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One year of cycling to work

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Re: One year of cycling to work

#331

Post by rconti »

ljf wrote: post #281
ghostbrainalpha wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry for the basic question, but how do you bike for 90 minutes without being covered in sweat and needing a shower when you arrive at your destination?

I'd bet that you could walk for 90 mins even at a fast pace without getting all sweaty? If so then you can cycle for 90 mins without getting sweaty :) Seriously though, I have 2 main modes of commute cycling: 1 as fast as I can manage, which I only do when I know I can shower at either end 2 at a pretty decent pace but one where I know that I'll stay cool and dry enough to not be a sweaty mess. Depending on the temp…

I've been riding with a pannier on my back rack (instead of using a backpack) for 4 of the 6 months. I still get that "what did I forget?" feeling when I pull out onto the road. It's so amazingly freeing not having the weight tied to my back and the sweat that goes along with it.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#332

Post by v_lisivka »

dte22 wrote: post #231
nsedlet wrote: post #124

I commute about 6 miles each way between Brooklyn (home) and Manhattan (work). I've been raving about it to everyone I know because it's legitimately changed my life. It feels amazing, saves money, keeps me in much better shape, gives me more energy at work. It's slightly faster than the subway, and significantly faster than driving/cabbing at rush hour. I also love that transit time is very consistent (even relative…

If you don't mind me asking, how do you deal with the sweat? Do you shower on arrival? I would love to bike, but no showers at my current workplace :/

Shower beforehand, fresh clothes every day, sport underwear to cool efficiently (it is not visible under typical office clothes), selected clothes to ventilate _gently_ whole body, but to look like normal casual clothes, buff at face in case of cold weather, etc.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#333

Post by dkarl »

ghostbrainalpha wrote: post #274
rconti wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The consistency is a vastly underrated quality of bike commuting. One amazing thing I've found is I'm more likely to do social events after work, even ones that are a great distance, if I don't have to worry about traffic. For example, sometimes after I work I bicycle 90 minutes to San Jose and don't think twice about it. If I had my car it would PROBABLY take 45 minutes, but I honestly have no idea. Or I could go ho…

Sorry for the basic question, but how do you bike for 90 minutes without being covered in sweat and needing a shower when you arrive at your destination?

It's a good question. In my climate, eight months out of the year it's impossible to ride for more than twenty minutes without getting sweaty, but I find that most days don't need a full shower to freshen up. Just take a washcloth with you, get it wet, and do a once-over when you change clothes. Re-apply deodorant and you're fine. There are still a lot of days (almost every day in the height of summer) where it's so hot that just being outside is enough to make you sweat, and after any significant time on the bike, you will continue sweating bullets even in the frigid office air conditioning while your body cools down. In that case, arrive a little early, work at your desk until you stop sweating, and then go wipe off and change. You won't smell bad while the sweat is fresh (as long as your bike clothes don't accumulate a vile odor — be careful about this.) Cleaning off before you stop sweating is a mistake.

Alcohol-based wet wipes are the nuclear option if you still have odor issues. Obviously they're not very green to use every day, but having some on hand can give you peace of mind if you're afraid you might unexpectedly need to go face-to-face with upper management or a customer.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#334

Post by rconti »

kurthr wrote: post #82
monaghanboy wrote: post #76

I bike everyday to work in the South Bay, Silicon Valley area. Everyone I talk to here can't imagine life without a car, but I haven't had any issues; lots of bike paths here, and all groceries and the gym are just minutes away. Sometimes when it rains I carpool, and I see how annoyed and irate most drivers get when commuting. So I don't regret not owning a car. The downside is not being easily able to take day trips…

Which freeways do you cross under/over? How do you do it safely? I'd happily ride on trails or small streets (and have) , but most of the regular commute riders I know do ~30mi rt a day... most of them doing it more than 5 yearrs have been in an injury accident. Maybe cyclists talk about accidents more than divers, but the percentage certainly seems higher.

There are multiple bike bridges/undercrossings across 237. 101 has bike bridges just south of 237, another in Palo Alto (which I use every day), and another up between Willow and Marsh roads in Menlo Park, then another in Belmont. There's also a 101 undercrossing that is seasonal, just south of the bike bridge in Palo Alto.

Those are just the areas I know.

It is truly an amazing place to ride. Generally flat, very nice weather. Even in the rain I don't mind the ride, but I have to wear waterproof shoes, and I bought waterproof pants and a jacket.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#335

Post by JoeAltmaier »

edejong wrote: post #320
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The classic bike/head injury is riding into a crack (or grating) that grabs the front tire and stops the bike, hurling the rider over the handlebars and hammering them headfirst into the ground.

