4SEVEN3

Well, Im finally doing it...I have to for health issues, its not a option anymore!
I will do my first commute (actual commute) on Wens of this week. Were working a short day, and Ill be leaving in the early afternoon instead of late.

I have the lights (including 2 rear blinkies!), the lock, the ANSI II/ OSHA approved road vest,I have the bike, everything is set up the best I know how from reading these forums (Thanks for all the advice!!) Tomorrow Ill be dropping off my work clothes for the day so Ill have little to carry on the way in.

Recently they installed a new bike rack out front, and just today they put down pavers under/around the rack...sweet!!!

Im ready to do this!!!!

Is there any last bit's of advice anyone can offer??? Thanks to everyone for the ideas and inspiration!!!

beatnik0422

Pedal. That's pretty much it. You'll be fine. It might be rough at first, but if you keep it up, it'll get easier. I started riding every other day. Then, I started riding to work and my wife would pick me up. Now I ride just about every day.

Just remember to have fun!

Good luck!

Big_e

Thats great to hear! Always make sure your bike is securely locked before walking away. Once, either from excitement or having my mind occupied, I locked the cable around the bike and it wasn't locked to the rack at all! I was lucky that I walked by the bike later that morning and noticed it.
Remove all removables (lights and saddle bags) before going in to work.
Always assume that car drivers don't see you 'cause most of the time they don't. They're thinking of buying the evening's groceries, beating the other slow driver through the intersection, buying the beer and now, about getting ready for the holiday.
Vigilance is our watchword!
Ernest

riddei

GREAT for you! You are starting to ride when others are putting their bikes away for the season. By the spring time it will be old hat. Don't worry about speed just keep rolling and pedaling. This is a great thing to do for health reasons. You have to go to work each day, so you might as well get your exercise in at the same time. You do NOT have to go to the gym each day, so it is easy to get unmotivated and skip (lose ambition). Keep posting your progress.

savethekudzu

4SEVEN3:

What's your route, roughly? From where to where?
And how was this morning's ride?

4SEVEN3

Sorry if I was mis-leading...Im riding tomorrow. I posted last night incase there was any minor adjustements that would be recommended.

I dropped off my clothes for tomorrow in a bathroom locker.

Going to preflight the bike tonight. Supposed to be 27degF tomorrow morning!!!

As for my route, Im basically travelling from Whitsett, NC to Greensboro, NC. Itll be a hybrid commute for now, only driving 5 miles then riding 10miles the rest of the way in. I take back country roads that sort of paralell I-40/85. The route crosses 3 creeks so there's some really good elevation changes.

Thanks for the advice! Feel free to keep it comming!

4SEVEN3

Here's the gear.

The bag. I ride all the time with this....everything has a place, and everything in it's place!


The Rig: Need more reflective tape..LOTS more actually! Topping off the battery for the lights, the lock will remain on the bike rack, can of HALT! on handlebars. I almost hate the bike is all black...I may change the frame color in the future.


The vest: ClassII ANSI vest. Preforated football jersey type material, zipper front, 3M reflective.
Were OSHA Gold Star rated at work....it's definitly up to par for road work and reflectivity!

chewybrian 

Looks like you have a solid ride and all the gear you need. Throw a thermos of coffee in that empty bottle cage, and you're ready to rock. I'd have some layers ready; maybe extra socks/gloves, just in case? You may start out freezing, and end up sweating. You're clearly prepared, so relax and enjoy the ride.

p.s.--tubes and tools?

Fantasminha

It sounds like you've got your bases covered! Be sure to leave early enough that you don't stress yourself out trying to get there. Take your time and enjoy the ride. Also, when you get to work, depending on where you work and where you park, you probably want to remove easily stolen items like your bike computer, headlight, even saddle if they get stolen in your area.

Let us know how it goes!

Vipon

I find if I lay everyhting out the night before, (My riding clothes, work clothes lunch in the fridge) I'm much more succesfull at actually riding. Before I started this routine I would come up with excuses not to ride. Now I ride everyday.

