I have more snot when it's really cold. It sucks when I wear a balaclava because the nose hold isn't really big enough for a snow rocket and I have to be very carefull that the offshoot doesn't dribble down.
Official commuter thread
- Thread starter LordOpie
- Start date
lovely.. quite lovely!!
i like the Pearl izumi mask for that.. it has a nose and mouth opening and they both can be pulled down below the chin for any discharge
With the money you save on gas, you can build an arsenal of gear, seriously. I figure out that I only have to bike to work for two weeks basically to pay for a new messenger bag. So that's what I plan to do, put all my gas money towards fun commuting stuff. Bigger motivator to ride.
Do you wear glasses. I have a major issue with fogging if I wear something that covers my face like that.
I do wear glasses and had the same problem until I bought this:
Outdoor research Baclava
Its worth every penny.. it tucks in nicely into your collar of the jacket and is wind proof
usually i'm at UW, not at the VA. that means my commute stops right around the 4 mile point (each way). that's about the perfect distance imo
, just short enough that i can talk myself into it even if not feeling it when i wake up.i don't have the mental stamina, not to mention the physical in all likelihood, to slog through 24 miles of hills on city streets each day.
With the weather warming up (I'm a girly-man when it comes to the cold) I'm initiating my commuting season tomorrow.
Got the old timbuk2 dusted off and packed with tools, work clothes, and the token u-lock.
Got the old timbuk2 dusted off and packed with tools, work clothes, and the token u-lock.
Thanks! It's an old Takara...I think a 64cm? I'm pretty tall at 6'4" and it seems to fit really well.
I've got some beefy tires on there just in case I decide to ride the canals for a change. I've also put on a thinner seat and eggbeaters since that photo.
I've got some beefy tires on there just in case I decide to ride the canals for a change. I've also put on a thinner seat and eggbeaters since that photo.
I should have never let her go
Oooooo, thanks for the link. I am going to need some nicer winter gear around here.
SO i picked this up from the LBS about two and a half weeks ago. LOVE IT. my commute is 7.5 miles long mostly flat with some short hills. It takes me about a half an hour to get to work. I have ridden about 250 miles so far and I have driven my car 4 times since I have gotten this beut
Rode in yesterday and today.
Broke 10 000 km on the bike. Never rebuilt the hubs, original BB, original headset...
Retarded headwind riding home last night. Some douche was tailing me and wouldn't take the lead...
In the mid 20's this AM and I forgot my balaclava. Jackass. My ears are still burning!
Broke 10 000 km on the bike. Never rebuilt the hubs, original BB, original headset...
Retarded headwind riding home last night. Some douche was tailing me and wouldn't take the lead...
In the mid 20's this AM and I forgot my balaclava. Jackass. My ears are still burning!
Will you commute right up to delivery?
good question.. Ive been asking myself that for a week now.. for emergency sake I will probably drive. its a small price to pay
78 degrees last Sat; 2 in of snow on the ground today..... didn't put my fenders back on. Doh!
So what do you have to take with you on your commute?
I am a waiter at a nicer Italian food restaurant so I have to be in nice shoes, slacks and white dress shirt with tie every shift. I have found a way to fold my pants so they don't crease and I made a deal with my manager (See: Ex cyclist.....YES!) So I can keep some clean shirts in his office. Otherwise I drive to work once a week so I can bring some nice pressed shirts with me.
So the rest of my list of crap that goes in my backpack:
Shoes
Pants
Undershirt
Tie
Apron with waitbook
Can of AXE
Tide pen
Butterfly knife (I am often riding home at 11 PM and with 100+ dollars in my bag, I am thinking of just getting a can of pepperspray because I don't want to stab anyone.)
6ft bike lock with gnar materlock pad lock (I keep my bike in a access hallway with doors that are always locked, you can never be too safe.)
Park multi tool
Tube
Pump
water bottle.
NR trailrat to keep thing lit up, but I want another light because that thing is HEAVY
I am a waiter at a nicer Italian food restaurant so I have to be in nice shoes, slacks and white dress shirt with tie every shift. I have found a way to fold my pants so they don't crease and I made a deal with my manager (See: Ex cyclist.....YES!) So I can keep some clean shirts in his office. Otherwise I drive to work once a week so I can bring some nice pressed shirts with me.
