Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

How do I ride to work?

0 views
Skip to first unread message

Aaron

unread,
Mar 21, 1993, 6:14:00 PM3/21/93
to
Q: How do I ride to work?
A: Get on my bike and pedal till I get there.

OK, so I know the _very_ basic answer. More detail would be nice.

I want information on techniques, tactics and strategies related to commuting.
I am a _very_ casual rider (never fixed my own flat, and haven't been
on the bike at least six months). Obviously I won't be casual after
commuting awhile ...

Answers via email or newsgroup posts are equally very welcome.

If there is a FAQ or FAQ's, could someone mail or post it/them please? I
have no ftp access.

me:
35 yr old male
5'11 190#
wear glasses and contacs (not simultaneously :)
teetering on the edge of mildly out of shape forever

my bike:
Specialized Rock Hopper

my commute:
Seattle, Northgate to Boeing Field, about 15 miles
morning: 1st half = flat and gentle down hills, second half = flat
evening: read the previous line backwards
sometimes rain
sometimes dark
my at-work bike rack: exposed, inside security fence, rack is one of those
clunky continuous S curve things made of THICK tubing
shower available at work (and home too, for that matter)

If anyone recommends practical books, that's great, but I don't intend
to read tons o' books before I ride, and I don't want to "re-invent the
wheel" (hey, that'd make a GREAT cliche). I know that people who commute
must have learned lots of practical and non-obvious things.

I'm willing to modify my bike in any economic and sane way, but I probably
don't want to get a different bike. My body will be altered automatically,
I presume, and I don't want to get a different body.

Here's some specific questions:
- Book on commuting related repairs?
- Seattle area class on commuting related repairs?
- minimum tool set for commuting related repairs? (do I sound paranoid? :)
- what kind of saddle bags etc do you use?
- what do you put in them (for commuting)?
- how do you carry your work clothes (I wear jeans, chambray shirts etc)?
- what works well for you for at-work shower supplies?:
- toiletries
- towels
- ?
- what are good commuting/riding clothes, shoes?
- how to you keep your eyeglasses clear? rain, fog, sweat etc
- for you Seattle-ites (yeah, we really do call ourselves that :), what's the
best route for my particular commute?
- what kind of lights to use or stay away from?
- your favorite issues that I haven't thought of?

Any and all responses are much appreciated.

--aaron


--
Aaron (opinions are my own) Boeing Commercial Airplanes
(206) 234-0360, 237-5908 PO BOX 3707 M/S 97-32
>>> aa...@bcstec.ca.boeing.com <<< Seattle WA 98124
"I may not know where I'm going, but I'm making good time."

Frank Ball

unread,
Mar 22, 1993, 2:30:53 PM3/22/93
to
Aaron (aa...@bcstec.ca.boeing.com) wrote:
& me:
& 35 yr old male
& 5'11 190#
& wear glasses and contacs (not simultaneously :)
& teetering on the edge of mildly out of shape forever
&
& my bike:
& Specialized Rock Hopper
&
& my commute:
& Seattle, Northgate to Boeing Field, about 15 miles
& morning: 1st half = flat and gentle down hills, second half = flat
& evening: read the previous line backwards
& sometimes rain
& sometimes dark
& my at-work bike rack: exposed, inside security fence, rack is one of those
& clunky continuous S curve things made of THICK tubing
& shower available at work (and home too, for that matter)
&
& Here's some specific questions:
& - minimum tool set for commuting related repairs? (do I sound paranoid? :)

Tire irons, 3 inner tubes (I have used 3 on several occasions, I have
never needed at 4th), 5, 6mm hex wrenchs, 6" adjustable wrench, a couple
of screwdrivers, a knife, pliers, a mini maglight flashlight, frame pump,
and wrap several layers of duct tape (2") around the pump-it is good for
fixing slashed tires to keep the tube from bulging out).

No you don't sound paraniod. If you ride enough something will break.
This list of tools has worked well for me during the last 15 years of
commuting.

& - what kind of saddle bags etc do you use?

A handlebar bag and a rack pack. Don't remember the brand names.

