Please give me your details on biking to work

[ChicSkiier]

I've always been a mountain biker. However, I did get a decent lemond roadbike in 2006 during my short stint in triathlons. It's been sitting idle for well over 13 years. My first commute attempt was on my MTB and it took about an hour. Then I tried my road bike, it took 40 min, so compared to my mountain bike, it flies. So since I don't want to outlay more money for something I may not do regularly or indefinitely, I'm going to give my road bike a good long try.

Love lightweight road bikes. Hope you have a good seat suspension and seat and carryon bag.

My husband bikes to work (he has work disability and term life insurance thank goodness) and rolls up his work clothes in small bag on bike rack. We don't have a lot of dedicated bike lanes in our area (Southern Calif). I may get him lights for his spokes. I am sure he sweats and stinks from biking. He'll try commuting with the rad wagon ebike once CA reopens for business, etc from COVID. I worry about him commuting by bike (although I drive on the Hwy 405 which is worse 4 sure)- more about morbidity and not so much mortality. There are a lot of hit and runs with drivers.

[fatlittlepig]

Good to hear. What lock(s) did you get for your ebike? Looking at ABUS and kryptonite u locks.

We plan to demo the rad runner and rad city step thru but I think we are leaning towards rad runner plus (when it comes out in July) if we like the rad runner. Getting the rad wagon now so I can haul two little kids around to the beach or anywhere beyond a 2 mile radius (have a big hill just to get to the beach, not sure what grade but it would be a workout even without the kiddos).

I can’t say enough good things about e-bikes. so much more fun and removes any inertia you have to ride the bike. A four mile bike ride with a hill doesn’t give you a second thought and you can get there much faster. The rad runner is good, the only drawback is if you’re riding a bumpy trail it is a little jarring, but on smooth roads it’s great. Also I’m not sure what I would do if I needed a repair, not sure if the bike shops would service it. I’ve got two flats, the front and back tires, but slime did the trick.

[fatlittlepig]

Good to hear. What lock(s) did you get for your ebike? Looking at ABUS and kryptonite u locks.

We plan to demo the rad runner and rad city step thru but I think we are leaning towards rad runner plus (when it comes out in July) if we like the rad runner. Getting the rad wagon now so I can haul two little kids around to the beach or anywhere beyond a 2 mile radius (have a big hill just to get to the beach, not sure what grade but it would be a workout even without the kiddos).

I use the abus granit x plus and a cable for the wheels

[PhysicianOnFIRE]

I loved commuting by bike, especially an e-bike. One Year of Commuting With a Modified Electrified Fortified Bike

You know what's even better, though? Not commuting at all.

[Neuro-doc]

My 7 mile bike commute to and from work is the best part of my day. Most of my ride is on a bike path through parkland, so I only have to deal with traffic for a few blocks at either end of my commute.

I still ride the same bike I got in med school 20+ year ago (well, it's the same frame: pretty much everything else has worn out and been replaced over the years). It's an ancient mountain bike with standard flat pedals. I save my carbon road bike with clip pedals for my long weekend rides.

I leave clothes at work, and change when I get there. Agree with the above posts that panniers are vastly preferable to wearing a knapsack.

[burritos]

Love lightweight road bikes. Hope you have a good seat suspension and seat and carryon bag.

My husband bikes to work (he has work disability and term life insurance thank goodness) and rolls up his work clothes in small bag on bike rack. We don't have a lot of dedicated bike lanes in our area (Southern Calif). I may get him lights for his spokes. I am sure he sweats and stinks from biking. He'll try commuting with the rad wagon ebike once CA reopens for business, etc from COVID. I worry about him commuting by bike (although I drive on the Hwy 405 which is worse 4 sure)- more about morbidity and not so much mortality. There are a lot of hit and runs with drivers.

Where abouts is your husband bike comuuting? I'm inin ventura county. I have bike lanes in about 60% of the time.

[burritos]

My 7 mile bike commute to and from work is the best part of my day. Most of my ride is on a bike path through parkland, so I only have to deal with traffic for a few blocks at either end of my commute.

