First Commute to Work

Thornhill said:

Some observations garnered from my first commute to work:

-A rainy morning is probably not the best day to do such a thing for the first time.

-Fenders sure would be nice to have.

-Cheap lights eat battery power quickly (maybe the rain had something to do with it).

-Cross railroad tracks at right-angles -- that sign on Riverside Drive with the endo cyclist isn't
just for decoration.

-Railroad tracks get slick in the rain.

-A nice steady rain washes a lot of rocks and sand off the driving lane -- helpful when one
ignores the previous two items and skids to a stop on one's leg and arm.

-Always fall when there's no other traffic around.

-Plan your ride time to include a few minutes shaking off the effects of said fall.

-If you're lucky enough to have a shower available at work, hope the hot water works (or make it a
quick shower, if not).

-Remember to get the caffeine fix -before- the ride. I forgot this lesson I learned when I used to
go to the gym before work. Something about strenuous exercise without caffeine onboard leads to a
splitting headache later in the day, even if I caffeinate immediately following the exercise.

-You can't have too much reflective tape on your bike and person -- I think this was one reason
all the motorists gave me plenty of room, despite the fact they probably didn't expect to see
someone riding in that kind of weather. Or maybe they just figured hitting such a wide load would
put too big a dent in their cars ;-)

-Do this again -- fall or no fall, rain or dry, headache or not, it's still a great way to start
the day. And everyone else at work (except the other cyclists) is impressed (and thinks you're
crazy, too) that you rode a bicycle 20 miles that early in the morning.

mike

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Goodonya Mike! Keep with it. The weather just gets better this time of year (N.Hemisphere, right?).
I remember my first commutes a few years ago. Only 6 miles each way. I would stop and gag a while
about half way the first couple of weeks and walk the killer hills. Now it is all old hat. I take
the longer scenic route home, spin up any hill. If you stay with it you're going to love this
constant learning, grooving experience. Best regards, Bernie

Thornhill said:

Some observations garnered from my first commute to work:

Roflmao!

I nominate this man for Crossed Tire Levers with Water Bottle Rampant.

Kudos on a noteworthy first day. IT shall indeed get better, and feel better knowing most of us
learned the train track thing the same way, once. :-)

Think of it this way -- your learning rate is at a miximum right now.

.max

--
the part of <[email hidden]> was played by maxwell monningh 8-p

Hi Mike, Way to go! Glad to hear that your mishaps didn't discourage you from biking to work. Yup
fenders sure help not to get a stripe up your back in wet weather. For lights I would suggest LED
ones that blink rather than provide steady light - they use batteries far slower.

I remember wiping out right underneath one of those "walk bike across tracks" signs with a picture
of cyclist with a dizzy head on top of
it. 🙂 Didn't help that I didn't notice the handlebars were a bit loose.

Keep up the good work! Tanya

"Thornhill" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Some observations garnered from my first commute to work:

-A rainy morning is probably not the best day to do such a thing for the first time.

-Fenders sure would be nice to have.

-Cheap lights eat battery power quickly (maybe the rain had something to do with it).

-Cross railroad tracks at right-angles -- that sign on Riverside Drive with the endo cyclist isn't
just for decoration.

-Railroad tracks get slick in the rain.

-A nice steady rain washes a lot of rocks and sand off the driving lane -- helpful when one
ignores the previous two items and skids to a stop on one's leg and arm.

-Always fall when there's no other traffic around.

-Plan your ride time to include a few minutes shaking off the effects of said fall.

-If you're lucky enough to have a shower available at work, hope the hot water works (or make it a
quick shower, if not).

-Remember to get the caffeine fix -before- the ride. I forgot this lesson I learned when I used to
go to the gym before work. Something about strenuous exercise without caffeine onboard leads to a
splitting headache later in the day, even if I caffeinate immediately following the exercise.

-You can't have too much reflective tape on your bike and person -- I think this was one reason
all the motorists gave me plenty of room, despite the fact they probably didn't expect to see
someone riding in that kind of weather. Or maybe they just figured hitting such a wide load would
put too big a dent in their cars ;-)

-Do this again -- fall or no fall, rain or dry, headache or not, it's still a great way to start
the day. And everyone else at work (except the other cyclists) is impressed (and thinks you're
crazy, too) that you rode a bicycle 20 miles that early in the morning.

mike

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Max <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Thornhill said:

Some observations garnered from my first commute to work:

Roflmao!

I nominate this man for Crossed Tire Levers with Water Bottle Rampant.

Kudos on a noteworthy first day. IT shall indeed get better, and feel better knowing most of us
learned the train track thing the same way, once. :-)

Think of it this way -- your learning rate is at a miximum right now.

.max

:-)
here's hoping that *my* learning rate is up just from reading your post - so i won't have to
experience road rash firsthand when i start bike commuting next week! (this weekend is "route
exploration" rides!)

