Never thought I'd say this...

[RoseC]

but I'm really thinking about trying to commute by bike a few days a week. We have a shower there, and I'm sure I could tuck my bike away in a corner, so it wouldn't be in danger.

Until I got the Volpe, I didn't think I could do the kind of distance it would involve. I'm not certain, but I *think* it'll be between 13 and 15 miles, with one huge hill on the way there. So far the longest ride I've done was just over twenty, so I'm not sure I could handle fifteen twice a day, but if I work up to it...and with the workday as a break...well...hm. It's not as impossible as I thought it might be.

However, I'm really scared of riding on the roads. I'd have wide shoulder for the first third, a bike lane beside a very busy highway for about the second third (eek!), and a multi-use sort of a trail for almost the whole of the last section. There are a few places where I'd have to make a left hand turn, and I'm thinking the easiest thing would be to just turn pedestrian at those spots and use the crosswalks.

I think I may make a dry run of the scary portion this weekend - that'd be the part on the roads, both on the shoulder and in the bike lane. My heart is in my mouth just thinking about it. It's not really logical, I suppose... But while I know that if I fall on the trail, at the worst I might break bones, on the road, it could easily be much worse. That terrifies me. Do you ever get over that fear?

[Trek420]

Yes and no :cool: I'd say I have a healthy respect for the dangers involved, I'm aware of the risks each time I ride. There's a moment before any ride that I might think "ok, pay attention. This is dangerous but you love it! Just focus"

But I could walk outside right now and get hit on the head by a piano that falls out of a plane :p

On a new commute I'd do a dry run a time or two.

Pick a weekend or day you could be late for work. How long does it really take you? Would you have time to fix a flat? Where would you stop if you just haaaaave to have a cookie or want one as a reward for the hill? Is there a frontage road you could take instead of that 2nd bit? Do you have cell network throughout? If that left turn is a bad one can you over shoot it and take two rights? Two wrongs don't make a right but sometimes three rights make a left? :D

It took me almost a year of trial runs and weekend explorations before I found my TWO MILE route to the train.

Bounded on three sides by freeway it's no wonder nobody around here rides. Those who do take the most dangerous route. But part of that's because the two bike/pedestrian only overpasses we actually have....are not signed. So it was by accident that I found a safer way.

[Cyclo Kitty]

Your plan to ride the scary part this weekend is a good one. Practice is always good! I'm sure you'll quickly gain the distance...you can always commute on alternate days to start with.

My commute is not as intense as yours sounds, though traffic here is pretty *special*. You do become accustomed to the context in which you are riding, and your instincts and intuition are honed by experience. I think you will find that it does get easier, and riding the route on weekends to start getting used to it should help. The route of commute is also the route to a couple of longer rides, half way to the grocery, and the way to day care so I got to practice it a lot-- which helped me gain confidence and recognize road obstacles.

Over time, you'll become confident around vehicles, and learn to anticipate their moves. Somedays, you just won't be aces on the bike...or you'll be hungry, and not clip in properly or wobble to start, but because you've ridden and ridden that route, you know how to safely cross the intersection without even thinking about it.

Left turns become easier with time; some of the drivers let me take the lane when I signal and even yield when they should!! Others pass me on the left...or turn right and try to make me ride to their left. Look drivers in the eye whenever you can, it does seem to help. Crossing like a pedestrian is fine, but remember that bikes are hard to see anywhere.

The commute (for me anyway) becomes second nature, like breathing. As long as you're familiar with the route and stay alert, it'll soon seem natural to ride those scary places. Will scary things happen? Yes. But you will also learn from them and be a better rider, and probably not be hurt if you pay attention, use consistent behaviour when riding, wear a helmet and visible clothing, and use a headlight and blinkies at dusk.

I'm sure you can do it!

[mimitabby]

I am a fearful rider myself. During the winter the fear grows because i'm not riding. Now it's really getting easier. I hop on my bike almost every day and commute. I am not losing any sleep over it or fussing about it before i do it!


