Be happy Bike to work. | Hacker News Reader

Be happy Bike to work.

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94 pointsl33t_d0nut135 comments

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), storing it at the office (small elevator) so I keep getting the bus. If I ever work closer to home I think I will, everyone I know that does is in much better shape than me and generally a bit more awake at 9am.

I wonder if the people who say to not do this have ever actually worn headphones while riding? I used to wear headphone on my commute but just found them uncomfortable so I stopped after a few weeks.

I very rarely ride on MUPs (Multiple Use Pathways - jogging trails) so I'm riding in the street with vehicles. When I'm not climbing all I hear is wind noise, and the sound of cars behind me. There is absolutely nothing that my sense of sound has done for me to keep me any safer. I can't tell which lane a car is in, or how close they are until I can see it. Headphone will at least cut down some of the wind noise, and in areas that have less tolerant people yelling out the window you may not hear them as easily - both increasing safety and enjoyment.

If you're really concerned about safety use a rear view mirror.

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 brands as well, like Bike Friday http://www.bikefriday.com/.

My father commutes to work by bike, but he's moving overseas for a year, and will be living too far from the office to bike the whole way. He just bought a Brompton for just that purpose; he can ride it to the train station, fold it up, take it on the train, then unfold and ride to work.

Here's the video that really sold me on folding bikes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LndpgmPLW-0

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.

I don't know what your station is like but my wife and lots of others do this from Bristol to London (~235 mile round trip by road).

http://goo.gl/xscqD - image search for Bristol Temple Meads bike rack

Fortunately my trip between uni/childminder/home is quite short so I'm going to try running it when term starts again.

At first glance I thought you meant you cycled from Bristol to London, which would be quite impressive if you did every working day of the year.

I live in Middlesbrough so it's much smaller, the two concerns are a longish cycle home after an hour commute and the bike going walkies.

One of the nice things about the Brompton is that you can partially unfold it (just raise the handlebars), and roll it along behind you like a cart. So if the train->office trip is too short to bother unfolding it, riding it, and folding it up again (though those are really quick, they take about 15 or 20 seconds), you could just raise the handlebars back up and walk it up to your office.

Watch the video I linked to, or skip to the last 5 minutes or so; that's a Brompton (slightly modified, the seat and seat tube usually stay attached), and you can see how quick and easy it is to unfold the bike and ride off.

I commute through downtown Seattle every day & wear headphones. It's not very evident when you're in a car, but the wind in your ears is very loud. Loud enough that you can't use your ears to hear the cars behind as they approach. I've found a mirror to be a much more effective way to be aware of approaching traffic from behind.

The headphones I wear are not just some ear-buds -- they are seated in my ear & block out most ambient noise. I wear them to preserve my hearing.

Personally, I enjoy my rides more not having the sound of thundering traffic rolling past over the roar of wind rushing past my ears. I'm quite aware of the traffic around; I can still hear them as much as I would if I didn't have the headphones in. But it's much less intimidating (not to mention the music makes things even more enjoyable).

My experience is the opposite...hearing is so useful that I typically don't run the radio in my car and I like to drive with the windows cracked. I can often tell if another car is in my blind spot just by hearing it. I find this actually gets easier the faster I'm going.

I think it depends on personal experience. I had a car without a radio for years (stolen, too expensive to replace), so I got used to hearing the traffic around me. For the short period of time I bike commuted this translated really well. But if you're not used to using your hearing that way I can see how it would seem useless.

I ride with a single headphone on the curb-side ear. I can causally listen to pod casts, etc...and still keep all my senses of anything around me. Then again, I know plenty of drivers who shouldn't listen to things while driving because it's distracting for them. Keep sharp and pay attention. I commute about 40 miles/day. The bigger danger than not wearing headphones is those hybrid cars sneaking up on you, or a bunch of others....like day dreaming and hashing out answers to problems you're working out at work.

In the UK as far as I'm aware you're not allowed to wear headphones whilst driving a car as you lose a sense. I think the single ear phone thing is a sensible idea, and you're right inattention is the bigger risk but that's a bit more tricky to change than no headphones.

I was about to comment on the same thing. Please do not wear headphones. The consequences are major harm from an accident with much larger vehicle is great. Not worth it.