& - what do you put in them (for commuting)?

The tools, a padlock, keys, wallet, whatever else I have to carry.

& - how do you carry your work clothes (I wear jeans, chambray shirts etc)?

I have a locker at work with a pile of shirts and underwear, a pair of jeans,
sneakers, towel, shampoo. Bring in/take home clean/dirty clothes as needed.

& - what are good commuting/riding clothes, shoes?

Cleats or touring shoes, depending on if I am running errands on the way
home. Cycling shorts, tights in colder weather, long underwear under tights
in really cold weather. T-shirt, sweat shirt, jacket as needed. Several
weights of gloves as needed.

& - how to you keep your eyeglasses clear? rain, fog, sweat etc

In heavy rain or fog I take off the glasses. Otherwise it isn't a problem.

& - what kind of lights to use or stay away from?

Night Sun makes the best lights. I made my own system before Night Suns
were available.

--
Frank Ball 1UR-M fra...@sad.hp.com (707) 794-4168 work,
Hewlett Packard (707) 794-3844 fax, (707) 538-3693 home
1212 Valley House Drive IT175, XT350, Seca 750, '62 F-100, PL510
Rohnert Park CA 94928-4999 KC6WUG, LAW, AMA, Dod #7566, I'm the NRA.

Drew W. Saunders

unread,
Mar 22, 1993, 2:58:01 PM3/22/93
to
In article <C49Hv...@bcstec.ca.boeing.com>,

aa...@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Aaron) writes:
>Q: How do I ride to work?
>
>I want information on techniques, tactics and strategies related to commuting.
>I am a _very_ casual rider ...

Not for long...

>me:
>35 yr old male
>5'11 190#

>wear glasses and contacs (not simultaneously :)

>teetering on the edge of mildly out of shape forever

This will change, gradually, but it will.

>my bike:
>Specialized Rock Hopper

Get rid of the knobby tires immediately. Take them off and hide
them. Get slick tires, fully slick, devoid of anything resembling a
tread, these will give you the best traction on pavement, dry or
wet. Keep them at high pressure, at your weight 100psi+ should be
good. Specialized, Continental and Avocet make fully slick ATB
tires, and there may be other companies that do as well. You can
even take them on dirt, I take 700x25 120psi slick tires on dirt all
the time with few problems. Your weight will give you plenty of
traction, make good use of it. Much lighter riders will find
different results from skinny slicks on dirt, though.

Now put fenders on that bike. Nice, big, geeky fenders. Zefal
makes some good ones. If need be, use plastic milk jugs to extend
the fenders closer to the ground, just cut out an appropriately
shaped chunk of the jug and attach it with duct tape or plastic
screws or the like. Much more water comes up while riding in the
rain than down, and your feet will appreciate a good front fender,
while your backside will appreciate the rear fender. True, some
find fenders to be a bit geeky, but I've never considered a big,
muddy wet stripe up my butt to be a fashion statement.

>my commute:


>Seattle, Northgate to Boeing Field, about 15 miles

Don't know Seattle, but look at alternate roads. Since you'll
probably be riding at about 12-15mph, who cares if one road allows
35mph traffic while the other allows 25mph if they get you to the
same place.

>my at-work bike rack: exposed, inside security fence, rack is one of those

> clunky continuous S curve things made of THICK tubing

>shower available at work (and home too, for that matter)

Those work fairly well. I use a U-lock with a cable. I lock the
frame and rear wheel to the rack and use the cable to include the
front wheel without removing it. Works well enough for me. One
option is to get a big, heavy chain and big, heavy padlock and leave
them attached to the rack when you go home, provided this would be
OK with your company and the other people who use the rack. For
lunch excursions, you could either haul the massive beast, or have a
second, lighter cable.

>I'm willing to modify my bike in any economic and sane way, but I probably
>don't want to get a different bike. My body will be altered automatically,
>I presume, and I don't want to get a different body.
>

>Here's some specific questions:

>- minimum tool set for commuting related repairs? (do I sound paranoid? :)

Spare tube, patch kit, pump and the knowledge of how to use them is
the minimum for commuting. You will get flats, and these will occur
on the days when you least want them. Allen wrenches to keep your
handlebars and stem in place, as well as a few other things that
could get loose.

