ride to work as the weather permits (no commuting most of this week due to the freezing temps we are blanketed in at the moment).

[Offthegrid]

I won't use my road bike simply because I work in a city and I don't want someone to jump me for my bike. If they steal my hybrid, I won't be heartbroken.

[sbctwin]

I ride my mountain bike which is now my commuter bike. I have a headlight on the front, rack on the back where I attach my panniers. I have a 5 mile steady uphill ride to work and going a different route home, a fairly fast ride downhill. I prefer fatter tires for my commute because my ride in the morning is completly in the dark and I am more apt to run over stuff in the street (glass, goatheads). Commuting to work in the morning really gives me a better start to the day and the hour I ride, I have very little traffic. The ride home is another matter...lot's of traffic and I have to be on the defense at all times, but I would rather be on my bike than in the car....GOOD LUCK with your new job prospect and the chance to commute to work:p

[RoadRaven]

I bike to work (23 kms away) on my road race bike. I have to be organised and either get someone to bring my clothes in, or leave clothes there the day before.

I would like to get in the next year or so (time frame is impacted by me having to take children into town for school - we live in the country)... but I would like to get another road bike, same geometry as my road-race bike, and set it up with saddle bags so i can truly commute and not have to rely on good planning re clothes, and be able to bring lunch and my diary etc with me each way.

I have all ablution gear at work (towels, shampoo, soap etc etc)

[RoadRaven]

Oh... and I meant to say good luck with the job and your dreams... when do you hear about hoe the interview went and your new job (just being positive...) :D

[liberty]

They are scheduling a second interview for Tuesday, and a third one for later in the week. :)

[Deanna]

I use both my commuter bike and my road bike. During the winter, it's solely my commuter has it has fenders and lights. During DST I take my road bike about half the time so I have the option of doing a longer ride after work or going for a quick spin at lunch. I use a backpack when I take the road bike with no problems, though when I get it together enough, I prefer to bring a couple days worth of clothing and lunches in at a time so I can ride in without a pack sometimes.

Good luck!

[uforgot]

I used to use my Trek 7.2fx fitness bike to commute to school, but a couple of weeks ago I scored a 1976 Schwinn Suburban for $25 in great shape. Talk about a fitness bike! This thing must weigh 400 lbs and I love it! Thanks to Xeney, I'm into commuting with a retro step through bike. My Trek is going up for sale as it is a little too "trekkie". The Schwinn makes me feel like I did when I was 12 and riding my JC Higgins bike around. I also have to work harder on this bike, but I only have a couple of miles to commute, so I like the idea of working harder. I have also worked on it, replaced the cables, adjusted the derailleur and I won't feel bad if I screw it up. I learned a lot, and man can I change a tire!

Anyway, sometimes I have to carry a lot, so I have the Trek Grocery Panniers and a rack. I can carry so much stuff in those things. Not sure how much you need to carry, but I like the idea of just throwing stuff in the bags and when it rains? I just cover them with plastic bags.

[CommuterChick]

I ride a hybrid, but I'm a wimp about road bikes, having been sideswiped once and learned the value of a helmet. My commute is 7 miles each way with some serious downhill early morning, then I earn it going home to the top of the mesa where we live. During standard time I throw my bike on a bus for a couple of miles of crunchy road -- I'm not playing chicken with the cars not seeing me -- and the bus dumps me out at the base of my long climb up a bike path.

I have a headlamp on the handlebars, flashing reflectors on my saddle, rear of my helmet (attached with a bit of wire) and one other that I can hang from a backpack if I want to. I don't like backpacks, so I use either a single pannier that converts to backpack (the Arkel bug) or a smallish rack bag by Cyclepro.

I keep Chico's black travel pants in a file cabinet drawer at work, along with shoes appropriate for the season. I hang one or two jackets and tank tops on a hanger behind my office door. We have a locker room at work, so I keep a towel and the various toiletries there, but I could easily keep 'em in a gym bag at work. I try to plan my car days so that I bring extra lunch on those days (cans of soup & V8 juice, a jar of pb to store in a drawer, veggies for the fridge, etc.) Right now I may be wearing leggings, a shell, earband, 3 layers of gloves, etc. in the a.m., and a tank and shorts for going home, so I'll use my bike storage space for bike stuff when possible.

And I leave a lock at work so I'm not carrying that weight back 'n' forth.

Best of luck to you!

from chilly Colorado

[7rider]

SOOOOO..... In thinking about this, let me ask you: how many use a hybrid/commuter bike to ride, and how many use a road bike? I'd prefer to use my road bike. Much better condition, etc. But how is a backpack on one of those? I don't anticipate doing errands on the bike. LOVE the idea of taking my bike!!!! Yeehaw!

Wow. Good luck with the job interview! Exciting times!!! :) Let us know how it goes.

