9 Ways to Improve Your Bike Commute
In researching more about bike commuting, I’ve found plenty of resources for competitive riders, but fewer in-depth accounts on everyday, urban cycling. I’m not training for the Tour de France-or looking to appear in a fashion-show equivalent. I’m focused more on getting to work on time. This post won’t help you win any awards. Instead, it’s about adjusting to and improving to a new lifestyle. For those who’ve thought about cycling to work, or may have just started, this post is for you. For more seasoned commuters, I hope you’ll also find value in sharing some of my experiences High Lumens with Digital Display Screen, Super Bright Bike Lights B08VWJWR17.
Getting ready to ride
If you haven’t cycled in quite some time, there are a few things to think through before jumping into the saddle. Commuting by bike is different than leisure riding. For one, the weather can shift between the time you arrive at work and the time you leave. You also won’t win any praise from co-workers if you’re late due to a flat tire. So how do we get started?
1. Get a bike
You don’t need a high-end road bike, or even a new bike, to ride to work. What you do need is something that is safe, comfortable and suits your circumstances. Feel free to dust off your old mountain bike in garage, or hunt around some online classifieds. But, if you find something old or used, it might be worth having a bike mechanic give it a quick tune. It doesn’t take much to get a bike in working order-and you can always invest more later on.
I bought my bike a few years ago. It’s a flat-bar hybrid with lots of gears. I didn’t bother investing in a superlight frame, as my daily lunch and clothes-plus fenders, lights, paniers, etc.-weighs me down anyway. The result is a hearty bike that’s comfortable, carries all my gear and rides well on almost any city road.
With any type of bike, it’s worth planning proper security. At home, I park in a secure underground area-making sure to lock my frame and both wheels to a solid bike rack. At work, I bring my bike into the office where there’s very little risk for theft. The only time I leave it unattended in a public space is in front of a grocery store-where I’m careful to lock it securely and remove all components.