>- what kind of saddle bags etc do you use?

>- what do you put in them (for commuting)?

You'll want a rack over the rear wheel (don't be fooled by the
fender-like aspects of the rack, get a real fender, you've been
warned..) Get panniers that will resist rain. REI has good ones at
decent prices.

>- how to you keep your eyeglasses clear? rain, fog, sweat etc

I don't, which can be a problem. As for sweat, a folded up paper
towel in the brim of the helmet can do wonders. Rain and fog, I
just live with. I'm not so blind as to be disabled by tilting my
glasses down and looking over the tops, if need be.

>- what kind of lights to use or stay away from?

I use a Sanyo generator light for the front and a Vista Light for
the rear. The generator may not be what you want, I have plenty of
street lights on my commute, so I can see where I'm going, and just
need to be seen. Get Side Lights, these are strips of reflective
tape that one puts inside the rims, and they work amazingly well,
even with fenders. Reflectors are a good thing, as they never run
out of batteries, but depend on drivers having the sense to turn on
their lights at night, which isn't always a certain thing.

Good luck, and enjoy.

Drew

James W Gourgoutis

unread,
Mar 22, 1993, 2:55:48 PM3/22/93
to

Since I've been reading this group (I guess it's going on 2+years now)
I've come across a lot of instances where people put drops on their MTB's.
They therefore want to use aero brake levers with canti brakes. I've heard
that there are specific aero levers for use with canti brakes. What I want
to know is what is the difference between these levers and the regular
aero type levers? Is the lever pull different? What's up?

I also was wondering where i could get catalogs for Shimano and other
groups.
Thanks.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
James Gourgoutis
Graduate School of Mechanical Engineering O
University of Pittsburgh _ /__,
e-mail me at: JWG...@unixd.cis.pitt.edu (_) /(_)
or JWG...@vms.cis.pitt.edu [I'm up to 3 now!]
Thanks! "Why am I so late? It took me
25 minutes to decide which bike
to ride!"
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
--

Hans-Joachim Zierke

unread,
Mar 23, 1993, 8:05:00 AM3/23/93
to

Get a carrier like those of blackburn. STECO Metaalwarenfabriken BV in
the Netherlands makes an add-on for this to carry your Samsonite
without any damage. Add something like the Eclipse commuter basket
(these aren't very good) to the other side to throw in groceries when
traveling home or everything you didn't expect.

If you have to transport very large things (like fetching parcels from
the post office on the way home), add a STECO "Krat Mee" at those days
to the carrier.


Ciao
Hajo

--
----[ha...@quijote.in-berlin.de]--------[Hans-Joachim Zierke]-----------------
---------------------------------------------------------[ha...@quijote.uucp]-

Frank Ball

unread,
Mar 23, 1993, 5:38:36 PM3/23/93
to
William Carroll (wcar...@encore.com) wrote:
& fra...@sad.hp.com (Frank Ball) writes:
& >Aaron (aa...@bcstec.ca.boeing.com) wrote:
& >&
& >& Here's some specific questions:
& >& - minimum tool set for commuting related repairs? (do I sound paranoid? :)
&
& >Tire irons, 3 inner tubes (I have used 3 on several occasions, I have
&
& Isn't it easier to carry one tube and a patch kit?

No. You can't patch a tire when it is raining-it won't stick. I don't
want to take the time either. Tubes are light.

& >a mini maglight flashlight,
&
& Use your headlight.

It is mounted on the bike. That makes it difficult to look at other
parts of the bike.

& >frame pump,
& >and wrap several layers of duct tape (2") around the pump-it is good for
& >fixing slashed tires to keep the tube from bulging out).
&
& Isn't that what the tire boot is for?

That is my tire boot. What do you carry?