For music, I use an open-mesh-top stem bag and an all-in-one-mp3-player-speaker or just my smartphone. I can barely hear when biking fast (I commute with a road bike and haul ass), but it's just perfect for big climbs when you need a bit more motivation.

Here is what I use: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-and-Useful-Bike-Bicycle-Cycling-...

I want to second this. The benefits of riding are not quite as apparent if your are seriously injured or dead.

Ride safely. Leave the headphones in your pocket and pull them out when you're safely at your desk hacking some code.

Let people do what they want. If someone wants to enjoy music on their bike, fine. This coming from someone who doesn't ride with headphones in, but only because I was never one of those people that had headphones in 24/7. I always felt music distracted me from the joy of riding a bike (or the pain of riding a bike, when it comes to training.) or that bike riding distracted me from the joys of listening to music. But irregardless, other people can do what they want.

There's an earlier comment about how this makes you a danger to OTHERS. If you're just a danger to yourself, that's that.

Whether you wear headphones or not is a matter of how much risk you want to take. Just like riding a motorcycle is more risk than driving a car. Wearing headphones is more risky, but like anything in life, you have to decide if the benefits outweigh the downsides.

And how much risk you want the people around you to assume on your behalf. I sometimes commute (40mi) home from work, mostly on an off-road rails to trails paved bike trail. One of the few complaints I have about this trek is the people who are completely oblivious when I say "on your left" and ring my bell. I wind up having to stay behind them, yell, or just go around them, which sometimes startles them. It's imperative that you're present enough to both send and receive communications from people around you.

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.)

Correlation is not causation. I would much rather think that those people were distracted or something. Not giving attention to their environments.

I CAN hear fine with my volume setting. Believe me.

Listening so loud or with headphones that cut out other sounds is dangerous, of course. I was not talking about that and I thought I had made that clear.

Just don't tell me that I cannot listen to music while biking. Unless you want to argue about the possible distracting itself, then we could go on about car radios.

Trust me -- I can text and drive at the same time. I'm a pro.

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?

You seem to have missed that I wrote "I can easily hear any meaningful sounds through the music".

Only time will prove how easily you can hear through your headphones...I only wish you the best, which is why I recommend you take them out.

What do I need to say that I can hear so that you believe me?

Keep posting on HN and I will be satisfied. I personally don't think you can hear the same with music playing near your ear, that's all.

Like other posters have stated, it's better to be alert and safe rather than trying to listen to your tunes while in traffic.

Try going without headphones for a month or two, then put them back in. You might be surprised at how much useful info they block out. I say that not as a command but a suggestion based on my experience. It took me a while to get used to hearing and analyzing what's happening around me. And that was mostly in a car, which is already a pretty loud environment.

The problem is that most people use their headphones with absurdly loud volume. I know this because when you pass them you can hear their music, which means they are probably damaging their hearing. I always keep the volume as low as possible, such that it's not louder than the traffic around.

Same, I even take them out and listen how loud they are to not disturb other people (especially in the bus or train).

I compromise by only putting in one earphone, on my right ear that isn't facing traffic. I listen to podcasts generally, not music.

This is for a 3-mile commute to the Kongregate office in downtown San Francisco. If anyone here wants to ride with me from the Mission/Noe area sometime, hit me up.

> 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.

That's nonsense. If a person is listening to headphones so loud that they can't hear approaching cars and/or problems with their bike, then they'll still probably ruin their ears long before biking with headphones causes them a problem.

It depends entirely on the headphones, I have some Etymotic in-ear buds that cancel external noise on about half volume. It's not just how loud you go, but what the headphones do to ambient noise in general.

And still, a lot of people do listen to music overly loud, and will probably damage their ears, so they risk ruined ears and not being fully aware of everything going on around them.

My point is, it's silly to make such a general statement just because a few people will be stupid. Most people have sense enough not to crank up the volume and not use noise canceling headphones while biking, and there's no reason for them to not enjoy music while cycling.