So the rest of my list of crap that goes in my backpack:
Shoes
Pants
Undershirt
Tie
Apron with waitbook
Can of AXE
Tide pen
Butterfly knife (I am often riding home at 11 PM and with 100+ dollars in my bag, I am thinking of just getting a can of pepperspray because I don't want to stab anyone.)
6ft bike lock with gnar materlock pad lock (I keep my bike in a access hallway with doors that are always locked, you can never be too safe.)
Park multi tool
Tube
Pump
water bottle.
NR trailrat to keep thing lit up, but I want another light because that thing is HEAVY
i really should ditch the heavy tools since i can always throw the bike on a bus if need be, and that would be much more pleasant than working on a bike outside in the rain. in any case, this is what lives in my commuting camelbak transalp:
old half-roll of TP. never know when it could come in handy!
4 ft cable (no lock) and a kryptonite evolution 2000, post-bic pen recall era
chain tool
plastic tire levers
700c tube
small pump
patch kit
foldable allen keys from 1.5mm through 6mm
i used to ride with a Cateye Stadium 3 HID, circa 2002? old. it died, however, and after a very brief stint with a lighter-but-still-bulky dual-LED setup i went for the really basic LED flasher. it's not going to light the road up but i absolutely hated having to disconnect an expensive light and carry in a heavy water bottle battery everywhere i went. with a $15 LED flasher i can leave it on the bike and afford to replace it if someone pinches it.
old half-roll of TP. never know when it could come in handy!
4 ft cable (no lock) and a kryptonite evolution 2000, post-bic pen recall era
chain tool
plastic tire levers
700c tube
small pump
patch kit
foldable allen keys from 1.5mm through 6mm
i used to ride with a Cateye Stadium 3 HID, circa 2002? old. it died, however, and after a very brief stint with a lighter-but-still-bulky dual-LED setup i went for the really basic LED flasher. it's not going to light the road up but i absolutely hated having to disconnect an expensive light and carry in a heavy water bottle battery everywhere i went. with a $15 LED flasher i can leave it on the bike and afford to replace it if someone pinches it.
I can't wait to post in this thread.
Only missed 1 day this month on my bus up, ride 16 miles back commute. Starting to wish it was longer.
I carry a Camelbak Mule (2 trays of cubes keeps the water cold all day)
Multitool
Riding clothes
Phone
iPod
Knife...
Triflow
I leave my tube(s), pump, etc. home as I ride a bus route home.
I carry a Camelbak Mule (2 trays of cubes keeps the water cold all day)
Multitool
Riding clothes
Phone
iPod
Knife...
Triflow
I leave my tube(s), pump, etc. home as I ride a bus route home.
I can post in this thread now that I got my commuter bike. Shame I can't actually ride it yet...
Anywho, heres my route. A few big hills that I'll hit as soon as I leave my house, but it flattens out a good bit once I hit the main roads.
Anywho, heres my route. A few big hills that I'll hit as soon as I leave my house, but it flattens out a good bit once I hit the main roads.
I carry in/on my backpack:
6ft (I think) cable lock
multi-tool
mini pump
2 small plastic levers
some zip ties
tube
deodorant
clothes (shirt, tie, pants, boxers, belt, socks)
phone, keys, wallet
On the way home, I'm normally carrying half the sh1t I was wearing in the AM.
Work shoes are kept there (black, brown, friday).
I somehow have figured a system to fold my pressed shirts so that they don't look all jacked up one I put them on...doesn't really matter that much anyways, I'm in engineering...not that frickin hard to look better than the rest of the douchbags.
I'm always along a bus route so if my bike self destructs, I can pretty much ditch it and grab the bus. Only select buses around these parts have bike racks. Oh - forgot that I carry one bus ticket as well.
6ft (I think) cable lock
multi-tool
mini pump
2 small plastic levers
some zip ties
tube
deodorant
clothes (shirt, tie, pants, boxers, belt, socks)
phone, keys, wallet
On the way home, I'm normally carrying half the sh1t I was wearing in the AM.
Work shoes are kept there (black, brown, friday).
I somehow have figured a system to fold my pressed shirts so that they don't look all jacked up one I put them on...doesn't really matter that much anyways, I'm in engineering...not that frickin hard to look better than the rest of the douchbags.
