mrsteve

4 posts

Bike to Work Month: Gear up!

Welcome to Part 2 of my BIKE TO WORK series!

No matter what you do, it is important to have the right gear. However, a trip to the bike shop can be intimidating. Luckily, there are some very basic things that every cyclist needs to get started.

The Essentials

Get a Bicycle

For real. You need it. I started out by borrowing my brother’s bike. It was an old salvage job that sat out in the weather for a while. It was really hard to ride and always had some kind of problem. However, with a $0 investment fee, it was perfect for starting out.

But eventually you will need to put your money where you mouth is (or the seat of your pants are…) and buy yourself some real gear. Since the bicycle is going to be your most expensive investment, it’s important to make an informed decision. There are several factors that you should consider, like:

  • Is this for commuting, exercise, pleasure or some combination?
  • How much bike maintenance are you comfortable doing? 
  • How portable does your bicycle need to be?
  • Brand
Here’s how I answered these questions:

What’s it for?

I decided I needed to buy a bike that was primarily for commuting. Sure, I’ll use it to ride for pleasure, but I do not use it as an exercise bike per se. That cuts out those touring and mountain style bikes. I wanted something stable and simple.

Also, I wanted fenders. Without them, I’d be wearing the road on my legs. Dirt, mud, water–everything would be liable to splash up on me. I needed fenders on my bike. Either they needed to come with it or be installed after the fact.

Maintenance

I wanted something I could easily maintain. Here’s a general rule of thumb: The more moving parts, the tougher it will be to maintain. I chose a single-speed bike with a single brake lever. There’s only one gear to worry about and no derailleur. This means the gears, the chain, the tires, the tube,… everything is easier to take care of right off the bat. 
That’s not to say everything worked out perfectly with no hitch. I found ways to make things complicated. But, could you imagine if I had bought a bike with more parts?

Portability

I wanted something super portable. It had to be lightweight so I could carry it up stairs if needed (done that). I wanted to be able to load it in the SUV if my wife came to pick me up (done that). So I settled on a folding bike.
Yes, folding. I can fold the handlebars down to the front wheel, fold the front wheel back to the rear wheel and slide the seat all the way down. After that, I can take the bike into my office or slide it in into the back of my SUV. Pretty cool!

Brand

Like the car you choose to deliver you safely across town, the bicycle brand you pick is pretty important. I found that Dahon is one of the leading manufacturers of folding bikes. So I chose the Dahon Boardwalk for my ride. It looks a little funny, but I enjoy the aesthetics and it suits my needs.
Remember that guy who is the dad of the Penn-State cyclist? He approved of the purchase.

A Helmet

No, persons over the age of 16 technically are not required to wear a helmet. But they should. I have had several close calls over the year (too many to count) and I have been hit once by a car (she said she didn’t even look my way). So here are my safety rules. I only have two.
  1. Always wear your helmet.
  2. Always assume they didn’t even look your way.

A Bag

I recently purchased a pannier bag. They are basically saddlebags that go on your bicycle’s carrying rack. I haven’t developed an opinion yet, but I can tell you that I arrived at work with less sweat on my back.
However, when I started I bought a simple Adidas backpack. It was waterproof, had discrete compartments for stuff, and was highly reflective. It served me very well until some low hanging branches ripped it to shreds.
You’ll want a bag that can hold your work clothes, lunch and technology. I like my Adidas bag because it has two straps that snap across the front for extra security. It also has a separate compartment originally designated for shoes that I use for my riding clothes.
That’s really all you need to get started. There’s other gear you might consider as you continue.

Other Gear (Technology, mostly)

Fitness Watch

I like to track my rides in Garmin. I have a Garmin Vivoactive watch that works great for running, walking and cycling. It also has functions for swimming and golfing, but I do not do those sports enough to really have a good opinion on its performance in those areas.
It’s good to know how long it takes you to commute back and forth. You can also analyze the map to see if there might be a more efficient route. Remember, cycling to work is a commute and efficiency is critical. You can also how your fitness level improves.

Relive.cc

Speaking of maps, relive.cc is a really good application that plugs into Garmin devices (Strava too, I think). When you finish a ride, relive.cc creates a map and displays your ride in a video. It’s really cool and fun, especially when you know you went fast.
Here’s a Relive.cc video from our trip to Shark Valley.

IFTTT – Location

I use IFTTT on my phone to share my location with my wife. IFTTT sends a notification to a GroupMe channel whenever I:
  • Leave work
  • Arrive at work
  • Arrive at home
Yes, it will trigger whenever I pass by work or home in a car. But judging by the time and day, Erin can know if I safely made it or not. She can also check on me if it gets late and I haven’t made it home yet.

About Water and Exertion

I didn’t say anything about water. Since I only ride five miles to work and it usually takes less than half an hour I do not hydrate on the road. However, I usually drink a glass before going out and as soon as I arrive at work I fill a water bottle and get to drinking. I also have protein powder at work in case I need a snack for recovery.
I also (as mentioned) do not push myself when riding to work. I keep a comfortable pace so I do not sweat so profusely as I would if I were pushing my body to the limits. This is also for safety reasons.
  1. I go slower so I can observe and react.
  2. I go slower so I can have another gear to kick myself into should I need to get out of the way fast.

*This post does contain affiliate links, it costs nothing extra to you but does give a small percentage to help keep StorybookErin.com going. We thank you for your support!* 

Bike to Work Month: Why I started

Since the month of May is Bike to Work Month, and since I bike to work every single day, Erin asked me to write a few blog posts about my experience. I plan to write on several topics, including:

  • Gear
  • Safety
  • Health
  • The environment 
  • Finances

But I’ll start this off by telling you how I started. So here goes!