Been there, done that. Catch yourself on your hands/elbows. If you can’t, then perhaps you should go slower over such terrain. We dutchies coast on average around 20 km/h (12.5 mph). Anyone going above 30 is deemed “racing bicyclist” and they usually do wear helmets. They are a class on their own and are often hated by car drivers, since they think they have the road for themselves.

So that's the difference. Anybody commuting in America is going as fast as practicable, and owns a road bike. Cruising is more like 32km/h(20mph). Since the average distance from home to work can be many miles, speed is paramount.

Also, any terrain in the US is 'such terrain'. There's little or no accommodation for bikes, and the roads (for cars) consider cracks of 1 inch or so as negligible. Also gratings by curbs (where bikes are expected to ride) often have slots of that size. There's a public-education effort to get gratings turned at right angles to traffic, but most traffic departments are disdainful of bikes.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#336

Post by u801e »

troncjb wrote: post #144
sandover wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds like you're not informed. https://www.vox.com/2014/5/16/5720762/stop-forcing-people-to...

> Helmet proponents are right about one thing: If you're in a serious accident, then wearing a helmet makes the odds of a head injury significantly lower — by somewhere between 15 and 40 percent. (This is why ER doctors and brain surgeons are so pro-helmet — they've seen firsthand what happens in helmet-less accidents.) So this is why most of us wear a helmet. The logic is not "so few people get in accidents that if…

> (This is why ER doctors and brain surgeons are so pro-helmet — they've seen firsthand what happens in helmet-less accidents.)

Except for the fact that the CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) impact testing standards for bicycle helmets only test for impacts for a guided free fall drop from a height of 6.5 feet. That's the equivalent of someone falling over while doing a track-stand on the bicycle.

If you're going 25 mph and hit the ground, the helmet won't protect from an impact it wasn't designed or tested for.

The second problem is that helmets won't protect you from forces that lead to concussive type injuries.

If you really want adequate head protection, then you need to wear a motorcycle helmet.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#337

Post by inopinatus »

s73v3r_ wrote: post #269
inopinatus wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That assertion is incorrect. There are reasons. Reasons that you and I might find vain or foolhardy, but reasons nevertheless.

Maybe in the sense that there are reasons to shoot yourself in the dick, but I don't think anyone would take those as being a reasonable argument.

If that comparison was apt, we wouldn't see so many people out riding sans protection.

But we do, and it's because they have a share bike that didn't come with a helmet, or they were worried about messing up their hair, or they lost their helmet, or they left it at the destination, or they're a rebellious teenager who just doesn't care, or no-one educated them about the risks, or they just forgot to put it on.

A better comparison would be to flossing your teeth, or wearing sunscreen: everyone should do it, but not everyone will do it.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#338

Post by rconti »

TulliusCicero wrote: post #20
jordache wrote: post #7

that short of a commute? that's a no brainer for cycling to work.

Most people in the states with that short of a commute probably still drive, and I don't blame them (because biking in most American cities is absolutely awful).

To me it's like voting. I guess I could complain about why it doesn't do any good and justify not doing it.

Or I could just do it, and others see and hear your experiences, and are more likely to do it themselves/consider it 'normal'.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#339

Post by u801e »

gerbilly wrote: post #328
u801e wrote: post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But following the rules makes you predictable in terms of what actions you're going to take and makes it easier for other road users to interact with you in a predictable manner.

I don't ride erratically because it freaks people and it's impolite. It depends how many people are around, and on the entire situation. I've had sketchy situations when stopping at stop signs. The drivers in my area don't expect cyclists to stop at stop signs, since most don't. So in that case following the rules made me more unpredictable, and confused everyone involved.

I think the main problem is that we have traffic control devices that most people don't follow. For example, stop signs at roadways where yield signs would suffice. Traffic lights which don't switch to blinking mode when traffic volumes are low.

But there are situations where not following the rules makes things more dangerous for those involved. For example, a driver stopping to allow someone to make a left turn in front of them. That can be seen as a courteous gesture, but the car the next lane over that doesn't stop ends up broadsiding the vehicle making the left turn. In this case, just following the rules of the road would have prevented a crash like that.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#340

Post by neves »

nytesky wrote: post #102
neves wrote: post #49

Great route! Maybe it isn't necessary in temperate climates, but the most important point is that he has showers at work. In tropical countries it is a must. If more workplaces had showers a lot more people would cycle to work.

I find that packing my clothes to change, toiletries, and then unpacking and trying to shower and change in the shared shower at work to be very time-consuming, and cuts I find that packing my clothes to change, toiletries, and then unpacking and trying to shower and change and we shared shower that were to be very time-consuming. Do you consider the time in the office while showering and changing as part of your wor…

It is a necessity if you live in a warm country. I wouldn't like to do pair programming with you if you didn't shower after cycling for 10 miles :-)
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