Seasoned Commuters, help

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.

I saw that route on the map but I think it is a bit of a detour since you go south and then north again. Well, this way you wouldn't go through the bad areas. Early in the morning just after breakfast it isn't the nicest thing to ride through there, quite doesn't feel right in the stomach.

I tend to stay away from both those routes. If you haul ass up Hoskins, there is about 3-4 minutes of please kill me now hill and the rest if fairly flat. Before you know it your up to Dempsey. I can do it in about 20 minutes and I am in no way in shape.

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?

There are definately better options. It would work but it would be painful and not that snappy handling. If you are set on something beefy maybe consider getting a 29er with Schwalbe Marathon XR tires or a cyclocross bike. My personal fav is a performance commuter such as the Kona Dew series.

2) Maybe safer if I can bunny hop and stuff?

I can't think of a situation where i have ever had to bunny hop and you can bunny hop road bikes onto curbs. If you have a good set of tires you don't need to worry about road debris that much ie glass. And unless you are a bicycle superhero you can't bunnyhop cars.

3) How do you guys deal with the sweat factor?

I bring a change of clothes and then do a sink shower. Which is basically:
Wipe down sweat with cycling gear then splash and scrub your armpits and maybe wash your face. This seems to get rid of 99[HTML_REMOVED]#37; of body odour.

4) For you guys going to school, how safe is the lock-up areas?

Hard to say. Depends on the school. Buy the best ulock you can afford (I use the Krypotonite New York lock) then use cable locks to hold down wheels. Look on the net for locking how to videos. Then schedule your bicycle onto your tenant/home insurance. You should be fine.

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?

Probably, lots of people do.

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?

My commute is just over 30km one way.
I just put 1.5" Schwalbe Marathon slicks pumped up to 100psi on my XC bike, and am loving them for commuting. Small enough to roll nice, fat enough to take some abuse.

I say get a cheap used XC hardtail Put road gearing up front, get a comfy seat, and some kevlar-reinforced slicks. Barends are nice, too, as you can change your hand position.
Should be fairly fast, comfortable, and you don't have to worry about running over glass and other roadshit.

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.

Best time to patch tubes is sitting at home when youn can take your time.

Couple of things one should add to their kit. Neoprene paddling socks for winter. Cheap and keep your feet warm. Have 2 pairs so one can dry/vent out.

The other thing to invest in is a Seal paddling sack- great for keeping clothes and shit dry in winter rain.

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?

:lol: Uhmm, not really - since I am working too much (proably for the rest of me life) I do not really have the time to stick to a training regime.

Although - my better half is one hell of a cook. :D And them beers at the weekends are a nice treat as well.

2. patch kits are totally unreliable

Patch kits are amazingly reliable PCH. Some users are not. ;)

Never use glueless patches. They are useless. Read instructions if you are unfamiliar but here are a couple of tips.

Use ample vulcanizing compound (glue) so that it more than covers the size of the patch you are using. Use the backing from the patch to spread it around. Once it is completely dry press the patch into position. Do not remove the thin plastic backing from the patch because you may peel up an edge.

Using this method your patches will be 100[HTML_REMOVED]#37; reliable.

Considering commuting by bike from Port Moody to Langley. Am I insane?

tough route buster. you have to ride over the queensbourough or hit the albion ferry

Considering commuting by bike from Port Moody to Langley. Am I insane?

Not if you do it on a fixie.

Considering commuting by bike from Port Moody to Langley. Am I insane?

Take a look for the Seattle to Vancouver group ride route put out by Cascade cycling club. Langley to Port Moody would be tough done both ways but doable (you would get fit fast). It would probably be about 2-2 1/2 hours each way.

http://www.cascade.org/EandR/rsvp/pdf/RSVP_routemap_2008.pdf

I found a recommended bike route calculator and it ended up being pretty similar to my drive route. Port Mann Bridge could be hairy. And bike along the #1 Hwy? I don't think I've ever seen a bike on the shoulder there. If traffic is good it's a 35 minute drive. So I would guess 2.5 hour bike each way. What I might do instead is bike to Lougheed Mall and hop on a Skytrain to Walley (Surrey) then bike the Fraser Hwy to Langley. Still a bitch. Time to get a job closer to home. ;)

Not if you do it on a fixie.

I'd rather do it on a unicycle.
:smokey:

I agree on the comments about dressing appropriately! It'll make it a much better ride for you. For my practicum last May and June I was commuting 25km there EARLY in the morning, then about 30km or so from there to my work, then the commute back home from work which is probably hmmm, 10-15km. I was usually out of the house from 0500-2100 so it made for long days! If I was really exhausted I'd bus home, and sometimes I was lucky and got a ride from practicum back. The morning commute is a great way to get energized for the day! :)