Questions tagged [commuter]
Riding to and from work. Other cycling primarily for transportation. Carrying stuff. Picking a bike. Related issues.
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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 ...
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11
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How much does bike price correspond with maintenance needs?
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 scenario I can choose either of two possible kinds of ...
- 12k
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4
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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 round-...
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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 ...
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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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Bike recommendation for daily commute
I am a 6ft, 172 pound being. Just moved to boston and now that the weather is better, I am looking for a bike which I can use for my daily office commute (around 3ish mile one way). I am willing to ...
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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?
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Still confused about clipless, walkable shoes and dual-purpose pedals
I've read everything at What should I look for in clipless pedals and shoes? and I'm still not sure I can have what I want. I mainly use the bike for commuting (which will be bike-train-walk) and ...
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How to ride to work without sweating?
I'm planning on commuting by bicycle to work in hot Montreal, though this question is probably relevant to anyone who bikes to work in a city with temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees ...
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Bike lights with beam cut-off to avoid dazzling drivers?
Are there any bike headlights available that have a cut-off similar to a car's low beams, designed to avoid glare for other drivers? I am using the Light in Motion Urban 400 and while it's plenty ...
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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, ...
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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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How much cheaper is cycling than driving?
How much does a rider spend, on average and totally, with the bicycle per unit-distance? And with the car per unit-distance? Are there any official or academical data?
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How to wash a bike properly? [duplicate]
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?
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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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 another ...
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48
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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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Need cycling eyewear, but fogging is a big problem
I'm commuting in temperatures ranging from -10 to -25C without windchill factored in. I have a typical pair of interchangeable lens wrap around cycling glasses. I find that they, without fail, ...
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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 ...
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Is it possible to fit a chain guard to a bike with derailleur gears?
I've been slowly going through the process of converting my old hardtail mountain bike into a commuting bike. One of the things that I'd like to do is to fit a chain guard so that I can ride the bike ...
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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 ...
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What's in a good all purpose city commuting winter tire?
How do I determine what factors lead to 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 ...
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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" ...
- 12k
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3
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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 ...
- 12k
41
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12
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How to move a bicycle by bicycle
I need to move two bicycles from work to home. The route is 5 miles long and car free. My only means of transport is to ride one of the bicycles so my question is this: What is the safest way to get ...
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Best practices for commuting with rack & panniers
I've been starting to commute by bike more (about 6 miles each way) and decided to upgrade from my cheap, old mountain bike to something more suitable. I just bought a used 2009 Kona Jake off ...
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Equipping a commuter bike for a 5 mile city commute
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 ...
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I keep breaking my road frames - why?
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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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.
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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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Hybrid electric bikes, how do they work?
I'm about to move further away from work, so my 5.5 mile commute is going up to 12 miles (24 there and back).
I'm not interested in using an elecrtic bike because I can't be bothered to pedal.. I ...
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How can I prevent cars from passing me too closely?
Recently, a driver buzzed by me, leaving just a couple of inches between my handlebars and his car. It was very scary.
In general, how can I prevent cars from passing me too closely?
Please cite ...
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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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Why are most commuting panniers designed as shoulder bags and not backpacks?
I commute to work just carrying a light laptop and/or my tablet computer, my lunch, and a few papers.
I'd prefer to use panniers rather than a backpack or messenger bag, but once I get to work, I ...
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Would a backpack or cargo rack be better for commuting? [duplicate]
Right now I use a backpack to hold all of my supplies including spare tubes, pump, patch kits, tools, my change of clothes for work, etc.
This is the backpack I use:
It's about as comfortable as a ...
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10
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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...
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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 ...
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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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5
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Prevent trouser damage when biking?
I am biking nearly every day to work and back (~ 3 km), but my trousers get damaged quite fast due to the created friction between my legs and the saddle. Which then means that I have to buy new ones ...
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How do I estimate how long it will take me to ride my commute?
How can a cyclist, new to commuting by bike and not all that experienced in riding, estimate how long a commute will take?
I have been riding for 4 days to and from work. 156km over over 4 days. I'd ...
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Will a road brake lever work with a v-brake?
I'm planning on changing my commuter handlebar to a drop handlebar. As the diameters are different, I need to know if the new brake lever will work with the existing v-brakes.
(My intention is to ...
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Wind- and water-resistent jackets
To answer the comment after this question, what should one know about wind- and water-resistent jackets?
For example, what is "Gore-Tex", is it always expensive, and is there anything else like it?
...
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Options to move the school rucksack during the trip [duplicate]
If to commute to school by bike, how is the school rucksack usually transported? I can see the following options:
Keep it on the back. It is quite heavy, gravity center will be high and in case of ...
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35km commute possible?
Currently, on every other day I commute to work which is a distance of 18km each way. I enjoy this ride but next year I may be moving to a place which will be about 35km from work. Questions:
1) ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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What is the hand gesture for "I'm sorry"?
I usually signal "turn left" and "turn right" and "pass me by, take point". However, there is one more situation that happens to me often and I do not know a widely accepted gesture to convey my ...
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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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