Commuting recommendations

[Len J]

I drive in on Tuesday with change of clothes for 3 days.

Then I ride home Tuesday
Ride in Wed and home wed
In thurs and home Thurs
In Fri and then drive home Fri.

That way I have a car at work if I need it and I don't have to carry the stuff in by bike.

Len

[palincss]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

My work situation is changing a bit starting in a couple weeks. I'll be moving from working out of the house to working in a small office in downtown Charlotte with another co-worker.
Given that I'm living just a few minutes from downtown, I wanted to start commuting by bike at least a couple times a week before the weather turns too sour.
But I have to sheepishly admit I'm a bit befuddled by some of the mechanics of it. Riding there's easy enough, but do I bring over suits and dress shirts in advance to keep at the office to change into? Since I'm riding at peak commuting times, I'd wager lots of bright lights and highly reflective clothing might be in order.

How far is "a few minutes from downtown"? If you're < 4 miles or so, consider doing it European style, riding an upright bike (something that looks like a roadster or a Dutch bike) and wearing your working clothes. Take your time, dial back the intensity, and there won't be any worries about arriving sweaty and needing a change of clothes. That's what transportation cycling means for most of the world that practices it, and for short distances, it works great.

The whole "bring your clothes and change at work" thing works when distances are longer. If you have an 8 mile commute, it's hard to do it wearing dress clothes and it takes long enough it feels like it makes sense to spend the time changing clothes, etc.

If you want to ride year round you definitely need lighting.

The route you'll ride may be very different from the route you'd plan if you were driving. You need to change the way you think about your route. Forget the major collectors, look for the side road alternatives. You'd do well to practice a bit on the route before you do it for real.

[ergott]

I just finished up a 5 day week commuting every day. I feel great and had a beer to celebrate.

[netanimic]

If you ride more than 15 minutes you need a shower.

[palincss]

Not necessarily. I commuted for 28 years, 8 miles each way and I never arrived sweaty and in need of a shower. You do have to take it easy, pay attention to ventilation, and it helps if you don't have any big hills on the route. If you want to hammer, or turn it into a training opportunity, save that for the ride home.

[ergott]

Originally Posted by palincss

Not necessarily. I commuted for 28 years, 8 miles each way and I never arrived sweaty and in need of a shower. You do have to take it easy, pay attention to ventilation, and it helps if you don't have any big hills on the route. If you want to hammer, or turn it into a training opportunity, save that for the ride home.

That's what I do. My commuting is mostly fall/winter/spring so staying cool on LI is pretty easy. I go easy on the way to work and drill it when I'm going home.

[John M]

Great suggestions across the board. Summary should be that everyone's situation differs and that you need to figure out what works for you.

Key thing is to ride. I've bike commuted since 1989 and would go insane without my daily ride.

For me, I have secure indoor bike parking so I ride nice road bike. 5-7 mile commute so I use a backpack--much longer I would use a rack/panniers. My ride is hilly and this is my only riding during the week so I like to ride it hard for the limited training benefit that it provides, which works up a sweat. I do have shower facilities, which makes that not a big deal. I don't need to wear a suit so I carry the work clothes each day. It is rainy in Seattle and I ride year round, so fenders are important, as is good rain gear and lights.

[etu]

Agree with above statement about upright bike
take it easy, use saddle bags or panniers
if you get out the mentality of biking = exercise and treat your bike as a form of transportation, there is more clarity on what your needs are
if you want a workout also than you'll have to make additional adjustments
the more complicated you make it, the harder it is to maintain

[slowpoke]

A lot of great suggestions here. I might add:

- dropping your dress shirts off at a dry-cleaners near work
- everyone's metabolism is different. Some people don't sweat unless they're hammering, others sweat once they're on a bike. You'll need to figure out what works for you
- agreed with carrying the load off your back, be it panniers, front rack, or basket
- and fenders with mudflaps are a must for rainy season