RaleighBob

My friend at work gave me 20-1 odds that I could not ride my bike to work for 1 year. I bet $500 that I could (for a potential payout of $10,000). My commute is about 1.5 miles each way. I live in the Northeast (Long Island NY). The only hard part is I work 6 months of the year on odd hours. One shift is 6pm to 2am and the other is 2am to 9am.

In my mind this is a lay-up. I am 43 years old and needed some incentive to get back in shape. Right now I am riding a 30 year old Raleigh 3 speed which is more than adequate. Any advice for riding in snow, rain, cold etc? I am hoping to do this just on the Raleigh. So this is what I need advice on:

1) Bad weather riding.
2) Flat tires, quick fix on the road
3) Bike maintainence
4) General support

I think this is going to be the easiest money I ever made. I love bike riding so I am really looking forward to this. Only real drawback is I will feel guilty as hell taking the money from him.

rs_woods

Does your comrade know it's only a mile and a half? Maybe if you were fat and had a 20 mile commute thru a volcano and/or industrial district, but 1.5 miles? I wouldn't have put that much money against you .

Cyclist0383

For bad weather riding I use Gortex rain pants and a Gortex type sky jacket. Under arm vents are good in the jacket as you don't overheat. I'm looking at getting a pair of waterproof shoe covers for next winter.

As for flats you can either upgrade your tires to something with built in flat protection like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus or use Mr Tuffy tire liners. I've had good luck with Mr Tuffys and Conti Top Touring tires.


https://www.schwalbe.com/index.pl?ber...29&produkt=131

https://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?Page...and=256&type=T

RaleighBob

He knows the distance. I think he likes the odss of me not wanting to ride in at 2am in the winter when it is snowing. But personally I like the idea of having to do that.

sbhikes

Question is, would it bother you to have to pay him the money if you lose? Or, in other words, are the rewards of riding your bike more more important to you than money?

Eggplant Jeff

If you honestly think there's a chance you'll collect the $10K, I wouldn't worry about buying a new bike if you feel like it. If you spend a grand or two on bikes/accessories who cares, you're still in the black by 8K. But 1.5 miles should be cake. Heck you can walk in the snow and carry your bike . Is he going to be out there at 2 AM to check?

BillyBob

Make him put the money in escrow.

max-a-mill

i'll take those odds and i don't even know ya... sounds like easy money but i'd be suspicious that he actually is gonna hand over the 10 large....

for 1.5 miles you really don't need a fancy bike but you certanly could go by a bike shop and get it tuned up all nice (maybe some nice new flat resistant tires) so you never have to miss a day because your bike dosen't work... h@ll for that kind of bet buy yourself a 300 dollar backup bike so there is NO POSSIBLE WAY you can miss out on the money!

i wish i had some fool like that at my work.... EASY MONEY!

RaleighBob

Last year I thought about getting rid of my car and being a 1 car family and riding my bike to work. I really like to ride as a means of transport. I used to live in NYC and my bike was my transport method. I like the idea of commuting to work by bike. I really don't need a new bike right now. I will wait for the weather to turn bad before I step up an buy a decent bike.

I ma just looking to have fun.

jnbacon

The answers to most of your question list can be found in the New Commuter Advice thread at the top of the page. Other discussion of the issues you list can be found using the search feature and in the other forums.

Support can be had here anytime! <corninessToTheMax> My bet is that even if this bet fizzles like most such bets (was there alcohol involved? ), that if you stick with it, you'll win no matter what. </corninessToTheMax>

DerekU2

a mile and a half for 10 Large? Christ - can I get a piece of this?

bostontrevor

I've ridden at 2am in the snow, it's a blast. Get on it!

super-douper

boy, that's easy money.... even considering the snow and cold and crazy hours...

although he only needs you to wimp out 1 day in the next year to win. I'd be more worried about being injured and not be able to ride, like if you break your leg somehow and can't ride. $10k, or -$500 would be enough motivation to make me ride. Hell, when my commute was 1.5miles I always rode unless I felt like walking.

so, be careful not to get hurt. If you're sick and don't feel like riding, call in sick and maybe get a backup bike so that mechanical probs won't stop you.

