Commuting/Daily Cycling Gear

GWC Community GWC Fitness Club
#1

So my local municipalities are finally close to punching through the final 1.2 miles of safe cycling trail so I can bike directly from my house to work and back SAFELY. I’ll say that again, SAFELY. It has largely been a rails to trails sort of program and it is far from a direct route from point A to point B but it is a dedicated recreation trail. The trail is set to open on May 17th but I suspect it will be done earlier. I have already begun road/trail training in preparation for the daily commute. One way the ride will be no longer than 15 miles, and more like the 12-14 range. Part of the reason that I do not know is that the new trail will be a significant short cut over a parallel path that could not connect due to a river.

To start this year off I have a 2009 Giant Cypress Hybrid or a 27 year old Schwinn Le Tour De Luxe (I believe it is a 1985 model). Surprisingly the Schwinn is in outstanding shape. I’ve used it to bike around the north shore of Lake Superior, up the Erie cannal trail out of DC, around the mountains in Colorado and around Minneapolis/St Paul. It has served me well and despite it’s heavy weight and thousands of miles logged on it I will happily continue using it until I can afford a bottom-of-hte-line road commuting bike. Unfortunately getting a new bike is probably out of the question this year unless the DoD furloughs do not actually happen. Both of my existing bikes have a rear platform. I have a good helmet, 1 pair of bike shorts and 2 pairs of short sleave biking shirts. I also have decent full finger tipped cold weather padded gloves. A few years ago I was doing 50 milers but due to a knee injury I have been unable to return to that level of training.

I was just looking around at new fingerless padded gloves and realized I have no idea what I’m talking about with modern cycling gear. I’m hoping that GWC cycling enthusists could make some starting recommendations. I have many mom and pop cycling stores nearby. There is also a local 3 store chain (K & G) and a major chain known as Performance Bicycle. I also do not fear the online shopping method either.

Any recommendations you may have would be most welcome. I’ve come to find that GWC is a great place for a variety of shopping advice on just about any topic. I do not create this thread lightly since I know someone will be able to help out.

Thanks in advance!

~Shooter

#2

Honestly, gloves have stayed pretty straighforward since you rode before. Just find some that are in your price range, and comfortable. Everyone will have different preferences, so you just find a set that feel good and work for you.
Have you commuted to work in the past? Or is this a totally new experience for you? I ride to work a lot, and in any weather, so I can give you a lot of (hopefully good) advice, but I don’t want to repeat anything you already know.

I’ll recommend not shopping online for your cycling gear. Check out all the bike shops, and pick one where the peeps are knowledgeable and courteous. Sure, you’ll save some bucks by shopping online, but it’s the expert advice and customer service that is worth the extra money. Some shops are better than others, (and some can be bad) so check them all out. Another thing you could be getting from a local bike shop is the advocacy side that you don’t see. A lot of these projects don’t happen without someone in the bike community pushing for it, and a lot of shops are really good about putting back into the community.

If you have a Performance retail location in town, go ahead and count that as a local shop, because they have a staff to help you. When it comes to their Performance branded clothing, although my experience is limited, I’ve found that it doesn’t last quite as long as some others. It’s typically a fair amount cheaper though, so it evens out. They sell Pearl Izumi also, which is pretty good quality stuff. When it comes to shorts, I’ve never liked PI, but that’s just a personal fit thing, and I know lots of people who like it. (Louis Garneau shorts feel like I was born wearing them, but again, a personal preference)

#3

Edoz,

Thank you for replying! While I have ridden in the past all my riding has been recreational or exersised based in good weather only. I have never commuted before. I am open to any and all advice you care to send my way. Assume I know nothing and we’ll work from there - which isn’t far from the truth.

I’m pretty comfortable with my knowledge in the local shops. I love the staff at K&G but their selection is limited. Performance Bicycle has always given me a new/used car sales lot sort of feel. I’m not sure why. They are knowledgeable and friendly but also very pushy and immediately ask if they can help and follow me around the store. If I want help I’m not shy about it; I will come find you and ask! Plus the prices at Performance send me into sticker shock. Maybe I should just get over it and plan on spending some cash to gear up.

