6 Tips for Commuting to Work by Bike

Markesha Says:

January 30th, 2007, 21:48 pm

Very inspiring! You’ve given me something to think about. Now I have to dust off my old bike and see if it still works! :)

Paul Says:

January 30th, 2007, 22:10 pm

Stick with it. The decision to commute by bike was one of the turning points of my life. Soon 10 miles will seem like a walk in the park to you.

Othemts Says:

January 31st, 2007, 13:16 pm

Congratulations!

I’ve been a bicycle commuter in the Boston area for the past 8 years, and this year I’m even riding in the winter. I can’t think of a more pleasant way of getting around.

Leo Says:

January 31st, 2007, 13:30 pm

Thanks, guys, for the comments and encouragement.

@paul and othemts … I’d be interested in hearing your tips for bike commuting, as more experienced riders than I.

Mitch Says:

February 5th, 2007, 22:18 pm

I also faced the clothing issue when I started riding a motorcycle to work. The solution that ended up best for me was to switch to wearing suits (I keep three at work) and to bring in an ironed shirt every morning. If I fold it correctly just before departure and place it carefully in my bag, then I don’t have any wrinkle problems. I can also sort dry cleaning near where I work so I never need to cart more than a single shirt to and from the office.

Leo Says:

February 5th, 2007, 22:24 pm

Hi Mitch … great tips. Thanks for sharing. I don’t wear suits to work (jeans usually), so I’m not sure if this kind of solution could work for me later, when I start commuting more frequently.

Right now I’ve only been doing it 1-2 times a week to start with. But it’s a great experience so far.

Bike Worker Says:

February 14th, 2007, 19:48 pm

I’ll just pile on the love … you are on the right track with your commuting plans, the only thing I would stress more is safety. I too live in the Boston area and a few times each spring and summer there’re stories in the news about bike commuters getting killed or seriously injured. The reason almost always seems to be cars or trucks taking sudden turns into the path of the bicyclist. I am not trying to scare, just to be sensible about wearing helmets, using a bell, riding slowly even if the road looks open, etc.

Leo Says:

February 14th, 2007, 20:09 pm

Hi Bike Worker, thanks for the comment and great tips! I agree with you about the safety issues. A couple of riders have been hit in my area in the last two months. The problem, I think, is that they were riding in the dark … it’s important that you either ride during daylight hours or have a headlight, tail light and a reflective vest or something. Be visible!

And yes, do be very careful, and don’t assume that drivers see you. I also always wear a helmet.

Thanks again! Any tips you have are always welcome!

Anonymous Says:

February 28th, 2007, 21:11 pm

Cycling to work is a blast. I did it for many years (I now work at home) and was amazed at how great I felt at the very start of the day when all the other workers were stumbling in bleary eyed, and again at the end of the day when I would race home, leaving me stress-free and a whole evening of free time because my exercise for the day was already finished.

One thing that I used to do so that inclement weather wouldn’t bog me down too much was to set a goal of cycling to work three times a week. That’s three out of five days. If I made Monday, then I only had to cycle half of the remaining four days. If I skipped Monday, then I had to do cycle three of four days. And if I skipped Monday and Tuesday, I would grit my teeth and cycle through whatever weather was blowing through (while repeating over and over “this is making me tougher” and “this is heightening my appreciate of the nice-weather days”). Motivation was high to hit the road on Monday, and this always started the week on a good and healthy note.

In then end, I averaged about four cycling days per week. Plus, longer weekend rides were a bonus fun time.

I used to carry ironed shirts and slacks with me, but kept a pair of shoes under my desk plus a backup pair of slacks, shirt, tie, belt, undershirt, a towel, etc., so I wouldn’t be caught without, say, my pants.

I also used to arrive about 30 minutes early for cool down time, especially in summer.

Happy Trails

Leo Says:

February 28th, 2007, 21:22 pm

Great comment. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. It’s great to hear from someone who has actually done it on a regular basis over time. And you sound very goal-oriented yourself … congrats on working at home!

Andrew Flusche Says:

April 15th, 2007, 15:47 pm

Leo,

Every time I read something else on your blog, I am more fascinated and impressed by your life. Quite simply, you’ve made some amazing changes. I’m excited to see where you go next.

I commuted by bike two summers ago. I only had to go 1.5 miles, so it was definitely a no-brainer to bike. I did arrive a bit sweaty, but the mornings were usually cool enough to minimize that. I had a little toiletry kit in my office, so I could freshen up a bit when I got there. Usually a wipe down of arms and face with a wet wipe and a little extra deodorant did the trick. I was really sweaty upon arriving home at 5:30, so I just took early showers every evening.

Sadly, I haven’t really ridden my bike since then. I definitely need to get back to it, especially now that warmer weather is here. You’re inspiring me!

