vol

It's recommended that we use whatever possible to increase safety level, so: multiple head/tail lights, wheel/spoke/valve lights, reflective/lighted leg/arm bands, reflective vests, backpack cover, and for those of you with helmets, helmet lights, etc. etc.... Too many hassles to turn on every light, put on the leg bands, etc. before mounting the bike, and then, after the ride, turn off each and every light, unbuckle the leg/arm straps,.......

It's not big annoyance, but still quite a lot of hassles if you commute frequently. The main thing is that we need all these "bits" combined to be safer, and have to do them one by one. I wish there could be a way to just do one thing to accomplish all. e.g. for the car driver it's so much easier to turn on all the lights.

mcours2006

Amen to that.

It takes me a good ten minutes to get all geared up.

wolfchild

I don't follow any "special cycling specific rituals" which are practised by a minority of cyclist on internet forums. I have no idea what hassles OP is talking about...I've been commuting daily all year round for 9 years now and I never experienced any serious hassles when getting ready in the morning for my commute...It's all simple basic stuff like preparing my food, packing up, getting dressed and heading out. Nothing complicated about it

vol

I should add that I'm one of those who don't like to waste the batterie while not in use, so I like to turn on the lights right before mounting the bike, and turn off all the lights as soon as I finish my ride. And I don't like walking with the stupid looking leg straps, do I have them on only during the ride.

Daniel4

Also the time unlocking all the U-locks or chain. And then it's getting all the bungee cords untangled to secure the duffel bag to the back rack.

I don't try to rush it. It's part of the process, like rigging a sailboat before setting sail.

Sullalto

Same. I only pedal home these days. But I go to the bathroom, change out of my work clothes and into cycling clothes. Go to the break room, fill my water bottle. Grab any food I didn't eat/planned to bring home. Throw the bag on the rack(Topeak trunk bag; slides on). Unlock the bike, put the u-lock up. Turn lights on. And throw a leg over the top tube, then start pedaling.

kickstart

I ride a Dutch bike with dyno lights. Chuck the Ortlieb tail trunk on the rear bag carrier, hop on and go, that's it.

I do have a second set of battery lights for when I need extra lighting, and in the summer I run campus pedals so SPD is an option. Other than tire pressure, maintenance is a once a year proposition.

Bike commuting can be very simple if one chooses to make it so. Its the sport aspect of cycling that makes it complicated.

Cyclist01012

Ive played this game for so long now it takes me longer to get out of the house on the odd day that I drive to work.

mcours2006

Check tire pressure and give bike the once over the night before.

Morning of commute:
Pack stuff to bring to work
clothes--base layer, jacket, pants/tights/shorts
SPD shoes, shoe covers, chemical warmers if cold
helmet, goggles/glasses, balaclava if cold, adjust helmet mirror if necessary
lights turned on--helmet, headlight, tail llight
gloves/mittens, chemical warmers if really cold
bag
vest

Phew! Now, ready to roll.

Gresp15C

For me, making it a routine helps, including getting everything together the night before. I ride on neighborhood streets and MUP's, so my lighting needs are pretty basic.

canklecat

^^^ This. ^^^

I try to relax and regard the ritual as part of the warmup process, which includes getting into the alert mindset for riding in traffic.

But I'm often experimenting with various fasteners - bungee cords, straps, carabiner snaps - to speed up the process of attaching/detaching handlebar and rear rack bags.

It's still quicker than taking the bus, with three transfers to travel the same 8-10 miles downtown. Only the late night return trip is quicker than riding the bike since there's a single express bus back from downtown after 9 pm.

tjspiel

If it starts to bug you there are ways to minimize it. I only have one set of bright lights. My jacket has reflective strips running across my chest, back and down my arms. It's actually a running jacket I got at a thrift store, not a cycling one. Anyway, no need for armbands or vest.

My backpack is waterproof and has reflective strips on it as well so I can skip the cover. I think most stem mounted wheel lights turn themselves on and off.

In the summer I'm wearing shorts and in the fall I have some pants designed for running that are narrow through the calf and ankle so they don't get caught in the chain. In winter I have some wind proof pants and tights. Some are for x-country skiing, some for cycling. Reflective piping on all of it.

I do put x-mas lights on my bike for the month of December. It's an extra thing to turn on but they make me more visible, they're festive, and drivers seem cut me some extra slack. December is one of the darker months.

