Bike to work?

Question

I would like to start riding my bike to work, but the roads are less than prime condition. I mean, no shoulders or bike lanes and crazy drivers. Would this still be feasible? It's only about 5 miles one way, but what sort of precautions should I take? I was also considering getting an electric bike because parts of the route are hilly, do these makes hills easier?

Answer 1

I couldn't agree more!

Answer 2

I used to ride about 8 miles to work and here's what I did:

1. Ride early in the morning - less traffic

2. Make yourself as visible as possible - blinking lights, reflective stripes or vests, headlight for the bike and a tail light.  Keep the reflective things on the spokes of the wheels, if it comes with them.

3. Follow the rules of the road!  Think of yourself as a really small car, so you have to follow all of the rules regarding traffic flow, stop lights, turn signals, etc.

4. Be predictable - if you know that the shoulder or side of the lane is bad, move into the center of your lane until you pass the dangerous part.  If it's all dangerous, keep the lane.

5. Wear a helmet!  My Dad used to race and commute by bike and I can't count the number of times his head was saved by the helmet.

6. Carry a small repair kit that has a spare tire tube, a patch kit for holes in the tube, tire wrenches to lift the tire off the rim and tube; a tire pump; spare batteries for your head/tail lights; change to make a phone call at a pay phone or to ride the bus.

7. Get a really good lock!  My bike was stolen from my office building, so you may want to think about where you park it.

You might consider driving the route you plan to take so that you can get an idea of what you'll be up against - pot holes, cars parked on the side of the street, blind spots, etc.

On a weekend you might try riding the route just to see how it feels.  Give yourself time to get used to the bike and how it handles the road.

Have fun commuting by bike.  It's really fun once you get used to it.

Answer 3

My boyfriend wants to do the same thing....you're not him are you? Hmmm....

Anyway, its a good idea to wear a helmet and bright, reflective clothing.

The electric bike would make the hills much easier. I don't know from experience, but apparently you just pedal normally to charge it and you don't put forth any extra effort when going up hills. Just keep pedaling.

Also consider the weather. If it's not too hot where you are 5 miles would be ok...if you are in shape. You should do a practice ride when you don't need to go into work to see if you could make it. Also, will you have a backup plan if it's raining when it's time to go home? I would wear clothing specifically for the ride and have water and a backpack with clothes to change into once I got to work and a rain pancho just in case ...as well as some deodorant!

You could also ride your bike to a VIA bus stop and load up your bike.

Answer 4

You might try wearing a orange safety vest, but I prefer biking on my Harley...

Answer 5

biking is a great way to get healthy and save money