Take care,
Andrew

Leo Says:

April 15th, 2007, 16:12 pm

Thanks, Andrew, for your extremely nice comment. If I’ve inspired you in any way, you’ve made my day! Thanks also for sharing your experiences … I think it really helps to hear about what others have gone through. You should definitely get back on your bike!

Marc Says:

April 25th, 2007, 15:14 pm

Glad to hear that you have included bike commuting as one of your goals, Leo!

I actually commute to and from work by walking; it’s about a 45 minute walk and I enjoy it immensely and am glad I live close enough to work to be able to do so. I share the same benefits that all of you bike commuters share: exercising for free (well, I do have to buy a new pair of good walking shoes when my current pair wear out), enjoying nature, saving money on gasoline and wear and tear on my car and knowing I’m helping save our threatened environment by using the car less.

I only take the bus home in winter as it gets dark around 4:30pm (I live just south of the 49th parallel, west coast of Canada) or during really bad winter weather (the occasional snowfall and rainy days). But each year I can’t wait for spring (usually starting in March) to walk again both ways!

Chris Says:

May 20th, 2007, 0:55 am

I too commute to work by bike. But its a bit more simple for me. I an in the Navy and stationed in Japan right now. So it helps that commuting by bike is almost as common as driving. Now i am so used to biking to work, that when i move back to Portland, (and the huge bike community) I will already be accustomed to it.

As far as small upgrades for your bike as you decide to spend money, i have another suggestion for you that worked great for me. Get rid of the mountain bike tires and get some without all the knobby tread. It makes a HUGE difference in the amount of rolling resistance. Once i had done that, i was able to get to work in 3/4 of the time. Passing cars on base (where the speed limit is 35 kph, ~21 mph) also makes it more enjoyable.

Great article, hopefully this inspires more and more people!

Doctor John Says:

May 27th, 2007, 7:28 am

I live and work in London, and cycling to work simply can’t be beat. London public transport is notoriously unpredictable, but commuting by bike always takes the same amount of time (except in the case of a flat). So say goodbye to being late to work.

If I can offer some more tips:

- Buy a pair of office shoes to leave at work. Saves a lot of weight and space for what you have to carry back and forth each day.

- If you’re worried about bike theft (it’s a big problem in London), consider a folding bike. You may be surprised. I ride an Airnimal Joey, which actually has 24″ wheels, and feels amazing similar to a full-sized. It isn’t as compact as a Brompton or Dahon, but can still fold up and sit in the corner by my desk. And I’m still one of the fastest bikes on the road. :)

- A buddy of mine has installed a horn on his bike, sounds almost as loudly as a car horn, and he loves it. Not a bad idea I suppose, although it adds bulk and weight to the ride.

- Do NOT ride close to parked cars. All of my near-death experiences on a bike have been from parked car doors suddenly flying open. I’ve been saved each time simply because I always ride out in the lane of moving traffic. You have a better chance of being noticed by the other moving cars, but do not trust for one second that a recently-parked driver/passenger is thinking to look for a passing cyclist before hopping out.

- As you become more comfortable on a bike, go “clipless.” Buy cycling shoes & pedals that allow you to clip in. You’ll go faster, be more efficient, and build strength more evenly between your quads and hamstrings (and all other connecting muscles).

Best of luck Leo. Time to go off and read more of your site. Great stuff, extremely inspirational. Cheers.

Alan Says:

June 10th, 2007, 7:51 am

“Any ol’ bike will do”. It is worth having good brakes, especially if you have to ride through heavy traffic at a reasonable speed. This allows you to stay closer behind cars
I always take with me a waterproof poncho in case I get surprised by a rainstorm. There is no longer a shower at work since we moved, so I slow down a little, especially on the uphill parts, so that I don’t arrive to sweaty at work.

Larry Johnson Says:

June 14th, 2007, 21:59 pm

One thing I’d suggest for all people considering commuter cycling is taking the course Effective Cycling sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists and offered in most American Cities. I’d also suggest picking up a copy of John Forester’s book Effective Cycling, which was the original textbook for the course, and arguably the best single book on transportational cycling ever written.

Another good resource is John Allen’s online book Bicycling Street Smarts available at http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm

Cycling to work is an excellent way to get exercise, save money, and help the environment. But you have to learn how to do it safely and efficiently.

Neil Caldwell Says:

June 24th, 2007, 18:41 pm

I have been a mountain bike commuter for a many years now. Recently I also became an occasional motorcycle commuter. The best way to stay safe is have multiple lights on your bike, a small flashing white and red led light on the front and back of your helmet is an excellent way to be seen by cars, much higher up so can be seen further away. (Think hills)

I always wear a fluorescent yellow cover over my jacket, this is the best saftey device ever, cars will see you much earlier and give you more clearance. If I don’t wear it, you can measure the safety distance cars give you in inches instead of feet!

