Questions tagged [commuter]
Riding to and from work. Other cycling primarily for transportation. Carrying stuff. Picking a bike. Related issues.
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Can a fatbike cross frozen car tire ruts without slipping?
I'm investigating winter commuting options (it's never too early to start thinking about next winter...). I'd love to keep biking in the winter, but I've had some scary experiences falling on ice, ...
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Commuting and recreation scooter with handlebar brake lever
I am looking for a commuting / recreation scooter but have no experience of using one. I am very familiar with riding a bike and using handlebar-mounted brake levers.
My budget is sub-£100 (GBP) and ...
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Why do I keep breaking my road frames?
I've gone through four five frames in the last decade or so, all from different manufacturers, all steel but both lugged and welded both steel and aluminium. Every one of them has eventually developed ...
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Does always commuting at the same rhythm/speed improve your fitness level?
I have been doing a new longer commute (round trip of 17 km) for the last 6 months and definitely saw an improvement of my fitness level if I compare to when I started.
When I commute though, I do not ...
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Hybrid bike stolen, trying to weigh factors for how to replace
I had my 2006 Trek 3700 stolen from my apartment today. I reported it to the police and should be getting at least a small amount of money from renter's insurance. It was locked with a Kryptonite ...
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57mm or 65mm winter studded tyres for my MTB commuter?
I'm an averagely built rider weighing ~85kg living in a middle-sized town in west Germany. Up until recently the only bike I had was a 46/16 single speed on 28mm tyres. It was used for both commute ...
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Attaching rear fenders to a bike without eyelets
I'm currently commuting by bike and wanted to put a pair of permanent fenders to prepare for the coming winter weather. I ride a Jamis Allegro A2 with a rear luggage rack. I have a photo below of what ...
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Light fork recommendations?
I just built my first bike up, it's a total frankenbike and it's a lot of fun, but I'd like, just for fun, to see how light I can make it as I do mostly use it for practical commuting. The frame is a ...
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Prepping for winter riding: Hills
This isn't necessarily a gear question, as there's myriad articles & arguments over the best tires, pressure, brake pads, etc. Rather, I consider it more of a technique question.
My daily commute ...
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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? ...
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What should I consider when looking at a recumbent trike for commuting and winter riding?
AS part of my investigation on my bike replacement, I'm starting to look at a trike. I like the idea of a trike as it looks to be much more comfortable, much faster, but also much more expensive (in ...
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Options for a bigger child?
I have a 4 year old son, who's on the bigger side of the height and weight charts; he weighs 21.5kg and is 115cm tall.
He can cycle on his own–but not uphill–and only relatively short distances before ...
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What happens if sealant residues are not cleaned systematically on tubeless tires used for commuters?
Tubeless tires seem to be an interesting compromise for commuters: they offer a good level of protection for small punctures, and allow to use supple tires at lower pressure, which has comfort ...
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How to reduce the amount of dirt sticking to the frame?
The bottom bracket and the downtube of my bicycle (these parts are very wide on E-bike, to accommodate the battery and the engine) get dirty much faster than the rest of the frame and, unlike tires, ...
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Which of 1x10 or 2x9 speeds is better for commute?
I currently have an old 3x7 speed quasi-all-terrain bike (a CUBE that is somewhere between a city bike and an all-terrain one). I need to get a new one and the general options are 1x10 or 2x9 shifters....
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Is laptop safe in pannier bag during commute?
Is laptop safe in pannier bag during the commute? Specifically, if I am involved in a fall or crash is my laptop going to be damaged for sure if I put it inside a pannier? I have an expensive work ...
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Suggest me some good bicycles [closed]
I do not know if my question is aligned with the rules of this community, but I have the following requirements before buying a bicycle:
Must have minimum repair needs.
Must be comfortable for both ...
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Are helmets with visor good in the rain with prescription glasses?
It becomes more and more common to find commuters bike helmets with integrated visors (the transparent "plate" in front of the eyes). Provided that the shape of the visor is compatible with ...
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Vintage MTB with Hollowtech II - FD doesn't reach outer ring
I'm using a vintage Miyata Sports runner as my backup + winter bike. Mostly for commuting (2 x 11 km/day). The original square tapered crankset finally gave up beyond fixing last week and I got a new ...
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Are there sirens/horns that are like a car horn?
I am going to start commuting on my bike, but I often use busy roads that are not cycle friendly and cyclists are not often noticed. I need a horn to be noticed. (and to vent my anger without losing ...
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Community Wiki: Which public transport 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.)
...
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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 ...
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How strong should lights be for a route partially in a city and partially outside city on a public road?
I'm commuting 3 days a week 20 km one way (40 km daily) on an e-bike in the UK. It takes around 50 minutes. Days are getting darker and I am about to buy a better light. I'm tempted to buy a 1600 ...
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Can my bike support a kickstand?