I own that this probably won't be a popular idea, since it generally doesn't appeal to people outside a certain age-group (not that I know what age group you're in), but a longboard sounds like a pretty good option for you, depending on the situation. It's easy to carry around wherever you go, I often ride to a bus-stop and take the bus with it. They're lots of fun to ride, and in my opinion better and safer then bikes (it's a lot easier to bail). The only real reason I would be questionable about riding is if you're in a hilly area; uphill is about as much fun as it is on a bike, though you can just get off and walk, and downhill can be dicey depending.

If you wanna check out some nice cruising boards I've been loving my Kahuna, and they come at a really good price for what they are.

I think it's dependent on the riders reflexes/awareness, but you're right, in most instances a rider shouldn't. Having said that, it can be a driving force when going on endurance/long cycles.

Have you ever thought about locking your bike up at the station? In London/UK a lot of stations offer this.

I've actually been weighing the idea up, I live in Middlesbrough and there is bike stations there, but it'd be a reasonably long cycle after an hour commute home so I'm still in two minds.

If you want to try taking a bike on the train or in the office, do yourself a huge favor and get a foldable bike.

How about open headphones?

I have been bike commuting for nine years. The biggest things that change since the initial rush of delight?

First, as time goes on, you care a lot more about safety. Newbies may write about how they can meditate or listen to music while riding, but experienced riders know they must always stay alert. You shouldn't be meditating, you should be focused on potential dangers.

Second, the weight loss? Not as big a deal as time goes on. Don't ask me the medical reason why, maybe it's the same phenomenon as when people who haven't worked out for years start a program and quickly lose 10 pounds of water weight but then find the rest is harder to lose. Commuting usually doesn't involve the intense aerobic activity associated with road racing.

The 300 dollar bike you are satisfied with? I didn't stay satisfied after a few months. After trying many options (too many) I took Sheldon Brown's advice and ride a touring bike, with disc brakes, fenders, rack, and panniers.

> Don't ask me the medical reason why, maybe it's the same phenomenon as when people who haven't worked out for years start a program and quickly lose 10 pounds of water weight but then find the rest is harder to lose

It's because the body is extremely good at adapting to whatever you do to it. Even if you were riding for a hundred hours a week at maximum aerobic output, your body would slowly adapt and you would stop making gains (getting faster, losing weight).

Over a long period of exercise, you have to constantly vary what you are doing to your body so it won't adapt and plateau. Keep throwing different challenges at your body, and it will keep adapting in an attempt to deal with these new challenges.

Try sprinting home from work at max output a couple of days a week, then intentionally go for an extremely long ride on the weekend at a sustainable pace. Don't do the same thing day-in, day-out

Also, eat less calories if you want to lose weight.

Also, people struggle with weight loss because they approach it only from the side of burning excess calories with exercise, but as long as their caloric requirements stay the same, the moment they stop exercising, calories start piling up again. If you want to burn more fuel, there is longer lasting approach: grow a bigger engine. That means: gain some muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will be burning, even while eating an ice-cream on a couch. Muscles will also make you look less flabby, because toned abs will keep your belly in check.

"it never gets easier, you just go faster" - Greg LeMond

this is the reason elite athletes keep getting better, they keep up intensity, continuing to push the limits. Bike committing gets easier, and, like you said, your body adjusts to the level of output you need to get to work.

Plus one million for the Sheldon Brown reference. Volumes of bike wisdom. I do all my maintenance myself thanks to that website.

> Second, the weight loss? Not as big a deal as time goes on.

Sure, deciding to bike commute isn't a guarantee of sustainable weight loss. But no single activity is. Combine its caloric deficit with a sensible health plan and you'll reap its benefits.

The constant need for focus was my biggest misunderstanding. I thought it would be like running, where you can listen your inner self, breathing, or enjoying the sight.

    20km/h : human radar scanning hidden corners. no more looking at girls or you'll hug trees.
    30km/h+: better have swift brakes, any surprise feels like a threat.

Somehow it almost makes biking moot as a vehicle, since there's no speeding bike only roads there will always be obstacles nearby (mom/baby, slow biker/runner, soccer balls). I really wish there was large scale plans to build bike pathways as those for tramways.

I'm still riding the $300 bike to work that I bought 10 years ago and it still helps me control my weight (as I discovered when I stopped for 6 weeks.) The reason? My $300 bike is a lot heavier than your $3000 bike.

