Riding to and from work. Other cycling primarily for transportation. Carrying stuff. Picking a bike. Related issues.
13
votes
8answers
2k views
How much maintenance?
How much maintenance does a bike need?
Specifically, in this question (with this answer) I asked about a commuter bike, which is to be ridden 40 km every weekday, in the city. And apparently for this ...
20
votes
5answers
2k views
What bike+equipment for a long daily urban commute?
In the (distant) past I commuted 6 km (more than half an hour) each way, on a cheap bike with big knobbly tyres.
Soon I'll have a new commute: 18 km each way, daily. That's much further than I've ...
29
votes
3answers
1k views
Periodic Maintenance Task for Bike Commuters
What are the periodic maintenance tasks (weekly, monthly, annual, every X miles) that anyone who relies on a bike for transportation (typically in urban/semi-urban environments) should be performing? ...
29
votes
21answers
2k views
How can I make my bike (and myself) visible at night?
By winter I will be commuting on my bike at night. How can I make my bike as visible as possible to all car drivers?
39
votes
33answers
2k views
What do you wish someone had told you before your first commute?
Four times a year I teach a workshop called "Be a Bike Commuter" for the local university's community education program. It's mostly based on my experience and information from the League of American ...
17
votes
2answers
436 views
How to wash a bike properly?
I use my bicycle in a typical urban commute setting. No extreme MTB, but it still accumulates some dust and grime.
How should I wash my bicycle?
7
votes
3answers
1k views
Summer rain jacket recommendations
I'm commuting an hour each way each day in summer now and it rains sometimes.
I have a GoreTex jacket which I bought 10 years ago for walking in. With additional inner warm clothes I wear it in ...
31
votes
7answers
2k views
What advanced cycling skills are useful for a commuter or city rider?
I'm a commuter; I mostly ride around the city to get to work, go shopping, visit friends, and stop by the pub. I have basic cycling skills down; proper mounting and dismounting, signaling turns, ...
47
votes
16answers
4k views
How to clean up at work after a commute?
I would like to bicycle commute to work, but we don't have showers or any place I can change. How can I clean up and carry clothing? My office is business casual, but I need to look neat and ...
17
votes
2answers
904 views
Practical cleaning routine for a commuter bike
I regularly (almost daily) ride my bike, often in bad weather. I mostly ride on roads, but sometimes through parks, forest etc. on unpaved surfaces. My bike is usually rather dirty, at least the lower ...
23
votes
11answers
2k views
Is it considered rude to draft other random cyclists?
On my commute to work, if there a cyclist in front of me, is it rude to catch up and draft? To effectively draft I would usually need to be within a foot of their back wheel.
There are two ...
7
votes
4answers
499 views
How to make the most out of daily commute?
I have heard that bicycling is a great form of cardio exercise. I bike to and from work everyday and the whole way everything is flat. I am not sure what the best way is to make the most out of the ...
28
votes
5answers
2k views
Are slick tires worth it for commuting?
I commute to work on a Marin San Rafael on roads over a mix of flat to steep roads. My bike came with "700 x 35c with Puncture Protection" semi-slick tires:
In the bike shed at work I noticed ...
16
votes
3answers
252 views
Submitting road data to Google
I have really enjoyed Google Maps cycling directions but find it lacking a lot where I live. I really want to update the maps with new/better information but I don't know the what, how, or where.
...
9
votes
3answers
9k views
Upgrading straight handlebars to drop handlebars
I have a two-and-a-half year old Giant FCR 3 (with a road-bike-like frame and thin tires; it's somewhere in the loosely-defined "hybrid" range) that I use to commute to work, twenty-five miles ...
40
votes
8answers
13k views
Why do cyclists prefer messenger bags over backpacks?
Ok, I know form sometimes follows function - and things can be even more funnily irrational when fashion and trends come into play - but what's the lure of the cyclist's messenger bag? I see them ...
14
votes
4answers
857 views
Equipping a commuter bike
My commute is a bit over 5 miles each way through the city. It's not that long a commute; in traffic, it takes about 35 minutes door to door, and I'm never far from public transit that I could use in ...
25
votes
8answers
636 views
How can I be visible in the dark when I'm signalling a turn?
My bike and I are fairly visible at night--white light in front, red light in the back, bright yellow fenders, reflective tabs and a light on my helmet. I use hand signals to alert motorists when I'm ...
10
votes
4answers
1k views
Is it legal to pass a car on the right when that car is turning?
So I've been poring over the bikes SE, and as a recreational biker and an automobile commuter, I'm naturally most interested in topics addressing how bikes interact with automotive traffic.
In one ...
6
votes
3answers
726 views
What are the most effective exercises to improve stamina and speed on my cycle to/from work?
I have just turned 40 and despite running many marathons in my younger days I'm finding it hard to get fitter again after too many years at a desk. I have a reasonable racing bike which I use for my ...
