Bicycle2Work

Hi Everyone!

I'm a long-time bike commuter who has started a YouTube channel that's about bike commuting. I'm going to initially be making videos for newbies and beginners who are thinking about bike commuting. Content such as...

• what type of bike do I need for bike commuting?
• is bike commuting safe?
• X Tips for Cleaning Up after Biking to Work

But for you long time commuters...is there any content that you would be genuinely interested in watching that is related to bike commuting? Maybe short interviews of bike commuters and their experience?

Looking for help and suggestions! Thanks.

Darth Lefty 

You can see topics from this forum - riding tactics, what bike, what accessories, commuting in the news, etc

Most good youtube stuff follows stars, not just topics. Seth's Bike Hacks is good because of Seth. He's fun to watch but he's also good at making himself that way. You don't have to be perfect. Skills with Phil has painful narration but the guy is so dedicated and otherwise good, he makes it work.

If it's going to be focused on you, it can't be just about your commute. Lots of commutes, nothing interesting happens. Cast your net broad, there are a lot of people riding to work a lot of different ways, lots of companies making stuff for us. You can just ask for products to review, it really can be that simple. Don't be afraid of sponsors, unless you want to be a Serious Journalist, and there are vanishing few of those in enthusiast press.

Content about safety is ok but I'm sure will quickly become shrill if that's all you've got. Every topic can be a rabbit hole - omg, the people who are nerds for headlights are incredible.

Seth has also done some bits - especially during injury recovery - about how he makes his videos. There is a narration script, a ton of editing, and lots of cameras going at once, and he's filming his riding and other related activity nearly constantly in order to get 10 min a week. He's built himself sets in the form of workbenches and garage storage, and even building the set is a video.

A shot where you ride up and ride away makes you ride the shot three times with two cameras - once to set up, once to get the shot, once to go back for the cameras. Or four rides through with one camera. Soooo don't be late for work, I guess?

Chest cam is good, for POV.

You probably already have competitors. Don't make junk, you'll sink fast.

Keep it short (probably >5 but <10 min) and regular (weekly).

Bicycle2Work

Thanks Darth! This was a very helpful comment. I appreciate you taking the time to put together a thoughtful post.

I'm already discovering that to make good footage it requires a lot of riding back and forth to setup and tear down cameras.

Also - I see your from Folsom! My in-laws live there. I just did a ride around Lake Natoma last summer. I guess it was a partial hike, because of that portion of the trail that had a mudslide take out.

alloo

Commuting in inclement weather. Snow, rain, wind...etc. Gear that you use throughout a four season year. Good Accessories affordable, expensive comparison.

alan s 

Yes, snow, ice, rain, high winds, extreme temperatures, high humidity. The days no sane person would suffer and ride a bike to work. This will show the real world to wannabe bike commuters.

lostronin

This. Plus, cyclist karma/revenge videos like the one I enjoyed earlier on this forum, where the cyclist punches out the truck driver who tried to run him off the road.

Korina

Pretty much what the others have said. Except for the karma/revenge vids; I'm too old for that.

Show how different bikes can become excellent commuters with the right setup. How to pick a route, and not being afraid to switch it up. What makes a road good or bad for commuting. Different gear, their pros and cons; backpack, front and rear panniers, trunk bags, rando rack, ...? How to prepare; night before or morning of? Breakfast before or after the commute?

HTH

rumrunn6

prepping yourself & the bike in the morning

Darth Lefty 

Here's something that would be fun - though maybe not within your means. It would be nice to see a series on the commuter cultures in various cities that have them. Even if they don't feel like cultures per se.

I feel like the Serious Commuter on the cross-commuter bike or touring bike with panniers and so on doing 5-15 miles to work is a nationwide culture of people who are doing it alone locally and bound together by the Internet or previously to that, magazines and bike shops. That's pretty much us here.

But there are others. Last year my family took a Thanksgiving RV trip and stopped in Las Vegas a few days prior, staying at the Sam's Town KOA. There were a ton of people going up and down Boulder Highway and Nellis and Flamingo on BMX and mountain bikes around sunset, and they were equipped with lights. It was a demographic and a time of year and sort of place that I would not have expected them. They were obviously making short trips, it's a shopping zone in a dense suburban area, and doing it without much bike lanes or infrastructure. I'm sure none of them considered themselves Bike Commuters.