One thing that I love about my bike commute is that it takes 50 minutes by car, in good traffic...up to 90 minutes if traffic is bad. When I ride by bike, it's always 65 - 70 minutes. I might lose 30 minutes of my day, but the 2.5 hours of total fitness more than makes up for it, not to mention the boredom of sitting in a car idling on the highway...which has obvious environmental impacts.

Long ride!

I love that my bike ride is much more consistent in time than driving or taking the train. Heavy traffic just doesn't slow me down much. Conversely, open roads don't let me speed up much either.

I concur, commuting by bike always seems to take the same amount of time, no matter what the traffic is like.

My ride to work is over an hour each way. Been doing it every day for years here in the northeast U.S. A mostly residential route. Funny thing is if I take the bus, it takes the same amount of time.

I started doing this out of a distaste for cars and statistics show that driving is actually much more dangerous then biking.

Weather-wise, I far prefer snow to rain. The hardest part is cold feet in the winter - never found a great solution. My advice is, if questionable weather is a deterrent, dont bike those days. But dont let it stop you from biking at least when it is nice out.

I do a single ear headphone with audiobooks (note I am not in a city). Gotta have something to listen to or I would be bored to death. Music can drown out important road dangers. Spoken audio has enough space and quiet that emergencies easily get my attention.

Have you tried neoprene booties? They worked great for me in the midwest. My feet stayed plenty warm, and I didn't even bother to wear thick socks.

The hands were always my biggest problem.

Yup. I used to wear booties when I wore clipping shoes. But then I switched to heavy boots without clips and it was warmer. Never had a problem with hands. I got some down ski mittens. In fact they are too hot - but the key is 'mittens'. Once I discovered that, there was no looking back.

Old newspaper in the boots works for me. You take two or more sheets and wrap your feet in it.

I agree with almost everything said here. When I was living in San Francisco, though, my bike commute was only slightly longer than my bus commute (not because I am that fit, only because buses in San Francisco are terrible). SO MUCH less stressful! I did notice one thing, though: I wasn't reading as much or listening to podcasts as much anymore.

I live in NYC now and fortunately I'm a very short walk to work. I can't wait to buy a bike and start riding again, though I'll need to figure out how to fit one into my tiny apartment ...

Do it! I'm a NYC'er as well and getting a bike was one of the best decisions I've made recently. The city has gone wild with bike lanes, etc. and you'll be in good company.

And as for storage, a friend suggested something like this to me:

http://www.shelterness.com/diy-bike-wall-storage-racks/

Solves two problems - storage and wall art! ;)

The reading and podcasts are one of the things I miss when I ride. I love the exercise, fresh air, etc., but I also like sitting and reading on the train. It's nice to be able to mix it up.

The problem I have with this is I tend to uhh sweat more than a normal person. (Not because I'm out of shape, just because I sweat a lot...) I don't think I would feel comfortable biking to work simply because I would then smell all day and that's not exactly something I want to happen.

Shower at work? Once every couple of weeks, I load a work drawer up with fresh clothes, hand towels, etc. Guess I'm lucky that we have a gym in the facility, but I know others that just shower at the sports club down the street from their job.

If there's no facilities, you can duck in a bathroom stall to towel off and change. Wash your hands and face, add some deodorant and cologne. My dad calls it the "Sigma Nu" shower.

You should really wear a helmet 24/7!! Also body armor. Listening to music on a bike is clearly suicide. Please do not take ANY risks. At all, ever.

Also, become an entrepreneur. Take the plunge. Live your dream.

Well one of the common "why not try it" arguments for entrepreneurship is that even if your company fails, you're not going to die.

But if you fail when riding a bike on a busy street, you might very well die.

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

The benefit? You're not sending out the message that biking is dangerous. Would you send your kid out cycling if everyone is wearing helmets? When cyclists are called "road warriors"?

A helmet is necessary when road racing where there is a distinct risk of dropping over your handlebar: remember, a helmet only protects against hits directly on the top of your head.

Normal commuting? In the city? Biggest risk is getting hit in your soft side by a car or tipping over and hitting the road with your legs or hand or so. Where does the helmet help there?