DiegoFrogs

It's actually a good deal easier cycling than driving when it's snowing... you might slide or slip, but you sure as **** aren't going to get stuck. And, even with the wrong equipment, you can manage to make it work for 1-1/2 miles. I used to commute home at 3:00 or 4:00am a comparable nominal distance when I lived in West Philadelphia on my old Nishiki road bike, mostly poorly maintained, without so much as a patch kit or a rain jacket. I figured I'd never have to walk more than 3/4 of a mile if something happened. Having all the bells and whistles is a good thing, and your old raleigh probably has the commuter bells and whistles... internally geared hub, fenders. 1-1/2 mile commutes are what bikes like that were made for.

PaulH

Your Raleigh 3 speed is vastly better over this distance than almost any generally available bike. It is one of the best choices you could make.

1 Bad weather -
Overcoat
Pants
Gleves
Snow Tires (Nokian w106)

2 Flats -- Summer Tires

3 Maintenance -- Your bike will require very little maintenance. I'd suggest any good bike repait book. Maybe a few hours a month of cleaning/lubrication

4 General support -- Get a backup bike. Over this distance a cruiser bike with fenders is your most cost-effective choice.

Safety -- You want a rear blinkie and a LED front headlight. These run off batteries, so have an extra set of batteries in your pocket.

Results -- Expect to make it to work on days when your friend does not. Expect to get to work faster than when driving. The most important thing is safety -- have a good front and rear light and spare batteries. I've got a hub dynamo powered lighting system, and I highly recommend it, but for 1.5 miles, cheap battery lights would be fine.

Paul

Guest

Can he bet me? Cause that's just too easy....

Koffee

palmertires

Brrrrrrrr. 2am in the winter in NY. Brrrrr.

genec

Get really good lights... for a mile and a half you could carry the darn bike if you had to.

After you win, frame the bike and get yourself a couple more.

darkmother

Is this guy capable of paying you 10 grand for such a trivial bet? If so TAKE it. Easiest 10 grand you will ever make.

Guest

I second the idea of putting the money in escrow. If he's serious and thinks you can't win, then you do and he can't pay up, you'd definitely feel gypped.

Koffee

Crash Dummy

For ten thousand bucks, I'd ride a mile and a half at 2am even if I wasn't going to work. I'm a poor college grad, that kind of cash is half of what I make in a year. Five 2am rides a week to get a 50% raise? Heck yeah, I'd be in. Ask your buddy if he wants to bet me that I can't ride to work every day for a year. My commute's double the length of yours. After it was over, I could EASILY become the king of the OCP club over in the road forum. And that's worth any price

Gardener

Three speeds are wonderful. When I was around 19 or so, I thought I needed a mountain bike, you know, so you could "go any where". I had a nice trek 930, but even at that, it hurt my neck and I was worried it would be stolen.

A ten dollar Austrian made three speed replaced it. One of those black ones imported by Sears with their name on it. Upright bars, fenders, smooth tires, and then with a bell and lights, it was wonderful. I didn't even feel obligated to wear a helmet.

If you wanted to do something nice to it, you could put alloy rims on it and some diacompe centerpulls with Kool stop pads. Real luxury would be to replace the squeeky seat with a new sprung Brooks B.72, which was standard fare on a lot of the really old Raleighs. Luxury beyond that would be a hub generator to power a permanently attached headlight and taillight. And if that thumb shifter is worn out and slipping, I hear you can get new ones.

Have fun.

geeklpc1985

That's no big ride, I would love that ride. I have hours like that once, when I have a girlfriend at my college who live in the dorm. I would get to school at 7am and leave for home at 3 am. I love the ride at night, so nice and peacefully.

Good Luck,

GEEK

halfbiked

If it were me, I'd make sure that I have a 2nd bike available. Yes, the raleigh 3 speed should be pretty reliable, but I wouldn't take the chance. Find a tough, cheap single speed for backup. Or another 3 speed, whatever. If your chances of succeeding are based on riding every day, without fail, you need a backup bike.

Ubie

See how we're sucking you in to the 'You can never have enough bikes' mentality! Muhahahaha! Couple of questions though, is it ok to walk, or is it a requirement to ride the bike every day. If the bet is to just not take the subway, or drive a car, this is a piece of cake (says i on this sunny day, not subject to this bet). If it's ok to walk some days, i'd do that too. Personally i'd much rather walk in the rain and snow and ride the bike, but that's because i enjoy it