There are also a ton of Mom and Pop stores here. Heck, the Wright Brothers lived here and they invented flight and were Bicycle Shop owners after all! (No, for anyone reading this that might not know I am totally not kidding about that)

I’ll go in and check the gloves out this weekend. What else should I be looking for? I’ve never owned a set of bibs in my life, but I’m not against them. Are there water proof saddle bags that I should be looking at to carry my work clothes? How about lights? Tools? Etc. Anything you could offer me would be welcome right now.

Thanks in advance!

~Scott

#4

Shooter, I’ve done several long distance training rides and many multiple day rides. I have to agree with Edoz reg: his selection of shorts. It all depends on how you like the fit. I have gone through many many of them. As a matter of fact, I have a couple cases of gear in my storage bin. When I do my move, I’ll post the sizes and photos of the shirts, that I’d be happy to donate. None of them fit me anymore and were expensive. They’re not doing anyone any good just being in a box.
Ok as far as the Bibs are concerned. They quite a bit comfortable. More so then the traditional waist banded stuff. I prefer them. Of course the difference in wearing them is “accessibility.” How long are your rides and how often do you need to stop and leave the kids at the pool? If you do all that BEFORE you get going, you should be good. And the lycra stretches enough, so that #1 is easy. Once again, it’s your preference. Just trying to keep it “real” as the kids say today.

#5

Edoz and TARDISmini, thanks for all the advice so far. To date, here is what I’ve assembled:

  1. I did a test run of the bike trail yesterday. The last 1.5 miles of what I was able to traverse was all dirt/mud/gravel. It had not been paved yet nor was it connected over the last busy road. I suspect the final one-way commute will be 15-16 miles. But safe and doable.

  2. I took my bike into the shop today for a pre-season tune up. The chain needed to be replaced (It was 90% elongated) and I’m having them replace the Sigma bike computer bracket since the wire severed a year ago. While there I picked up bike lights and helmet lights.

  3. I also talked to them about “bike bags.” I learned they are called “panniers.” They referred me to a waterproof bag. One of them had some kick ass Pacific Outdoor waterproof bags and another had some kick ass Ortlieb Waterproof bags. But the store I was at (K & G) didn’t carry any waterproof panniers in stock. So I picked some Transit panniers up at Performance Bicycle.

  4. Since I will also need at least to dress in a shirt and tie at work I picked up some Eagle Claw bags like the 15 Folder, the dress shoe bag, and the bike/gym shoe bag.

  5. I will still need bike clothes like shorts, bibs, shirts and jackets.

  6. What else should I ensure I have to start out with?

~Shooter Out

#6

The Transits look like a semi copy of the Ortliebs, which is a good thing. You should also look into leaving items at work if you can. If you can stash your work shoes in your desk or somewhere, that saves you a lot of trouble. Plus, anything else you can keep at work will lighten your load and reduce the possibility of not having something you need when you get there.

Make sure to provide for anything you require to freshen up once you get to work, like a towel and deodorant. You’ll probably want to make sure you get there a bit early, as you will take 10-15 min to totally cool down and stop sweating once you get there. You don’t want to clean up only to sweat for 10 more minutes in your nice clean work clothes;)
Also, with a 15 mile commute, be prepared to eat and drink more.

As far as clothing goes, look for stuff that you can use for multiple situations. Layerable stuff, (if you’re going to ride in cold or wet weather). I won’t wear anything except bib shorts, I happily accept the added expense and restroom inconvenience in exchange for the comfort. That is a very subjective thing, though.
I’ll recommend wool clothing, the modern merino and Smartwools are great for active wear. It can be a bit spendy, but when properly cared for you have a versatile piece of clothing that will last a long time. http://us.icebreaker.com/Tech-Long-Sleeve-Half-Zip/IBF165096S,en,pd.html?start=2&cgid=mens-tops&prefn1=fabricWeight&prefv1=Midweight
I have something like this, and I have worn it most every day during the winter for a couple of years. Modern wools won’t take the stink like synthetic fabrics will, and you can wear wool base layers for literally weeks (yes, I wore a Icebreaker base layer every day on a three week bike camping trip and it didn’t smell when I got home) before they smell. It’s also the sheep’s nuts in the summer. I never would have thought wool was good for hot weather, but I wear Smartwool socks all year around and my feet are so much happier than with synthetics.
I have plenty more, but I need to go to bed and I’m probably going to stray off topic soon.

