So I am just dipping my toe into commuting. At the beginning of the year I started a new job about 4.5 miles away. Perfect for a bike commute. And it has been rainy all year and I am getting over a knee strain. Finally it started to clear up and my bike got stolen.
Now waiting for my new custom bike - basically the dream commuter. And I am riding a semi-commute friendly updated vintage mixte with drop bars, derailleur, and a basket.
So a few lessons learned so far after a few days commuting last week, and this week.
1. I don't really like dealing with a derailleur on my commute - gotta think more about my outfit.
2. Drop bars are OK if setup high enough to be commute friendly, but make you ride differently
I've also been trying to figure out why my commute feels kinda like a workout. So yes, I haven't been biking much in the past 6 months for a myriad of reasons. But I have been doing spin classes lately, so that is helping. And today I finally figured it out.
So after the first 1/2 mile give or take on my commute, the route is just a bit uphill. Not a proper incline, but not flat either. So this means it is 4 miles of nonstop pedaling. You can't actually coast at all. Try it for a minute and you basically just stop due to the ever so slight incline. Now it all makes sense. No coasting for me....