I'd be a fool NOT to be scared, there are plenty of cars out there and not all the drivers are happy to see me in THEIR road. But i keep going. when they honk their horn at me, I wave like we're best friends. The one time recently that someone menaced me with his vehicle, I surprised myself. Instead of getting scared, I got MAD!
But that fear is truly a healthy respect for what can be a dangerous situation.

Check out your commute, be careful, alert, have fun! Since you live in Western Washington, you might talk to some of us from the same area about the best roads for commuting. good luck

[KnottedYet]

Can you take a bus (with bike on the front rack) in to work, and ride home? I'm looking at doing that for my new commute. (15 miles. Previous commute: 4 miles.)

Depending on the part of WA you are in, you might be able to get a bicycle map which shows high and low traffic roads, bike lanes, and bike trails. (I have both the King Co and Snohomish Co maps. They are very useful!)

A local bike club (if you are here in the Seattle area, check into Cascade; in Bellingham check into Mt. Baker) might have a commuter class, where they teach you basic skills and laws, and let you practice how to put the bike on a bus, and help you figure out a safe route. Cascade's class also gives you a $50 certificate if you live or work in Seattle proper.

[mimitabby]

Cascade's class also gives you a $50 certificate if you live or work in Seattle proper.

a $50 certificate for what, Knot?

[KnottedYet]

I dunno, it just says $50 on the website.

I'm guessing for a bus pass.

Anybody know what it's for?

[RoseC]

Pick a weekend or day you could be late for work. How long does it really take you? Would you have time to fix a flat? Where would you stop if you just haaaaave to have a cookie or want one as a reward for the hill? Is there a frontage road you could take instead of that 2nd bit? Do you have cell network throughout? If that left turn is a bad one can you over shoot it and take two rights? Two wrongs don't make a right but sometimes three rights make a left? :D


All good questions for me to find answers to!

I timed myself on the trail the other day, figuring that the sort of obstacles I meet on the trail (people and dogs and kids out walking, road crossings, etc.) should bring my average down in about the same way as the crosswalks and such would on the road. I came out with about a 12.5 mph average. I'm slow, I know it! But I figure with that average, I could give myself about an hour and forty-five minutes to get there, and have enough time to at least swap tubes if I had a flat.

There's no real way to avoid that stretch along the highway, I don't think. :( Wish there was a path the whole way!

[RoseC]

Check out your commute, be careful, alert, have fun! Since you live in Western Washington, you might talk to some of us from the same area about the best roads for commuting. good luck

I think I'm further south than any of the other Washington folks - I'm down in Thurston county...Olympia area. I did pick up a Thurston County map...it's how I figured out my planned route. It's a bit out of date, I think, as there are new paths going in all the time.

Unfortunately, the only *direct* route from where I live to where I work is the Interstate. *sigh*

[Torrilin]

If you can find any route that lets you dodge the interstate, do so. In most of the US interstates have a minimum speed of 45 mph, and you can be ticketed for going below the minimum speed. Interstate shoulders also tend to be pretty dangerous, since they don't get cleaned the way a surface street does.

How indirect are the indirect routes? I've lived in places where the only way to cross major rivers was an interstate... that could put a real cramp in your commute.

[RoseC]

If you can find any route that lets you dodge the interstate, do so. In most of the US interstates have a minimum speed of 45 mph, and you can be ticketed for going below the minimum speed. Interstate shoulders also tend to be pretty dangerous, since they don't get cleaned the way a surface street does.

How indirect are the indirect routes? I've lived in places where the only way to cross major rivers was an interstate... that could put a real cramp in your commute.

Oh, I didn't mean that I'd be riding on the interstate! Just that it's the most direct route. In the car, my commute is 11 miles.

The indirect one is the one that uses a) a nice wide shoulder on a fairly busy road, but one with mostly a speed limit of 35, b) a bike lane along a busy highway (that's the part I'm most concerned about), and c) the multiuse path.

[northstar]

Try it, you'll like it!

I started commuting *home* from work first. I carpooled in with a friend, loaded the bike, then rode it home from work. That worked fine. I did have to negotiate some busier roads, but it was no problem.