Why I Started

So I started commuting to work via bicycle almost exactly a year ago. No, it wasn’t directly in response to B2WM, I actually had several motivations for biking to work. All listed above. Thoughts of committing to this mode of transportation were already fermenting in my mind for several months. Erin and I had even talked about it on several occasions.
Since I know my wife so well, I knew she thought I was nuts. 
Why would I do such a thing? It’s hot in Florida (We were in Southwest Florida for most of these discussions. News flash: it’s as hot there as it is in Southeast Florida.) Also, we didn’t have a reliable bicycle. And we lived pretty far from my job. And it was dangerous. And…
Lesson Learned: If you listen to all the reasons why you shouldn’t do something, you’ll never do anything. 

I Got A New Job

I snagged a sweet gig at Florida International University on the faculty as librarian. It is a completely different lifestyle from that of a public librarian. That change of occupation was just the occasion I needed to push me to make a change in my transportation. In other words: New job, new me. 
I made the decision to buy a bike and ride to work. It made an immediate impact in my routine. We were blessed to be able to stay with my parents while we looked for a home. They live about 3 miles from the university. However, this one decision affects:
  1. Where we choose to live
  2. When I get up in the morning
  3. When I have to leave the house
  4. When I need to leave work to come home (before rush hour)
  5. What I wear to work
  6. What I eat for lunch (I can’t really go out without a ride)

Developing A New Ethos

As a result of this decision, I now have a new element to my work ethos. That is, my decisions at work are directly affected by my decision to bike to work. This should not be surprising or radical. My work ethos used to be driven (pun, get it?) by my decision to commute by automobile to work. People who take public transportation are affected similarly by their commute as well. 
It was frustrating to drive to work. As always, some days were worse than others. But a typical day included some shouting and trouble with others on the road. Likewise, cycling to work can be frustrating too. More situations can involve life-or-death decisions. I have yelled at idiots on occasion. But there’s something about getting to your destination using your own muscle power that helps with stress management. 
It’s also a conversation starter at work. When people hear that you bike to work they have tons of questions about your experiences. At this point, I can’t imagine what colleagues would ask about my Kia… 

So it starts

So I began biking to work. I had a free month parking pass, so I biked about 70% of the time and drove the rest of the time. This helped me ease into the routine. 
I borrowed my brother’s old mountain bike while I decided which bicycle to purchase. It was a rusty, rough ride, but it got me from A to B and back again, so I made the best of it. I didn’t know much about bike maintenance then, I probably could have fixed it up a bit…
May is a tough time to start biking to work in South Florida. It’s hot already. Then comes June and summer. Heat. Humidity. Afternoon thunderstorms. If you can bike to work in summer, you can do it all year long. 
So I did. 

A Few Tips

Beginner Tip #1: Take it easy

So you’re interested in cycling to work, eh? Slow down! Don’t buy anything yet. Don’t sell the car. Don’t dive in prematurely. I did a lot of research before starting. I read a lot. I carefully planned my steps. 

Beginner Tip #2: Talk it out

I have a friend who is a competitive cyclist (he cycled at Penn State). So I talked to his dad about my plans. (Remember, the boy trains while the father finances and observes.) He gave me a lot of useful, valuable advice mingled with tons of encouragement. Find someone knowledgeable who will both advise you and encourage you. They will help a lot. Especially when you see them 3 months later and they ask if you’re still cycling to work. 

Beginner Tip #3: Try it first 

Try your best to invest as little as possible at first. Use an old bike or borrow one for the first month. Wear an old backpack. The only thing I recommend buying outright is a new helmet. Then you can reward yourself with a new bike after sticking to it for a month. By the time the new gear novelty wears, cycling will become part of the routine. Remember also that used equipment will likely perform worse than new stuff. So if you can do it with borrowed stuff, things will only get easier with new toys. 

Beginner Tip #4: Take extra care

Assume the drivers don’t see you. Assume the pedestrians don’t see you. In fact, assume they didn’t even think to look your way. (That is a paraphrase from that time I found myself on the hood of someone’s car.) Remember that you are very vulnerable on that bicycle and behave accordingly. 

Beginner Tip #5: Read more stuff

I’ll write a few more articles for StorybookErin this month explaining different aspects of biking to work. There are many benefits to enjoy along with a few pitfalls to manage. Read up and ask me questions on Twitter: @cjmnz8

My Pixar Rankings!

Father’s Day Weekend 2015, my husband and I went on a double date with some friends and saw Inside Out.  It was so wonderful to get away for a few hours with some friends, but obviously it got the conversation going. You know… what  is the BEST Pixar movie ever?!?!

My husband read several lists, and rankings, and tweets, etc, etc, etc… I will be honest, I didn’t read any – I just let him tell me all about them. After a few weeks of conversing about our favorite pixar movies, my husband decided that we couldn’t properly rate the Pixar Movies because we hadn’t seen A Bugs Life since it came out in the 90’s.

So naturally – we ordered it off Amazon.

Sunday afternoon we watched it, and then my husband went to work on his rating scale.

His scale had four categories:
1. The Story
2. The Characters
3. The Feels
4. The Originality

So here we go, my Pixar Ranking!

I was surprised, that Toy Story 3, Up & Inside out were all tied for my top Pixar movie because I love them for different reasons. But, there you have it!

If you are interested in taking the survey my husband designed I’ve linked it below!
Create your own user feedback survey