biking to work?

[EricNoah]

I live 6.5 miles from my job as a school teacher/librarian and am considering riding my bike to work now and then. The ride takes me about 30 min, as compared to a 15 min drive.

I'm trying to consider all aspects of this change -- from whether I'll need two shirts a day (one for the ride and one for wearing during the day), to whether I'll need to bring a brush to combat "hat head" as the weather cool down, to whether I want to park my bike amongst the student area or try to cram it into my office, etc. We do not have staff lockeroom/shower facilities. I do have close access to a staff restroom.

We don't really have a dress code but I generally dress pretty casually at work (jeans or khakis and usually something a step of from a t-shirt). I wear shoes that are suitable for the ride and for wearing at school (Rockports - nicer than a tennis shoe, rugged enough to bike in).

Anyone who bikes to work -- please share your insights and experiences if you would!

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I used to bicycle to work, but nowadays I just walk (which takes me 30 minutes as opposed to 15). Of course, in the (German) cities I've lived in, either is a viable option since they tend to be plastered with bicycle lanes, sidewalks, and pedestrian-only areas.

If you intend to bicycle, I recommend getting these bicycle bags from Ortlieb:

I can speak from personal experience that these can withstand more than a decade of intensive use. Furthermore, they are easy to attach and remove from a bicycle (it takes about a second), and if you close them, anything within them won't get wet even if you submerge it in a river.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I live 6.5 miles from my job as a school teacher/librarian and am considering riding my bike to work now and then. The ride takes me about 30 min, as compared to a 15 min drive.

I'm trying to consider all aspects of this change -- from whether I'll need two shirts a day (one for the ride and one for wearing during the day), to whether I'll need to bring a brush to combat "hat head" as the weather cool down, to whether I want to park my bike amongst the student area or try to cram it into my office, etc. We do not have staff lockeroom/shower facilities. I do have close access to a staff restroom.

We don't really have a dress code but I generally dress pretty casually at work (jeans or khakis and usually something a step of from a t-shirt). I wear shoes that are suitable for the ride and for wearing at school (Rockports - nicer than a tennis shoe, rugged enough to bike in).

Anyone who bikes to work -- please share your insights and experiences if you would!

I drive approximately 8 km to work, and it's basically my only regular exercise.
There are three drawbacks I can identify
1) It costs more time
2) Rain
3) Sweat

If the extra half hour each day is okay for you, you've covered 1.
2 is covered by rain pants and a good coat.
3 is covered by having a place to wash yourself, of course, and spare clothing. You could keep some spare clothing at your work. Showers, of course, would be the ideal, but unfortunately, my work place doesn't have any. (Software Development doesn't need physical exercise, after all. )

Other equipment that I suggest: Get a good bike. I recently bought a new bike (switching from "Holland Bike" to a trekking bike with shocks, and it has been a great improvement, and biking is more fun then ever. Real "Fahrvergnügen".

You should ensure that you have some equipment to pump up your tires or better even repair them, and ensure that you can also repair the chain.
My classic problem was flat tires, but with my last bike (the holland bike) I ran into trouble with the chain - it was too lose and jumped off. The chain casing was inaccessible without a screw driver, and that meant I had to push the bike home (the aforementioned 8km). Even repairs in a shop didn't fix the problem for good - hence the new bike.

There are also benefits
1) Less fuel consumption with your car! (In my case this also means I can go without a own car entirely, which means a lot of spare money to waste on RPG material ). Aside from the personal finances, it's also good for for the environment (unless you tell me you produce more CO2 and Methane when cycling then when driving. )
2) You keep exercise. It is mostly good for your stamina - Unfortunately, all that biking didn't affect my weight (- well, maybe it could have become worse).
3) You see more from the world around you. My home town is pretty nice, with a lot of green areas. (Oh, and in the summer, there are of course a lot of young, female students from the university around. )
4) It keeps your head clear. I can usually blow a lot of my work thoughts off while biking, so that when I am home, my mind is free for something else. In fact, I can usually already use the time on the bike to think about private stuff, like my next role-playing plans.

 

[Enforcer]

I bike to work, and the to/from is generally the best parts of my day. Since I live in the city, biking is actually faster than public transit, and usually faster than car/taxi for me. My commute is 3.1 miles each way, and I ride in heavy city traffic when I go to work (PM rush hour in Chicago).

Now, I'm a waiter, and we have a locker room at work (no shower though), so I don't feel gross for long when I arrive because I know I'll be changing. And when I ride home I'm already sweaty from running around the restaurant. You can also ride more relaxed if you like. It takes more time but you won't sweat as much.

My best advice is to buy a good lock and be smart about how you use it. Get a good quality u-lock. They can be expensive, but still cost less than your bike I'm guessing. Buy a cable to thread through the front tire, and u-lock the frame and rear wheel to the bike rack (with one end of the cable attached to the u-lock). After having one bike stolen, I even have locking skewers on my wheels and saddle post (instead of the quick-release ones), but that's probably overkill.

Oh, and get a helmet. Seriously, you're an idiot if you ride without one. We've had a few bike fatalities in Chicago, and each of them was helmetless. And if you ride home at night--doubtful if you work at a school--get some flashing LED lights for front and back.

 

[IronWolf]

I've been commuting by bike to work - 4 miles to work and then 6.5 on the way home (I take a longer way home to lengthen the ride). It's been great so far.

I carry a backpack with anything I might need for the day - mainly lunch, my wallet, keys, phone, shoes (I ride clipless peddles with cycling shoes), rain jacket and on days it looks like possible rain, a change of clothes.

On the way in I take a relatively easy pace or at the very least slow down a bit before getting there to let some of the air cool me off a bit. Once I get to work I just head to the server room in front of a cold AC vent to finish cooling me off. I work in a pretty casual environment so I can wear shorts and stuff to work. I tend to ride home at closer to a "training" pace.

I keep my bike in my office at work.

Definitely wear a helmet.

 

[EricNoah]

Thanks for the tips. I bike for recreation 2-4 times a week during the summer for a couple of hours at a stretch, so I've got a good bike and so forth. I also have some decent saddle bags. I hadn't considered taking a rain jacket -- that's a good idea (in Wisconsin the saying goes, "Don't like Wisconsin weather? Wait five minutes."). I should be able to fit lunch, extra shirt, and rain jacket in one saddlebag.

I'll have three days of work before school actually starts, so I can test all this out for a few days before I go "live" in front of the kids.

 

[Dire Bare]

(in Wisconsin the saying goes, "Don't like Wisconsin weather? Wait five minutes.")

Heh, I've heard that saying in every state I've ever lived in or visited!

Don't like [insert state you are currently in)'s weather? Wait five minutes!

 

[megamania]

As a kid I used to bicycle to school from April 15th to november 15th. That was roughly 7 miles one way.

When in college I used to bike to work (1/4 mile) but that was to work mainteance.

Factory work I've biked a few times only. Never for the store.

The bike packs or a regular backpack with your clothes sealed in a plastic bag always worked for me. And yes, bring comb and deorderant etc.


It beats paying the gas prices however.

 

[drothgery]

Heh, I've heard that saying in every state I've ever lived in or visited!

Don't like [insert state you are currently in)'s weather? Wait five minutes!

Not in California.

(It's more like "Don't like the weather? What are you, crazy?")

 

[ssampier]

Heh, I've heard that saying in every state I've ever lived in or visited!

Don't like [insert state you are currently in)'s weather? Wait five minutes!

Yes, but in Utah it's true.