#7

This is getting pretty exciting. Due to incoming inclement weather tonight I moved my training ride today up to 5:30 this morning. It was the first time out with the helmet and frame light packages. What an amazing experience it was. Either the critters are more active close to the trail in the early morning hours or the helmet-mounted light just picked up their eyes better along the trail’s side foliage but there were a ton of companions for me to see including 2 deer that were decisively bigger than me and the bike combined. Several cats and rabbits sped along with me for a few seconds before vering off into the brush. The lights were definitely a good idea, especially the helmet light.

I’m getting a much better feel for the commute. Due to it’s longer nature of 16 miles and the fact that it is mostly/all recreational trails with only traffic merging at the start and finish I’m thinking a touring bike is the better way to go than a hybrid. At least in good weather. I’ve done the trail so far with both my hybrid and my touring bike. The touring bike, which harder on my lower back and palms, gets at least 2 mph faster average speed and cuts off at least 15-20 minutes one way.

I’m still waiting for the Transit panniers to be delivered but the Eagle Claw packing pouches that I ordered came in. I’ll definitely be using them and may pick up a couple more after I try what I have out in the pannier. I also picked up a pair of pearl shorts from Amazon. I’m excited to see how much better they may be from the generic brand I’m riding in now. I also ordered a frame pannier bag/front tube bag for my old Motorola Droid. I’ll be able to use it as a displayed GPS bike computer during the ride. I’ve been using the Droid on my training rides so far to track the ride, but it is packed away in my Transit Rack Trunk so I’m not able to see the display as I ride.

I’ll probably need at least one more pair of shorts and a couple of jersies in addition to a biking windbreaker for the summer commutes.

Now if they can only put the rest of the trail in on time.

~Shooter Out

#8

So I tried to go get new gloves at K&G but the selection was less to be desired. It took a while but I finally got to Performance Bike today and picked up a new pair of gloves. It’s a good thing I did too because on Amazon I was oogling a set of Pearl Izumi Men’s Elite Gel Gloves. HOWEVER, after trying on all the gloves in stock at Performance Bike I had to go with the Louis Garneau Pro XR-Gel Gloves. The Pearl Izumi’s weren’t going to do squat for me. I rode with the Louis Garneau gloves today and they were amazing. No hand palm numbness at all.

I also picked up a helmet mounted mirror, another shirt and a jacket on clearance.

On another side note I had picked up a pair of Pearl iZUMi Men’s Quest Cycling Shorts off of Amazon and have been using them for a week. They are amazing. I can’t wait until I can afford even better stuff!

Here are a couple of pictures of my current setups:

Touring Bike A 20130423.jpg
Touring Bike A 20130423.jpg926×694 92.2 KB

IMG_7120.jpg
IMG_7120.jpg1126×752 89.2 KB

See you on the trails!

~Shooter Out

#9

I was a little disappointed to learn that completion of the trail I intend on taking to work was moved back about 45 days. So instead of being just 3 weeks away in the middle of May it is now slated for the end of June. The announcement of the delay was made on one of the local parks’ website. I can’t say that I’m surprised since I’ve been biking up to the edge of the trail for a couple of weeks now and haven’t seen any significant movement in that entire time of further construction.

At this point I feel like this is a mixed blessing. On one hand I’d love to be commuting to work tomorrow. However, with a 16 mile one way ride ahead of me I reluctantly have to admit my legs aren’t up to it just yet. For one thing my training rides have been only 25.5 miles total, roughly 8 miles shy of the total mileage I’ll be cycling each day. For another thing I’ve only managed to train every other day for a total of 3 rides a week. That’s a far cry from riding every day in a row for 5 days each week.

In the meantime I’ll just take solace in the fact that I’ll be able to better prepare myself for the daily commute while staying as far away from injury as possible. Plus I continue to fine-tune my commuting rig as time, money and innovation allows.

~Shooter Out

#10

Keep riding, by the time the trail is done you’ll be fine:)

#11

I’ve been biking to work since December. It was actually fun during the winter months since the weather wasn’t so bad and the biking population was low. Now that the weather is nice, all the …I hate saying this but it’s true… biking creeps are back on the road. They are a pompous and vicious crowd. They’ve got the $2000 bikes and all the fancy bicycle equipment and wardrobe. I’m sorry but they’re snobs.

