If you had a fairy godmother when you started riding...

[pinkychique]

I'm looking for the challenges that everyone has overcome with learning to ride, especially with commute...

A little background - I started riding in college, first for tri's and general riding, then commuting, and now I'm about 90% on my bike (accept when I'm hauling my bike to go ride it elsewhere - go figure ;) ).

I know logistics are always problems, learning how to deal with cars, to shower or not to shower, etc.

What are unique challenges that you've faced? And more importantly, how did you overcome them??

Thanks in advance!

[rebeccaC]

i wouldn't call commuting a challenge but rather a learning journey on how to do it well.

When considering my commuting route I pick the most pleasant low traffic route possible. I can do a bike path, some alleys and low volume streets on my commute and that makes for a more relaxed ride and no sweat on my morning ride. I use the ride home for more of a hard ride including some hills that I usually avoid in the morning. I have a messenger bag and waterproof panniers to use depending on what’s needed for work and perhaps groceries etc on the way home.

One tip I’ve learned if sweaty is to cool down while drinking some water until I am not perspiring much before I use wipes, facial cleanser, toner, oil free moisturizer, deodorant, a natural bristle brush etc. makeup and clothes change. Burning Man, with its 100+ degree temps, lots of dust and limited shower access taught me how useful baby wipes are… If my hair is a little sweaty on a hot day I reverse the part, fluff it and put it into a top knot until the sweat evaporates then brush if I don’t want it in a top knot for the day.

I leave a pantsuit, blouses, a couple of dresses, shoes, underwear, jeans, socks and some casual tops at work in my office closet. If I don’t drive in once a week I use a Patagonia Transport Shoulder Bag with its backpack straps to carry clothes back and forth.

My employer has a Qualified Transportation Fringe (QTF) benefit, which gives me a $20 tax exclusion benefit a month for commuter bicycle expenses…..not that much but another benefit to my bike commuting. There is a $230 a month benefit for mass transit.

[lph]

I'm massively privileged when it comes to bike-friendly facilities at work, so I have lots of clothes, toiletries and a towel stashed there and drying opportunities for my bike gear. Since I always put my office clothes on immediately after a shower I can use them quite a bit before washing. Still, it took me a while to learn the following tricks:

- always have an extra bra and undies at work. I leave a ratty pair that I otherwise would have thrown away. If not you WILL someday forget one or the other, and have to go commando allday or wear sweaty bike shorts. Yuck.
- ditto for stashing an old pair of bike shorts. At some point I get caught in a cloudburst and soaked to the skin, when that happens I won't have to bike home in wet shorts.
- don't take something essential (like the towel) home to wash until you've brought another one to work. Or if you have to, don't take it out of your backpack until you've gone and fetched another one and put it IN your pack.
- learn when not to commute by bike. Some types of weather just aren't worth it - heavy, wet falling snow is one of them.
- always eat before riding home, and know where to stop for a snack if necessary. I've had a few rides home where I bonked and it wasn't fun.
- carry a couple of small blinkies on your bike as spares, in case the regular lights stop working. It's not always the batteries, sometimes they just die on you, especially if you take a fall.

Oh, and diligently noting down what to wear at which temperatures makes dressing in the morning easier and riding more comfortable. The best approach for me was to note down not what I wore, but what I think I should have worn. I ended up with a neat little chart that takes me down to about -10 C.

[ny biker]

I don't commute by bike, but there have been a few things I've had to learn through trial and error that I think apply to any type of cycling --

- how to dress for different types of weather; food and drink -- what, when, how much -- before and during a ride
- always keep certain things in your gear bag -- spare socks, gloves, arm warmers, a wind breaker, a vest -- so it's available right before the ride (keep spare at your job for the ride home)
- have more than one headlight and taillight in case the one you planned to use has a dead battery
- fenders are great when roads are wet
- have a bag or two on your bike large enough to carry extra layers that you put on or take off as weather conditions change or you warm up
- keep a couple of zip top bags in your bike bag for your phone, keys, wallet, whatever needs to stay dry if it rains

I keep a log of weather conditions, what I wore and whether I was comfortable for rides in fall, winter and spring.

[pinkychique]

These are amazing tips ladies. Seriously gold.

What was it that made you want to commute in the first place?

[OakLeaf]

I haven't commuted in a very long time, but one thing I've learned generally is that the quickest way to stop sweating is to bring my core temperature down from the inside, by drinking an iced drink or slush.

[rebeccaC]

What was it that made you want to commute in the first place?

to help with the chocolate calories.........plus being in a good area/community to do it....and the health and exercise

how is Albuquerque for commuting?

eta...I started with a solex pedaled moped when I was a preteen and starting in my early teens I rode a rene herse mixte touring bike all over southern/eastern france, northern spain and north western Italy during the summers and to school during the rest of the year. A bike was my only mode of transportation in college and in those years I also started doing brevets.

