commuter courage

[Barb]

Do most of you commuters have bike paths or lanes? There are none around here. Public transportation is almost nil, although the bus system did start installing bike racks this last year. My entire ride would be on high traffic roads (with motor city brained drivers). I could possibly find side streets for some of it but that would really add miles (11.5 miles by direct route). I also don't have a shower at work. I figure I have two or three weeks to check out routes...there still snow on the the ground and side streets are covered and slick.

I really want to do this, I just need encouragement.

[Melody]

Barb, here in Silicon Valley (SF Bay Area, South Peninsula), we have lots and lots of bike lanes, including on pretty major roads. My morning commute is short, since I just ride to the train station where there's a shuttle for work that I ride.

However, my evening commute is about 10-13 miles depending on the path I want to take that day There are still bike paths, but since I make left turns at two of the major roads that I take, that means I go out into traffic to get into the left turn lanes. No path there. :P Honestly, if I could avoid the major roads and take a slightly longer, but less traffic road, I would. It's a matter of feeling safer and after riding 12 miles, another 1 mile isn't too bad. (at least if there are no hills )

Mel

[Trek420]

Barb asks "Do most of you commuters have bike paths or lanes? There are none around here."

My commute has bike lanes on most, no bike path. There is a route that I could do with a bike path, it's actaully LESS safe, long story but "what were they thinking on that path design"

"Public transportation is almost nil, although the bus system did start installing bike racks this last year."

I ride to the BART (rapid transit) then another mile to work. Bikes and public transportation works well.

"My entire ride would be on high traffic roads (with motor city brained drivers). I could possibly find side streets for some of it but that would really add miles (11.5 miles by direct route)."

I highly recomend side streets. It may be longer but safer, more scenic and can be faster! Do some test drives before you roll out the big ride.

"I also don't have a shower at work."

Me neither. I store a change of clothes and then at least one day a week haul that home to the laundry.

good luck, have fun!

[DeniseGoldberg]

No bike paths or lanes here - and I'm a bit of a chicken communter in that I only commute to work in reasonably warm weather and when there is enough daylight to ride in both directions in the light. The drivers around here (north of Boston) are crazy, and I don't want to risk not being seen. I suspect we will be into April before I can start commuting to work again by bike.

On the shower front, I'm kind of lucky. There is a Marriott across the street from my office that has a small but reasonable health club. So I joined the club for access to a shower. As it turns out, I do use the gym there when I'm not commuting by bike - I just use the showers (and free soap & towels!) for my commute.

On the road front, people look at me a bit cross-eyed when I tell them that my ride in to the office is 15 miles and my ride home is 17 miles! There's one nasty road - it's really a wide 2-lane road, but it's driven as 4 - that I ride on for about a half of a mile on the way in, but that I avoid on the way out. I'd rather ride a couple of miles out of my way on the way home rather than deal with people in cars who are really in a hurry to get home. A couple of miles of my commute is through quiet neighborhoods, but most of it is riding on heavily travelled roads. There's just no other way, and I do want to get back to commuting. I usually shoot for 3 to 4 days a week. Some weeks I can only do 2 days, but I don't do more than 4 because I want to have the energy to ride on the weekends too.

I'd encourage you to try to find some roads that are less clogged with commuters in cars - but I know from my own experience that that isn't always possible without adding lots of miles to the commute. Hopefully you can find a route that is a compromise between all of the problems! And I honestly don't know what I would do if I didn't have access to a shower. I'd probably try the sponge bath idea, but I have a feeling that I'd end up not commuting by bike as much.

Good luck, and have fun!
--- Denise

[nuthatch]

Barb - all this is good advice! My commute has no bike paths or bike lanes but I go WAY out of my way to stick to side streets as much as possible. It's worth the extra minutes to feel more relaxed and meditative while I ride (especially in the morning). In my suburb of Chicago it's actually more of a challenge passing schools, what with crazy parents and highschool kids zooming in and out of the curb areas. I hope you can find a "hidden" back way to your place of work! It's so, so worth it and I miss it so much right now!

[CorsairMac]

I ride to work also. I'm very lucky in that my route is All bike paths and side streets! here here tho on the school, I have 1 high school that I have to pass on a side street and so far that has been the hairiest part of my ride. (well that and falling while trying to cross traffic during my early days of clipless!) Anyway, not much help here but about the showers:
No I don't have any showers here at work. I leave a pair of jeans here, and carry in shirts and underthings daily. I take the jeans home once a week (rather they need it or not ) and switch them out for another pair. I also keep deodorant, a brush, a towel, and some handi-wipes here so I at least "feel" fresh when I change for work.
I wouldn't trade in my commute for anything in the world and have thought about actually adding some miles on as the days get longer coz there is such a joy in the riding. If you opt for the traffic route, just please be sure and wear very bright clothing, even a reflective vest so people Know you're there. Let us know what you decide!!