5
votes
8answers
540 views
What can I wear in the cold weather to be able to bike to work (where I don't have a shower)
I've already read the answers to this question and learned a lot!
But my question is a bit different, I bike to work almost everyday, not a long ride, a few miles, a bit hilly a bit road side...
...
21
votes
10answers
3k views
For a long (25mile each way) commute, what kind of bike should I look at?
I'd really like to be able to commute to work. It's a long way though - 25 miles away. Too far for every day, but maybe I can cycle it once or twice a week.
I tried it on my old mountain bike a ...
14
votes
2answers
938 views
How much motor do I need for my electric-assist bike?
I take my twins to preschool by car, and I'd like to switch to doing it by bike.
There's a hill, and we're heavy, and I'm not in great shape, so it's hard. I've done it a few times, but I always ...
13
votes
9answers
3k views
Which puncture-resistant tires?
I commute on city streets and have had two punctures in 5 months: first a roofing nail, second a small shard of glass.
Punctures are a nuisance.
I've read some people recommend Schwalbe "Marathon" ...
10
votes
8answers
7k views
How do I clean chain grease off my clothes?
I commute to work, and often wear my khakis on the ride in. As such, my clothes often get chain grease on them. What products or cleaning strategies do you know that work to remove chain grease from ...
9
votes
6answers
2k views
Best chain lubricant for commuter/utility bikes?
What's the best chain lubricant for a bike used for riding in normal(ish) clothes, year-round?
I've been using Tri-Flow, but that tends to leave black greasy/dirty stains on pants, shoes, etc. I've ...
8
votes
6answers
472 views
Prescription eye glasses and shoulder checks
I've never had prescription glasses but might like some.
My left eye doesn't focus easily (I ride on the right side of the road, in Canada). If I look over my left shoulder, I can see behind me only ...
2
votes
4answers
2k views
biking with lower back pain
I have regular lower back pain (mostly mild, with severe episodes during which I generally stay home; there's nothing wrong with my spine, I just sit at a computer too much). I just started biking to ...
1
vote
8answers
1k views
Good backpack for carrying groceries
So, I need to be able to carry 3-4 days worth of groceries for one person, about a mile from the store to home.
I'm not too keen on the idea of panniers or anything else that mounts to the frame. I ...
12
votes
7answers
2k views
How should I approach hills?
I've been biking to work 2-3 times/week this summer and I enjoy it for the most part. My big problem is that my ride is mostly downhill on the way in to work and mostly uphill on the way home. These ...
11
votes
6answers
1k views
I keep breaking my road frames - why?
I've gone through four frames in the last decade or so, all from different manufacturers, all steel but both lugged and welded. Every one of them has eventually developed a crack, been repaired and ...
10
votes
6answers
544 views
Sunglasses for commuting?
I've recently started commuting via bike to work (6.5mi each way), and am looking for advice on gear... specifically sunglasses (which I find useful to prevent dust in eyes and to help block the ample ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
How close do I have to be for effective drafting (while commuting)?
I commute and want to draft another bike, but still have room to stop when someone opens a car door in front of the rider in front of me. At what distance does drafting significantly reduce drag? Are ...
8
votes
1answer
724 views
How often should I strip my bike down?
How often should I give my bike a full service? Strip the bottom bracket, clean and grease it. Strip the groupset and freewheel.
And what products (or type of) should be used for each process?
It's ...
7
votes
5answers
798 views
What's a good all purpose city commuting winter tire?
What's a good all purpose city commuting winter tire? Does the rim matter?
I'd like to not have to worry too much about looking out for and avoiding black ice, mainly because I'm not sure you can ...
4
votes
8answers
447 views
Long sleeves for safety?
I took @Jason's and @Neil's advice and practiced wearing clipless pedals in cold weather. I fell three times (nearly four) last week, all at very low speeds: twice because of ice, and twice because of ...
3
votes
4answers
2k views
Bottom bracket making noise, should it be fixed now or can I wait until regular maintenance?
My bike has been ridden 4 months / 2000 miles and is no longer completely quiet.
About a month ago I noticed a whispering noise like a wire brush sliding across a cymbal. It happens on the ...
3
votes
26answers
893 views
Which bus networks allow you to transport a bike?
In the UK I have never seen a public bus system that allows you to take a (non-folding) bike on the bus. (There are long distance coaches that do allow bikes, however I am asking about local busses.)
...
3
votes
2answers
595 views
purchasing a bike
I live in Queens, NYC. I am thinking of buying a bike for casual ride probably during weekends and sometime for commuting to the city.
Can anyone recommend which and what type of bike should I buy ...
2
votes
4answers
280 views
Affordable GPS with maps?
I have my eye on the Garmin 800. It looks fantastic, but alas I can't afford it right now.
I would like a gps / cycle computer that would work well in Europe with maps.
What are my options? I want ...
