In light of recent events and the consequences, I'm wondering if some
of you lifehack your way around transportation to and from work on a
bicycle. Any of your tips are appreciated, especially when it comes to
transporting the essentials with you and weathering the elements.

Thanks,
Julie

I commute by bike several days a week.  Ten mile each way.  Lessons
I've learned:  A good messenger bag is worthwhile if you aren't using
racks and pannier bags.  Chrome brand bags are very nice - durable and
comfortable.  However, carrying a laptop in a messenger bag is a BAD
idea.  Alot of road shocks and vibrations you might not notice will be
felt by your delicate and important laptop.

HYGEINE - If you do not have ashower facility at your office, use baby
wipes.  If they can clean up a baby's bottom, a little sweat is not a
problem.  They come in handy dispensers that store nicely in a desk.
You may want to store your work clothes at the office or have dry
cleaning delivered there.  I ride in wearing "bike clothes" and then
change into work clothes.

Many cities have bike racks on the front of their buses.  That could be
useful.

Most important rule - don't get hit by a car and always wear a helmet.

Also important - get a reliable lock.

Doug

Julie

As a 40 something cycling senior manager and part time geek, I think I can help.

Handed back the company car two years ago and took the alternative car
allowance.  Used the first monthly allowance payment to buy a Brompton
folding bicycle[1] (on my second as first stolen) and a monthly travel
pass for the whole of central London - and still had change!
Subsequent monthly allowance payments, after purchase of monthly
travel pass, were money in the bank!

Until I left my job yesterday (emigrating to NZ next week), each
morning I cycled 12 miles across London to a mainline station, took a
train[2] for 10 miles (to avoid freeway) and then another 3 miles to
my office.  Each evening, I did the reverse journey.

Although I have other bikes, cycle shoes and cycle clothing, I wore
regular clothes to ride to work, save for stiff soled cycle touring
shoes.  For rain, I wore a good quality cycling jacket and trousers
when I absolutely had to but, as no fabric is truly breathable, I
normally didn't bother for light showers, preferring to shelter or get
a little wet.  On occasion, and as i have a folding bike, I took the
river bus[3] or subway in bad weather, carrying the bike (in a cover)
as luggage.

As for transporting essentials, I either use a Crumpler courier bag
(on my normal bikes) or the large touring pannier[4] on my Brompton.
Both take my laptop and masses of other stuff without any problem.

[1] http://www.flickr.com/photos/59999295@N00/6929800/
[2] http://www.flickr.com/photos/59999295@N00/29000265/
[3] http://www.flickr.com/photos/59999295@N00/29000272/
[4] http://www.flickr.com/photos/59999295@N00/1320932/

Hope this provides some food for thought

On 02/09/05, cocoabliss <jul...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:

--
bignoseduglyguy
http://www.bignoseduglyguy.com
http://www.bignoseduglyguy.com/no8wire
http://www.bignoseduglyguy.com/bnugwiki

Thanks, guys. I guess those panniers/bags are in the UK only because
they keep showing up on UK sites for me. Your routes make me shudder. I
only have to go 4km each way in a very small city (may even qualify as
a town by UK standards), but I do have RSI injuries to arms and upper
back to worry about. I think I'll go for the panniers instead of back
pack (rucksack) - I will keep looking for something that will fit my
stuff ('office' clothes, towel, toiletries, workout clothes, purse
contents, lunch and assorted things) - there is a fitness facility
across the street where I work out at lunch. And I'm lucky in that I
can take my bike up to my office, theft is not a big issue. But I will
have to take my cheap-o hybrid bicycle in for some adjustments to the
local bike shop.

I think I will have to get appropriate cycling clothing on the long
run. On my hunk of granite in the middle of the North Atlantic (Nova
Scotia, home to the most expensive gas/petrol in Canada - jumped
$CAD0.30/litre in less than 24 hours, as Katrina paid a visit), weather
can get rough. Winter should be fun.

Big nose, congrats on the move to NZ. I love that part of the world.
And sorry to see your bike was stolen.

Hi Julie,

I commute by bicycle most of the time.  My route is only about 2 miles
but I take the opportunity to cross-train for mountain bike racing by
taking some roundabout roads and pad the commute out to 10 or 12 miles
each way.