[nuthatch]

Yes, I forgot to mention that, too. No showers at my work but baby wipes & deoderant to the rescue and don't slow down and sniff when you pass my desk (not really!). I read somewhere (other forum I think) about a gal who has all her biking duds spread out under her desk to dry during the day and she was always hoping the boss didn't take a peek under there ! I also leave all my dress shoes under the desk - that cuts down on baggage. I just got a set of panniers and I'm anxious to try them out instead of the caboose bag and backpack this year. There are many discussions out there about how to avoid "helmet hair" at work and whether to apply make-up before or after your commute in. Ahh, so many logistics to being female!

If you opt for the traffic route, just please be sure and wear very bright clothing, even a reflective vest so people Know you're there. Let us know what you decide!!

Good thinking, CorsairMac! There's a guy who I follow some mornings with one of those IP "Screamin' Yellow" vests and, boy, is he visible. You can't be too visible!!

[jobob]

My commute (which I've done all of once so far, LOL) is about half moderately busy roads (including one freeway entrance/exit, woo woo) and half multi-use paths, about 15 miles each way altogether, but i do have the option of cutting through Coyote Hills park near my home which would add another 3 miles or so, which I might do as the days get longer. I cross a bridge at the southern end of the San Francisco bay, the Dumbarton bridge, which has a separate bike/pedestrian access path, separated from the car traffic by a waist-high barrier. The traffic whizzing by just a couple of feet away really bothers some but it's never fazed me - somehow I manage to tune it out. The route is essentially flat, the only "hill" is the bridge crossing, but it can get windy at times. In general my commute goes with the prevailing wind direction... except when it's not I ride alongside or across the bay for the bulk of my commute, and it's very scenic. I'm a lucky gal.

The office park where I work has a small gym facility with showers, in a separate building from my workplace (at the moment the showers are in the next building over, but we're moving into another building in the same park in another couple of weeks at which time I'll be a couple of blocks away from the showers, rats) . I packed a gym bag with a couple of towels and soap/shampoo/hairdryer/toiletries and I leave that in my office - I also put a couple of pair of panties and a bra in the bag in case I ever forget them

I have a full set of panniers (front & rear) in preparation for a tour I'm taking early this summer, and for my commute I'm using the small front set but hanging them on the rear rack. They give me ample room to pack my work clothes, shoes, plus all the other detrius I'm known to carry while riding

For visibility, I have a bright yellow jacket with zip-off sleeves that converts to a vest, and on the evening ride home I also wore reflective bands around my ankles. As for lights, I have 2 red blinkie lights mounted on the rear rack, a white blinkie light on the front fork and a cateye headlamp mounted on the handlebars (note to self - pack spare batteries...). I also carry a small MagLight flashlight in case I ever need to change a tube or to find something in my pack when it's dark.

- Jo "freakishly anal" bob

[DeniseGoldberg]

On the carrying stuff with me as I commute to work front - I'm with Jobob in that I use my panniers. I too use a front pannier on the rear (since my front panniers are smaller than the rear panniers), but I only carry one of them. OK, I know, that's a little lopsided, but I am carrying so little with me (clothes for the day, lunch & snacks, and toilet articles) that it is very little weight. And it really doesn't feel lopsided!

I also carry a bright vest - one of those screaming yellow Pearl Izumi vests or my illuminite vest from Performance.

[Barb]

Funny about the schools. In my last half mile, I pass an elementary, a school for autistic children and of course the small high school that is my target destination. I can't use the showers there because of outside groups that rent the gym before school starts

[jobob]

I too use a front pannier on the rear (since my front panniers are smaller than the rear panniers), but I only carry one of them. OK, I know, that's a little lopsided, but I am carrying so little with me (clothes for the day, lunch & snacks, and toilet articles) that it is very little weight. And it really doesn't feel lopsided!

I've also ridden with just one (small) pannier, and I don't notice a difference either.

[snowtulip]

Hi Barb,
Everyone's got great advice. I don't have any bike lanes or paths on my commute (17 miles each way), but I do take the side streets. It makes extra miles and time longer, but I feel so much safer. I also have to navigate a highway on ramp and exit, I've learned to just take my time and stop and walk through that section if it is truly crazy. I usually drive to work at the beginning of the week and leave extra clothes at work for the days I commute (so I don't have to carry too much stuff). Good luck on the commute, it gets easier with practice.

[Trek420]

cute article on commuting

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...bikeheroes.DTL

[Carm]

Hi Barb,

I take the bus to work wearing my dress clothes and bike in tow. This eliminates all of the hassles of having to shower, change, etc. I carry my ride home clothes in a bookbag or sometimes panniers. I ride my bike home mainly on side streets.

[Barb]

There are no bus routes for me. the motor city has possibly the WORST public transportation in the country. It's a mind set of "why go anywhere if you can't take your car". Not too many people even consider car pooling here.

On the bright side, then weather is changing and my lbs called to tell me my bike is in. Gotta run!