I still ride the same bike I got in med school 20+ year ago (well, it's the same frame: pretty much everything else has worn out and been replaced over the years). It's an ancient mountain bike with standard flat pedals. I save my carbon road bike with clip pedals for my long weekend rides.

I leave clothes at work, and change when I get there. Agree with the above posts that panniers are vastly preferable to wearing a knapsack.

So you bring a week's worth of clothes on monday?

[snowcanyon]

-5 miles, 500 foot climb both ways. I could also bike a shorter, steeper, off-road route, but I don't.
-Yes, way easier now they are giving us scrubs due to Covid. I don't go fast, so I don't really sweat or shower. It's about the same exertion as a fast walk.
-No
-No, and now I have to work at another hospital 30 miles away, so it's just 5-8 days a month.
-German commuter bike
-No, just sneakers
-No, panniers, way easier and less strain on the shoulders
-No, and my guess is I'd just ask someone from work to pick me up if that happened, and they would, although there is a nice set of tools on the bike path I could use
-No, but I refuse to count skidding on the gravel

Most of my commute is on a bike trail. The main hazard is poorly trained dogs. I've encountered a moose, deer, ducks, beavers, and once a beautiful owl taking off from a bridge. Sometimes it's hard after a 12 hour shift. Sometimes I drive. Definitely get really good lights. My bike has built-in lights and I also bought the 400 lumen handlebar lights.

[ChicSkiier]

Where abouts is your husband bike comuuting? I'm inin ventura county. I have bike lanes in about 60% of the time.

Redondo Beach to El Segundo on busy city streets where people drive 50 mph. One hill in El Segundo. South of Airport traffic. I think he will like the ebike-less sweat but still some glory.

[Neuro-doc]

So you bring a week's worth of clothes on monday?

I bring a couple of weeks of clothes every week or so ( I'll stop by work with clothes, food, etc. if I'm driving that way on some other errand.)

Good lights are a must, especially in the fall after the clocks change. It gets really dark on the bike paths through the park system. My 650 lumen front light has saved me from running into a skunk in the dark several times.

[burritos]

What's a good PSI for a mid level road bike. For mountain bike I use 40 PSI. But I'm reading like 100 psi for a road bike? is that right? I was doing around 60 and got a pinch flat on the way home the other day. Should have checked google.

[BruinBones]

What's a good PSI for a mid level road bike. For mountain bike I use 40 PSI. But I'm reading like 100 psi for a road bike? is that right? I was doing around 60 and got a pinch flat on the way home the other day. Should have checked google.

I heard on a VeloNews podcast that the recommended PSI for road bikes is lower than what I had previously been using - reduces the rolling friction on the tire (paraphrasing). I think it was a little over 70 psi in the rear and a little under 70 psi in the front.

[Lordosis]

wow intense. I just inflate it until the tire feels hard enough.

[SunShineBottom]

Used to bike to work. I had a 10 mile commute to work on really nice, wide bike paths. I bought a great Juiced Bike, electric, and really enjoyed the daily commute until I was hit by a truck. The bike path crossed intersections occasionally and I always stopped at intersections, even if I had a green light, to make sure that the vehicles saw me. The truck pulled out of the intersection turning right after stopping and laid me down. Fractured my humerus but luckily lived through the accident. Needless to say my spouse said that was the end of my bike commuting.

Lessons I learned
1. ALWAYS make sure that you make eye contact with the driver of the vehicle that may hit you before proceeding. Sitting through a green light and waiting isn't the end of the world.
2. The more lights and distractions you can put on your bike and yourself to draw attention is important. Drivers are so distracted today.
3. E-bikes are great--and can be really fast. My bike could go greater than 30 miles an hour. Have a speed limit that you stick to on bike paths.
4. It's easy for the biker to be distracted and not pay attention as well. You really have to be aware and focus while biking.
5. Walkers, runners, people with dogs, kids--these are common perils while biking on bike paths and you have to be aware and slow down when you approach them.

I since moved to New York City and would not bike on the streets of this city. I've known a lot of doctors that bicycle and have known 2 that have died, several that have had crashes and experiences similar to mine. There's always risks in life.

[mactoit]

usual routine 9-12 miles depending on route. shower and clean scrubs prior to work.