Drew W. Saunders

unread,
Mar 24, 1993, 4:31:24 PM3/24/93
to
In article <C4D5K...@srgenprp.sr.hp.com>,

fra...@sad.hp.com (Frank Ball) writes:
>William Carroll (wcar...@encore.com) wrote:
>&
>& >Tire irons, 3 inner tubes (I have used 3 on several occasions, I have
>&
>& Isn't it easier to carry one tube and a patch kit?
>
>No. You can't patch a tire when it is raining-it won't stick. I don't
>want to take the time either. Tubes are light.
>
>& >and wrap several layers of duct tape (2") around the pump-it is good for
>& >fixing slashed tires to keep the tube from bulging out).
>&
>& Isn't that what the tire boot is for?
>
>That is my tire boot. What do you carry?

Duct tape would make for a good boot, but will suffer the same
problems that keep you from wanting to use a patch kit, i.e.: it
isn't fond of being wet. An old tire, preferably one with a
well-worn tread, cut up makes for good boots that work in the rain,
as I found out a few weeks ago. Just stuff it between the tube and
the slashed tire and you should be fine. I currently have a chunk
of a Michelin slick road tire and a chunk of a Continental Super
Sport ultra in my saddle bag as boots. I carry two so I can give
one to a fellow cyclist if needed (which is how I got the Michelin
one in the first place, before I wised up and carved up the old
Conti tire to make boots for myself.)

Of course, duct tape has other uses too, so it might be worth
carrying anyway.

Drew

Richard Engelbrecht-Wiggans

unread,
Mar 24, 1993, 5:20:17 PM3/24/93
to
In article <1oqjvc...@morrow.stanford.edu>

GE....@forsythe.stanford.edu (Drew W. Saunders) writes:

>In article <C4D5K...@srgenprp.sr.hp.com>,
>fra...@sad.hp.com (Frank Ball) writes:
>>William Carroll (wcar...@encore.com) wrote:
>>&
>>& >Tire irons, 3 inner tubes (I have used 3 on several occasions, I have
>>&
>>& Isn't it easier to carry one tube and a patch kit?
>>
>>No. You can't patch a tire when it is raining-it won't stick. I don't
>>want to take the time either. Tubes are light.
>>
Long time ago, I bought a couple of bike sized cans of fix-a-flat;
it sprays some sort of glop into the tube and seals and inflates
it well enough to limp home. I taped one to each commuting bike.
Last month, on a particularly miserable day--freezing rain driven
by 35mph winds seemed to be ignoring the cover that was supposed to
protect our two kids in the trailer from the weather--my wife resorted
to a quick fix. Not only was it much faster than replacing/repairing
the tube (or waiting for a ride, or walking home...), but the tire has
held 65psi for three weeks now without further attention. We try not
to leave home without such a can...just in case.

Joshua_Putnam

unread,
Mar 24, 1993, 8:19:12 PM3/24/93
to
In <casseres-2...@missmolly.apple.com> cass...@apple.com (David Casseres) writes:

>Flats and tools: You must definitely learn to fix a flat before you start
>commuting. It's easy. You must carry a spare tube, a pump, and a set of
>tire levers. If your bike doesn't have quick-release axles, you must also
>carry a wrench for unding the axle nuts. If you get a flat you just
>replace the tube, pump it up, and you're on your way. Oh, carry something
>to clean your hands with, too.

Or, carry something to keep your hands clean.

Take your spare tube, and stretch a disposable latex glove over it.
Then stuff the glove into an old sock. The sock makes a good rag,
the glove is for your right hand on the chain/derailleur. Before
taking the glove off, fold up the dead tube as small as possible
and hold it in your right hand. Take the glove off while holding
the dead tube, and the tube is wrapped neatly and tightly inside a
clean glove.