Wang Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 12:06 pm

since my work is too far away and i have to take the train i did the next closest thing and bought a commuter pass for a station or two down.

i’m cheap and i like saving money, so i’m fooling myself into thinking i’m saving money by biking to a closer station (i am) but i’m also getting in a good while of excercise. mind you i’m only going about 15 minutes away, it’s a great ride, i love it.

get some music, be safe, you’ll have a great time.

Jason Gilman Says:

July 10th, 2007, 2:42 am

I’ve been regularly commuting to work by bike all summer and it’s been great. I have to respectfully disagree with Wang’s comment about getting some music though. I can see listening to music on a long rural ride, but I wouldn’t advise putting the headphones on while commuting through city traffic. I constantly depend on my ears to detect oncoming (and often not yet visible) cars when approaching intersections.

Steve Says:

July 14th, 2007, 9:13 am

Just to add my own two cents to the helpful comments above (I cycle 20 miles across London daily):

- Slick tires greatly reduce drag over knobby tires. Bikes don’t hydroplane so you don’t need to worry about that, my only caution with slicks is occasional slippage on wet sewer grates if leaning into a turn.
- Wearing headphones while cycling in city traffic is positively Darwinian.
- Narrow handlebars, shoulder-width or narrower, makes it easier to judge whether you can squeeze though spaces between cars. I shake my head in wonder at all the nonces riding around on beach bikes with super wide handlebars, for all you motorists pissed off at the scratches down the side of your car, blame these people.
- Carry a small pump, spare tube, and collapsible tire iron to replace a puncture. It now takes me about 5 minutes to switch out a tube (I’ve had a lot of flats, 2 in one day this past Wednesday!)
- You can avoid wrinkles in work clothes by carefully laying them on top of each other and then rolling them up like you would a sleeping bag.
- Disc brakes. Having cycled for a while, I can ride at a pretty good clip, especially if I’m drafting a bus. Once you experience the added safety of good stopping power you won’t go back.
- Take yourself seriously and motorists will take you seriously as well. Peddle as hard as you can within the limits of your fitness level, but always try to get up the hills just that little bit faster. This is what will keep you interested. Also, it feels great to overtake on a hill and blow by that guy wheezing ahead. Competition is healthy :-)
-As mentioned riding right up next to the curb or close to parked cars is extremely dangerous. You are a vehicle too, so own your piece of the road. If cars have to go around you than so what? They may grumble, but they’ll get over it, and you’ll still be alive. Everybody wins.
- When stopped at lights, ALWAYS make your way to the front of the cars and trucks. Starting from within a bunch of stopped cars is not safe. That goes for you ladies especially, I see you do it all the time (be more assertive basically).
- Lastly, and this is a bit of a contentious issue, the whole stopping at lights thing. I always stop at 4 ways and wait for my green, but at 2 ways or intersections with one way streets I YIELD to traffic and pedestrians and carry on through. Most cyclists killed on the streets of London are done in by large dump trucks turning a intersections and crushing cyclists against guard rails!

David Says:

August 6th, 2007, 10:22 am

Awesome! I just started doing this two weeks ago and I can’t believe I didn’t start sooner. My commute is about seven miles and it goes by quickly now.

Also, http://bicyclesafe.com is an awesome resource for practical bicycle safety. It’s made my ride tons safer.

Keep it up!

Scott Says:

August 28th, 2007, 9:52 am

Yes! I’ve been bicycling for about a year now, and I’m happy more people are starting to. Great post!

I’d just like to add though that these new hybrid style bikes are really amazing for daily commute. I used to have a racing bike, but I was always repairing it because I am apparently very hard on my bikes. I found an amazing deal on a pair of Cannondale H300’s for me and my wife on craigslist, and it is not only more sturdy, but amazingly easy to ride, especially up the hills.

If you can afford it or you can find as good a deal as I got, I highly recommend a good hybrid.

Jim Says:

August 28th, 2007, 12:13 pm

Bike commuting rules! (Although I am lucky to live in one of the best towns in the US for bike commuters.)

For bad weather, rather than weighing down my bike with fenders and the like, my approach is to cover myself with decent clothing as best I can, and carry a change of clothes in a waterproof bag. That way, on the nice days, when I don’t have to wear extra clothing, my bike is that much faster.

I use slick tires for my bike, and have a spare front tire with mountain bike tread for the days when it snows. Another good option is to use some of the nice hybrid tires out there that are slick in the middle, but have a bit of tread on the sides for when you hit some softer dirt or gravel.

Also, when you’re looking for any old bike to use for your commuter bike, skip any that have shocks. While a front shock absorbs energy when you hit a small bump and smooths out the ride, it also sucks energy out of every pedal stroke you make.