I'm always along a bus route so if my bike self destructs, I can pretty much ditch it and grab the bus. Only select buses around these parts have bike racks. Oh - forgot that I carry one bus ticket as well.
I carry:
Under Seat Pouch:
Spare Tube
Patch Kit
Tool with various allen key sizes.
$5
On the Frame:
Cheap CatEye and Blackburn front/rear lights.
Pump
Messenger Bag:
Cable Lock
Nice Shirt for Work
Lunch
Cell, Keys, etc...
Under Seat Pouch:
Spare Tube
Patch Kit
Tool with various allen key sizes.
$5
On the Frame:
Cheap CatEye and Blackburn front/rear lights.
Pump
Messenger Bag:
Cable Lock
Nice Shirt for Work
Lunch
Cell, Keys, etc...
Rode my bike to work today... 4.41 miles. Dropped the chain twice... blah. Oh well.
Felt good. A cool, crisp 48-50 degrees.
Pictures of my new ride to come soon.
Felt good. A cool, crisp 48-50 degrees.
Pictures of my new ride to come soon.
why?.
I think something is awry with the deraileur. Got it dialed in most of the way last night, but couldn't quite figure out the exact reason why I dropped it. The road I ride isn't the smoothest, but it's not terrible.
Just need some front deraileur tweaking I think.
Rode the bike to work today for the first time in 6-weeks! Due to my hand/pinkie in a cast from a mtb OTB superman impression, resulting in a shattered left pinkie, I've been off two-wheels for too long. But in the downtime, I purchased a seatpost rack and rear panniers uber-cheap and hit the road this morning.
My observations:
1) I'm really out of shape now.
2) The extra weight of the panniers over the rear wheel is strange feeling
3) Real "roadies" now ignore me. I didn't realize the panniers came with an invisibility cloak!
That is all...
My observations:
1) I'm really out of shape now.
2) The extra weight of the panniers over the rear wheel is strange feeling
3) Real "roadies" now ignore me. I didn't realize the panniers came with an invisibility cloak!
That is all...
Well...I'm into my commuting stride...however, flatted 15 min. into my ride home last night. Then...flatted 5 min. into my commute in this morning...doh. I didn't think the road grunge was that bad...I was wrong.
And, yes, I checked the inside of my tire thoroughly. Twice. Double doh.
All is well though. Commute home will be good tonight.
And, yes, I checked the inside of my tire thoroughly. Twice. Double doh.
All is well though. Commute home will be good tonight.
Gas prices are having an effect. The trains from Mineral to Downtown in the morning are packed more than ever. I missed 2 trains today because there was no room for me and my bike 
about a 20 min delay for me.
Its cool that more people are riding, but it is sad that it takes a hit to the pocket book for people to do it.
about a 20 min delay for me.Its cool that more people are riding, but it is sad that it takes a hit to the pocket book for people to do it.
If this keeps up, you might have to get a folder.Gas prices are having an effect. The trains from Mineral to Downtown in the morning are packed more than ever. I missed 2 trains today because there was no room for me and my bike
Its cool that more people are riding, but it is sad that it takes a hit to the pocket book for people to do it.
Or they need to add more train cars!
Crashed on the way home tonight .
Was riding my TT bike because my regular road Bike had a Flat this monring.
Anyway
i saw a Pace line ahead so I sprinted to catch it . well I caught up to 2who were getting dropped and since I saw that the gap was getting wider I decided to pass them and catch the main line, as I went to pass them it wason a small rise I got out ofthe saddle and started to Hammer and mid hammering the chain Snapped. and down i went , some road rash , smashed a camera in my back poket and bent my Handle bars.
Note the left side is a lot closer then the right side.
Was riding my TT bike because my regular road Bike had a Flat this monring.
Anyway
i saw a Pace line ahead so I sprinted to catch it . well I caught up to 2who were getting dropped and since I saw that the gap was getting wider I decided to pass them and catch the main line, as I went to pass them it wason a small rise I got out ofthe saddle and started to Hammer and mid hammering the chain Snapped. and down i went , some road rash , smashed a camera in my back poket and bent my Handle bars.
Note the left side is a lot closer then the right side.
That's what you get for trying to show up some roadies on the geek bike!
I think it is more not giving the "old" bike the maintance it needs , that chain is sooo shot !!!That's what you get for trying to show up some roadies on the geek bike!