When did I become the Commuting Evangelist?

[Dianyla]

Between the gorgeous sunny spring weather and skyrocketing gas prices, this afternoon at work no less than 3 coworkers stopped by my cubicle to ask me questions about bike commuting.

After the last one left, my new cube neighbor turned to me and asked "are you, like, the bicycle expert around here?" :p

[Melody]

Between the gorgeous sunny spring weather and skyrocketing gas prices, this afternoon at work no less than 3 coworkers stopped by my cubicle to ask me questions about bike commuting.

After the last one left, my new cube neighbor turned to me and asked "are you, like, the bicycle expert around here?" :p

heh. That has happened to me quite a bit. I know I've been directly responsible for at least getting two people (an ex-coworker and another ex-coworker's wife) riding. :)

I feel so good when that happens too :)

Mel

[Lise]

After the last one left, my new cube neighbor turned to me and asked "are you, like, the bicycle expert around here?" :p
I'm guessing that's a "yes"! :D

[tulip]

I had two neighbors in the past month ask me about commuting and routes to their offices. I don't know if they have ventured out, but I gave them a couple of routes and pointers. Gas prices seem to have people thinking differently.

[sydney_b]

i haven't converted anyone just yet, but have drawn up routes for folks. I take that back, my dear husband is going to start commuting to where he catches the bus to another city for work. So I guess that's one. Two of my sons also take their bikes, so maybe that makes 3.

:)

/s

[Deanna]

I think the gas prices have finally gotten high enough to get people out of their cars and commuting by bike! Yay for high gas prices!!:D

[CorsairMac]

When did you??......probably the day you got a bike and used it instead of your car to get to work! LOL

I keep getting these emails from family/friends on how to really hurt the major oil companies by not buying gas from Exxon or Mobil! I keep writing back and telling them to leave their cars at home - That would really hit the oil companies where it hurts! *cigh* I'm guessing it's something only my fellow cyclists would understand! LOL

[DebW]

I educated the auto dealership this morning. Took a car in for service, then opened the trunk and pulled out my bike for the ride to work. They watched me put the wheels back on, asked me how much the bike weighed, how much it cost, and how far I rode. Then they talked about gas prices and how everyone was going to be riding bikes soon.

At work I'm more likely to get the mechanical questions, like "why is my fixed cup loose?" and "how do I replace my pedals?" and "Look at my broken rim".

[Geonz]

There's some really good stuff online - though at my presentation yesterday, ROUTES were a huge thing. (And it makes sense. Busy roads = rushed sleep-deprived students, faculty or hospital traffic, using cell phones while smoking; side roads work a *lot* better.)

http://www.dot.state.il.us/bikemap/safekids/safebike.pdf has a good booklet that was done by cyclists so it goes beyond teh rules and into "just where in the lane *do* you go in that intersection, under what circumstances?" and the like.

Here's the list of sites I sent 'round with my presentation mailing. They really get me stoked :-)


Sue's Annotated Bicycling LIfestyle Surflist for blending cycling into all kinds of aspects of life:

FUN!

http://www.prairiecycleclub.org (local bike club)
http://www.mikebentley.com/bike/ilrides.htm (lists riding information for Illinois and the Midwest)
http://www.bicyclinglife.com/ (all kinds of articles about bicycling, whether transportation or recreation)

Cycling for Slackers: http://www.living-room.org/bikepeople/slackers.htm "The purpose of the 'method' is to allow commuters or shoppers to make journeys of 2 to 5 miles wearing normal clothes without reducing themselves to a sweating trembling blob. While a few enlightened employers provide showers, supermarkets do not, and when you cycle the 'Slacker's Way' a quick spray of deodorant before starting is all that is required to avoid shame in the checkout line. "

BICYCLES AS ART:

http://spcycling.org/CyclingArt.htm Arizona desert sculpture
http://www.thecross-photo.com/Bicycle_Jesus_by_Josh_Deth.htm Bicycle Jesus

BICYCLING AS ART:

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/08/323232.shtml dubbed "psychedelic dundee" --back in Madison, WI (when he arted himself there)-- is "art-bent" on seeking to INSPIRE creative-leaning persons towards ARTING THEIR HEARTS in UNPRECIDENTED (sic) styLe!
http://uji-making.com/J/aeolian/ - “Aeolian bike ride” - become mobile art while you ride!