Best protection: more cyclists on the road. Nobody in the Netherlands wears a helmet (apart from road racers) and you don't get 2000 killed cyclists per day :-)

Not sure where you get your info, but it is flat out wrong. It's not at all uncommon for bicycle commuters to hit an opening door or pulling out car, go over the handlebars, and smack their head on a very hard window or body panel--right where a helmet would protect them.

Ask any ER physician in a city (I know several) about head injuries from bike commuting and they will no doubt have stories.

As for sending the message that biking is dangerous: biking is dangerous. The correct message for kids to learn is that most things in life worth doing are dangerous, and the key to a successful life is learning to properly manage risk. Wearing a helmet is part of properly managing the risk of riding a bike.

Depend on the country, or more likely on the amount of cyclists. In the Netherlands, they consider the 1000kg steel cars to be the real dangerous threat, not the cyclists. It may sound like a play of words, but it isn't. Everyone cycles, so when you hit a junior cylist, you've pretty much potentially hit everyone's kid. People have been known to get a veritable witch hunt on their asses by local newspapers that way.

The car driver gets the blame, not the cyclist that forgot to wear a helmet.

So the key to safe biking is lots of bikes. Sadly, dressing up like for an execution ("I will get hit by a car door and the car owner can just say sorry and move on so I'll wear body armor") won't get society nowhere.

Note that it might very well be an individual's best choice in some countries, probably also in yours... But it is a sad best choice.

It's not about blame, it's about preventable injury. It's about reducing the chance you'll get a call from the hospital saying "your kid has had a bike accident and she is in a coma." I've had friends who work in ERs have to make those calls. In many cases if the kid had been wearing a helmet they would have had a mild concussion. Instead their life as they knew it is over.

If you don't want to wear a helmet, that is of course your decision. I just object--strongly--to your contention that helmets aren't necessary in commuting. That statement is just not based on any measurable facts.

A modern helmet protects more than 'directly on the top of your head', it absorbs energy any time it hits the ground before your skull.

It's one less thing you have to do before you can get on with riding. If you want to drive, you put your key in the ignition and go. If you're cycling, you need special shorts, a water bottle, a lock, check your tire pressure, pull it down from the rack in your garage, get your helmet... the list can go on.

Or, have a beater sitting outside with 60psi, forget the helmet, wear your jeans and just get on with it. The longer distance you ride, the more extraneous stuff become necessary, but it's still nice to avoid it if you can.

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.

I have problems with the general tendency of always minimizing risk. When did risk become something to avoid at all cost? Follow that path and you end up avoiding everything that makes life worth living. It's not about whether you should wear a helmet on a bike. It's about accepting the fact that you are going to die and stop worrying about it and start living.

I don't want to die but I'm not going to let the risk of dying get in the way of living. BTW I wear helmets when skydiving and riding my motorcycle :)

I think it's one thing to overly minimize risk, it's another entirely to take stupid risks where the payoff doesn't match the risk. I play sports and get injured from time to time (I am still healing from an ankle injury sustained months ago), but it's worth it given how much fun I have - but I still bought shin guards because getting taken out for a week because of a bad kick just isn't worth it (that's more time I could be playing soccer, for instance). It's the same thinking with bike helmets. I want to be around to bike more.

Wearing a helmet is attacking the symptom and not the cause. The cause is that you're biking in a bike-unfriendly environment where the odds are against you. A better solution would be to educate drivers better and assign them more responsibility if something goes wrong, and introduce bike lanes etc.

Others have mentioned it, but it's worth saying again: please don't wear headphones while biking in a busy city. It only takes the one time when you need swerve around that parked car's open door and but can't quite hear the car that is about to pass you...

Don't depend on your ears to find out where another vehicle is located, use your eyes.

Don't ever swerve around a parked car's open door.

If there's parked cars, merge into the lane well ahead of them and stay out of the zone doors could open into.

Whilst your statement (don't wear headphones when riding on the road) is correct, you should probably be looking over your shoulder before entering the car lane.

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.