Bicycle2Work

Thanks for all the responses! I'll take them all into consideration as I go forward. I appreciate you all!

trailmix

I would love to see videos of cars being pulled over for driving dangerously. Talk about bike porn. I could watch that content all day long.

wsgts

One topic that isn't often talked about is: your optimal bike commute will not necessarily follow your optimal car commute.

Where I live there are very few dedicated bike trails separated from traffic, but we do have the 4-foot "bike lane" on each side of most roads. Most of us commuters don't use these. To me a commute to anywhere (work, store, doctor's office, etc) is all about knowing the best ways to get there by bike and it usually isn't the same way as you would go via car.

Just a thought.

Jim from Boston

As a Bike Commuter - What kind of video content would you want to see?@Paul Barnard asked this question, “Has A&S Changed Your Behavior?” So in answer to what I think would be sobering yet important messages to commuters would be videos of dangerous situations such as: https://www.theage.com.au/national/v...318-34zr2.html

and However, consider that I have posted a few times on Bike Forums:

Skipjacks

I think you'd do yourself well to simply read this forum (specifically the commuter forum, then branching out to the maintenance forum and perhaps the hybrid forum since a lot of commuters use hybrids)

See what the trending topics are here in any given month and use those as a guide for your content

Keep in mind that you will have 2 kinds of viewers

Hard core commuters who are like "Hell yeah!!! Let me watch this other dude bike to work!!! Look how he bunny hops that curb then waits safely at the traffic light! Awesome!!!!"

And people who are thinking about starting bike commuting who will be like "What kind of bike should I ride?" and "What do I need to bring with me on the bike?"

You'll want to cater to both audiences. So you'll need a good mix of detailed information that only regular commuters will understand (otherwise it will be too basic for regulars) and basic information that rookies need to know (otherwise the new folks won't understand what you're talking about)

You'll find a ton of repeated topics here from people with 3 posts asking what kind of bike should I ride? What do I need to bring on the bike? How do I pack a change of clothes and have them look nice? Etc etc etc. Those repeated topics are surefire winners for the rookie commuter audience.

Basically this forum does your content research for you. Use it.

I'd stay away from basic maintenance stuff like how to change a flat on the side of the road. There are 8,000 YouTube videos on that. Pick your favorite and reference it if you like, but don't do a whole video about it. You'll just get lost in the crowd doing that sort of thing. But commuter specific maintenance like "How should I care for the bike when I show up to the office and it's covered in wet road grime? Do I leave it or wipe it down?" and "What maintenance items should I leave at work to have handy in a pinch....like extra lube, a floor pump, etc". Avoid the specific topics like "what gear ratio should I use for a 4% grade?" as people who want to know that kind of detail probably already know how to ride a bike to work. But there are a lot of maintenance things I do differently for my commuter than I do for my weekend bike. I use different kinds of tires, different pressures, use an entirely different kind of bike...etc.

Also don't get caught up in thinking that your way of doing things is the best way and recommending people do things your way (for the most part). For example, you might love pannier bags as the best way to transport your stuff. If you do a segment on packing and bags, don't say "Panniers are the only good option!". Explore the messenger bags, back packs, trunk bags, baskets, etc. Show the pros and cons of each in real world use. I'm a pannier man myself. But I wouldn't watch a segment on how great panniers are because I already know that. And if I were a messenger bag guy, I wouldn't watch a segment on how great panniers are because it contradicts what I already think. But a segment showing the pros and cons of each kind of bag system? Yeah I'd watch that. (Nothing wrong with saying what you're favorite is. Just show all the options and why each one is good or bad to you). This applies to chain lubes (wax? oil? teflon?) bar types (straight or drop) tires (tread? no tread? wide? thin?). Just do comparison segments of the different options. People love comparison videos.

Darth Lefty 

OTOH what would make this work is a product review. Here's a new flat fixing thingy, does it actually do anything worthwhile for the price?

You're the panniest

Skipjacks

This idea is a good idea.

Do it enough and companies will start sending you the stuff to review for free (just be VERY clear to disclose that information or you can run afoul of the Federal Trade Commission)

Well thank you for.....heeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy wait a second here.....

Daniel4

I'd like to see sharp resolution videos of the offending driver's vehicle's license plate and identifying marking on corporate vehicles.

Too many times, when averting bad driving behaviour, I forget to remember the company the trucker is driving for. For me, instead of posting on youtube, I'd rather call the company to have them remind their drivers of a whole lot of things not to do on the road.