Hybrid Commuting

[Delta7]

Good light source - I'm partial to Dinotte

http://www.geomangear.com/

My co-workers with short commutes ride their mountain bikes.

Can you lock a bike on a bus rack? My ride in to work is great, but I've been thinking of taking the bus home 'cause it's been 100 degrees for the evening commute (too hot for me) !

[Geonz]

http://www.bicyclefixation.com/slackers.htm

cycling for slackers :-)

http://bicyclecolo.org/page.cfm?PageID=250 - excuse busters

[mimitabby]

ANY bike would be good enough for your 3 mile commute!

If it's flat, you're not going to get sweaty unless you really push yourself.
I think a hybrid is a great idea.

[Aggie_Ama]

Mimi- I already have a Scott Hardtail Mountain bike. Unless I can find a steal on Craigslist I am not wanting to buy a new bike and NO WAY is my Cannondale going on the front of a Capital Metro Bus!

My CFO is very exercise encouraging, so I am sure I can store my bike at the office somewhere. The commute from the bus place is definitely flat, so I can take it easy. Off to research bus fares.

[Crankin]

It's pretty easy to deal with the no showers. I showered at home and then I just brought my face soap (Cetaphil), hair gel, a towel, and deoderant and kept it at work, along with a brush. I used the regular soap from the rest room sink and washed the pits and anyplace else that felt sweaty. I washed my face and completely wet my hair (it's short) and slid some gel on it. Then I did my make up. The whole thing took about 10 minutes. If I planned on commuting in 2 days a week, i would bring all of my clothes on Monday and my lunches.
So, it takes some planning, but it's very doable.

[Melalvai]

Mountain bike is fine, eventually you could put hybrid tires on it but try it for a while first.

Your bike is probably safer in your cubicle than it would be in a bike rack anyway. Certainly less exposed to the elements.

Shower: Everyone has their own routine, but the one trick I discovered that makes a big difference is wait about 10 minutes before changing. If I change right away, I continue to sweat a while. Some days, if I don't have an important meeting, I don't change, since I just wear regular jeans or shorts & a tshirt, not a biking outfit.

[Torrilin]

My utility bike is a mountain bike, which I'm grateful for every time I hit the potholes on the way home from the grocery store. The only reason I'm not doing longer trips than 6 miles right now are my saddle woes. So yes, 3 miles on a mountain bike is very doable. I've done around 12 on mine, and would like to be able to do 16 mile trips reliably (Target and REI are about 8 miles from home for me). I can't stay totally unsweaty on a typical run of errands right now, because we've been running high 80s and high humidity. When it's less humid, if I want to be less sweaty I just ride less aggressively. Lower gears, no racing myself. Some of it is conditioning tho. The better shape I'm in, the less I overheat.

Depending on your usual distances and local road conditions, you may be able to ditch the car entirely. Use your judgment tho. If 3 miles feels like a long ride to you, planning on an 18 mile day is not smart. And if the best way to the bus stop involves dangerous traffic, go for safety.