RELIGION:

<<http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=news.display_article&mode=C&NewsID=5266&cookies_enabled=false >> Bicyling as a lenten practice
http://www.friendsjournal.org/contents/2002/09september/feature2.html Friends don't let Friends Drive
http://bikeforpeace.org/ (scroll down for picture) Why would Jesus Drive?

POLITICS, PATRIOTISM AND PROTEST
http://www.stickergiant.com/page/sg/PROD/bicycle/fb1012 Bike: it's patriotic
http://www.mikebentley.com - assorted patriotic & cycling pages
http://www.cicle.org/cicle_content/index.php Cyclists inciting change thru LIVE exchange
http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/ World Naked Bike Ride
http://www.times-up.org/images/oil-license-and-puppy.jpg Bicycling: (a quiet statement) Against Oil Wars
<<http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=news.display_article&mode=C&NewsID=5266&cookies_enabled=false >>Bicycling as a Lenten Practice - against dependence on oil
http://www.lovarchy.org/ride/ more protesting cyclists
http://www.southwestern.edu/academic/philosophy/alejandro.php - deep doo doo and bicycles
http://www.critical-mass.org/ critical mass, of course!

ENVIRONMENTAL
http://www.times-up.org/about.php

COMMUTING:
http://www.bfw.org/btww/commuting/index.php Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin
http://www.bicyclinglife.com/PracticalCycling/commuteguide.htm
http://www.bicyclesource.com/you/women/avoid-sweat.shtml Riding without Working Up a Sweat
http://commutebybike.com/2006/03/09/why-im-a-bicycle-commuter/ - a not-skinny man's blog about getting out of the cubicle
http://www.waba.org/new/help/commuting.php Commuting in the Wash., D.C. area (it's easier here than there!)
http://communitycyclingcenter.org/create-a-commuter.html efforts to help get bikes in the hands of folks who need them (
http://www.bikewhenever.com/


HEALTH AND FITNESS
http://www.bikewalk.org/ - national center for bicycling and walking, including case study of the benefits of walking & cycling on community and environment.
http://www.bikewalk.org/assets/pdf/CASE15.PDF PDF file about the benefits of biking and walking
http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/hf/index.htm fight obesity and mental stagnation with your bicycle.
http://www.agingwell.state.ny.us/fitness/articles/bike_health.htm Bicyling Prfomots Good Health (Aging Well Village, NY)

LIFESTYLE: http://www.xtracycle.com Converting a bike to a Sports Utility Bicycle

WHATEVER: http://www.deadbabybikes.org (Seattle cycling club)

Oh, and BLENDING!!!!
http://www.bikeblender.com

[Deanna]

Wow Sue!! What a great bunch of links you've compiled. I''m going to save these so I can explore them when I'm not at work. I'll add my husbands commute page, mostly its local information, but he'll take information from anywhere if you'd like to add to it:

http://www.sonic.net/~douglasi/bike/index.htm

[Duck on Wheels]

Nope. I'd say your were not an evangelist. For me, as a non-religionist, there is a very important difference between an evangelist (i.e. somebody who actively seeks out people and seeks to convert them) and an available advisor (somebody who lives as they believe and then answers questions when others choose to ask them). You can probably guess which category I prefer. People came to you without you needing to preach to them. I think that's great! So good on you for being an example and generous with advice, but NOT being an evangelist! :)

[KSH]

I wish it was easy for me to commute on my bike to work.

It just isn't going to happen.

Unfortunately I have to dress professional and can't pack my clothes in a backpack without them getting wrinkled.

Then, sometimes, I need to travel around 20 miles to go to where I swim and ride on Wed nights (the route to get there is not safe to ride on a bike).

I also have to go home at work to walk my dog sometimes... and I don't have 2 hours to ride a bike back and forth.