This area is comfortable to ride in year round, which is one of the reasons I took this job out of graduate school. I see bike commuting as a healthy, cheap and eco-friendly alternative to driving….and i get a kind of joy from it….from being more aware of the neighborhoods I ride through, seeing, hearing and experiencing so much more than i would in a car, stopping for morning tea and a scone on my way to work, seeing and getting to know other riders on their commutes, riding by the ocean in sunrise and sunset light and being an example to others by showing cycling as a viable form of efficient and versatile transportation. The rewards are endless and meaningful for me !!

this view from a couple of days ago can only be seen from a bike path
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1594/24428400709_4c813e6f4b_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DdDWsz)

[lph]

These are amazing tips ladies. Seriously gold.

What was it that made you want to commute in the first place?
To get there? :-) I honestly can't remember. I didn't bike much before I met my dh as a 22yr old student, but I had always lived an hour by bus away from everything. (We never owned a car.) My dh biked in to uni from his place, so I had to show him I could to, even though I almost fell over after the first commute I was so exhausted. After that it was just a natural thing to do. We've always chosen where to live based on bike commutability. But I made a conscious decision to ride my bike often when my brother died suddenly from an unexpected heart attack, ten years ago. In the weeks and months afterwards I noticed that the days I biked to work felt less black than the days I didn't, and I realised the exercise endorphins really made a difference to my daily wellbeing. In addition I now have a strong motivation to stay healthy.

[Eden]

I started bicycle commuting and riding to places in general because I was too young to have a drivers license and then when I was old enough I didn't want to spend the money it would have taken for insurance/gas etc.

I don't feel like I faced any challenges learning to ride, as I've been doing it so long it's just about as natural as walking to me. I don't honestly recall ever not having a bike, starting with that classic little red trike. My parents taught me how to ride with traffic starting at a pretty young age. I remember joining an after school bike club in middle school (so about 10-12) and being only one who'd ridden upwards of 40 miles in a day and knew how to ride on the road safely.. I'd already been taken overnight bicycle touring by my parents at this time. By the time I was 14, I liked to spend my free summer days riding all around. I'd take 80-100 mile solo rides just for something to do. I had a bike shop I liked to visit that was a 70 mile round trip :P I ended up not bothering to get a driver's license until I was over 25.

As far as commuting goes, not sure I have much more to add. I'm lucky in that we've got lockers, showers, and towel service where I work, so getting ready in the morning is no problem. I do second LPH's advice about an emergency pair of undies. Mine saved me just this week. I dumped out my clothes bag and uh-oh…. but YES! my emergency locker pair was there. I'd have been an unhappy camper going al fresco under my wool tights all day.

I suppose one tip I have is to use light weight dry bags. I've got a couple of them that I use to pack my clothing and camera when I need to transport it (I'm a photographer at a hospital). Even though my messenger bag is weather proof, if it's really howling outside, water can sneak in, but I've never had the contents of my dry bags get at all wet.

[shootingstar]

I commuted by bike because I don't drive. I gave up my driver's license in early 20's after I realized I was not comfortable driving at higher speeds on expressways.

This blog post (https://cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/what-shapes-me-walkable-cycleable-neighbourhoods/)describes most of my lifestyle without a car and my choices of where I've lived. I feel incredibly lucky and privileged, not deprived. And cycling helps. :)

[Geonz]

Carr;ying stuff was such an issue. So many times, "I'd ride the bike but I have to bring..."

Then I sprang for my Xtracycle in 2006 and ... ended up selling my car in 2008 "just for the summer" ... still don't have one...

Also routes and learning to ride in traffic... but this is a college town so pretty good for that.

(Pleased to see familiar names -- I decided to bump my bicycling culture back up on my "Stuf Of LIfe" this year and TE is awfully helpful fo rthat!)

[north woods gal]

On all the jobs I've worked, I've had to dress business professional, so I had to always bring a change of clothes and all the toiletries I need with me. I used a bike with large rear panniers to carry it all. Pretty tough to stuff a dress or skirt/blouse in a small pack and expect to look presentable. Had no locker, but my boss always let me store stuff in a safe place, so having a good boss is like gold.

One little tip is to also carry a pair of gloves when you ride, just in case your chain slips off the chainrings or have to lift it to pull a wheel. Coming to work with greasy dirty hands does not make a good impression. :)

One last thing. If you live in a area with a lot of bike theft, beg, plead or whatever to get permission to store your bike inside the building, rather than out in the lot with the cars. If that's a no go, investigate getting a low end bike just for commuting. I lived and commuted in Chicago (bike theft capitol of the world). Most bike commuters I knew used low end bikes for commuting for that very reason. My boss was a good guy, though, and allowed me to store my bike, indoors.

[Jolt]

This is a timely thread for me as I am about to close on a house that is 5 miles from where I now work…looking forward to being able to commute by bike instead of dealing with an unpleasant 25-minute drive. I will be able to store my bike in our office area and won't have any problem carrying things, but will have to contend with unavoidable high-traffic roads in a couple of places and will be riding home at night some weeks (evening shift). Definitely looking forward to having my commute be a benefit rather than a detriment to my mental health!