I recently purchased a 2015 Salsa Vaya 3 and am mostly using it for commuting. I can't seem to find any reliable source of information that explicitly says if I can or cannot support a kickstand. ...
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Best specifications to look for a mixed use bike
I enjoy riding on narrow trails, going on cross country and exploring the woods with my bike. But sadly, I spend most of my time on the bike commuting to my job. My question is what are the best specs ...
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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 ...
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How do I mount a light intended for a tube to a flat rack?
I have a rack like this:
This works really well for me, for the most part.
Alas, I am mounting my taillight like this:
So, in the past, I've had some PVC pipe affixed to the side of the thing. Now, ...
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Quick drying shorts
I'm looking for a pair of shorts for my commute to work. I live in a country where it rains a lot so I know I'm going to get wet so rather than getting water proof gear I'd prefer to get some quick ...
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Is it annoying to carry a backpack when riding a road bike?
I plan to buy a road bike for my daily commute but I need to carry my PC with me as a well-equipped engineer. My daily commute is around 5 km plus intermittent city tours. I afraid after some ...
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magazines/webpages about city/commuting/folding bicycles
In any shop you can find magazines about sport road or MTB, same about webpages or forums.
However, I find really difficult to find good pages about bicycles focused in daily mobility/transportation. ...
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Back-free way to carry laptop
I commute to work and have been experimenting with various ways to bring my 16" laptop along with lock and few other small things. I currently just use a standard backpack.
I'm looking for ...
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I need advice about what bike to buy for daily commuting
I have route to do daily to go to work. Could you recommend a model of bike available in France for less than 350€. My physical condition is not too bad. I am athletic. Maybe a single speed can be a ...
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Long term durability of surface coatings for frames and parts
I'm trying to determine the best coating or combination of coatings for bicycles that I'm refurbishing. Along with other elements of making these bikes weatherproof (full chaincases, fenders, water ...
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How much of a difference will I notice going from a Mountain bike to a road bike?
I have a Mountain bike with 1.95 tyres on it. Most of the cycle path I take into work is fairly well paved/asphalted, I'm not going over any dirt tracks or anything like that although there is the odd ...
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A bike-share system's website told me: "The subscriber is valid but the account is disabled." Why? (It turns out that my credit card had expired.)
I'm a member of Bike Share Toronto. This is one of various bicycle-sharing systems in various countries which use PBSC Urban Solutions as their technology provider.
I went to the Bike Share Toronto ...
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Is there an app that lets me mark points of interest while I'm cycling? [closed]
I have a phone with wifi only. Nevertheless, GPS tracking still works in apps like Wahoo Fitness so long as my location is turned on: as useful as it is creepy.
When I'm out cycling, I'll notice yard ...
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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 ...
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How many effective gears do I have on a 21 speed bike?
I have a 21 speed bike (a hybrid commuting bike). But AFAIK, this does not mean that I have 21 different gear ratios. Is there any way to calculate the different gear ratios?
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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 ...
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I have trouble lifting my right arm to indicate whilst cycling. Any tips to improve my balance so I don’t feel super wobbly?
I use my bike mainly for my commute to the station, but there are quite a few roundabout with sharp right turns and I find it almost impossible to lift my right arm to indicate my direction, whenever ...
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What are the minimum requirements to commute comfortably through the winter?
What needs to change on my bike? I have an 80's Schwinn Traveler single speed conversion.
What needs to change with my clothing? I just wear regular street clothes now.
I'm looking for the minimum ...
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How to transport bulky things on a bike
I am a hobby musician and would like to transport my instruments on my bike because there are just a few parking lots and it is too far to walk.
Is there a good and safe way to carry a trombone, ...
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Transporting a bulky instrument case on a bike [duplicate]
I've been considering trying out riding to school on my bike. Only problem is that I play French Horn in band, which would makes the logistics of it difficult. Is there a way that I could strap it ...
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Adhesive light mount
I would like to attach a rear light to a hard plastic carrier on the back of my bike. No place to hook or tie. Is there an adhesive mount available to attach the light to?
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Anyone have trouble with sharp turns on the townie? [closed]
Anyone have trouble with sharp turns on the townie? Twice I’ve lost control when making a sharp turn. The bike seems to just collapse, or pull out from under me. The others I ride with don’t seem to ...
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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 ...
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Any tips for aligning fenders?
I recently bought a used trekking bike (Focus) to commute to work in Berlin.
It's a great bike, and now that the weather is a little wetter I'm finding that the fenders it came with aren't quite ...
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Can e-bikes speed up my commute? Which class?
I have a daily 15 mile commute (1-way) which takes me approximately 1hr 15 min each way if I bike (taking into account traffic signals and so on). The route is all surface roads, with some mild hills. ...
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Effect of helmets and other impressions of the bike rider on driver behaviour?
Are there any studies on the effect of helmets and/or other impressions of the bike rider, on driver behaviour?
Has anyone collected their own data on things like this?
Has anyone noticed any other ...
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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 ...
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