Finally... the route to work... is NOT safe to ride in rush hour. It's scary in a car and people get really aggressive when you making them late for work.

Dallas, TX is not made for cyclists and everything is just too far away from each other...AND the public bus system, etc....sucks.

[Trek420]

I think of all the rides I've done, weight lost, whatever, I'm most proud that in my building, let's see 4 people on my floor now ride, I can think of at least two on other floors who do now. And 3 or so others who are "thinking about it".

So I guess I am a commuting evangelist.

Need a poster on my desk "Have you accepted the bike as your personal savior?" :D JK, TE gals, really! No joke on religion meant, you *know* how we are about cycling and bikes.

Mostly I don't talk to people about it.

I think they see me, 50, riding to work on occaision and think "If the chubby 50 year old gal can do this, I can do it too". They watched me drop weight and and hold most of it off and when asked how of course one thing I credit is cycling.

If they ask I point out resources, even TE.

Maria? Des? You lurking?? C'mon over to the getting to know you thread unless you're already here :eek: better watch what I say about work.

Sometimes I can't bike to work, then I might run an errand on the weekend.

When I do ride I keep a spare set of clean clothes here at my desk so don't have to haul it back and forth. Then haul the laundry home.

I am lucky, while it's nowhere near perfect, the Bay Area has an acceptable network of bike lanes. It took me almost a year to find a safer way to get to BART but I do like it now. Turned down a job transfer because I would not be able to ride.

[Lise]

Need a poster on my desk "Have you accepted the bike as your personal savior?" :D
Well, yes. Yes I have.

It makes me glad to be alive, and that's gotta be a tribute to my Creator! :D

[Trek420]

exactamundo! :) :D :p who here has the signature sumthin like G** made a wonderful world, get out and ride in it?

and we could add "and stop f**king it up ;-)"

[Waverly]

Since this is a commuting thread I think this question wouldn’t be too out of place. Ok picture this, I live off of one of three main four lane highways in my city. I have to cross a sizable bridge over a large lake with trashy shoulders. The ride would be about 10 miles. I would be riding through a very trafficky area near our local mall and stores such as Home Depot and chain restaurants. Would yall recommend riding this as a commuter? Am I asking for trouble? Also being as though I live near the mountains this is a bit of a hilly area and the roads are not laid out for the ease of a cyclist. Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jessica

[tulip]

Since this is a commuting thread I think this question wouldn’t be too out of place. Ok picture this, I live off of one of three main four lane highways in my city. I have to cross a sizable bridge over a large lake with trashy shoulders. The ride would be about 10 miles. I would be riding through a very trafficky area near our local mall and stores such as Home Depot and chain restaurants. Would yall recommend riding this as a commuter? Am I asking for trouble? Also being as though I live near the mountains this is a bit of a hilly area and the roads are not laid out for the ease of a cyclist. Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jessica

Every city that I've ever been to, and most suburbs and countrysides, have more than one road. The trick to commuting by bicycle is to find a route that is not the same route as you would take in your car. Get a map, get creative, and find out what you CAN do. It may not work for you, but you'll never know until you look at the possibilities.

This is not directed just at Jessica. Good luck to everyone in finding ways to make the world a better place.

[Waverly]

Every city that I've ever been to, and most suburbs and countrysides, have more than one road. The trick to commuting by bicycle is to find a route that is not the same route as you would take in your car. Get a map, get creative, and find out what you CAN do. It may not work for you, but you'll never know until you look at the possibilities.

This is not directed just at Jessica. Good luck to everyone in finding ways to make the world a better place.


I SO wish that were true for me! The problem is that due to the lake you are VERY limited to roads that cross it. There is a neighborhood that I can through but it leads me onto one of the other major highways which also crosses the lake. Other than going 20+ miles out of my way I don't have that option.

Jessica

[Dianyla]

Does that lake/bridge road have any sort of pedestrian sidewalk? Some of the bridges here in Portland are pretty icky to ride over (steel grates! :eek: ) and so a lot of cyclists use the sidewalk in that case.

