Please give me your details on biking to work

[danesgod]

Kamban New POS is better then old POS right? I would rather spend 200 and have it crap out in 5 years then spend 600 so that it can last 10 or 15. I am trying to be practical and realize that I just will not use it enough to make it worth getting something expensive.

Lithium Yeah I have changes a bunch of bike tires. I made the mistake on wearing my work clothing this morning. My wife convinced me that since it was 41 degrees I would not get sweaty but she forgot to account for how out of shape I am. I feel bad for my patients and coworkers today

BruinBones Thanks! I do have an I do not think my old bike is a very good bike but it has served me well over the years. Maybe I will look into getting it fixed up. Probably less wasteful that way and maybe slightly cheaper. I just would hate to shell out $150 and have it be a POS again next year.

I didn't reread this whole thread. Do you have any hills on your commute? If its relatively flat, at that price point I would highly recommend a steel, single speed (not fixed gear), without disc breaks - probably from bikes direct. Drop bars or flat are fine. There's basically nothing to break on a bike like this, its a giant BMX bike. Spend $50 on a hand pump, small tool set, and an innertube. You're out $300.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/sst_steel.htm

If you keep a simple, steel bike in the garage, occasionally lube the chain, and change the tires/tubes/cables/housing every 5-10 years it will probably last forever (source, I'm still riding my last BMX bike from 2012, on occasion).

[burritos]

I did it! I made it in on my first ride in! My 20 year old POS bike did not fall apart yet. 5 of the 24 gears are working. The rear brakes work well enough but the front are shot. I had to hold the handles at a 5-10 degree angle to go straight. And the seat cover is disintegrating shedding rubberish flakes everywhere.

If I prove to myself that I will continue to do this I will get something new. Any suggestions? I am cheap and would not be interested in anything over a couple hundred bucks. I am not looking to set any records or even look good. I just want to get from point A to B. Pretty much anything will be better then what I have.

Awesome and congrats! Consider going to your LBS(local bike store not low back strain). They need support like local farmers. Tell them your price range and situation. They might upsell you, but if they give you some tlc, you might bike away happy.

[burritos]

Dont live far enough away to bike, could run. Shower is a big deal, I dont know how people are not being gross after or hot forever. In reality it ends up just eating too much time and since I live a whole song and a half away, its easier to just run after/before. I do think it may be great for consistency. Would have to see cost of shower install.

I just wipe down with a moist face towel. That and some deodorant my wife bought my son a few years ago that he never used. I even asked my staff if I smell. they say They don't smell anything. Maybe they're just being polite.

[Lordosis]

I didn't reread this whole thread. Do you have any hills on your commute? If its relatively flat, at that price point I would highly recommend a steel, single speed (not fixed gear), without disc breaks - probably from bikes direct. Drop bars or flat are fine. There's basically nothing to break on a bike like this, its a giant BMX bike. Spend $50 on a hand pump, small tool set, and an innertube. You're out $300.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/sst_steel.htm

If you keep a simple, steel bike in the garage, occasionally lube the chain, and change the tires/tubes/cables/housing every 5-10 years it will probably last forever (source, I'm still riding my last BMX bike from 2012, on occasion).

I didn't think it was very hilly until I can home today. :/

Took me 15 min to get there. 35 to get home. I think I will need gears. At least until I have power lifter quads.

[burritos]

I didn't think it was very hilly until I can home today. :/

Took me 15 min to get there. 35 to get home. I think I will need gears. At least until I have power lifter quads.

[burritos]

I didn't think it was very hilly until I can home today. :/

Took me 15 min to get there. 35 to get home. I think I will need gears. At least until I have power lifter quads.

Don't know if this list is accurate but if it is, biking to work arguably knocks out:3,5,6,7,8,9,10 before you get to work.

[Neuro-doc]

I agree with the above. Switching to biking to work was the best thing that I have done for myself, and consequently also for the people who have to put up with me. It's a really great way to start and end the work day.

[burritos]

I agree with the above. Switching to biking to work was the best thing that I have done for myself, and consequently also for the people who have to put up with me. It's a really great way to start and end the work day.

I mulled over biking to work for 16 years. Kind of regret allowing my excuses to get in the way, but it's all good now. Sort of like investing and planting a tree. The best time to do it was years ago, the next best time is today.

[ChicSkiier]

I did it! I made it in on my first ride in! My 20 year old POS bike did not fall apart yet. 5 of the 24 gears are working. The rear brakes work well enough but the front are shot. I had to hold the handles at a 5-10 degree angle to go straight. And the seat cover is disintegrating shedding rubberish flakes everywhere.