I don't ride my "good" road bike to work. I have a dedicated flat bar road bike for the task. I did that for a few reasons.
1. As someone else mentioned: fear of bike-jacking for my ride. :o
2. I prefer the heads-up position offered by the flat bars for my in-city commute.
3. The flatbar bike accepts a rear rack, so I can attach panniers.
4. It's got beefier tires for urban-commando riding.

When I commuted with a pack, rather than the panniers, I used the REI singular bag (http://www.rei.com/product/738793). Since it puts the weight a bit lower on the back, I found it to be less "top heavy" than a backpack. It was more comfortable than a Timbuk2-style courier bag (for me). Since I now have trouble with a herniated disc in my neck, I don't put anything over my shoulder if I can help it, and I just use the panniers.

[mountainchick]

Right now I only commute home, but its about 35 miles and I do it on my road bike. I just leave my car and clothes at work and take the train in the next day.

When I ride home I use my CamelBack...but its the slim one that basically just holds the bladder with a small slit pocket that I put my keys and I.D in.

Good luck with everything!

[logdiva32]

I am so excited! Went to a job interview today, and it is looking pretty positive. It is roughly as close to my house as my current job, but I would be able to ride my bike to the new one. :) Showers at the business, 10 miles away... Course there are showers at my current job, and it too is about 11 miles away. But it has about 1 mile of horrendous road/interstate/bridge combination that keep me from riding my bike... No shoulders, several lanes of traffic across a nasty bridge. Trying to make myself not sound like the wimp I am. :)

SOOOOO..... In thinking about this, let me ask you: how many use a hybrid/commuter bike to ride, and how many use a road bike? I'd prefer to use my road bike. Much better condition, etc. But how is a backpack on one of those? I don't anticipate doing errands on the bike. LOVE the idea of taking my bike!!!! Yeehaw!

I also have about 3 miles of a terrible road which becomes a highway with terrible conditions/drivers. This has kept me from riding the 14 miles in to work. And having to p/u the kids after work. Still looking for a fix though. If you get an idea, please share.

[Crankin]

When I lived about 7 miles from school, I rode my road bike in a couple of days a week in the good weather. I had to bring my clothes to school the day before. I keep hygeine supplies at school, but there are no showers, so I use the "portable bath" things you heat in the microwave. I can't put a rack on my road bike, so I took the bladder out of my Camelbak and could use that for my lunch, make up, a few papers, etc. I rode once with a regular backpack and couldn't move for days afterwards.
I just "remodeled" an older hard tail mountain bike for commuting. I have a light on the front, one blinky in the back and a rack with an Ortleib single pannier. I rode it Friday into town and it is heavy. I don't know if i want to ride it for my 15 mile commute. It definitely will take me more than an hour or 57 minutes as I would do on my road bike. The bike with the pannier has to weigh at least 30 lbs., but it does feel good for commuting to have the wider tires.
My commute is suburban, but there is traffic in a few spots, even though it is very early in the morning. Talk to me in a couple of weeks, when it is lighter at 5:45 AM!

[tangentgirl]

Hi! I use my road bike to ride the 10 miles to work a couple times a week. The theory is that I'll get longer rides and speedwork in before or after. The reality seems to be that I'm running late in the am and I'm tired or racing the sunset in the pm. I don't really like thinking about drills and thinking about traffic.

I have my clothes in a locker at work, and there are showers. I have a small purse-sized backpack that I try to keep light. It's all working pretty well.

Logdiva, I remember when I was little, my mom would ride her bike to my school with my sister in a baby seat on the back, then we'd all walk home. :)

[Geonz]

Xtra! Xtra! Read all about it!
http://www.xtracycle.com

It's basically a hybrid plus the extension for potential cargo. I prefer it to my road bike because it carries stuff and, frankly, drivers treat me differently. I don't know if it's just more visible or if there's a psychological difference between seeing me as "a kid having fun" (I'm 46 but you can't tell in a helmet, right?) and "somebody trying to get somewhere."
Another family in town who has two of 'em have the kids ride on the back. You can get footrests and little kid seats.

Sneaking out to ride it around campus...

[kellichou]

Oh! That sounds fantaaaastic! I totally want one of those! Commuting would be easier! And I'd feel like I could actually take a bike like that on errands, 'cos it can actually HOLD stuff! wow!


Xtra! Xtra! Read all about it!
http://www.xtracycle.com

It's basically a hybrid plus the extension for potential cargo. I prefer it to my road bike because it carries stuff and, frankly, drivers treat me differently. I don't know if it's just more visible or if there's a psychological difference between seeing me as "a kid having fun" (I'm 46 but you can't tell in a helmet, right?) and "somebody trying to get somewhere."
Another family in town who has two of 'em have the kids ride on the back. You can get footrests and little kid seats.

Sneaking out to ride it around campus...