Also, you'd be surprised how effective a phone call to the department of transportation or city sanitation can be if you let them know there is a ton of debris on a specific road shoulder. It's worth a try, chances are they'll come out and sweep it.

[Geonz]

The other tactic is to try to find other people to ride with you ... then you become a movement... it *is* tricky. In my experience, on those kinds of roads, drivers don't expect cycles, and they dont' *LIKE* them, and they are hostile. I feel like I'm exercising my rights... rights that are not going to be yielded willingly.
Timing is everything, though... now that there are some forces saying "maybe we shouldn't be addicted to oil," people *might* be more willing to cheer for you and leave you lots of room. On the other hand, change can be very threatening; that guy in the Hummer towing is small yacht may have a certain attitude...

[Dianyla]

Oh dear, this could become a problem. I can't claim personal responsibility for this, but this morning I showed up to work and the bike lock in front was almost completely full of bikes! :D

[CorsairMac]

Woohoo Dianyla - but of Course you can take responsibility for it! Good on you!!....and gee isn't That a shame that your office needs to get another bike lock??! :D

and Trek I Love the poster idea!!

and Waverly: you might try riding it on a quiet day say like early on a Sat or Sun morning and see how comfortable you are with the route. My first response to your question was Absolutely I'd ride it - but I ride busy streets every day so I don't think about it. I do - however - make myself visible by wearing bright colours, sitting up at any questionable intersetions, and living in a basically bike friendly community!

[Trek420]

what corsair sed about scouting the route, it took me months of weekend trips, I made a project of it. Even with maps I'd set out east - the Nimitz :eek: set out South - Industrial blvd :eek: North - Jackson/92 :eek: West - into the Bay :D nice, but not the way to work .... finaly found the ped/bike overpass, it's like they set out to hide it.

[DirtDiva]

They really do seem to be encouraging cycling here. I discovered a fabulous set of maps put out by tfl (Transport for London: buses, tubes, the lot). I've got five of them, but there are 19 in the series (it's a big city). They show all the marked bike lanes and cycle routes in the city as well as the one-ways. They're free too! I still tend to just point my bike in the direction I want to go and then whip out my A-Z when I become "temporarily mislocated" though - I think of it as an adventure. :p

[tulip]

I'd rather do my 14-mile commute that is two-thirds through northeast and downtown Washington, DC than try to commute in some Mall-land nowhere suburbia USA. Good luck, Jessica! Can you move or get another job? I guess I am a bike commuting fanatic.

[KnottedYet]

I am so lucky where I live and where I work. There is a "Bike Route" with big signs (no bike lanes or shoulders though) that goes from right near my apartment to where I work. I work in a building across from a ferry dock that takes a lot of bike traffic. Cars are used to seeing bikes along there, plus there are all those "bike route" warning signs. I only have 4 miles to go, downhill to work (15 min) uphill home (30 min). Don't even arrive sweaty cuz I can coast most of the way.

My boss is a totally hot bicycling goddess who has NO problem with any of us riding to work or parking our bikes inside the building. She even offered to do a bike-fit for me! She gives me biking advice! I mean, how totally awesomely cool is that?

I love my job, I love my boss, I love my neighborhood, I love my bike, love, love, love :D :p :D

All you need is love... and a bike!

[withm]

I just put $55 into my gas tank and vowed to start riding to work a couple days a week. One of the "joys" of driving to work is savoring my coffee in the car. Does anyone carry coffee on a bike?

Sigh. Was getting bike ready for my first commute. Topped of the tires, and wouldn't you know the rear stem came apart when I disengaged the pump. I'm afraid this is an omen. I have decided to go to bed instead of changing tires at midnight.

Yikes! The weatherman just said it would be 10 degrees colder tomorrow than today. On the other hand, I think I'm more likely to make this work if the first couple of rides go well. I'll take a backpack into the office tomorrow with some clothes and stash it under my desk so I'm ready.

