your first commute to work

[Veronica]

Here's the pics I took of Joyce's bike this morning. Her bike is a rarity. She should have black forks, but they asked if they could substitute the blue. It looks great! She also got a new helmet for her birthday last week. Lucky girl!

V.

[Trek420]

ooooooh, yummy 8-) custom paint job? nice wheelset

[snapdragen]

Lovely!

Do you know where the Catlike helmet was bought?

[Veronica]

Don't know about the paint job. The helmet she got at a bike store in Hayward. But I don't know which one.

V.

[Trek420]

the only bike store in Hayward is Cyclepath, unless you're talking about nearby Castro Valley, Eden Bikes who carry Orbea (Robin Williams got his there!). There are two bike stores in Castro Valley, I forget the name of the other one (because I don't like the service as well). Neither are my LBS, which is Robinson Wheelworks, San Leandro. Although different towns all are within a couple of miles of each other.

Cyclepath and Eden both have websites so easy to ask about the helmet.

[caligurl]

oh MY! that bike is PURDY!!!!! she's even got the polar's with the blue thingy to match!

*drool*

[Adventure Girl]

Originally posted by Veronica Her bike is a rarity. She should have black forks, but they asked if they could substitute the blue. It looks great!

Yes... Very nice! Don't you love it when you have that one thing that makes yours different everybody else's stuff?

[smcg]

You go, Hillnelly! Keep up that commuting. But why not try it winter too? Of course, it depends on where you live. I live in Denver and have commuted most of the winter for the past 30+ years. I don't ride when there's any precipitation and, fortunately, it's dry here. I've only missed a total of 7-10 days/year. I buy gas less than once/month and my '93 Toyota is going strong. The key to being comfortable is just like nordic skiing: dress in layers. Your hands are the most sensitive, so you need really warm ski gloves or mittens. And find the best TV or radio station for local weather forecasts. We're also fortunate here because the buses have bike racks, so in a pinch you can take the bus home.

[Trek420]

I'm just feeling a bit guilty...today I was on BART and sat opposite a young man who pretty obviously was not a recreational rider, he had an old bike that was probably his sole transportation. A businesswoman sat next to him and he politely moved his bike so she could sit next to him. She proceeded to rant and whine "I don't think bikes are even allowed on BART or are supposed to be in only the 1st car or just the last car and..." and I should have spoken up to tell her she is wrong, wrong and also...wrong. But I said nothing and am feeling guilty.

If I ever see her again I might...and also tell her that her black monochromatic suit and boots with the blue shirt and scarve looks just plain WRONG with the brown jacket.

[CorsairMac]

Originally posted by Trek420
...and also tell her that her black monochromatic suit and boots with the blue shirt and scarve looks just plain WRONG with the brown jacket.

WOOHOO - lets hear it for the fashon police! Of Which I happen to agree! Anyway - you could've said something, or He could've said something, or you could've done exactly what you did.........left her alone in her ignorance. I'm guessing she probably ranted about it at the water cooler later and someone there probably told her just how stupid she was being.

[Trek420]

I think she probably looked worse for her ignorant behavior to those also watching than I felt for being silent...she seemed grumpy....probably grumpy because it's still ...... 4 days till solstice ;-)

[RoadRaven]

>>> BUMP


LOL... reading through this is the third bump this thread has had...

I commute to work when I can, but that can't be every day sadly

But it is a good little workout - 25km each way... I live 600 feet above sea level... and work is about 15 feet above sea level - so there are a few good climbs in there.

Fortunately, my work is on the edge of town, so mostly I am on open country roads - and the drivers are mostly very considerate (many members of the local club train on the road I live on... so the cars have had to get used to us)

I find the commments about the skorts fascinating!! Social perceptions, huh?

[xeney]

My bike commute is so short that it is barely worth getting the bike out of the basement -- it's ten blocks to work, about a three-minute ride or a fifteen-minute walk, so if the tires need air it's faster to walk. I like riding, though, because I often have to carry heavy transcripts or stop for groceries so it's nice to not have to lug everything on my shoulder. Once a week I stop to pick up vegetables we have delivered from a local farm, and I have those Nashbar townie baskets for that -- the neighbors all crack up when they see me riding down the street with carrot tops trailing out of my bicycle baskets.

I use my Specialized Crossroads for that trip but I am now wishing I'd just bought an old Raleigh with a mixte or step-through frame, because I wear skirts a lot and on those days I just wind up walking. (For a ten-block commute it is not worth changing my clothes.) But my husband makes fun of me every time I suggest it. I do have an old Schwinn with a step-through frame, but it has coaster brakes and I haven't ridden it in years -- I do occasionally have to ride in traffic and I am a little afraid that I will forget how to stop!

[singletrackmind]

My hubby forgot the 'drawers once. He mentioned it in an email once he got to work. God, I was turned on ALL DAY and ravished him when he got home. Mmmmm....Got no idea why that got me all crazy, but even now all he has to do is mention that one time and........


I commuted from march1 to december 16 the year before I got married. I used the car once-for a vacation to Colorado-that whole time. Grocery shopping, work, going to then b/f's house, anything. Rain, snow, heat, cold, anything. I LOVED it. I used the bob for when I needed to carry stuff with me. I also discovered a medium sized watermellon would wedge nicely onto my aerobars-a favorite food. It'd make the steering interesting but oh, so worth it. I'd use either the mountain or the road bike. Now I either walk or ride to my son's school, the grocery store and anything local and that I can avoid busy streets because of my son. I sure wish I could ditch the car almost entirely again. One day.......

[nicolezoie]

Gosh, the first time I ever rode a bike to work was so long ago I can't remember what it was like. I've been commuting to work on a bike since my first job, which was before I had a drivers license.

Why I continue to do it is because I love seeing the world from the saddle of a bike. Fresh air, scenery, watching the seasons change, exercise, all of it. And, some places I've lived & worked have been very interesting rides. I would not have known this unless I biked. I've been commuting by bike regularly for the past 5 years.

In my late teens/early 20s, when I lived in the mountains of AZ, is when I started seriously biking to and from work. It was back then I got into the habit of biking instead of driving. My boyfriend likes to argue with my motivation, but it started with trying to keep the costs of maintaining a car & gasoline prices manageable.

Living in AZ is what got me started. I was far from home and needed to keep my car running, so I biked to put as little wear and tear on my car as possible. Where I lived was over a mile above sea level and that ALONE made riding difficult. But, biking helped tremendously in getting aclimated to the altitude, and in the process I ended up getting into great physical shape. In the winter when it snowed, I didn't trust my snow-driving skills, and couldn't even get my car over the icy passes, so instead I biked. Actually even rode through a snowstorm once. I also rode through plenty of monsoon rainstorms as well. After awhile, it occurred to me that I put more miles on my bike than I did on my car in the 14 months I lived there.

Most of the jobs I've had since then have been close enough to commute by bicycle. It's not like it was planned or anything, just lucky. I have had a couple jobs that I *could* have biked to, but due to the hours or the route of the commute itself, I had to drive. If given a choice, I would rather ride 20 miles than drive 20 miles in a commute.