Then, on bike to work day, I rode both to and from work. Now I'm hooked on riding in the morning! I discovered that when I leave bright and early to go to work (ok, it's really early...5:30...but I have 17 miles to go), there is NO traffic on those roads. I get to listen to the birds and enjoy the morning.

And with the left turns...do what you need to do! :) I still have to do that to feel comfortable sometimes. The more I've ridden, the more comfortable I've gotten with taking the lane to make left turns instead of hopping off the road to walk the crosswalks.

[RoseC]

Well...I never ended up checking out the route this weekend! I did a 30 mile ride on the trail on Saturday, which was a personal best for me, but it meant I didn't feel like riding a long way Sunday, and today the Volpe (who tells me her name is Edwina, though I don't particularly care for the name) went back to the bike shop for some narrower handlebars - I set up an appointment the day I bought her. Got Salsa Short and Shallows, which I LOVE so far.

I also decided to try out a Terry Liberator X, since I'm still not sold on the B-17. I should never have taken the Liberator out of the shop. It seemed like a good idea at first, but after ten miles, I hate hate hate hate hate it. The part where the nose meets the back is wide enough to hurt, and the cut out does nothing for me. Not to mention I found myself missing the smoothness of the leather. I'm thinking I either need to give the B-17 more time (it has about a hundred and fifty miles on it so far), or I need something wider in the back but still narrow in the nose. I went to take the Terry back right away, but the shop closed early for the holiday, so I'm stuck with it until tomorrow. I don't even wanna look at it, though...ugh.

All of which has nothing to do with commuting...

[KnottedYet]

It all has everything to do with commuting! :D

If the B17 feels like it might be too narrow, would you be willing to try a B68? LisaSH just switched from a B17 to a B68, and loves it. I have a B67 (and another ordered so each bike will have one). The B67 is the same saddle, but with springs. Very narrow nose, abrupt change to the wide part. "T" shaped rather than "pear" shaped.

The leather is pebbled rather than smooth, so it's not quite as slippery as the B17, but it isn't rough either.

Bike names - maybe "Edwina" is her middle name. See what comes up for her first name or her nickname. (My Surly's name literally came to me in my sleep: Carmelita. That's her middle name. Her first name is Crow, or whatever language for Crow strikes my fancy at the time.)

I have Salsa Short-n-Shallows, too. Very nice bars!

[RoseC]

If the B17 feels like it might be too narrow, would you be willing to try a B68?

I suppose so...though after my experience with the Terry, I'm wondering if it's really too narrow. I mean...isn't the Terry pretty wide? And it still felt like my sitbones were gonna fall off. I'm thinking I'm maybe just analyzing the whole feel too much. I do know for a FACT that the thing hurt like anything, though!

The semi T shape of the B68 really has me wondering, though, because the part of the Terry that bothered me most was the intersection between nose and seat. Too wide.

I'm cringing a little at the cost of the other Brooks, but I'll at least keep it in mind. I think I need to give the B-17 a bit more time, maybe. I didn't realize how comfy it feels to me now until I tried something else!

[KnottedYet]

If you got the B17 from Wallingford, you have 6 months to try it with no questions asked. The B68 is only a little bit more expensive, certainly the difference is cheaper than a Terry!

Terrys are not wide enough for me.

And the pear shape (gradual transition from nose to perch) of most saddles is terribly painful for me. I have a Serfas Niva that is nearly wide enough, but it's that gradual pear shape that chafes me and makes the saddle a bad fit for me.

Here is my Serfas Niva next to my Brooks B67:
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m21/KnottedYet/DSCN0434.jpg

The Serfas has some goofy painted stripes on the trasition area, but you can see that even this saddle (the most T-shaped I could find at the LBS) has a more gradual transition than my B67.

[RoseC]

Actually, I got the B17 from Nashbar some time ago - it was on sale and they had one of their 15% off sales, and I'd always loved the way the Brooks saddles look and the idea of having a leather saddle...so I went for it! I got a good enough deal that if I end up deciding I definitely don't want it, I could probably recup most of my investment. Any future Brooks will come from Wallingford, though!