[KnottedYet]

I carry coffee on my bike every morning. It goes in my water bottle. I'm sure the hot coffee is leaching out all kinds of deadly poisons from the malleable plastic (it isn't a Nalgene... yet) but I get a huge thrill out of having warm coffee on my ride to work!

By the time I get to work the coffee is cold. I either drink it cold pretending it's an iced latte, or pour it into my mug and nuke it.

[Lise]

I put my metal, non-spilling thermal mug in one water bottle cage, and a water bottle in the other. I don't actually drink the coffee while riding, but it's still hot when I get there!

[KnottedYet]

Please, please tell me what brand of thermal cup fits in a water bottle cage? You could change my life!

[Trek420]

withm "Does anyone carry coffee on a bike?"

http://www.somafab.com/morningrush.html

[KnottedYet]

Trek, you are a totally hot bicycling goddess and I worship you!

Tax return, here we go!

(I especially like the "my other legal stimulant..." bit on the cup)

You rock!:p

[ladyjai]

you can also have your employeer get the city to put up share the road signs. I found out that they are in existance in the odd places (usually with no extra space) because of commuters and their employers. Our ciity is having a bike month, and sent out a nice article/newsletter about the benefits of commuting by bicycle for not only the employee, but also the employer.

Jessica, I'd ride any route, but I'd also try to find safer routes as soona s I could. i'm not familiar with your neighborhood, but i know that there are some dubious roads as you get further out. Perhaps also talk with your boss about adjusting your work hours. arriving before 7am, rather than 8 makes a huge diference in morning traffic.

[withm]

withm "Does anyone carry coffee on a bike?"

http://www.somafab.com/morningrush.html

Trek BLESS YOU! I'll have to lose my front bar bag, but for coffee, that's a no brainer! I already have the Cat Eye light & bracket systerm, but will buy it again if I need to. Could always put it on the other bike...

A thousand thank yous!

[Trek420]

Withm & Knotted,

De nada! You will find I'm a veritable font of worthless trivia. Don't know where I keep this stuff, probably in the space in my brain that should remember where my keys are ;-)

Was really thinking of one today. I rode to work twice this week and can't get a blasted person to hold the door for me while I:

a) swipe my badge then
b) try to maneuver bike, helmet and coffee cup into the door the nanosecond before it locks again.

sc** 'em, I need a coffee cup holder.

Knotted, you're going to do fine Monday and I thought the tax return was for Look pedals???

[Lise]

withm "Does anyone carry coffee on a bike?"

http://www.somafab.com/morningrush.html
Whoa! So cool! My current thermal mug, that fits perfectly into my water bottle cage, is one I got at Target. It's stainless steel, doesn't have a handle, and it has a truly spill proof lid. I cannot believe I haven't lost it yet! :o

[KnottedYet]

Trek: fickle woman that I am, now it's Shimano Freeride pedals... and Diadora mtn shoes.

The tax return is enough for coffee cups and el cheapo shoes.

To heck with MRI expenses... and I dont' want no valiumumum neither!

I'll just lie there and fantasize. About my bike.

Besides, I have Ibex wool cycling knickers now! I am Queen of the World! (inside my own head)

(can I wear them into the MRI tube?);)

[withm]

With the price of gas, I'm going to start riding to work a couple days a week. If it goes well, I'll be wanting to buy a commuting bike, and need to decide if I want a hybrid, or stick with a heavier road bike.

I currently ride a carbon fiber road bike that I love, but do not want to junk it up with a rack and I think the skinny tires are best left for my long fun rides. Plus it is too pricey a bike to leave it unattended even if locked to a rack while I use it to do errands.

I think I want ~700x35 ish tires, triple crankset, probably (?) dropped handlebars so I have more options for hand placement. The commute is 12 flat but often windy (20-35mph) miles one way with one big hill (bridge that I can barely get over right now on my ultralight road bike), soon to be 13 miles with 2 hills when the office moves. I'm thinking a rear rack to hold one of those trunk bags, and maybe eventually small panniers for groceries if I go that far with this idea. Haven't really set a price range yet - not sure what it's going to be, prob $500-1,000? Is that reasonable?