[Crankin]

Get a front light with a bright enough light that you can see, not just one to be seen, for when you ride home at night. I have a super duper one for dark rides, which is switched off with the one I use all of the time, in blinky mode. The smaller one is OK for dawn, when it is getting light out and daytime, or up until about 45 minutes before sunset. THe first time I rode home with a light that was more for let's say riding in Cambridge, I freaked out. I am betting you don't have streetlights, or not a lot of them.

[Jolt]

Get a front light with a bright enough light that you can see, not just one to be seen, for when you ride home at night. I have a super duper one for dark rides, which is switched off with the one I use all of the time, in blinky mode. The smaller one is OK for dawn, when it is getting light out and daytime, or up until about 45 minutes before sunset. THe first time I rode home with a light that was more for let's say riding in Cambridge, I freaked out. I am betting you don't have streetlights, or not a lot of them.

I do have a pretty good front light…I just will have to make sure to keep it charged! Also, I think for evening-shift weeks I will have to take the handlebar bag off b/c it gets in the way of the light somewhat. I suppose I could just drop the whole thing into a pannier for nighttime commuting (I keep most of my repair tools etc. in there that I take on rides, so I don't want to keep having to unpack and repack things). As for streetlights, that is a mixed bag--the main roads in town have them but I will be using side streets where possible.

[north woods gal]

Best of luck, Jolt. I did a lot of commuting in the dark. At night, it is sometimes safer (and more reassuring) to use well lit main roads with some traffic instead of dark side streets, especially if those side streets are in questionable neighborhoods. For the same reason, I always avoided parks and even bike trails after dark, but most of those are closed after dark (for good reason), anyway. Be safe. You can do it.

One more thing. In addition to the lights on the bike, I often used one of those lights mounted on a headband that hunters and such use at night. It helps when you need to check something off to the side and it's especially helpful if you have to stop and make an adjustment or repair on the bike because it leaves both hands free. You can usually find these at outdoor stores. I think someone makes a light that can attach to your bike helmet, too.

[ny biker]

I keep adding more reflective stuff for night riding. I love the reflective ankle and wrist bands from RoadID. They seem more visible than those from other brands. (I also use their reflective shoe laces in my sneakers.) Endura makes some great hi-viz bike clothes with lots of reflective bits, and Bontrager has stepped up their hi-viz clothing recently. For lights, I have small Knogg lights on my helmet -- a white one in front and a red one in back. I use them in blinky mode. I have two different very-bright headlights. One is from Light & Motion and the other is from Bontrager -- it only cost about $100. The L&M cost more but was not super expensive. Bright lights have come down in price a lot in recent years. I use them both because I'm out riding for fun and exercise at night, 1.5 - 2 hours, which is too long for the batteries in my lights at the highest setting. I also have a Bontrager tail light clipped to my seat bag, which is very bright.

My night rides used to include some MUTs but I've changed the route so now I only use them to cross over some busy intersections. Even in good neighborhoods they are not safe in the dark. I typically stick to lower traffic residential streets (again I'm riding for fun, not commuting, which allows me more options in choosing the route). I'm lucky though because if I need to shortcut the ride or feel I should be on streets with better lighting (like when I had the flat tire problem recently) there are bike lanes on most of the main streets in my area.

Riding in the dark does take some getting used to, especially on roads that aren't well lit, but I think it has helped my bike handling abilities. More than once after a daytime club ride I've heard people complain about things like having to navigate potholes on a fast downhill or ride on milled pavement going up a steep hill. And I always think the conditions they complained about weren't so bad, because I deal with similar lumps and bumps in the dark on a regular basis. Although I must confess, just last week I was riding along in the dark thinking about this very thing and feeling quite proud of my nighttime bike-handling skills when suddenly as I rounded a corner I felt some thick dirt beneath my wheels that I had not seen coming. Luckily I wasn't braking at the time and was able to ride through it without my wheels skidding out from under me. But I came very close to learning the hard way that pride goeth before a fall, literally. :D

[blackhillsbiker]

I commuted for several years except when it got below minus 20. I always felt better. My attitude at work was better and my seasonal depression was almost nil. Then I had a Series of Unfortunate Events. I just recently (a couple of weeks ago) re-started commuting. This job makes it a little more complicated than my old one but I just get in really early and I can take my time putting myself together. I grew out my hair so I can put it up or back if necessary. After losing my Dad and best friend last year, I'm finding that getting back to riding is the best thing. My winter woolens got mothed so I'm gradually replacing things as I need them. When I apologized to DH for the expense he just laughed and reminded me of the expense of psych appts. and meds. Not to mention the side effects. Wish I had read the glove tip before yesterday! Dropped a chain and got to work all greasy.