Posts: 981
3/1/12 12:36 P

I hear ya! I think my obstacle is weather (of course, it's raining today! snow later!) and then there is traffic. If I start after 6:30 a.m. I will get ran over on one of the busier roads. The clocks go ahead on March 11 so no excuses soon enough! I need to get the light for just my commuter however, swapping it back and forth between my mtn bike and commuter is a pain. The strap has broken a couple of times and Nite Rider has sent me replacements but the newer one is so much easier to use.

Yeah, how bout that getting started? LOL

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Posts: 20,891
3/1/12 10:27 A

Good point re: the challenge of getting started! After being away from cycling all winter I always have twinges of thoughts along the lines of "am I up for this?" or thoughts about how tough it's going to be, etc. I know once I get going though it'll be fine. An object in motion, yadda yadda...! :-)

Don

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Posts: 981
2/29/12 9:28 P

As soon as it gets a little warmer I'll be commuting. It's 46 miles round trip. I will be mtn biking 2-3 days out of the week, so the days I'm not, I'll be commuting.

I actually have a Gary Fisher Utopia which was billed as a utility bike, but I have a back rack on it and wire baskets. Yes, very unsophisticated!

I second the NiteRyder (I can never spell it right). I have one for mtn biking (tri newt I believe) and it blinds people. There is another one that costs around $100 and does not have the additional battery pack. I can't remember the name of that one but much better than the Tri Newt because it has a better way of attaching to the handlebar and no auxilary battery pack. But less light time. Good commuter light though! I use two blinkers on the back.

Love commuting but it's always a challenge getting started. Once you get off and riding you'll never want to drive again!

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Posts: 20,891
2/29/12 12:17 P

Hmmm...don't see the NiteRider on their website.

I'm looking forward to using my Light & Motion Vis 360 and hoping this will suffice:

www.bikelights.com/vis360.html

I've read really great things about them.

Don

Pounds lost: 76.0

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SparkPoints: (17,400)
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Posts: 211
2/29/12 12:05 P

On a previous post, i mentioned that I use 2-3 rear lights and a head light. I forgot to mention the wheel lights. I have Monkeylectric wheel lights on my front wheel. These allow me to be seen better from the side. Plus there is the cool factor. My headlight is the NiteRider 600. It is by far the best headlight I know of. It is rechargable and can produce 600 lumens. It is just like having car headlight on the bike. It has three power settings and a daylight flashing mode.

http://www.monkeylectric.com/

SparkPoints: (17,400)
Fitness Minutes: (30,711)
Posts: 211
2/29/12 11:11 A

With the racks, the trucker weighs in at 35 pounds. The panniers add another 15-20 pounds. On the weekends, I ride without the panniers. It almost feels like I have a light bike. One thing is for sure, commuting with all that weight has greatly improved my acceleration. On the weekend, I often ride with a B paced group. They don't understand when I talk about how light the bike feels.

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2/29/12 9:01 A

FATMANRIDING:
Just out of curiosity, if and when you get a chance, I would love to know how much your bike weighs just before you leave for work. Sounds like a ton of miles.

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SparkPoints: (17,400)
Fitness Minutes: (30,711)
Posts: 211
2/28/12 1:03 P

I've been commuting for about seven months now. I am fortunate that there is a gym/shower facility in the building I work in. I ride a Surly Long Haul Trucker with front and rear racks. I have a trunk bag on the front rack and I carry a pair of Ortlieb waterproof panniers on the rear rack. The trunk carries my tube, lock, patches, and tubes. My panniers carry my cloths and shower gear. I have two water bottle cages, one for water and one for coffee. I use two-three rear blinking lights and a powerful head light.

Posts: 20,891
1/26/12 8:23 A

You bet I'm ready! The lengthening days are psyching me up! A little uptick in the temps and I'll be resuming my 20 mile round trip work commute on dry days with a little help from the light set up on my helmet:

www.bikelights.com/vis360.html

Don

Pounds lost: 76.0

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Posts: 1,697
1/25/12 9:03 P

I was reading another thread on here that suggested a thread on bike commuting and thought that it might be useful to post some resources, etc.

bike-pgh.org/get_involved/ride-a-bike/bike
-to-work-guide/

Anyone thinking of starting?

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