Max <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Thornhill said:

Some observations garnered from my first commute to work:

Roflmao!

I nominate this man for Crossed Tire Levers with Water Bottle Rampant.

surely you mean the Crossed Tire Levers with Road Rash clusters?

-Luigi

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Some observations garnered from my first commute to work: -A rainy morning is probably not the best
day to do such a thing for the first time.

If you plan ahead, not a big deal.

Quoted message said:

-Fenders sure would be nice to have.

In the rain, they are more than nice.

Quoted message said:

-Cheap lights eat battery power quickly (maybe the rain had something to do with it).

Get a rechargeable batter pack. Watch for sales on lights. You can get discontinued models for quite
a discount. That way you end up with cheap in price, not quality, lights.

Quoted message said:

-Cross railroad tracks at right-angles -- that sign on Riverside Drive with the endo cyclist isn't
just for decoration. -Railroad tracks get slick in the rain.

I hope you didn't find out the hard way.

Quoted message said:

-A nice steady rain washes a lot of rocks and sand off the driving lane -- helpful when one ignores
the previous two items and skids to a stop on one's leg and arm.

Cars always kick all the debris onto the shoulder. When there is enough debris on the shoulder, I
don't use it. I ride in the lane until the shoulder is clear again.

Quoted message said:

-Always fall when there's no other traffic around.

Then you will just end up laughing alone. 🙂

Quoted message said:

-If you're lucky enough to have a shower available at work, hope the hot water works (or make it a
quick shower, if not).

A sink, bar of soap and a wash cloth will also work.

Quoted message said:

-Remember to get the caffeine fix -before- the ride. I forgot this lesson I learned when I used to
go to the gym before work. Something about strenuous exercise without caffeine onboard leads to a
splitting headache later in the day, even if I caffeinate immediately following the exercise.

I've never experienced this. But I only get my caffeine from Coke, which is less than from coffee.

Quoted message said:

-Do this again -- fall or no fall, rain or dry, headache or not, it's still a great way to start
the day. And everyone else at work (except the other cyclists) is impressed (and thinks you're
crazy, too) that you rode a bicycle 20 miles that early in the morning.

My commute to work is relatively short, 4 miles or so, but I agree it is always worth it.
-----------------
Alex __O _-\<,_ (_)/ (_)

"Thornhill" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

-Remember to get the caffeine fix -before- the ride. I forgot this lesson I learned when I used to
go to the gym before work. Something about strenuous exercise without caffeine onboard leads to a
splitting headache later in the day, even if I caffeinate immediately following the exercise.

It's easy to caffeinate while you're riding:

"bicyclecoffeesystems.combicyclecoffeesystems.comOpen ↗"

Thornhill <[email hidden]> wrote:
: Some observations garnered from my first commute to work:
[...]

Good sotto voce - at least that's how I read it.

I've found a solution to seasonal-first-commute-subterrainean-blues: Don't stop commuting during
the off-season. Sure you risk death at the hands of auto-addicts who can't fathom bicycle commuting
in winter but it's a small price to pay.

My experience of the season has been my first off-road trail ride of the season. Sufficeth to say:
a large branch caught in the spokes, a broken spoke and a speared side wall later and I think I
have the kinks worked out.

--
'They paved paradise And put up a parking lot' -Joni Mitchell

In article <[email hidden]>, "Thornhill"

Quoted message said:

And everyone else at work (except the other cyclists) is impressed (and thinks you're crazy, too)
that you rode a bicycle 20 miles that early in the morning.

A lot of ppl would think 20 miles takes too long by bike.

But a lot of dedicated cyclists would recognize it as an opportunity.

You lucky person! :-)

I bet you've gotta set out well before the rush hour starts, and the streets are yours. That is such
a good time to ride.

cheers, Tom

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Max said:

Thornhill said:

Some observations garnered from my first commute to work:

Roflmao!

I nominate this man for Crossed Tire Levers with Water Bottle Rampant.

Kudos on a noteworthy first day. IT shall indeed get better, and feel better knowing most of us
learned the train track thing the same way, once. :-)

Think of it this way -- your learning rate is at a miximum right now.

.max

--
the part of <[email hidden]> was played by maxwell monningh 8-p

On Day One, the learning curve is steeper than the hills! Best regards, Bernie

Luigi de Guzman said:

Max <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Thornhill said:

Some observations garnered from my first commute to work:

Roflmao!

I nominate this man for Crossed Tire Levers with Water Bottle Rampant.

surely you mean the Crossed Tire Levers with Road Rash clusters?

-Luigi

You don't want to get road rash on your cluster!

Maxwell Monningh says:

Quoted message said:

Think of it this way -- your learning rate is at a miximum right now.

I suppose it was just an accidnental slip of the finger, for which Max would not want to take
responsibility. Nevertheless "miximum" is a fine word, which should be adopted into the English
language immediately, for just such sentences as Max's.

I've had "miximum" learning experiences too.

Jeremy Parker