Bike to Work Week May 14-18

[RolliePollie]

Our community is holding "Bike to Work Day" on May 17. I plan to ride my bike to work for the first time that day! My town is small so I believe our acitivities consist of bagels and juice at a "commute station".

I like that it's called "Bike TO Work" because I think that's all I can do...it's only about 12 miles to my job but it's at least 2,000' of elevation change (downhill TO work, uphill back!). Riding home will be at least partially accomplished by hitching a ride in my friend's truck. There is absolutely no way I could ride back home at my current fitness and stamina level. But I'm still excited about attempting a commute on my bike!

Anyone else's community doing anything exciting to celebrate the week?

[mimitabby]

In Seattle we have May as bike to work MONTH.
I have already logged 5 trips in less than 2 weeks.
I am the team captain for 9 people in my lab (well, one is my husband
who doesn't work there but he's on our team anyway)
and we're in a big competition with some guys in a lab nearby.
It's not always convenient to ride, but I'm glad to be doing it.

[Trek420]

Bike to work Month
Within which there is bike to work week
In which there's Bike to Work Day

You'll be able to bike both ways in no time!!

CA Bay Area events here

www.bayareabikes.org/btwd/index.php?page=events.php

[suzieqtwa]

I biked to work the last 3 days....not bad ,6 miles each way ,but its the getting changed to look presentable thats hard to do. Its also kinda hard to carry a back pack.

[Geonz]

One of our bike club guys went to the coffee shops & got 'em to give discounts to cycilsts on bike to work day, which we're doing on Friday May 18. ( Maybe he told each one the all the other ones were doing it or something? ;) :p )

[Pax]

One of our bike club guys went to the coffee shops & got 'em to give discounts to cycilsts on bike to work day, which we're doing on Friday May 18. ( Maybe he told each one the all the other ones were doing it or something? ;) :p )

Do we just walk in all sweaty with smashed helmet hair to qualify for the discount? :D

[F8th637]

In the DC area it's officially Friday, May 18th. It's a big thing with Pitstops all along the way surrounding DC. More info at http://waba.org. I will actually be going away from the city that day instead of into. I'm looking forward to it.

[Kimmyt]

Suzie, I use a backpack to commute with. It's actually not that bad, you just have to make sure it rides up high on your back (i.e. crank those shoulder straps tight). As long as I'm not a packrat and only bring the minimal stuff (small camp towel, travel shower stuff, clothes for the day/LIGHT shoes... this requires serious outfit consideration but is easier in the summer) then it's not bad, and I ride a road bike and even find it comfortable to ride in the drops with the bag on for most of the time!

I would love to get some of my coworkers to ride in, but they've got the kids excuse. I'm working on them for the summer though...

K.

[mimitabby]

I use a backpack too. I actually like it better than loading down the back of the bike.
All I carry is a change of clothes and a lunch and my wallet and cellphone it's just not THAT heavy.

[Pax]

I use a backpack too. I actually like it better than loading down the back of the bike.
All I carry is a change of clothes and a lunch and my wallet and cellphone it's just not THAT heavy.

I'm the opposite, I'm looking to buy a rack because my shirt is soaked through by the time I get to work when I wear a backpack.

[mimitabby]

I haven't gotten that warm in the morning yet. (I have to be at work at 630am)
when I get home i am wet ALL OVER the backpack hardly matters at that point.

[Crankin]

I bring my clothes in the day before I ride, along with an extra lunch. I keep an extra bra at work, along with a towel and hygeine supplies. I tried riding with a regular backpack; it really messed up my back. I found that if I took the bladder out of my Camelbak, that gave me some extra room and since it fits well, without stress in the wrong places, I use that to carry make up, wallet, phone, Clif Bars, leg and arm warmers, and papers to grade. It's still cool in the morning, so sometimes I have to have a totally different riding outfit from AM to PM. I keep one short sleeved jersey at work, just in case what I have is wrong.

[7rider]

As with F8th637, I signed up with WABA's (http://www.waba.org/events/btwd/index.php)events on the 18th and will stop at the Silver Spring pit stop.
I'll be riding with my friend and usual riding partner, who's rehabbing a torn quadricep muscle that was repaired in January. He's still at PT 3 x's/week and is up to 3 miles of flats at a slow pace (well, I tease him, what else is new??). It will be a leisurely ride in. My friends at the LBS will have their tent set up at the pit stop, doing repairs and such. Last year, they had t-shirts and waterbottles for folks.
This year, I will definitely have my panniers on the bike - best to not repeat last year's over-the-handlebars flip when my schwag-bag got caught in the fork. I've been using the panniers regularly since my neck injury makes using my REI Sling bag (http://www.rei.com/product/738793) too painful.

[F8th637]

Good point! I will have to remember to take a bag big enough for schwag. ;) I'll be showering at the office so I can sweat all I want underneath a backpack.

[nicole309]

In Seattle we have May as bike to work MONTH.
.

