Biking to work

Do you take it easy? I work 4 miles away and would like to bike to work but there is no where to shower once I get there.

I ride about 5 miles to work through London which takes about 30mins at most. My advice would be to never trust drivers. It will keep you alert and you wont get complacent. Make sure you have lights as well if you're riding at dawn or dusk or in bad weather!

You will love it though.

Ruger - if you take it easy you may not need a shower but it is a nice way to start work. My gym is near my work so i shower there.

The reflective vest is a great idea. I have one for warmer weather, when it's cooler I'll my hideously visible fluorescent green running jacket while biking. I also ride with a blinking white LED light (front) and red flashing LED in the back even during daylight hours - I want drivers not to just see me but to notice me.

Better a live dork than a dead fashionista.

I bike to work. I live in Texas, so for me it really helps that I have to be at work at 6am...plus we have showers there. If you're going to be bicycling at all in the dark/dusk/sunrise then my advice is to invest LED for the front and the back lights. Anything else will cost too much in batteries (trust me!)

I also found it very helpful to get a small bag for the front of my bike. I'm cheap, so I just put a thermal lunch bag to the front and tied a knot in the handle so it wouldn't get knocked around.. I just zip/unzip it to carry my wallet, and lunch to work. Very, very cheap hack

I use dailymile.com to track my mileage/speed/etc... very helpful for when I have a slow ride but I see that most of it was uphill, that sort of thing. It works pretty easily with my android phone.

For those that can't shower, my advice is to still give it a shot (maybe on an off-day do a trial run) if your local weather will permit it. In the summer when I first started, I was riding my bike at 4pm in the heat of the day...there was NO WAY I could go to work in an office without a shower. But in the fall, I just changed when I got to work, reapplied deoderant, and I was good to go. Flushable wipes also make for a good impromptu shower, if you're desperate

Good luck!!

Would love to be able to do this. unfortunately I work 37 miles away in very haaaiiiirrrryyyy Atlanta traffic. I pray your area has better traffic, be safe, wear reflective vests, use flashers etc, etc. Remember there are way too many idiots out there texting and talking on their cell phones, putting make up on, etc. Those are the ones who will claim they did not see you.

Always, I end up logging about 200 miles a week, 25-45 miles a day. I wear fluorescent t-shirts. My commute is 12.6 miles and It only takes me 15 minutes longer than driving. I enjoy the free workout and gas savings of at least $200 a month. I gave away my stationary bike, hated it.

My daily commute totals 46 miles 5 days a week, so I am fairly well kitted out woth spare tubes and tools

Bring or leave extra clothes at work in case you sweat real bad.
I was losing weight without trying it when i biked to work.

I don't but my husband does. Here is the advice he's given to other people:

1. Invest in a good road bike.
2. HELMET HELMET HELMET.
3. Wear a reflective vest, especially if you're riding at night.
4. Buy a light for your bike - they usually have combo sets with a front and tail light.
5. Get a bike repair kit with a portable pump, innertubes, patches, etc. Nothing sucks more than getting a flat on the way and having no way to fix it.

Hope that helps

I spent about 4 years biking to work. Between 1.5 and 2.5 mile each way. Now I'm running, but that's a different story.

I don't sweat much in the morning, so I just hav ea change of clothes. It helps that here in CA it's about 30 degrees cooler in the morning and still awfully dry.
At night, I don't care, cause I'm going home anyway.

Plan you lunches out before hand, if you don;t already.
Panniers. It might seem harder to bike at first, but it helps cut down the sweating too, by keeping your back open to the air.

I have biked to work in the past and have a couple of suggestions.

- Vest is great idea
- Have a light on the front and back and set them to flash when you ride even in the dayatime. Drivers are often just not looking for us.
- Have an extra outfit at work. Showing up and realizing you have forgotten your clothes can be a disaster!
- Plan for problems. If you get a flat can you fix it? If so carry a new tube or patch kit. If not plan on who you can call or if you can chain your bike up and catch a bus.
- Fender or a back rack. When it starts to rain I hate having water spray up at me.

Hi
I cycled to work for 15months, I worked 75 miles away from where I lived and the easiest and least stressful commute was cycling to the station, taking the train and then cycling the other end.

I cycled about 7 miles a day. I was incredibly unfit when I started, and because I knew I had no other choice than to cycle every day I bought a folding electric cycle (electric so that I wouldn't cop out in the rain, and folding so they couldn't chuck me off the train if there was no room).

If I was doing it now I would probably get a nice lightweight mountain bike with slicks (for road biking). Make sure you spend time to buy a bike which feels fun to ride.

In addition / confirmation of the other tips:
1) Helmet - not optional. I had one with a flashing light on the back and peak on the front which helped in the rain
2) Lights, front and back, I had a flashing back light
3) I had lit flourescent 'spokey dokeys' inbetween the spokes on my wheels
4) Flourescent vest
5) Trousers with flourescent strips
6) If you don't have a shower at work, wet wipes and good deodorant work as long as you haven't been really 'going for it' on the way in - save that for the way home
7) I had a couple of changes of outfits / shoes and even emergency make-up in a drawer at work
8) Get a bag for the front of your bag, great for carrying outfits, food, book, computer etc etc

I also had a 'buff' snood thing which kept my ears warm in the winter. I was still cycling when it was snowing, minus10 degrees, pitch black and even through the riots we had in the UK last summer...

Cycling is great fun, it really used to chill me out after my day at work, and even the rain was fine when you're wearing the right gear and you know how long it will take to get home. I also cycled at 6.30am and 7.15pm so the roads were reasonably quiet.

Good luck, you'll enjoy it. I miss cycling, but living in India now and its just too dangerous.

I Ride to work 3-5 days a week right now, it will be 5 days a week when the snow and Ice are gone.

The best advice I can give is;

1) Learn how to fix and tune up your own bike, practice changing tires before you need to do it on the side of a road.
2) Good Lights, a reflective vest is a good idea, but really good light will make a huge difference, both front and back.
3) If riding a mtn bike, get some slick tires for it, they are much better for commuting (and they are fine in the rain)
4) get some bike shorts, there are some types that are designed to be worn under normal workout clothes, they help a lot.

I ride on the road with traffic and not on the bike paths, I wear bright colors and have good lights, it is very rare I get a drive being aggressive towards me because I am very visible and maintain a straight line leaving room for them to pass in the same lane.

Don't run red lights, obey all traffic laws as if you were in a car and most drivers will have no problems with you on the road.

And most of all enjoy the ride!

Smart! The vest is a good idea. You can't trust drivers anywhere. People are busy and preoccupied. Wear a helmet too. I love to ride but have almost been hit a few times. Pay attention. You need to make sure they see you! Happy riding!