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Be happy Bike to work.

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Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#51

Post by ikailan »

epsylon wrote: post #38

I also happen to bike to work and it's indeed a refreshing experience. For me, the hard part is on the morning where the ride is 10km of climbing only — it starts in somewhat traffic heavy streets and ends in a peaceful quiet forest. The good thing is that the evening ride requires almost no effort, and it's a real pleasure to feel the wind on the hot days. I wouldn't do it if I couldn't take a shower at work, though…

Food is so delicious after a long ride. This is true in general of strenuous exercise. You've earned it!

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#52

Post by vecinu »

aw3c2 wrote: post #14
nicholassmith wrote: post #9

Please anyone reading this don't wear headphones, you've removed one of the most useful senses for knowing where there's a potential problem. I'd love to cycle to work, the only problem is it's a 160 mile round trip, so it's not too sustainable. I've thought about cycling the journey from my house to the train station but then I've got the additional problem of dealing with a bike on a busy train (two trains really),…

I wear headphones and listen to music all the time when biking. There is absolutely no problem doing so. I watch where I am going and I can easily hear any meaningful sounds through the music. Or do you mean headphones that completely shut off the environment? That would be pure stupidity and neglect. But also something far different from just listening to music on a bike.

The problem is that the headphones are extremely close to your ear drum. Depending on the volume, you are more or less tuning out the environment completely when playing any kind of music through headphones.

Sometimes people will yell at you when they see a possible accident happening but you wouldn't be paying attention through your music. You need to hear cars accelerating quickly in case you need to get out of the way or avoid them.

There is no greater fallacy than wearing both headphones on your ears while biking. What is more important you, music or your life?

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#53

Post by ikailan »

rheide wrote: post #39
ikailan wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the benefit of not wearing a helmet when biking?

The same benefit as not wearing a seatbelt in the car. You feel more free, less restrained. I've cycled across half of Japan without a helmet and I did not feel in danger even for a single moment. Then I did one trip in Central London and vowed never to cycle without a helmet again.

Oh, okay, I can buy that. Guess I'm thinking like a city rider. I used to read a lot of bike blogs in SF and in almost every case where the biker was seriously injured, they were not wearing a helmet.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#54

Post by nswanberg »

derleth wrote: post #27

What about walking? Why the focus on biking?

Walking is a fantastic commute. It would be nice if people would structure their lives to walk. My ideal commute would be a five to ten minute walk to a nice office down a street with apartments and shops(it's currently ten feet, which has good parts and bad).

But for many people, including the author, bike commuting is the most practical for the distance covered. And for some, talking about bikes and bike gear is much more rewarding than talking about shoes.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#55

Post by donretag »

Regarding the helmet: they truly are a no-brainer. Even the cheap 30 buck ones the OP talks about must meet the minimum federal guidelines for safety (in the US). No need for a more expensive helmet, which mainly provide less weight (avoid neck strain over long rides) and better ventilation.

Helmets save lives and do not have to look dorky. But you do get a bad case of hat hair.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#56

Post by nicholassmith »

lambda wrote: post #42
nicholassmith wrote: post #9

Please anyone reading this don't wear headphones, you've removed one of the most useful senses for knowing where there's a potential problem. I'd love to cycle to work, the only problem is it's a 160 mile round trip, so it's not too sustainable. I've thought about cycling the journey from my house to the train station but then I've got the additional problem of dealing with a bike on a busy train (two trains really),…

You could get a folding bike. There are quite a variety of folding bikes these days in a wide range of sizes and price, and they are actually pretty nice bikes. For a lot of choice (cheap to expensive, big wheel and small), check out Dahon http://www.dahon.com/ , or if you want a really high-end folding bike that folds down really small, Brompton is the way to go http://www.brompton.co.uk/ . There are a few other bra…

If I had a bit of a longer journey post train it'd be a good idea, but it's under 5 minutes from the station to office. A commenter below suggested locking it up at the station I leave from (which I was a bit hesitant about) but I might try it that way.

Some of those do look pretty nice though, I remember seeing the first folding bikes and it looked like people riding clown-bikes, they've definitely stepped up the quality levels.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#57

Post by dripton »

aw3c2 wrote: post #14
nicholassmith wrote: post #9

Please anyone reading this don't wear headphones, you've removed one of the most useful senses for knowing where there's a potential problem. I'd love to cycle to work, the only problem is it's a 160 mile round trip, so it's not too sustainable. I've thought about cycling the journey from my house to the train station but then I've got the additional problem of dealing with a bike on a busy train (two trains really),…

I wear headphones and listen to music all the time when biking. There is absolutely no problem doing so. I watch where I am going and I can easily hear any meaningful sounds through the music. Or do you mean headphones that completely shut off the environment? That would be pure stupidity and neglect. But also something far different from just listening to music on a bike.

I ride to work every day. Most of my commute is on a popular bike path. I always warn people before I pass them. Every few months, someone decides to do a U-turn or a left turn, without looking, right into my path, while I'm passing them, leading to a near-collision. So far, 100% of the adults who've done this have been wearing headphones. (I've had one kid without headphones do it; I said "on your left" and she got confused and veered left into me. Now I just say "passing.")

Based on this, I think joggers and cyclists with headphones are significantly more dangerous to themselves and others than those without.

Of course, it's possible that you are different and can hear fine through your headphones, but I'm skeptical. (Just as I'm skeptical of people who claim they can drive fine while talking on the phone, or while drunk.)

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#58

Post by jhenkens »

tdfx wrote: post #20

As someone who will be commuting by bike soon, I have to ask: what do you do when it rains/snows?

Although sort of a cheap way out, my favorite solution is to drive once a week (I choose Friday) and drop off four days of work clothes. That way I don't have to bike with any bags at all, and can get as wet as I want during the ride and just shower when I get to work.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#59

Post by mesofile »

tdfx wrote: post #20

As someone who will be commuting by bike soon, I have to ask: what do you do when it rains/snows?

Get a pair of fenders -- at least a rear fender (prevents 'skunk stripe' effect) but go for a full set if you can. There are detachable ones that will fit almost any bike, but the ones that bolt on to frame mounts provide more coverage and are less likely to move out of place. Fenders are incredibly effective at keeping groundwater off of you. In my experience this is at least as important as wearing rain gear.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#60

Post by 5xz41s0P8T5N »

nicholassmith wrote: post #9

Please anyone reading this don't wear headphones, you've removed one of the most useful senses for knowing where there's a potential problem. I'd love to cycle to work, the only problem is it's a 160 mile round trip, so it's not too sustainable. I've thought about cycling the journey from my house to the train station but then I've got the additional problem of dealing with a bike on a busy train (two trains really),…

How about open headphones?
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