Gloves, a messenger bag/pannier racks, and a helmet are the essentials.
 I also recommend shorts with a good chamois.  I recently picked up a
pair of Sette Fieldsensor shorts on http://www.pricepoint.com for about
60% off.  If you're going to be hardcore and commute when there is a
chance of rain, I HIGHLY suggest picking up a nylon rain shell and
cramming it into an empty water bottle.  That way if it does start to
rain you don't have to go digging through your bag and getting the rest
of your stuff wet just to find the jacket.

Your bike doesn't matter too much: I ride beat up old 1980s Bridgestone
track bike that I've converted into a fixed gear, but I know other
people that ride mountain bikes and regular road bikes as well.  Slicks
are better than knobbies, of course.

My office doesn't have shower facilities so I'll second the idea of
keeping some baby wipes and a gym towel on hand.  Find a handicapped
stall if you need to and change in there (the handrails are great for
hanging your stuff on while you change).  I also bring some Axe or
spray-deodorant to spray down with after I'm done changing.  Make sure
you hang up your bike clothes and helmet on a file cabinet or something
so they'll dry out during the day!!!

Mark

My old bicycle route through London - I did this for eight months, five
days a week. I can't believe I wasn't seriously hurt... although I was
knocked off my bike three times by nutters who weren't looking.

http://tinyurl.com/8tsk5 (thanks to sueandpaul.com!)

Tip 1) if you haven't got a waterproof rucksack, stick everything in a
plastic bag inside your rucksack.

Tip 2) Leave a pair of comfy shoes at work, Shoes are heavy to carry.
Don't cycle in your work shoes -- they'll get gross (I had SPDs so I
couldn't anyway)

Tip 3) If you have a shower at work, take a change of underclothes and
wear yesterdays for riding, so:

Monday: Riding in Sunday's underclothes, with Monday's set in bag
Tues: Riding in Monday's underclothes, etc.

There isn't a better feeling than walking into the office in the
morning after an eight mile ride, a shower and a clean set of clothes.

Hope this helps...

Chris

On 02/09/05, ChrisMDP <chri...@rsons.org> wrote:

Kind of flies in the face of the age old mother's warning of 'wear
clean underwear in case you get knocked over', doesn't it?

:-)

--
bignoseduglyguy
http://www.bignoseduglyguy.com
http://www.bignoseduglyguy.com/no8wire
http://www.bignoseduglyguy.com/bnugwiki

I bike EVERY day. 5 miles one way, mostly bike path. Locatin is Grand
Rapids MI USA
98 Schwinn Mesa GSX mountain bike with Conti Traffic 2.1 Tires.
I wear biking clothes...shorts, shirt, gloves, helmet.
If you have any darkness, LIGHTS on the front and rear.

Carry my clothes and work stuff in a LLBean Super Deluxe Backpack. The
backpack is mostly water resistant so make sure to wrap up your clothes
on a wet day. I find rolling the clothes keeps them from wrinkling. If
it rains, I wrap my clothes in the towel...what little water gets in is
absobed by the towel. The backpack has LOTS of space, has reflective
elemnts, a padded back and straps.

Work has a rack and showers which is very nice.
In the winter I use layering with a Cool Max shirt, Fleece Jacket and
Waterproof Wind breaker with pants designed for cross county sking.
Shoes are LL Bean mountain mocs and Storm Socks. Gloves are Perfomance
bike Vento Windblockers, with ski gloves added below 10 degrees. The
coldest I've ridden is -5 F.

Last winter wasn't too bad as the snow would melt fairly quickly,
leaving the trails passable. That all changed in February. Luckily the
side walks are plowed so it only added a little of time to my ride. I
want to add studded tires this winter to deal with the ice. Only had 2
falls but still more than I like.

I lost 40lbs and feel great! Logged over 300 miles this past year, so I
fgure I'm saving several hundred dollars....going up every day too <G>.

Websites of interest are the CommuterDude and Icebike.

Have Fun!

-Dave

Thank you all so much! I knew you guys would have expertise here. Dave
E., thanks especially for addressing the weather. Michigan and Nova
Scotia are pretty similar in winter, except for the plowing. I grew up
in Montreal and that town knows how to remove snow. Halifax is still
figuring it out somehow (like Canadian winters are a mystery). Good to
know about the weight loss. I could stand to lose about 40 lbs to go
back to my university days figure.

I'll post back with my experiences!
Julie

Thanks for the timely topic.. I used to commute occaisionally and the
hardest part, by far, was getting out the door in the morning. Here's
the list of reasons I'll tape to the bathroom mirror ...