Finally, keep your tires at their maximum suggested pressure. Not only does it saves gasoline in a car, it reduces rolling resistance and saves energy on a bike, too!

Jim Says:

August 28th, 2007, 12:18 pm

Oh, and as for music — all of the close calls I have had with other cyclists have involved headphones. Check your local ordinances, but in my town, headphones are actually illegal on roads and bike paths.

Jason Says:

August 28th, 2007, 13:12 pm

Jim, I love the Ruby Metro shocks on my Trek hybrid. They only have an inch and a half of travel, but it makes a huge difference in my comfort level while commuting because my city has a lot of roads that are in bad shape. Sure there’s a little energy loss, but I’m commuting not racing to work. And when I’m bombing down my favorite hill into downtown at 35mph+ with cars all around me I appreciate my shocks that much more.

It sounds to me like you philosophy is that a bike should be ridden as fast as possible at all times and anything that gets in the way of that is bad. I like to push myself as well whenever I ride, but I think that mindset just doesn’t work for a lot of people that could commute to work. Fenders and shocks are a great way to increase the comfort level of a bike in ways that many potential commuters will appreciate and that’s a lot more important than a couple mph.

Larry Says:

August 29th, 2007, 21:12 pm

Great stuff…
Agree with the following points:
-leave a pair of shoes at the office,
-lay clothes out and roll them up to avoid wrinkles
-(if I wore a suit at work I would look very out of place)
And add:
-if no shower available, just towel down while changing clothes.
Safety first:
-Flo orange or green mesh vest with reflective striping,
-Lots of bright lights.
-Make eye contact with drivers, if no eye contact, they probably don’t see you.
-Wear a helmet
-Know the rules of the road
Have fun!

Paul, London Says:

September 18th, 2007, 6:39 am

Hi all

Just stumbled across this site from a Google search.

I live and work in London. I going to start cycling to work in the enxt few weeks. It’s a 10 mile ride one way so I’m looking forward to getting some extra fitness.

Last weekend I borrowed a bike and tested out a cycle route. It took me 40 minutes to get to work. Not bad! I can tell you I slept very well that night too :)

I’m lucky in that we have a gym at work (I work outside of the city) and so showering is no problem.

The only challenge I have at the moment is deciding what bike to buy! I was going to get a moutain bike but after using my friends road bike I’m sold one of those. It’s lighter and quicker. Only thing is, his one cost about £400. Thats a lot of money to shell out.

I’m looking at something like this from Halfords in London:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_240391_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_47151

Any thoughts,comments or suggestions would be welcome!

Greetings
Paul

Karlen Says:

October 10th, 2007, 10:32 am

Hi from Dallas,TX.Long time commuter.I stop years ago but started back this week.I only live 15 mins from my new job.I love commuting.Found site by Google search

James Says:

October 22nd, 2007, 4:45 am

To Paul, London and other UK readers. Please note that the UK government has a bike purchase scheme which encourages employees to commute by bike. You buy a bike, and your employer reimburses the purchase price and VAT. Your employer then deducts the price of the bike (minus VAT) from your paychecks over an agreed period so you also save income tax on the money used to buy the bike. The savings are enormous! Talk to your employer - they have no excuse not to sign up for the scheme.
I also have started commuting by bike a few times a week - 8 miles each way. I bought a hybrid bike - part mountain bike, part racing bike on slick tyres. One day a week, I drive in and bring a change of clothes for each day and to bring home the dirty ones from the week before. I keep a towel and deodorant at work since we don’t have shower facilities but find that, although I get sweaty in the hot weather, no one has complained about me being smelly. I like showering in the evening when I get home as it saves me time in the mornings and I DO sleep better after the ride. I have found that buying “locking” bicycle shoes makes uphill riding much easier and doesn’t strain my knees in one direction. I hope that I can continue to commute by bike throughout the winter - I suppose it just depends on my determination.

Dan Bailey Says:

March 7th, 2008, 14:47 pm

Actually, I’ve been writing a whole multi-part piece on how to get started in the process. Part one is available here: http://www.danbailey.net/56/intro-to-bike-commuting-part-i

Jeannie Says:

April 18th, 2008, 19:55 pm

Hi,

I think it’s great that you’re biking to work!! I used to bike to school all the time but now that I work it’s been a driving commute for me.
Just out of curiousity, how long did it take you to commute that 10 miles by bike? (10 miles one way, right?)

Thanks…

Jeannie

Jason Gilman Says:

April 18th, 2008, 20:08 pm

I can’t speak for Leo, but 10 mph is probably doable for most people without much effort and fitness on a decent bike and a level course. For a stronger rider 15 - 20 mph is very possible.