Start Bicycle Commuting!

Riding to work one morning, I ran into another commuter, and as we rode along the White River Trail we wondered why more people don't commute. I commuted 8.5 miles each way last year for a total of about 1200 miles. I don't ride in the cold and I don't ride in the rain. Even with that, commuter miles are a time bargain. My 30 minutes each way driving commute became a 45 minute bike ride. Double it for the return trip, and for 30 extra minutes a day I get 90 minutes of cycling. As a Hoosier native, I know the weather the past few years has been milder than usual, but maybe that will hold through this summer, so why don't you get out and commute! Two of the major concerns of people when they think about taking the first steps to commuting are dealing with their clothes, and finding a route. I'll deal with clothes later. The secret to finding a route that isn't dangerous is to buy and use a good map. Your memory about the roads probably won't work unless you are used to cycling in the area where you will commute. You need to find new ways through because the ways you know now are probably car ways. The problem will be that you want to avoid busy roads (car ways), and find bike ways around, over, or under interstates, rivers and other barriers. Then you want to connect the ways around these barriers with streets with lots of stop signs on them. Auto drivers loathe stop signs. They're like garlic to vampires. Sometimes there will be "secret" ways through. I was helping a friend who was trying to find a route to his job. He wanted to ride from inside the interstate to outside the interstate at a spot between 10th Street and Rockville Road to about the same spot outside the interstate on the west side of town. He goes in early, so riding on either Rockville or 10th over the interstate in the dark is a trying experience. When we got out the map, though, we found a street called Minnesota that goes under the interstate just south of Rockville, and is only an extra mile onto the trip.

Sometimes the secret street doesn't exist, so you have to ride through congested areas. Before the greenways were built there were two major barriers for me riding from Broad Ripple to IUPUI. One was White River, and the other was Interstate 65. I usually chose to cross the river on Capitol. It is a one-way street, and I would need to be on it for only about 4 blocks, two before the river and two after, then I could go over to much calmer Senate. Then I would get onto the busy 16th street where I turned west to get under the Interstate for about 3 blocks. Those were really the only hairy places I had to ride. About 7 blocks out of 7.5 miles. I could also go down Highland to White River parkway, ride it for one block and turn onto Senate. There was a mean and crafty dog on Highland, though, and the street was rough. I couldn't out run him because of the street, and he was too crafty and quick to squirt with halt, so I usually went the other way. Once you have discovered the barriers and how to get around them the other roads will mostly pick themselves. It's just connect the dots. For me they were Broadway, Park, Pennsylvania and Central. I would vary the route so it would be more interesting.

Lucky for me they built some greenways to ride on between my house and my job, so I ride them most of the time now. It adds a mile each way to my trip. Trails have one advantage - no auto traffic on the trail. They also have problems. The ones in Indianapolis are pretty typical of what I have seen other places. While, there is no traffic on them, you do have to deal with traffic at crossings. They all have hazards along the trail that you have to learn to navigate, but it's not too bad. It is nice to ride in the morning along the canal and see the ducks, herons, woodpeckers, muskrats and other wildlife instead of cars, trucks and busses. It's like not even being in the city. It starts my day off nicely. Also, as I come around the bend on White River Trail just before I get to IUPUI there is a great view of the Indy skyline with the sun coming up behind it. To find trail maps look on the web at: Indy Greenways.

After you have been commuting a while nice things will start to happen. You will know the routes and ways around the obstacles. The auto drivers who are commuting will start looking out for you. They will remember that you were here yesterday and the day before, and will expect to see you today. One morning I was running about half an hour late. When I stopped for kids going to school, the crossing guard hollered "Hey, you're late this morning!"

The other problem is clothing and hygiene. If you can take a shower when you get to work, then you've got it made, but if you can't you still don't have a problem. Lots of people shower before they leave home, and save the hard riding until after work. Some ride to work in their street clothes and are quite happy with that. I rode for a year in street clothes and enjoyed it. I checked with my wife several times when I got home to make sure I was still "fresh" after a full days work and a ride both ways. Riding in street clothes saves time and works nicely. The problem with riding in street clothes is that you do sometimes get a little wet, so you have to wait about a half hour until you dry. Not the end of the world. You really don't get any wetter than walking outside on a hot day. Remember it is almost always cool in the morning, and you aren't racing. Actually cool days when you have to wear a jacket are sometimes wetter than hot days because jackets often don't breath well. Removing the jacket, cooling off and drying off the last mile of the ride greatly reduces this problem. The clothing problem is also easily solved by hauling your work clothes with you, riding in riding clothes and changing when you get to work. I keep a pair of shoes; a hair brush and a travel blow dryer and deodorant in my office Must stay "fresh." Besides a bike there are things you need or can use. Fenders and a rack are nice. Fenders for after a rain, and a rack to hold your panniers. Many commuters, however, ride without fenders, since they are wearing clothes they can change. Many carry their things in a backpack, which is cheaper and easier than a rack and panniers, though not quite as comfortable. You might also want to carry a head light and rear flasher, or have an alternate plan in case you get stuck at the office, or want to meet friends after work.

I keep my bike in my office, but I still carry a U-lock for when I need to go somewhere else. A U-lock is the best way to insure your bike will still be there when you return. When I worked in another building, I locked my bike in a hallway in the back of a building with a cable. Someone cut the cable, and stole the bike. If you must keep your bike outside your office, then keep it in a place where there are lots of people. If you have to leave it outside, carry a plastic bag to put over the seat in case it rains during the day.

If you are going to commute you need to know how to fix a flat. It's easy. To learn how, just take the tube out of your tire and put it back in two or three times. Do this at home, so you can learn how with a beer and a buddy. Have a couple of extra tubes in case you pinch or burst one. A couple of extra beers probably won't hurt either.

Here is what I carry with me to work: 2 spare tubes, (I have two sizes of tires) a patch kit, two tire tools, 5 allen wrenches, 3 tie wraps, 1 CO2 cartridge, the nozzle for it, a pump, a spare master chain link, a lock, a headlight, a rear flasher, a bell for pedestrians on the trail, and halt for the dogs.

Figuring out the route, the clothes and the bike stuff for commuting is a little bit of a challenge, but well worth the rewards. You will enjoy the quiet of the early mornings, even if you ride on the streets, they are going to be low traffic and quiet. The long rides home on nice summer evenings are wonderful, and you can get extra miles in the spring when days are short. Start commuting, you'll love it!

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