Successfully commuting to work
With the price of fuel and the state of the environment at the forefront of our thinking these days, I thought it would be a good chance to pass on some tips and hints for riding to work on a daily basis. I have been commuting to work for the last five years and in the last three years I have also been doing the weekly shopping, with the aid of my bike.
First of all, the practicalities. I think it is vitally important to be a member of your state bicycle organisation ie: Bicycle Victoria, Bicycle NSW etc; the benefits are numerous including access to maps, ideas about quiet routes to use, insurance and of course in doing so you are supporting cycling advocacy.
Bike preparation
Bike lights are essential if you are leaving home early or leaving work
late; I always carry a headlight in my bag just in case I get caught out at
night and my bike always has tail lights attached. My motto with lighting
is 'more is better'. I always have two tail lights on my bike, one
headlight and two of those tiny lights on my helmet; one red and one white
both flashing as well as a light on the trailer. Remember to check the
batteries regularly.
High visibility vests are a good idea as they make you more visible to
motorists. Carry a spare tube, pump, tyre levers (check this as some tyres
don't need them, you can roll them of by hand) and disposable gloves (keeps
the hands clean), a lock and of course a well maintained bike.
Clothing
This depends on a few things, the type of work you do and the facilities
(showers, sockets for hairdryer etc) available at work. I have a shopping
bike as well as a road bike. My shopping bike has two baskets, one front
and one rear. The front basket is for my bag and the rear basket carries
almost everything else! I usually have a weeks worth of clothes at work. I
take all of the clothes I am going to need for work, to work on Monday and
home of a Friday. I don't deal with the public so my wardrobe at work
consists of casual clothes.
Planning is essential. I've only had to go to the shop and buy nickers
once! When it's not quite so cold in the mornings I often ride in the
clothes that I work in. Always keep an eye on the weather and carry wet
weather gear if needed.
Riding technique 101
Always be predictable. Never ride in the gutter as drivers will always try and squeeze past! Never use gears that are to big ie: if you are cranking a gear that is too big you will be weaving around too much, spinning is much easier on the body. Most bikes have at least 21 gears so use them.
Know the road rules and obey them. Common sense is usually the best option. If a road you want to travel on experiences heavy traffic, in most cases you can find a route that is much more suitable, much more enjoyable and probably safer.
Shopping
Buy a trailer! I did a few years ago and it is just the best thing for
carting your groceries. I do our weekly shopping usually on the way home
from work (actually I seem to spend my life food shopping). The benefits of
shopping with a bike are endless - you can park and lock your bike right
outside the door of the supermarket, you get a great workout lugging it all
home (I live on top of a hill) and drivers give you more room on the road
when they see a trailer with a red flag!
The man in the fruit shop often gives me free bananas calling them
travellers, saying "here's some travellers Pip!".
Finally
I have found that riding to work is the marvellous. It keeps you fit, you feel better when you are at work, it's more economical than driving and parking is free. It sounds like a lot of work but it is worth it...and it really makes my colleagues cranky when I spend my day eating! Even my partner, who is almost a non-cyclist rode to work last week, which really impressed me as it was a night shift!
Cya!
Pip