(Also, piece of advice : take your breakfast AFTER the ride. Your guts will thank you for not doing it before and you will enjoy the taste of food even more)

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

Please don't ride with headphones in both ears. You cannot hear other cylists, for one, who may be passing you. In urban environments, this is particulalry problematic. Why? Because their is (1) already very limited space (crosswalks, jawalkers, doors opening, busses, etc); and (2) there is a huge range in speeds of cyclists (lycra-guys, delivery-men, hipsters, commuters). One ear is plenty (look at pro-cyclists).

In CA it is also ILLEGAL, apparently.

The Law: Riding with Tunes

Only five states regulate the use of headphones by cyclists, and generally the limitations are directed at all vehicle operators. Two of those states–Florida and Rhode Island–prohibit any use of headsets. The intent is to ensure that vehicle operators won’t inhibit their ability to hear sirens and vehicle horns.

The other three states that regulate the use of headsets–California, Delaware and Maryland–prohibit their use in both ears; in these states, one ear must be left uncovered. Maryland makes an exception to this law for riders on bike paths.

http://www.bicyclelaw.com/road-rights/a.cfm/road-rights-list...

My work is about 4 miles from where I live and I usually run back home and it takes exactly the same amount of time as public transportation. I would jog to work as well but we don't have showers at work. I might just start experimenting with wet naps/towels, etc soon. I think that running truly is the greatest and safest way of commuting if the distances are reasonable.

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

Wear the right clothes and bring a set of clothes to change into. :)

I bike to work in Ireland (150+ rain days a year - yay). Rain clothes takes care of that - just make sure they aren't too heavy.

When I was younger I worked as a mailman in Sweden for three winters, using a bike for 2-3h a day, every day. You don't even need a lot of clothes for that - a fleece over a set of thermal underwear will do you down to minus 10 C or so, after that you want a thicker jacket on top. Heat from the exercise keep you warm enough anyways.

For both rain and snow - get a good pair of gloves (hands are the only part that really sucks when wet/cold). For the cold, get a decent set of thermal underwear.

I've found a good, British-style rain cape is light years better than waterproof jackets and pants. Better airflow means you sweat less.

Another trick for the cold: unless it's Sweden-cold, you should be a bit chilly when you get on the bike, otherwise you will overheat rather quickly.

Fenders, and don't skimp on gear. I rode every day for two years straight in Chicago, back a few years ago before the really mild winters. I rode into the negative teen temperatures whether it was snowing or not.

I switched to clipless and picked up some cheap but good Northwave boots from Wiggle in the UK. I got some wind & weather resistant knickers from Swerve. Picked up a bunch of of merino wool base layers and a thicker wool zip up, under a goretex shell zip up. Many pairs of wool socks as well. Pearl Izumi lobster gloves were great. Pick up a balaclava or some other head/face covering, a cheap pair of anti-fog goggles, and you're good.

It sounds like a lot to buy, and maybe it sounds expensive, but considering the use I got out of all of it, I didn't blink. Plus it was more fun, and in my case it's roughly the same time to ride as it is on a perfect day timing the bus/train combo I needed.

Off topic, but that phrase "before the really mild winters" just gives me the worst feeling.

You have a couple of choices:

1) Wear rain jacket and pants. Breathable waterproof gear is best; doesn't have to be gore-tex. Expect to spend at least $150 on a set, though. This is what I do. Bonus, keeps you warmer in the snow. Minus, makes you sweat if it's a warm rain.

2) Ride and just get wet. Change when you get home/to work.

3) Take the bus. As the Bike Snob NYC says, IIRTTB is the hipster way.

For rain in the spring and summer I just get wet. We have a locker room with showers at my work and I have a waterproof bag, so I just bring a change of clothes.

For snow and cold rain there are water proof rain pants [1], base layers [2], and shoe covers [3]. If you stay dry then staying warm isn't a big problem because the exercise will warm you up. I live in Colorado, and when it's snowing I put a water proof layer over my normal cycling clothes, and it's usually warm enough.

  [1] http://www.hucknroll.com/mens-rain-pants
  [2] http://www.hucknroll.com/mens-base-layers
  [3] http://www.hucknroll.com/booties-shoe-covers

Heh... they say that there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear! With that said, it really depends on where you live and what route you take to work. In my city (one of the colder parts of Canada), I can ride a road bike in the winter since my route takes me into downtown and the streets are usually well-plowed when it snows.