This adds almost nothing to your tool kit -- the glove is
essentially weightless, and the sock is a small rag in a convenient
shape.
--
Joshua...@happy-man.com Happy Man Corp. 206/463-9399 x102
4410 SW Pt. Robinson Rd., Vashon Island, WA 98070-7399 fax x108
We publish SOLID VALUE for the intelligent investor. NextMail OK
Info free; sample $20: Send POSTAL addr: Solid...@happy-man.com

William Carroll

unread,
Mar 24, 1993, 2:45:52 PM3/24/93
to
fra...@sad.hp.com (Frank Ball) writes:
>William Carroll (wcar...@encore.com) wrote:
>& fra...@sad.hp.com (Frank Ball) writes:
>& >Aaron (aa...@bcstec.ca.boeing.com) wrote:
>& >&
>& >& Here's some specific questions:
>& >& - minimum tool set for commuting related repairs? (do I sound paranoid? :)
>&
>& >Tire irons, 3 inner tubes (I have used 3 on several occasions, I have
>&
>& Isn't it easier to carry one tube and a patch kit?
>
>No. You can't patch a tire when it is raining-it won't stick. I don't
>want to take the time either. Tubes are light.

And bulky. How often do you flat twice on the same rainy ride? How often
is there not even a tree to sit under while patching a tube? It sounds
to me like you are carrying alot of equipment that you'll only use every
few years, if that often.


>& >frame pump,
>& >and wrap several layers of duct tape (2") around the pump-it is good for
>& >fixing slashed tires to keep the tube from bulging out).
>&
>& Isn't that what the tire boot is for?
>
>That is my tire boot. What do you carry?

A tire boot - a small piece of old tire that you place between the casing
and the tube. Alot less messy than duct tape.


--
William R. Carroll (Encore Computer, Ft. Lauderdale FL) wcar...@encore.com

"We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form
up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that
we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method
it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion,
inefficiency, and demoralization." -Petronius Arbiter, 210 BC(?)

Dick King

unread,
Mar 25, 1993, 1:50:21 PM3/25/93
to
In article <C4Csq...@encore.com> wcar...@encore.com (William Carroll) writes:
>fra...@sad.hp.com (Frank Ball) writes:

>>Aaron (aa...@bcstec.ca.boeing.com) wrote:
>>&
>>& Here's some specific questions:
>>& - minimum tool set for commuting related repairs? (do I sound paranoid? :)
>
>> ... a couple
>>of screwdrivers, ...
>
>Do you really think someone with a thirty-mile roundtrip needs all that?
>If I used half that many tools in the garage at home it would be a serious
>problem. From that list, I only carry the hex wrenches, and that's more so
>I don't have to dig through the shelf in the garage to find them when I
>need them. I do add a spoke wrench, mainly because loose spokes REALLY
>bother me, but it can also be real convenient when I break a spoke.

I carry the screwdriver.

Why?

to remove my cleats in case i can't fix the bike and have to walk somewhere for
a part or a phone.

-dk

Dick King

unread,
Mar 25, 1993, 2:45:04 PM3/25/93
to
In article <1oqjvc...@morrow.stanford.edu> GE....@forsythe.stanford.edu (Drew W. Saunders) writes:
>
>Duct tape would make for a good boot, but will suffer the same
>problems that keep you from wanting to use a patch kit, i.e.: it
>isn't fond of being wet.
>
> . . .

>
>Of course, duct tape has other uses too, so it might be worth
>carrying anyway.
>

Every vehicle should carry some.

The Space Shuttle normally does, i understand.

In the late eighties i recall reading that they almost always needed it, and
had do ration it by the ends of missions.


One common use for duct tape was to tape motion-sick astronauts to the wall,
which seems to help. Bikers can't do this because bikes have no walls, and if
they did the tape wouldn't be strong enough in normal gravity.


It doesn't rain in space. If astronauts need to make a boot they can use duct
tape, because space shuttle tires are only exposed to rain for at most nineteen
seconds, and anyway astronauts tend to divert to another landing site if the
weather is too grungy at the prime site.

They then must reinflate the tire with CO2 cartriges, because a tire pump will
not work in a vacuum. Therefore, they have to boot and reinflate shortly
before landing lest all the CO2 leak out. I imagine this problem to be worse
in a vacuum than in air.


The Space Shuttle uses Schrader valves.