This is all good stuff to think about. I'm considering moving the B17 to my mountain bike now that it's softened up a bit...and then I could put a B68 on Edwina. Wish I could find a picture of a B68 in honey...

[KnottedYet]

I've got a B67 in honey on order. The top will be the same as a honey B68, I'll post a pic.

Wouldn't surprise me if Bill or Diane at Wallingford would be willing to email you a pic of a honey B68 if you ask them.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Wish I could find a picture of a B68 in honey...

Rose, I took some pix of my honey B68. I will post them here later today- must get back to work right now though! :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Rose, here are some pix of my new B68 honey Brooks....
3380

3381

3382

[RoseC]

Ooh...it's gorgeous! I really like the pebbled look with the honey. Thanks for posting pics!

For the moment, I think I'm going to stick with the B17, at least until my initial sitbone soreness goes away. I think a part of the whole Terry saga was just grass-is-greener syndrome.

Heh...I went back to the LBS tonight to return it and talked saddles for awhile with the guy working the counter. After hearing my laundry list of wants (and complaints about the Terry) - not smooth / slick enough, too smooshy, too wide in the nose, etc. - he pulled out a few saddles, one of which was the B17! Made me laugh. I admit, I didn't 'fess up to owning one already. I still feel...unworthy of having such a classic, somehow. Pretentious upstart. So I just thanked him and went on my way, though a part of me actually wanted to buy another for my mountain bike, just to spite the Terry sitting on the counter. It didn't like me, it didn't, it didn't.

I went on a good fifteen mile ride tonight, and I really think my Brooks is starting to feel like home. It's smooth (but no longer slippery), nice and cool, it moves with me without smushing anything, it's springy when the road is bumpy, and after just shy of a hundred and seventy five miles, I think it's finally *starting* to get sitbone dents. Most importantly, no girly bits were harmed in the making of that trip... My sitbones are still a tad bruised feeling, but I know a part of that is just that I've only had the bike for three weeks and I did my first thirty mile ride on Saturday!

Bottom line, I think, is that I'm pretty well sold on the whole leather saddle thing. I *think* the regular ol' B17 is wide enough for me, and it sure looks classy on Edwina. If it doesn't work, I now know my LBS can get Brooks saddles...and their prices were right in line with Wallingford. So I can always order a B68 down the line if I decide I need one.

As for the topic of the thread...I did another scoping out session this evening after my ride, and I think Saturday I'm going to make my first go of riding to work. After last weekend, I know I can go thirty miles at a go, so fifteen twice a day should be doable - and that's at the outside of what this trip will likely be.

[RoseC]

By the way, Lisa - after that I had to go check out your bike page again. What a pretty bike - I highly approve of that blue!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Thanks Rose! I just now put 3 new pix of my blue bike up, about 3 minutes ago! I took them today while photographing the saddle for you. :p

You can see the difference between the old unfinished "raw" cork tape on the handlebars, and what it looks like after twining and shellacking them. I also have thinner tires now.

[KnottedYet]

Lisa - that is one gorgeous saddle! I can hardly wait for Flossie's B67 in honey leather now!

(Crow Carmelita Crosscheck really likes the black B67 that used to be on Flossie, so I'm just not riding Flossie until the honey one comes in)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

(Crow Carmelita Crosscheck really likes the black B67 that used to be on Flossie, so I'm just not riding Flossie until the honey one comes in)


POOR FLOSSIE!!!! :eek: Not only have you "betrayed" and abandoned her, but....you even stripped off her saddle and gave it to the new Usurper??? :eek: :( :( Poor Flossie......even her golden lugs can't help her now....(sniffle, sniffle, lower lip trembling....)

[mimitabby]

No, Lisa, Flossie now has a better matching honey colored saddle. I wouldn't have it any other way. Black saddle on the surly, Honey on Flossie!

where are the handlebar tape pictures?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

No, Lisa, Flossie now has a better matching honey colored saddle. I wouldn't have it any other way. Black saddle on the surly, Honey on Flossie!

where are the handlebar tape pictures?