* Gas prices
* Car payments (if I can commit to it)
* I could stand to lose 25 pounds or so
* New job is closer
* I have showers at work
* It's better than prozac (or an excellent supplement)

* It's better than prozac (or an excellent supplement)

I second that - the mental/emotional benefit of cycling to work has helped
me be very productive sitting in my cubicle.

I have a 'hybrid' commute. I start on my bike, ride anywhere from one to
eight miles to get to the BART train station. Then after spending anywhere
from 20 to 50 minutes on the train, I ride 4 miles to work. So when the
weather is nice, I may end up riding close to 25 miles a day.

My total commute takes an average of 1 1/2 hrs. each morning. When I drove,
since my commute is in the opposite direction of most San Francisco bay are
residents, I could make it in one half hour. So in effect I spend two more
hours per day traveling. The cost of gasoline and the cost of my BART ticket
is nearly equivalent.

Before I started bicycle commuting, I got no significant exercise. I should
have been spending at least an hour a day exercising, but I guess that was
always on my "someday/maybe" list. Now that I ride my bike to get to work, I
am in good enough shape to enjoy recreational cycling.

I also use the bike to run errands more often. The upward trend in fuel
costs will simply encourage this.

A few comments about GTD and bike commuting. When riding, obviously the idea
capturing part is difficult. I have used to voice note feature on my cell
phone a few times, when waiting at a traffic light. Since part of the time I
am on the train, I use that time to read, study, take care of any other NA
that fits the context. Sometimes I listen to podcasts or audio books when
riding, with just one earbud in place for safety.

As to gear, getting a rack and panniers made a huge difference. So did bike
shoes, even with ordinary platform pedals.

The biggest hurdle is the concept that some much time is lost. My travel
time increased by two hours, but riding my bike really is "getting things
done."

On 9/3/05, LikeSoy <michaelp...@gmail.com> wrote:

--
:: Norm ::
bringing you uninspired signatures since 1995

Something that has helped me get out the door in the past when I have some
hesitation is to remind myself that I'm going for a bike ride, rather than
just commuting to my job.
 It makes a big psychological difference in my ride if I try to enjoy the
trip rather than focusing on just getting to work.

 On 9/3/05, LikeSoy <michaelp...@gmail.com> wrote:

--
simon.c...@gmail.com

this topic has been so inspiring i hooked up the ride along tadem thing to
the back of my bike and the kiddo is getting around town too!

On 9/3/05, Simon Carr <simon.c...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for bringing it back to GTD, Norm ... amen to the idea that
riding ii one of the things I always want to do, but seldom do because
of of the elusive Next Action.

I'm a big perpetrator of Yak Shaving as Merlin Ccalls it. I want to
ride, but my gear is lacking a critical piece or my bike clothes are in
the wash or some other combination of things that makes me
procrastinate. I'm gonna pull out a bunch of lifehacks in an effort to
ride to work more often:

* The aforementioned list on the bathroom mirror
* Sleep in my bike shorts
* Put my bags and helmet in front of the door
* Check my commuter bike over now instead of Tuesday morning
* Get a redundant set of tools and leave them on the commuter bike

Going to do those last two right now. Thanks to everyone for the great
tips and inspiration. Have a great day, lifehackers ...

I should mention the number of miles is more like 3000 not 300. Serves
me right for typing late at night!

The ride is a great time to think through things....no radio, no
phone...just peace and quiet. I find that having time to reflect is
very handy.

I also left out a key part in the winter gear. I have a polar fleece
cap that fits under my helmet and has a neck/face thing that pulls down
for when it's really cold.

Once you've been doing it as long as I have you start to HATE when you
are forced to drive. Your mind starts going over the fact you had to
pay for gas to do something that is normally "free". You are missing
two of your exercise routines. Makes you mad. Course that might just be
me <G>

-Dave

Man, this is an awesome thread.

I don't yet bike to work -- need to buy a new bike after my last one  
was stolen -- but I do take the train from San Francisco down to  
Mountain View and then a shuttle from the Caltrain station to the  
office. Every morning (and evening) I always notice the cyclists. On  
Caltrain, they're always relegated to one or two specific cars and it  
seems like a pretty cool club-like atmosphere.

You also have to admire the hard-core cyclists, the ones who continue  
to ride during the winter when it's cold as hell or rainy.