Otherwise, a mountain bike with some studded snow tires can get you by - it's pretty invigorating to make tracks in fresh powder in the mornings!

Generally, the heat your body produces while cycling is enough to maintain your core temperature. Just keep your extremities well-insulated and your body as dry as possible.

Warm rain doesn't matter, except that it affects your stopping distance so you need to brake earlier. Rain gear is mostly pointless in warm weather because it reduces ventilation and leads to getting wet from sweat rather than from rain.

For colder rain, I use a Showers Pass jacket, and I ride a bike with fenders.

For snow and ice, I ride my mountain bike with studded tires. (The studs aren't really needed for snow but they help a lot with ice.) And I switch from clipless pedals to flat pedals so I can get a foot out faster to catch falls. (I fall about once per year in the dry, versus several times per ride in bad snow.)

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.

Rain makes it more fun. Just stop caring about getting wet clothes and buy a backpack with a waterproof cover.

"what do you do when it rains"

Make sure you have proper mud-guards - they make a huge difference if it is wet. Proper cycle clothing makes a huge difference as well - lightweight waterproof trousers, high visibility cycle jacket with a nice long back and decent gloves.

Snow is not really a problem, but ice is. Sometimes the road has invisible slipperiness. So watch out for ice, especially with turning.

Yup, having your bike slide off the road is no fun. A studded front tire helps a lot.

There are already lots of responses regarding rain.

For snow I suggest buying studded tires. They worked really well for me while I lived in Vienna.

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.

Around here, the most common technique for biking in the rain is: use an umbrella.

Only takes one hand, after all... you still have your other hand free to use a cellphone or hold a cigarette.... :]

I've always felt that Sugoi weather clothes are some of the best out there. Windproof up to 35mph but still semi breathable.

I know this is an uncool thing to say, but I hated biking to work in downtown DC. DC has done a great job adding bike lanes, but they aren't everywhere. I found it to be quite the opposite of meditative and I arrived at work sweaty and uncomfortable.

Yeah, DC is a SWAMP in the summertime too, I have a hard enough time walking from my front door to my car without breaking into a sweat in that town.

I alleviated my sweat problem when I biked to work by taking almost miniature bird baths in the sink, or using baby wipes.

I'm pretty sure I would need a change of clothes to be comfortable again.

definitely - I've been riding to work in DC for 10+ years, but a shower is definitely a requirement to do it year round. I'm fortunate to work in a building now with a shower, but before that, I just got a membership at a nearby gym. The gym membership was cheaper than parking or metroing every day.

> "Be happy Bike to work"

You're not a Londoner, I see.

I used to bike to work in central London. It requires being alert, but it was far better than driving, taking the tube or taking a bus.

I never wore headphones though. I would have considered that suicide.

Agree with the headphones bit. I can't believe it when people bike in a city with headphones and no helmet on.

It's a pretty big fine in NY (headphones) that's actually enforced. Also illegal in most cities AFAIK.

I bike ~40km per day in London, from near Richmond to Tower Hill. It takes slightly less time than the tube, and it's a lot of fun.

It sure beats getting any form of public transport, being stuck in such a confined space, especially in the morning is horrific. the time difference is also huge; I can cycle the 7miles quicker than the tube or bus.

I'm a Londoner and I loved biking to work. I've really missed it since I've started working from home.

Yes! I used to live in Bernal Heights in San Francisco and commute to SOMA everyday, and this is how my commute options broke down, time and money-wise:

Bike to BART, BART to Powell - 30 min, $1.75

Bike straight to work - 30 min, free

Bus to BART, BART to Powell - 30 minutes, $3.50 (I think?)

Bus to work - 45-60 minutes, $1.75

Bum a ride to work - 30-45 minutes, free

AND biking adds many non-quantifiable benefits, as the OP states. It's the best way to clear your mind, other than maybe a long walk or hike.

[edit for formatting]

I am bike commuting to work for more than 6 years now. I do this through the whole year, summer and winter, everyday.

Always have a set of water proof clothes in your backpack. My experience is, if it rains it usually starts 10 minutes after you left home.

I had chronic pain in my knees probably from sitting before monitors the whole day. After one week of bike commuting to work the pain was gone.