Anyway, Shooter asked if I could provide “riding in cold weather” advice. To be honest, I didn’t do anything special. I wore gloves and a coat. Other than that, I embraced the elements. My skin got dry and windburned so I threw on some lotion when I got home but that’s about it. I noticed the air being… how can I put this? … denser or thicker. It felt more challenging. However, I weighed more and I was less acclimated back then. So, not sure how true that is. Make sense that colder air is denser though.

Um, also, I ride in NYC. If you have a death wish, you should definitely try it some time. Every single motorist loves to cut you off, stop short, open their doors, etc. just to get a piece of you. No one gives you the right-of-way. Construction vehicles, Taxis, and Buses all park in bike lanes. The latest news is they plan to issue tickets to bicyclists that don’t obey traffic laws. The news also mentioned that they might require licenses to operate a bicycle. I find it ridiculous and another attempt to milk the taxpayer out of their money. But I digress.

Every time I ride to Manhattan, it is an adventure and a brush with Death. It’s a rush.

#12

It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted so I thought I’d give you all some updates.

I’ve shifted my training schedule to better simulate commuting. Instead of one long ride 3x’s a week equal to twice the distance of the commute I’ve been targeting a morning and an evening ride the same distance as the commute one way and then one longer ride over the weekend. This was more to give me additional free time at night than anything else, but it has given me a better handle on how my body is going to handle the 16 mile ride twice a day. By the end of the month I’ll be riding 16 miles once on my off days as well and by mid-late June when the trail is completed I’ll be riding 16 miles twice a day five times a week.

This past Saturday I took my long ride for the week. I was very pleased to see that the next section of trail was bedded down with a thick layer of pea gravel. Hopefully they will be able to pave it this week and next weekend I’ll be able to ride it for the first time. It’s an exciting time for me.

I also had the opportunity to ride with my neighbor last Tuesday after work. He took up riding a year or two ago and has quite the base over me. Plus he was riding a copy of Lance Armstrong’s 2000 Tour De France bike and I was stuck on my 1985 Schwinn Tour De Luxe, a bike configured for touring and carrying weight long distances - not speed. I quickly found out I couldn’t keep up with him. Was I discouraged? Not really. I knew my bike was inferior to his for speed and he had a significant training base over me. But it did get me thinking about if my ride was optimized as well as I could.

I’m was pretty comfortable on how my bike is configured to carry gear to and from work daily. The bike is extremely robust. For the money, it’s a clear winner for me now. Eventually I’d like to get a newer bike with disc breaks, better shifters, lighter, and specifically fit for me. But I don’t need a new bike today or even this year. However, if there was one thing I was willing to try and upgrade it was the pedals. The bike had the original cages that it came with back in 1985. I have never tried any clip pedals and quite frankly, I didn’t think I needed them.
I thought the cages provided transference of power all the way around a 360 degree peddle. But my right small toes were cramping on long rides so I thought I’d give different peddles a try. Here’s a picture of the ride with the old, original cage pedals.

I had some time Saturday morning so I stopped off at K & G. To be honest, they were less than user friendly. Their are great for bikes that are a little lower in price/quality than Performance and they know what they are talking about but their available inventory isn’t exactly plentiful. K & G’s service rates are also about 2/3’s of Performance so getting bike work done is cheaper there and I’ll probably keep going to them for that specific reason but they didn’t help me with what I wanted this time.

My next stop was Performance. Performance had their peddle inventory displayed neatly on a wall, not in a locked glass box counter. They also had a lot more available shoes to choose from. Since I was ultimately going to have to get off the bike and walk into my work building I decided to go with MTB clip ons. I chose double sided Shimano PD-M530 MTB Pedals and these Pearl Izumi X-Road Fuel II MTB Shoes.

That same afternoon I changed out the pedals using a specific pedal wrench and had put the cleats on the shoes. I took the bike out and had my longest ride of the year without problem. Monday afternoon I got back out on the trail and had my highest average speed without any problems. So the long story short those shoes and pedals dramatically increased my cycling performance and I’m glad I took to the time and spent the money to accomplish the upgrade.

~Shooter Out

#13

Juan and Chuck brought this up in Modern Geek #77 and I just got around to brining it up on YouTube today.

Check out this prototype Bike Speedometer projected to the road:

//youtu.be/Nfk1-XMASrk