Victor626

Hi All,

I am a newb at commuting, recently I entered the scene by tackling my commute from Alhambra to Van Nuys, approx 29 miles, 2.5 hours each way.

riding on a simple utilitarian rig, (Trek Fx3 hybrid) - been a great bike so far.

does anyone have a similar commute, Any tips for someone new?

thanks

TakingMyTime

I think commuting is like bike touring, after you've done it for a little while you realize what is important and what's not.

Other than be sure to be able to handle flats make sure you get yourself some rain gear.

mschwett 

i don't commute nearly that far on a daily basis, although i do sometimes ride to work locales that are about the same range.

i'd sum it up as storage, comfort, reliability, and speed. if you can tolerate the weight of a backpack on your back for that duration of riding, it's a good choice if it fits whatever change of clothes is needed. otherwise panniers. for comfort, i went with the largest tires my frame would fit, tubeless for low pressures and reliability. speed... for that length of riding, a moderately aerodynamic position is important to me, being the biggest determinant of speed. if you really want to get there faster, a lightweight ebike is not a bad choice for that kind of range. if the lights were cooperative, i bet you could do it in 90-100 minutes on a class 3 ebike... if that matters to you.

the fx3 looks like a great bike for this, assuming you don't want drop bars. will you ride on the handful of days it rains? if so.. fenders and 35mm tires. if not, go 38!

CAT7RDR

Looks like a long day 5 hours and a regular 8+ hour shift?
How many days per week do you plan on doing this?
Cumulative fatigue could be a factor.
Have you mapped and already tried a route to look for bike friendly infrastructure?

Victor626

I’m working from home most of the week, only go in to office twice a week, and typically a 4 hour shift. The flexibility allows for plenty of rest to handle 5 hours on saddle. So far I’ve had a flat, encountered a dystopian like homeless encounters on LA river bike path, have gotten strange looks from my co workers.

Mapped out the most efficient route, mostly bike paths, down the la river, and connecting to chandler blvd starting in Burbank.

Elvo

This is a rough commute but if you insist, I would take Garfield -> Monterey Road -> York -> Eagle Rock -> Fletcher -> LA River Trail -> Riverside -> Main -> Verdugo -> Beachwood -> Chandler

Victor626

pretty close to what I take, except I go via Pasadena. I figured if it was easy commute, wouldn’t be interesting.

urbanknight

I used to commute from Pasadena to Sun Valley (21 miles each way), but because of that distance I only did it on Tue/Thur so I could drive fresh clothes and any needed work supplies on Mon/Wed/Fri. That allowed me to just ride equipped like I was on a recreational ride except for lights and work keys. If your work is sensitive to you being late, make sure to leave yourself enough time to fix a flat or two.

Since you just started, be prepared for changing temperatures. In the Winter I sometimes encountered temps in the mid 30's at 6am going through La Canada, then started the route home at 4pm when it was almost 70 in the Valley. Arm warmers, leg warmers, shoe covers, full finger gloves, jacket, and face mask on the way out... left them all behind on the way back.

Victor626

thanks , good information on winter items, I’ll keep that in mind. I’m planning on doing something similar, with the option off adding a subway ride every once in a while- Union station to North Hollywood

jsigone

ditch the backpack and get bike packing bags, no special mounts or bike needed, they have well though out strap placement. usually 11-13 liters of volume on the bars and another 15 in the saddle bag. Only time I wear the backpack is when I need to transport the laptop.

for commuting, I usually only use 1 bag, but keeps the weight off me and feel fresher on the ride home. This one is from https://www.apidura.com/