This matches my experiences. I ride most mornings before work since I telecommute, but it's the same idea. The positive effect on my mood surprised me — it only takes a little bit of exercise!

As an aside, please be careful wearing headphones when you ride. There are plenty of flame wars over that (and helmets, and brakes) over in /r/bicycling.

I work from coffeeshops and such, which is inheriently flexible. I've started trying to walk or bike as much as humanly possible. It helps to have a terrible car that is frankly embarrassing to drive. I definitely feel better the days I walk a few miles.

Don't be embarrassed by a cheap or low-quality car. All that means is that you're more likely to not be paying monthly bills to pay off your car. That's a good thing to be proud of.

As long as it doesn't spew clouds of blue smoke every time you slightly press on the gas pedal. Those cars should be violently scrapped with prejudice! (and all diesel trucks too actually...)

Never wear headphones while biking in a city. Unless you want to die.

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.

I don't want to discuss if helmets actually have any safety advantage (there are studies claiming both things).

But I don't think that biking is a particularly dangerous activity. I don't wear a helmet while walking on the street or while driving a car, so why should I wear a helmet when biking?

In a car you have airbags, which are sort of like an external helmet.

As for walking, there are a lot more things that can go wrong on a bike. You can hit a pothole, get your wheel caught in a train track, slip on an oil patch, get doored, have your chain get stuck, not be able to clip out of your pedal, get something caught in your spokes, take a corner on some sand, hit the ground with your pedal, etc.

These things aren't very likely, but any of them provides a fair chance to lose control of your bike and then hit something or the ground at a decent speed. The more traffic you ride in the more likely something will happen. And if you ride every day to commute, you'll almost certainly have some kind of incident sooner or later.

Personal anecdote section:

I bike commuted for 2.5 years in the south bay without any major incidents. Later, I had been bike commuting in SF for about a month when I had an accident that involved hitting my head on a parked truck and then the ground (at least I think). The helmet ended up slightly scraped up. I don't know how badly my head would have been injured without it; it may have been just a scrape as well. But I'm quite happy I didn't get to find out.

It's my observation that blows to the head are more likely on a bike than in either of those situations for two reasons - the speed and the position. When you're biking, you're going much faster than you would walk (I commute every day and often hit 40 mph). Second, in an accident, you often to go straight over the handlebars - the bike stops but you don't. That means head impacts are common. Cars have the same issues, but they have seatbelts that keep you from flying through the windshield or slamming into the steering column. As for whether it's dangerous - in general I agree with you. I've been commuting by bike 2000 miles a year for 10 years, and have had only a couple of incidents, but when things happen, I'm glad I have a helmet. Similarly, I wear a seatbelt when driving, even though I've never had an accident that necessitated one.

While I agree with you, the answer is that you are more likely to come in contact with moving cars when you're on a bike. It's mostly dangerous because drivers are not used to dealing with cyclists (assuming the cyclist follows traffic rules of course). In my country (Holland) we have completely separate bike lines in lots of places and I suppose that also makes a big difference.

What do you do more often? Fall exactly on the top of your head or on your side? In the latter case, the helmet makes your head bigger and can cause your head to rotate. And swift rotation is worse for your brains than a head-on hit.

So only use a helmet when roadracing or mountainbiking, not for a simple city ride.

You seem to be assuming that the only thing you're going to hit with your head is the ground.

i've been an avid cyclist all my life, you have just hit the beginning of what cycling is such an amazing activity, that an i think endurance sports go hand in hand with the entrepreneurial life. congrats on this!

Post added to our action wiki https://didthis.com/bikecommute Thanks for inspiring us to "redo" & spread this lifestyle meme!

A fellow Madisonian! I happen to cross Old Sauk Rd. on my bike to work as well! I also run, and use MapMyRun for that.

Sorry, I live next door to work, the time to get the bike out I would already be there by foot :)

Nice Hotlinking.

What about walking? Why the focus on biking?

Because presumably most people do not live within reasonable walking distance of work.

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.

5-10m is too short. You need a good half hour to do some productive thinking. My current walk is about 45m which is fine too. The bus saves maybe 15m so I usually walk.

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