Darth Lefty 

Just be organized (said the hypocrite)

alan s 

If you are comparing bike commuting to car commuting, in most cases the car is easier in terms of preparation and execution. If you compare to getting exercise twice a day, it's a wash. There is prep time and effort involved in most forms of exercise.

Papa Tom

I think the OP is mainly describing the "hassle" of turning all the electronics on, one at a time. I don't run any serious lights on my bike, so I don't know if any of the lighting systems have a single-switch setup for front and rear. Do they?

vol

Yes, thanks .

The major issue I have is with the spoke lights and leg bands (some are reflective, some are lighted). To turn on/off the spoke light, I have to turn the wheel so the light is not at the bottom of the wheel, then bend over, reach to the light whose button is on the other side of the bike ('cause the light side without the button is brighter and I want that side to be on the left side of the bike), then press the button. This is for just 1 spoke light. Then go through the same for the other(s). And then the leg straps...

Head/tail lights are relatively easier because I don't need to bend over.

(incidentally I bought a spoke light that is said to be motion activated, but the motion sensor is so sensitive that as soon as the batteries are put in, it gets lighted. The only way to turn it off is to remove the batteries.)

alan s 

Not sure why you need so many lights. I have a headlight, helmet headlight and helmet taillight, all of which can be turned on while riding. The rack taillight can be reached while stopped. I use Schwalbe Marathon Supremes, which have a reflective strip, and my bag and clothes have reflective bits. Seems pretty easy to me.

stumpjumper2076

Suck it up buttercup

vol

I don't usually use all of them precisely because of the hassles. I carry them if not using in case the ones in use fail. Also, despite the hassles of the spoke lights (I haven't mentioned the hassle of replacing the batteries yet---they run out fast and the light has to be removed in order to replace batteries, real pain in the neck), they are really nice. I find pedestrians and drivers alike yield to me more often when I had spoke lights, because they liked to watch them

lost_in_endicot

It's all part of the process for me. 98% of what I need to do is done the night before- bags packed, lunch made, lights and tires checked. I run a few extra lights too, but it only takes me a minute or two to turn them all on- 2 headlights, 1 tail light, and 1 spoke light on each wheel. I have blinkys on my panniers, but only use them when it's foggy or raining.

WonderMonkey

"Getting ready" is one of the more frustrating things for me. I run form thing to thing and if I don't get things ready to ride I'm all over the house looking for stuff. Most of the time I put things I'll need, to include a few "maybes" in one spot and it works great.

kickstart

My dyno headlight and tail light light can be left on full time, or turned on with a remote handlebar switch that controls both.

I do supplement them with front and rear battery lights for their flash function and as a high beam. The Cateye has a motion detector that allowed it to just be left on for automatic function, the headlight can be turned on with a push of a button. I don't use the battery headlight full time, so typically all I do is hit one bar mounted button.

A coworker runs two battery headlights and two battery tail lights. Yes, it takes him way longer to get ready to ride in that respect, but really its maybe 30 seconds, and not that big of a deal.

bmthom.gis

Geeze, if I had all of that on my road bike just to go for a ride, I would never get anywhere! For me, commuting is no different than getting ready for a recreational road ride, except for packing work clothes and lunch.
I usually give the tires a few pumps after I walk the dogs, grab a water bottle from the garage and get my lunch made and eat breakfast. On the morning walk I decide how much layering I need to do.
Work clothes are in a small mesh bag, those and my lunch get dropped in my panniers, I grab the extra garage remote, start strava, find some music, turn on my rear light and off I go. If it's dark, I'll turn on my headlights as I pedal through the neighborhood...one from the fork crown the other on my helmet. I'd say it maybe takes me 5 extra minutes to get ready, which includes changing into cycling clothes.

My morning bottleneck is the mile walk the dogs get.

bmthom.gis

If I was more organized, I'd fil a bottle the night before and stash it in the garage fridge. It would save me 30 seconds.
Spoke lights, reflective vest and arm/leg bands? No thanks. Not sure why I would need that extra gear that I wouldn't wear when going for a fun ride.

kickstart

I basically agree, but have noticed that people tend to be more distracted and aggressive during the PM commute hours, therefore prefer to err on the side of having a visible presence......without going overboard.