Here in Port Townsend I am celebrating Bike to Work YEAR!!!:D

[Kimmyt]

This is good news! I spoke to one of the guys who is taking over leadership of our pseudo-defunct work cycling team and told him that since it's Bike to Work Week that I'd be willing to give my name out to members as a contact if they are interested in starting to bike to work. I figure that some people want to do it, but just need help figuring out the logistics, so they can contact me and we can talk and I can get them to commute! :)

Also, I managed to coerce a few other riding buddies to meet me for my commute on Bike To Work Day (May 18) and then we'll ride in together. There's talk of a group dinner afterwards to celebrate. I'm going to try and get more people to try it for just one day so they can see that it's fun and easy!

K.

[Micki Rider]

Doin' my first Bike To Work week and at first I thought I'd dread carting a messenger pack. I thought it would feel heavy and would hamper my ability to get off the seat fast or get in the way; but that hasn't been the case.

It's a bag made by Sherpani and rides in the best place right above my hips so it doesn't make my back sweat. It also sinches up around my waste and stays put.

On the other hand, last year I wore a hydration pack on my back and it was hot, hot, hot. Have switched to water bottles since.

[Tri Girl]

Our official day is May 18th in Oklahoma City. This year I get to do it (had to take the morning off work tho and it'll cost me $25 for a sub, but it's worth it). :)
Last year there were so many cyclists that rode downtown to City Hall, that as a result they had a committee gathered to talk about trails and appropriated a million + dollars to make new trails around the city. I'm excited about the prospects for this year.

I have tried commuting the last 2 weeks, but there's been so much rain that I can't do it (and roads are such that I feel very unsafe riding in the rain). :(
Hopefully it'll dry out soon!!

[Trek420]

Doin' my first Bike To Work week and at first I thought I'd dread carting a messenger pack. I thought it would feel heavy and would hamper my ability to get off the seat fast or get in the way; but that hasn't been the case.

It's a bag made by Sherpani and rides in the best place right above my hips so it doesn't make my back sweat. It also sinches up around my waste and stays put.

On the other hand, last year I wore a hydration pack on my back and it was hot, hot, hot. Have switched to water bottles since.

I think that's the idea of BTW month/week/day.

We think "oh I could never bike to work, my wingtips aren't SPD compatible, I dread messenger bags, I'll have helmet hair in a meeting. But ok, one day, I can do this one day for fun"

And then we find the messenger bag is easy cool and hip, we can keep a spare pair of shoes under the desk and it's wonderful looking under my desk and seeing the SIDIS and .... best of all .... coworkers think your helmet hair is awesome "you BIKED to work! :cool: :eek: wow, I can try it too!"

[mimitabby]

what keeps the messenger bag from shifting around on your back?

I use a backpack (which was cheap and is now starting to fall apart) and can't understand why someone would carry a messenger bag instead.

[F8th637]

I did a trial run of my commute for next Friday today. It's about 15 miles one way. My husband works in the same office and we only have one bike currently so I won't have to make the commute back. I did it more for myself to see if I could do it and I can! Woo hoo!

[mimitabby]

Bike to work month this year has been awesome. We are finding all sorts of new (to us) bike commuters. There are probably 20 in our building alone. We are working with facilities to provide better bike parking, and for the men at least, more lockers for them to put their stuff in (plenty of room for women, the ratio of men to women here is 7:1 !!)
I got published in the paper (a letter to the editor about my trials and tribulations on my commute) and someone else did yesterday. our company's commute office has heard of us, and they are thinking of having an awards
luncheon for all the top teams (in the commute challenge) at the end of the month. This is terrific stuff. It makes up for the jerks who harass us on the road.

[uforgot]

There isn't a lot of biking interest amond the adults in my town. I teach at the local high school, so I put in the announcements that Friday was bike to work/school day in the St. Louis area. Any student who rides their bike to school can stop by my room for a free Gatorade. I didn't know how it would go over, but there are quite a few who told me that they plan to ride on Friday, just for that Gatorade!

Isn't a big deal to me, as I commute almost every day, but it's fun getting others interested!

[F8th637]

Wow, Claudia! Good for you for offering some sort of incentive!

Sounds like you guys are really making headway in Seattle, mimitabby! Kudos!

[tangentgirl]

Yay Bike to Work Week! I drove Monday so I could bring my clothes in; I'm riding the rest of the week. It's about 10 miles each way.

I didn't see anyone else at my work doing it, but I think I saw a lot more cyclists on the road today. Or I just noticed them more.

[yellow]

In celebration of bike to work week, they started major construction on my route yesterday (construction that I have to walk the bike through since the road is so chopped up). Today on my way home they sent me on a detour to a very busy road that I normally will not get close to (9 lane arterial with no shoulder or bike lane...niiiiice) which, incidentally, is also under construction. :mad: (insert stream of expletives here) :mad:

I'm going a totally different route tomorrow. :)

[10ch]

Bike to work month this year has been awesome... It makes up for the jerks who harass us on the road.

That's awesome, Mimitabby!

BTW has been a good one, so far I am 2 for 3. We have several events each night and I haven't made it to a single one. Maybe tonight.

As for messenger bags vs. backpacks vs. panniers... I vote for baskets! I don't like panniers because of the weight they add to the back of the bike, but front loaded baskets don't feel the same for me. I biked for about six months with a backpack, which had better support but didn't look as cool as the messenger bag I used for over a year (a chrome). But using the basket blows those methods out of the water, especially when it's so hot. It's so much nicer to not have something weighing on and heating up my back. Strongly recommend.