-dk

Aaron

unread,
Mar 29, 1993, 11:39:41 AM3/29/93
to
In article <1993Mar25.1...@kestrel.edu> ki...@reasoning.com (Dick King) writes:
>In article <1oqjvc...@morrow.stanford.edu> GE....@forsythe.stanford.edu (Drew W. Saunders) writes:
>>
>>Duct tape would make for a good boot, but will suffer the same
>>problems that keep you from wanting to use a patch kit, i.e.: it
>>isn't fond of being wet.
>>
>> . . .
>>
>>Of course, duct tape has other uses too, so it might be worth
>>carrying anyway.
>>
>
>Every vehicle should carry some.
>
>The Space Shuttle normally does, i understand.
>
>...
>-dk

in General Aviation, they call it "hunnerd-mile-an-hour" tape,
for obvious if not comforting reasons.

--
Aaron (opinions are my own) Boeing Commercial Airplanes

(206) 655-5369, 662-3510 PO BOX 3707 M/S 11-UX

Peter Brooks

unread,
Mar 29, 1993, 1:23:55 PM3/29/93
to
On the flatting subthread:

I just ran into the first thron of the season. The local bike shop guy
calls them goatshead thorns, and they have nasty habits. They work like
a caltrop, with one spike *always* pointing straight up. Last summer
was when I started riding in earnest, and I found that I was good for
a flat every other week, usually in the front tire. After a few weeks
of this, I packed a Mr. Tuffy in my spares kit. When the next flat
hit, I paid the weight penalty and stuck in the Mr. Tuffy. It helps for
the thorns, in that I can see/feel the thorn before it penetrates. At
the time, I was on specialized Crossroad tires, and the %&%^* thorns
look like a pebble; tough enough to spot at night and impossible to
clear with biking gloves. (The Conti top Touring tires are also a bit
tough to clear if a thorn hits in the treaded section; this is another
argument for slicks on a mountain bike turned commuter.)

I carry a patch kit and a spare tube. My default round trip is 35 miles,
and I've had one case (so far) where I've had two flats. Actually, the
back tire was considerably more than 2 punctures; I pulled off the side
of a road onto a muddy stretch with gravel. When I rejoined the pavement,
I discovered that the 'gravel' was actually the seed bodies from a
goatshead thorn bush that had been cleared. I had literally hundreds of
thorns in both tires. I pulled the worst of the thorns out and cleared
the inside of the tire before replacing the tube. The front held air (it
didn't flat til I got home), so I just pulled the worst of the thorns.
The tires got replaced. BTW, I counted the flats in the rear tire; I
stopped counting at 32 punctures.

Morals to the story; at least one spare tube and a patch kit. If you are
prone to thorns (and/or stupid stunts :-), pay the weight penalty and use
a Mr. Tuffy strip. BTW, Kevlar-belted tires aren't thorn proof. My road bike
got the first thorn of last season. Oh yeah, some kind of tool to clear
tires from road grunge will help. Tweezers or a small awl will help. The
Contis are particularly good at swallowing pieces of glass in the thick
section.

Another BTW: For my allen keys/screwdriver, I got the combination wrench/
screwdriver kit from Performance. It has 4,5 and 6mm keys, and a plain and
phillips screwdriver. I should pack an 8mm wrench, too, but I use the
6" crescent instead.

Pete Brooks

Katherine Becker

unread,
Mar 31, 1993, 10:26:46 PM3/31/93
to
>>& >and wrap several layers of duct tape (2") around the pump-it is good for
>>& >fixing slashed tires to keep the tube from bulging out).
>>&
>>& Isn't that what the tire boot is for?
>>
>>That is my tire boot. What do you carry?

A good tire boot in an emergency when you don't have anything else is a
folded up dollar bill. The rag paper that dollars are made of is better
than other paper, because it doesn't disintegrate in water. Dollars are
actually very tough, and when you take them out of the tire, dirty and
worn, they still spend just as easily.

>Of course, duct tape has other uses too, so it might be worth
>carrying anyway.

"I put duct tape on my sneakers, if they start to fall apart,
Since my baby left me, I'm wearing duct tape on my heart...
...Just holding things together, singing the duct tape blues"
-J. Mabus
--
Katherine Becker bec...@wl.com
2753 Plymouth Road, Suite #140
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(313) 996-7157 days

0 new messages