As for time, one would figure that the added time cycling is  
comparable to what you'd ideally spend at the gym on a daily basis.

Need to buy a new ride...

I'm jealous of all of you.  I can't go ANYWHERE from my house without
getting on a 45mph+ road with no shoulders.  I do see cyclists on these
roads, but not me.

Wow! Yes, Norm, thanks for tying it into GTD, I almost hesitated to
post, but then I figured it had the angle of a lifehack which seems to
be in the mandate. I can see how those of you who are SF Bay riders get
an awesome public transit system and breathtaking scenery (as my short
1-time trip to SF showed me). A little north, in Vancouver, would be
wonderful, too and my latest trip there last year showed that transit
had improved by bounds.

Here in Halifax, we're only now getting new busses with bike racks, one
route stops nearby, which may be handy in winter (although my car is
paid for and a realiable Toyota, so I may chicken out in January and
February). The scenery, I probably take for granted. No spectacular
mountains but one heck of a harbour. Here are sample images (noen
mine):
- Halifax habrour from Dartmouth:
http://www.jarvisofhalifax.com/images/gallery4/1518.html
- What I fear most - winter:
http://novascotia.com/season/winter/phototour.htm
- And of course, Theodore Tugboat!:
http://www.nuevaescocia.ca/bahia_de_halifax.htm

Bike is in the shop getting an extension to the seat and handlebar
stems so I can sit upright and take pressure off my wrists (RSI,
computer be damned) and will get it Wednesday with a rear rack and an
Arkel utility basket/pannier
(http://www.panniers.com/panniers/utility/overview.asp?fl=1&site=cdn)
and put it to the test.

I'll post back with news and views. The first serious tests for the
pannier: the stuff I lug to work daily + a 6-pack of Sleeman (beer) on
the way back. :-)

Julie

P.S. Must mention that I heard that pets rescued from Katrina by HSUS
and Louisianna SPCA are set to go up on petfinder.org soon. Hopefully,
their humans will be able to claim them, if not, consider adopting.

After a few miles on a bike the underwear won't be clean anyway :D

Another tip I just remembered - if you can afford it, buy a nice bike.
I spent a years worth of commuting money on my bike (£700, plus £250
on gear - 1900 USD or so).

It was an excellent motivator to ride, because a) I'd already spent my
train money so I couldn't afford to take the train anymore and b)
Riding an expensive road bike is heaven - they weigh nothing, they're
almost entirely silent, you go much faster, and you actually want to go
riding each morning. No way I'd ever go back to riding a cheap bike for
anything but the shortest distances.

-Chris

Does anyone have any hot-weather bike commuting tips?

Here in Dallas, 100-degree highs are not unusual. I'm planning to buy a
friend's bike this week, and use it for my (according to google maps)
2.7mile commute. That is, as soon as the high temperatures are below
90.

I'll need to carry a fairly large toolbox and some kind of book bag. Right
now, I'm using my old laptop backpack (a Targus), but it's heavy even when
empty.

Any suggestions?

On 9/5/05, ChrisMDP <chri...@rsons.org> wrote:

The Bromptons are great bikes. I made a mistake in purchasing a Bike
Friday. They're great bikes but they don't fold as compact and they're
nasty to carry around in the carrying case as the pedal and other
whatnots jab into your body as you and the bag move. I hope I can sell
mine to get a Brompton instead.

Miguel

My tip is: just do it!
Don't think too much about bikes, helmets, bags, clothes... If you want
to start cycling to your work, there is only one step to take: get on
that bike! Once you travel every day by bike, you will find out quickly
what the next action is: if you feel unsafe, buy a helmet; if it rains
a lot, invest in a good rain suit; if your skin is irritated, buy a
pair of good cycling trousers. Only if you cycle you now what *your*
needs are. So stop reading this thread and hop on the bike.

Don't Die.

On 9/5/05, Harvey Simmons <hscater...@gmail.com> wrote:

--
Michael Langford  --- 404-386-0495
The demon that you can swallow gives
you its power, and the greater life's pain,
the greater life's reply --Joeseph Campbe

Ha! Just what I thought!

A rucsac in those temperatures will soon get uncomfortable - very sweaty and
may chafe round the straps. Can you not attche it to some kind of carrier on
the bike ?

2.7 miles sounds a good distance.

On 05/09/05, Harvey Simmons <hscater...@gmail.com> wrote: