17km with some hills is actually about perfect. I did a commute to university that was about that long and I loved it. Long enough to get an ok workout (if you pick up the pace) and short enough that I didn't have to get up super super early.
vegetarian: an ancient word for "likes to stay home with the ladies…"
Seriously, ditch the messenger bag and go full geek with panniers. Your back will get sweaty and your shoulder will get sore if you haul a bag around.
Second this. Messenger bag is great for frequent stops, functioning as a man purse and looking stylish but suck for everything else.
vegetarian: an ancient word for "likes to stay home with the ladies…"
I second sprinter. If you're driving a couple of times a week and have access to a shower try to get a few days worth of clothes together to leave at work (and a towel). Don't forget to pack extra snacks too for when you get there and before you head home. I was commuting a few times a week on a road bike and found all I needed was a back pack. Not sure where you're commuting from but I was going from Lynn Valley to downtown and found the Lion's Gate to be way better than 2nd Narrows.
I love commuting to work. I am back in Ottawa for the summer and commuting 22 k each way. Completely agree with all the above recommendations. Good gear will definitely help to motivate you to ride more. I picked up a Surly Cross Check at the start of the year and I am having such a blast on it. It stokes me that I can get into other types of cycling while I am back east. Have fun!
my challenge is towing a BOB trailer with a 45 lb dog in it , and i have a hill about a half mile up to my house which is a mentally tough thing to deal with at the end of the day , but as the summer goes on , you get stronger and mentally prepared for it . also , i got an ipod touch , and the music can be a very useful distraction .
Yan doesn't jest about that hill climb he faces.
i have been bike commuting for three years now , summers only ( obviously :lol: ) .
Wimp.
While I mostly work from home, when I do go into the office I usually take my bike (18km one way). Its definitely better then sitting in traffic, though its a bitch to get going early on rainy winter mornings.
Key learnings:
1. Carry several tubes
2. patch kits are totally unreliable
3. carry enough change for the bus (f*Cking Translink!)
4. Never rely on cars signalling their intentions
5. Never assume a car is giving you the right of way, unless its completely stopped for you
6. Biking through a farmers field on foggy mornings is very dangerous. Freshly sprayed manure + Fog=poisonous
Also, prepare by bringing your change of clothes, lunch or whatever the day before you bike. The less you have to carry the more pleasant it will be.
Goin' Down?
Ok, so I've been thinking of doing the same thing when I get to Victoria and biking
to Camosun (depending on where I can find a rental).
Road bike scare the jebeeezas out of me (my only concussion was on a road bike,
then there's train tracks, glass etc).
So I've been thinking about getting a DJ bike and use that as a commuter. Maybe
CrMo 9speed with a full length seat post. I figured the rain, light snow conditions
they get in winter it might be safer for me?
1) Is there anything wrong with this idea?
2) Maybe safer if I can bunny hop and stuff?
3) How do you guys deal with the sweat factor?
4) For you guys going to school, how safe is the lock-up areas?
5) And, can you leave a modno chain w/ lock at the school lock-up so you didn't have to carry a "real" lock and chain?
Mic, good on you for getting out of the car. Could this be an attempt to loose
some extra padding a good wife can put on ya?
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"i surf because, i"m always a better person when i come in"-Andy Irons
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All great advice, have spent yyyyyeeeeeeeeeears commuting aswell as worked 5 years bike courier.
If you can travel as light as possable, take and leave changes of clothes etc at work when you drive.
Set your bike up for the worst of it FENDERS. Invest in really good quality riding gear shorts rain gear BOOTIES! cold feet are no fun. Don't try to stay too dry, be more concerned about being warm.
My Commute presently is about 20-25 minutes on the road bike if Im late, 40 minutes if I just cruzzzzzzzzz. 40 - 2hours on the way home depending on which route I take.
bottom line commuting will likely add years to your life if some dumb ass in their car doesn't take you out. Ride like you are invisable and you should be ok. THEY really don't see you even when they are looking.
Live 2 Ride
Rode my bike to work today, what a nice day. So much better than using a car. It is just nice to go across the bridges and enjoy the view. Also going by all those cars in the traffic jam is fun even so I am always worried that somebody opens the door. I think it happens quite fast, I remember a long time ago i opened the door and knocking somebody of the bike, felt quite bad. Luckily nothing happened.
Normally I go over Lions Gate but today I tried 2nd Narrows, I found it actually quite good with the bike routes but than once you get to the end of Wall St. and Powell it isn't that good anymore. Would be nice to have a bike lane along the north on Powell or Franklin. Does anybody has experience with this route, what is the best way if want to go to Yaletown?
I always thought the climb up upper Mountain Highway is bad from Depmsey to the gate till I rode the lower part today, man that is steep, especially with a road bike.
Which way is faster, 2nd Narrows or Lions Gate from Lynn Valley to Yaletown?
:germany: http://oppelshausen.de
Road bike scare the jebeeezas out of me (my only concussion was on a road bike,
then there's train tracks, glass etc).
Consider a cyclocross bike with wide tires, or flat bar 700C wheeled bike a Kona Dew.
"The song of a bird…We used to ask Ennesson to do bird calls. He could do them. How he could do them, and when he perished, along with him went all those birds…"-Return from the Stars, Stanislaw Lem
"We just walk around, and sometimes we go out and dance, and then we listen to the environment."-Ralf Hutter, Kraftwerk
Normally I go over Lions Gate but today I tried 2nd Narrows, I found it actually quite good with the bike routes but than once you get to the end of Wall St. and Powell it isn't that good anymore. Would be nice to have a bike lane along the north on Powell or Franklin. Does anybody has experience with this route, what is the best way if want to go to Yaletown?
There is the Lakeview Dr bike route that starts near Powell and Wall st. Take that you south to the Adanac/Union bike route into Downtown. Once at the east edge of downtown (Science world) there is a off-street bike/pedestrian path that goes around False Creek. A map of the bike routes in Vancouver can be found here (it is a biggish PDF file).
Yeah the lower mile of Mountain Hwy is steep and narrow. I always ride up Arborlynn/E 20th/Viewlynn just to skip the narrow twisty bit of mountain hwy. It's still steep (last bit of Arborlynn), but being a side street there is very little traffic and the road is nice and wide.
my challenge is towing a BOB trailer with a 45 lb dog in it , and i have a hill about a half mile up to my house which is a mentally tough thing to deal with at the end of the day
QUOTE]we seen a guy riding from anchorage to ft collins by bike using kitty litter pails for panniers [HTML_REMOVED] towing a bob carrying his 44 lb husky go past our house party … so we invited him in for beers
"Squirrel" the siberian husky had a harness and apparently rides the BOB down hill but gets off and tows the bike/rider/ and trailer UPHILL ,knows the Left [HTML_REMOVED] right commands of a sled dog gee [HTML_REMOVED] haw .
1) Is there anything wrong with this idea?
2) Maybe safer if I can bunny hop and stuff?
3) How do you guys deal with the sweat factor?
4) For you guys going to school, how safe is the lock-up areas?
5) And, can you leave a modno chain w/ lock at the school
1)It'll be much slower than a road bike (or even a XC mtb). You'll be spun out once the road heads just a little bit down hill if you're just using a middle ring. That is about it. Oh, it'll look stupid with full fenders (a must if you plan to commute in the rain).
2) You can bunny hop on a road bike too. It just takes a bit to get used to the position so that you are able to hop.
3) sweat factor? Get there early enough to have a shower. Most colleges have a gym or pool with showers.
4) If you have a really nice bike in Vancouver it'll probably get stolen even if you lock it up. Dunno about Victoria. Sorry.
5) Lots of the bike racks at SFU seem to have locks left on them. Probably ok.
Take a look at the style of bikes Sanrensho is suggesting. More versatile than a focused road bike. Flat bars if you so choose as well.
Also, a lot of cyclocross bikes will come stock with bar top levers. These are great for keeping your head up in traffic. Some have disc brakes, too.
Even with a road bike, there is no need to run skinny tires. Most should take 700x30 easily. Although I bunny hop on my 700x22 tires all the time.
"The song of a bird…We used to ask Ennesson to do bird calls. He could do them. How he could do them, and when he perished, along with him went all those birds…"-Return from the Stars, Stanislaw Lem
"We just walk around, and sometimes we go out and dance, and then we listen to the environment."-Ralf Hutter, Kraftwerk
i just started this summer commuting from top of SFU to Stanley Park. About 25km. Getting there takes about 35-40 minutes because I have a fast as hell, carbon frame road bike. I don't think it would last in the fall and winter though. Get used to 2nd guessing cars and buses and getting sweaty but it feels pretty good.
"Ripping Styles, Holmes!"
- Tommy Guererro, Search for Animal Chin
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