So - do I look for heavier less pricey road bike, or a hybrid? Recommendations? What features should I be looking for, questions I should be asking? What kind of bikes do you all use for commuting?

[KnottedYet]

Please take a peek at the Kona Dew. It is only $400. Has the 700c wheels (with cyclocross tires that I am loving) and triple ring, plus has a mega granny. I've got mine loaded down with panniers. It handles beautifully. I bought it mainly for commuting.

When I told the LBS I wanted a commuter bike that I could also use for longer trips and do the Danskin Triathlon, this is the bike they recommended above all the others they had. (even the expensive ones)

The salesguy told me the frame of the Dew is great, and if you upgrade a few components you essentially get the Dew Deluxe (same frame). In fact, the geometry of the Dew frame is the same as the Kona Sutra touring bike.

He assured me I couldn't go wrong with this frame. And frame is the soul of the bike.

www.konaworld.com

And, Kona is doing the AfricaBike project. www.konabiketown.com I felt good buying from a company that does something cool like this.

[Dianyla]

withm, I have a similar dilemma regarding commuting and my current bicycle. I've got a very lovely Orbea that I hold very dearly, but she isn't designed for commuting by any stretch of the imagination. One of these days I'd love to find a nice second bike - something like a used touring bike - but in the meantime here's what I do:

Carrying stuff:
No braze-ons to have racks installed, and the fork/rear chainstay are carbon. I've heard suggestions that you shouldn't put racks on carbon anyway. I carry everything on my back in a pretty nice cycling backpack made by Deuter. Downside - hot sweaty back and increased saddle weight. Upside - increased core strength, and my sitbones are probably getting tough enough that I could easily go 80+ miles right now, even though I'm only logging 50-60 miles a week. Now when I ride without my backpack I fly down the road. :p

Tires:
I'm still using the 700x23 racy tires. As long as I keep the tires properly inflated and choose my path carefully in the debris of the bike lane, I haven't been having many flats. It's true that the bomb-proof bigger tires would probably be comfier to commute on, but they're higher rolling resistance and more energy spent just to move the wheels round and round. You won't necessarily get better traction by going to bigger tires with more tread, if anything you could get less traction.

Security:
At the office we have a fairly secure bike lock that is right in front of the security desk. I've been negotiating with our building maintenance people to get some enclosed bike lockers installed and I think it's going to happen. At my school there is a huge bike theft problem, fortunately there are some city-operated bike lockers and I was able to reserve one of these for $10/month. I simply don't run errands on my bike when I commute, I try to plan my errands for car days or the weekend.

Fenders:
Fenders are a must for commuting here in Portland. SKS makes these Race Blade (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=19613&item=40-2180&slitrk=search&slisearch=true) clip-on fenders for racy bikes that don't have clearance under the brakes for normal fenders. They are a little shifty but they do work pretty well, they don't block all water but you won't show up to work looking like you just crapped your pants on your morning commute. :rolleyes:

Lights:
Basic lighting installed on the bike, and additional lights attached to my helmet and backpack.

Anyway, I admit that my situation is far from ideal. Someday I will probably get a dedicated commuter bike, but I want to point out that it can be done. And hey, so what if I drive my "fancy sportscar bike" every day, instead of keeping her polished with a diaper and stored in the garage? :)

[Quillfred]

I'm still happy with bike #2 a Redline Conquest Pro XC bike

http://www.redlinebicycles.com/adultbikes/conquest-pro.html

that I got off Craigslist for $700 nearly new. It has a wide fork that enabled the previous owner to use knobbies. I put recharging Cygolite light on it as well as a rack and fenders. It is light but sturdier than my Trek 1500. Has same 105 components. I ride it in the Spring, Fall and milder Winter days. It handles the rain pretty well but next splurges will be disc brakes and Ortlieb panniers (mostly for groceries). I am lucky as I carry it into the office (landlord forbids bikes indoors but I'll be damned if I'm going to leave it in the rain all day).

I also considered others as I tried about 8 bikes or so. I'm a sucker for a good deal. Have fun test riding. I love taking out a bike for a spin.