I just hope Flossie "knows" she is getting a new saddle! She just has her naked seatpost sticking up in the air right now....so undignified! :eek:

The handlebar tape pix are on my main bike page, under the 3 updated 2007 blue bike pictures:
http://harmonias.com/Bikes.html

[KnottedYet]

She knows! I give her lots of love, she knows she is my gazelle and Surly is my utility. And a honey will look much better on her than the black. (I've been planning - and even ordered- the honey before I bought the Surly)

all is well!

(She approves of Crow, after all, Ravens are Odin's messengers and Flosshilde is a Rhinemaiden, and Yggdrasil where Trek took the crow is the Norse world-tree, lots of connections, all good!)

[Geonz]

I have to laugh... my Gazelle is definitely my "ultility" since it weighs about 50 pounds!

I agree with what folks have said about being scared... and that there are lots of things to be scared of. My commute is 7 miles.

I am *not* particularly slow, they tell me... but my commuting average is often under 12.5 (today with construction it was under 11). Commuting is completely different from getting out on the open road. I keep track of how long it takes me but I definitely don't try to up my average. I'm focused on commuting. I wll go fast in stretches for fun, but still, I don't look at anything that is going to shift my motivation to "am I going to beat yesterday's time" when I'm in anything like traffic (and we don't really have a lot of that). However, I know that where I used to live, most people had at least an hour's commute (mine was 1:15) ... that's a lot of commuting time and t hey're not even riding!!

This morning I encountered a genuine grumpy "what are you doing on the road impeding my precious life" driver. Even my winsome smile didn't convert him...

[gnat23]

Rose, here are some pix of my new B68 honey Brooks....

Lisa! I love the look of the leather saddle with the leather accents on the bag. It feels very classy in that J. Peterman kind of way!

[onimity]

Congratulations on deciding to commute. Your post sounds exactly like me a couple of months back. I took it in steps, started riding the bus to work with my bike and then riding (10-12 miles) home. When we have a particularly bad hail or lightning storm I'll take the bus back but I'm always seriously bummed when that happens (though it still means riding 3 miles or so). I used to think that the interstate was the most direct way to work and my initial commute was longer by bike. Since then I've been able to shave off a couple of miles by following little previously-unknown roads, or little paths that connect things more efficiently. I can bypass a huge tangle of roads in the business park between the interstate and our office so I think my commute is actually shorter now.

I tend to meander home and often follow other bikes when they turn somewhere that seems to be going in the same direction I'd like to. Sometimes I turn around but sometimes I learn a cool new little road or path. The other bikes always know the best routes. :) I also commute on my mountain bike (with a rack, it's terribly loud!) so that I can take some fun trails that just happen to parallel the road when I am not in a hurry.

So, do you ever get over the fear? Well, if you're doing it right, no. Cars can easily kill you and it's dangerous not to be afraid of them. But it is also dangerous to be afraid to the point that you are shaky or not making good decisions, so I think that you are doing the right thing by practicing on your route and getting familiar with the timing before you try it 'for real'. I also have started running almost all of my errands on my bike. City traffic and having to cross lanes have helped me with my confidence in traffic.

As for crossing like a pedestrian, I think it's easier for cars to see you if you act like any other vehicle, but sometimes I have to use pedestrian crossings in places where I want to go through a red light that I can't trigger with my bike or where I'd have to cut through 5 lanes of heavy traffic + construction in less than 50 feet! If you use pedestrian crossings be very careful of people turning right on red lights. Make sure that they see you and that they aren't turning before you cross. If you are like me your confidence in turning left in the standard lanes will improve as you become more familiar with your commute.

In the last week we have had a lot of afternoon thunderstorms predicted so I have started riding in the morning to be sure that I get the ride in. Of course I usually get to ride home too. But having the bus as a backup for dangerous conditions is a good way to get me out the door with the bike. I haven't driven to work in over 2 months. Commuting by bike I leave the house feeling like I'm going on a bike ride and when I walk out the door of the office I am off work; I don't have to wait for half an hour in a metal box on a congested freeway until I am finally free. I hope that it will be as positive an experience for you as it is for me.

Anyhow, hope that is of some help. Good luck with the commute and most importantly enjoy it!

Anne