If I prove to myself that I will continue to do this I will get something new. Any suggestions? I am cheap and would not be interested in anything over a couple hundred bucks. I am not looking to set any records or even look good. I just want to get from point A to B. Pretty much anything will be better then what I have.

If you want, I have a new rad wagon bike seat post (no seat) that I have from my rad wagon bike which I replaced with a suntour suspension seat post that I can give you. If you want, I can mail it to you. You could use your existing seat or consider a cloud 9 bike seat which I have and love. I would have given you rad wagon seat but I think my hubby donated it or got rid of it.
Bike post is 27.2 mm x 390 mm long.

[Lordosis]

If you want, I have a new rad wagon bike seat post (no seat) that I have from my rad wagon bike which I replaced with a suntour suspension seat post that I can give you. If you want, I can mail it to you. You could use your existing seat or consider a cloud 9 bike seat which I have and love. I would have given you rad wagon seat but I think my hubby donated it or got rid of it.
Bike post is 27.2 mm x 390 mm long.

Thanks but I have been having fun fixing up this old junky bike. I think it will get me through the summer.

[Lordosis]

Biked in the rain this morning smashing though another lame excuse that I had been using. I learned that I need to have a towel and backup clothes in case they do not dry by this afternoon.

My bike now has straight handlebars, I fixed the grip, and got the front brake working (a little). Discovered that we have my wife's old bike in the basement and I will harvest it for parts.

Unfortunately I thought it would be fun to see how much gas I was saving and it turns out it is inconsequential.

Assumptions:
3 miles one way
car get 25mpg (probably slightly more)
Gas $3 a gallon (Probably slightly less)
able to bike 2 days a week 20 weeks a year (Hopefully a little more)

Costs me 12 cents a mile to drive which equates to about 10 buck for the year.

I do realize wear and tear on the car and whatnot but I even if I double it or increase it my a order of magnitude it still really does not effect anything financial. But I was not doing this to save money or the environment. I was doing to for exercise and personal time/improvement. It just would have been nice to have a secondary motivator.

[Kamban]

I do realize wear and tear on the car and whatnot but I even if I double it or increase it my a order of magnitude it still really does not effect anything financial. But I was not doing this to save money or the environment. I was doing to for exercise and personal time/improvement. It just would have been nice to have a secondary motivator.

You may not be doing it to save money or the environment but it is an happy unintended secondary effect of biking to work. All of us have some primary reason to doing something ( like buying a Tesla) but the secondary benefits also come into play.

Keep it up in the summer. I wish I could bike to work but after seeing the way people drive here, I hate to be the victim of a driver who is texting while driving on local roads.

[burritos]

Biked in the rain this morning smashing though another lame excuse that I had been using. I learned that I need to have a towel and backup clothes in case they do not dry by this afternoon.

My bike now has straight handlebars, I fixed the grip, and got the front brake working (a little). Discovered that we have my wife's old bike in the basement and I will harvest it for parts.

Unfortunately I thought it would be fun to see how much gas I was saving and it turns out it is inconsequential.

Assumptions:
3 miles one way
car get 25mpg (probably slightly more)
Gas $3 a gallon (Probably slightly less)
able to bike 2 days a week 20 weeks a year (Hopefully a little more)

Costs me 12 cents a mile to drive which equates to about 10 buck for the year.

I do realize wear and tear on the car and whatnot but I even if I double it or increase it my a order of magnitude it still really does not effect anything financial. But I was not doing this to save money or the environment. I was doing to for exercise and personal time/improvement. It just would have been nice to have a secondary motivator.

Nice! When I bike through the rain the world feels different, senses are heightened. Same with nighttime biking. Used to drive when I would get off at night, but now I bike that too.(make sure you get lots of lights).I would probably pay for the privilege to bike. And I would probably still bike even if there were a negative environmental impact.

[Lithium]

I’ll bike when it’s zero degrees or 100 degrees, will even bike with six inches of snow on the ground at 3am. But biking in the rain? Hard pass.

[Lordosis]

Nice! When I bike through the rain the world feels different, senses are heightened. Same with nighttime biking. Used to drive when I would get off at night, but now I bike that too.(make sure you get lots of lights).I would probably pay for the privilege to bike. And I would probably still bike even if there were a negative environmental impact.

I love your enthusiasm but I would not pay for the pay to do it. Not yet anyway...

Do you have a lamp for nighttime or just ride blind? I was thinking about going for a ride after the kids get to bed but it is still dark and my neighborhood has very sparse streetlamps. But by next month it will not be an issue when it is light past 9

Kamban I do not like the cars passing by. It is very uncomfortable and could end in disaster. This is a real risk and I am aware I am taking it.

I am lucky it is only a 45mph road not a 55 but even still the cars come whizzing by. Also way more traffic then I ever noticed before. Did not seem like much when I was driving.