InfiniteRegress

Good for you! Just remember that the first few times can really suck. Sometimes, you're just not prepared, don't properly anticipate weather, etc. Don't give up. This is all a learned skill that you perfect over time. It doesn't happen overnight. But you can't give up. You have to keep getting back on and riding. The benefits in the long-run are amazing. You save a ton of money on gas AND you can drop some serious pounds WHILE getting your commute in. It gets really cool when you start recruiting other people to do the same thing. Best of luck and write back to let us know how it goes!

bigeasyrider

It sounds like you've really done everything to get ready. I just started bike commuting last August. My conditions are much easier than yours sound, but I still was nervous to start. It was such a blast to get going, though. Like others have said, start early so that you're not stressed about time, and it'll be a blast. As someone said in reply to my post that I had started, "It's crazy, isn't it, that it's just a bike ride." Once you get going most of the concerns will vanish; you'll just be riding and enjoying yourself. The more times you do it, the more so this will be.

Congrats, man! It's great that you're starting. It's SO worth it. Post again after, and let us know how the first day went.

huhenio

congrats and enjoy not being stuck in the car once in a while

4SEVEN3

Today was my first official commute!
27deg when I left, I need something for my feet...everything else was good. I need to tweak my route to eliminate a few hills hopefully. Taking stuff to work in order to lighten the load is a beautiful idea, worked perfect for me! Riding in the dark and quiet at 4:30am is really neat/scary riding through the country, having said that I think a Road ID is in order!

50deg on the way back home, not a cloud in the sky. Thinking about how things went today...not a whole lot to adjust, just minor things. I work 4 day weeks so Im thinking Tues/Thurs for the commute.

This is totally doable!

chewybrian 

Nice job. I love riding in the dark, with good lights. Tuesday/Thursday sounds like a good plan. You can rest and ride centuries on the weekend...

Nobodyetal

Boo-ya! Welcome to the club.

For cold feet:
Smartwool socks are great - and since you appear to have clipless shoes, you can get (fairly cheaply) little insulated toe/shoe covers at the bike shop.
But then, I'm sure some of the guys who actually have to deal with cold weather will have better advice than a Tucsonan like me (it was high 40s at 7am this morning).

4SEVEN3

Well I got my Road I.D. orderd, got the interactive version, totally worth it!!

As for the shoes, I have some shoe covers, some light nylon/spandex material. The way there made I dont think they will work with my current shoes...Ill leave these for the road shoes. I dont want to get anything too heavy as I try to stay on the cool side. Toe covers should work nicely!

Pushing the slicked out MTB during the week should make riding the carbon roadie a breeze on the weekends!!!!

Man, Im just stoked!!!

Rednow01

Great Job. Dont stop. remember this feeling

CB HI

Impressive, starting cycle commuting in the cold for the very first time.

keiththesnake

I agree, really impressive. Nice rig and gear, too. Congratulations.

InfiniteRegress

Just wanted to see how the bike commuting has been going. Good idea ordering the road ID. I carry one of those medic alert necklaces (have a medical condition that could potentially be an issue if I was ever in an accident and could not communicate). I highly recommend that everyone carry something that lists allergies, emergency contact info, blood type, etc. It's one of those things you hope you'll never need, but it's good to have it just in case.

daintonj

I have the same light as the one you have attached to your hydration pack and I've found it to be a pretty awful light when it comes to being seen. Even with fresh batteries it's only any use as a third light on solid to give some speed perception after people have noticed your main lights.
Currently I'm using a cateye LD610R and a superflash 1/2 blinkie along with the weak cateye. With my current setup I get complaints about it being bright and distracting so I'm quite happy with it.

MikeR

Congrats!
How long is your commute?

4SEVEN3

Thanks for the suggestions and ada-boys!. This is just to get me started. I plan on getting a PB Superflash, and Id like to get a Topeak specific light for the Topeak rack on the back of the bike.

Im currently commuting 10 miles each way. I drive in 5 miles and park in a buisness park. I could do the whole 15 miles, but 3:45 wakey time out of bed is early enough for me!!

Tonight I replaced all the brake and shift cables....now she's nice and smooth, and hopefully Ive resolved the sticky shifting!

Fantasminha

Be careful with the light you hang on the back of your rack. I had that and a big bump would knock it off. I did that a couple of times before hubby fixed it on there with screws.