Considering daily commuting, help me decide if it’s right for me…

[PotomacCyclist]

1. Some people use baby wipes after their ride, if they don’t have access to a shower. That could work. Try it out after a weekend ride and see if it is acceptable.

2. The extra weight will slow you down, but I don’t think it would be a gamebreaker. Try it out on a weekend and see how difficult the hill is with the extra weight. That will help you decide whether you want to ride that hill every day.

3. Are there any bus routes that you could use on rainy/snowy days? It appears that there are bus routes along Van Ness and Porter Streets. On rainy days, you could bring an umbrella and take the bus. The bus would also give you a break from having to deal with the steep hill every day.

Rain gear isn’t that expensive, especially if you save a lot of money from not buying/using a new car. Riding in the rain on warm days isn’t that bad, as long as you wear a cap with a long brim to keep the rain out of your eyes. (Wipe the bike down afterward and lubricate/clean the chain and gearing.) I’ll admit that cold rainy days are very unpleasant. If the bus route is convenient, you could skip the ride on those days and take the bus.

[cvcalhoun]

FWIW, my bicycle with panniers, plus the stuff that I normally keep in them (which includes rain gear, a purse, a U-lock and cable, spare lights, a reflective vest, and various bike repair tools), is 64 lbs. I recently biked up that hill twice in two days (and I’m female, overweight, and 61 years old). So it’s doable, though I do understand the reluctance to do it every day.

However, I agree with the suggestion to find out whether there is a bus that would work for you. Metro has a trip planner that can help. All buses have racks on which you can put your bike, so you could take the bike downhill, then use the bus to take the bike back up the hill. Or take the bus on days when the bike to work was just fine, but it got rainy/snowy/unbearably hot during work hours. Knowing that you have that out can mean you actually bike more, because you can just think about whether you can make it there in the mornings, not have to search weather reports and think about how tired you will be at the end of the day to figure out whether you can also make it home.

[CWJW]

thanks Pcyclist, cvcalhoun,

I’m a bit familiar with the bus routes to work since I had to take it several years ago when my car broke down. It was actually a pain that turned a 10 minute commute to over an hour. Just too many stops, a transfer point and the walking to the bus stop. I’d rather bike/walk up that hill in rain than deal with the bus everyday.

Do you ride to work everyday even when it’s pouring outside? I notice that there aren’t alot of bike commuters on the road when the weather is bad. These days the weather is unpredictable especially in the late afternoon.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@CWJW 116660 wrote:

My car just broke down and I’m considering commuting by bike to get to and from work. I’m considering getting a replacement car or just making commuting a regular thing.

Although the commute is only a little over 2 miles each way and I have a decent bike (Kona Jake Cyclocross), there are a couple of things that are holding me back:

1. Don’t have a place to shower or gym anywhere nearby my work. I’m not the type than can walk around feeling sticky all day either so masking sweat with deodorant wouldn’t really work for me. I work fairly independently in a casual environment, so it’s just mainly not having to walking around all day with the post-exercise sweat on me.

You’d have to ride pretty hard to get particularly sweaty after two miles. My ride to class–which has a couple of decent hills I do in regular clothes on a fixed gear– is 2.5 miles. When it’s really hot, I may be a little sweaty, but no more than if I walked to/from the metro. Given the efficiencies of cycling, riding 2 miles is probably the physiological equivalent of walking a 1/2 mile.

@CWJW 116660 wrote:

2. live in upper NW and would have to climb a 1/2 mile steep hill going back home (Tilden Rd if anyone is familiar with it is one of the steepest hills in DC). Not that it’s that big of a deal and I’m fit with a 21 BMI, but I would be hauling about 10-12lb of electronic equipment (laptop, ipad, lab equipment, etc..) that I need to take home with me everyday.

Eh, not that big of a deal…just take it easy and you won’t get sweaty.

@CWJW 116660 wrote:

3. The thought of making the commute in a heavy downpour turns me off. It seems it would put me in a really bad mood to start the day off in or come back from a long day at work. I don’t have any rain gear either.

I have plenty of rain gear, but I won’t hesitate to take the bus if I don’t feel like riding.

[trailrunner]

1) There are various ways to take sponge baths. After my wife and I have had surgeries, we’ve had periods where we could not take a shower. We bought some special type of wipes to clean ourselves. I thought they were OK, but my wife actually liked them. I forget what they are called, but they should be easy enough to find.

2) One of the advantages to bikes is that they have gears. You’ll go slower up the hill, but you’ll make it. 10 pounds of extra gear is no big deal. Indeed, some of us carry that around our midsection every day 😮 When I commute, I often bring stuff to and from work, such as my lunches for the week, new or worn clothes, coffee, electronics, layers I wore in the morning, folders of paper (i.e., work). I’ve even brought a new coffee maker into work on my bike. When I camp, I tow a trailer with 30 pounds or more, and I’ve ridden up and down the hills of Skyline drive with that load.

3) Fenders would be a very good investment for you. They help a lot. As far as clothing goes, I have yet to find a truly breathable, water-repellent jacket. For my commute (about 11.5 miles each way), I get overheated and damp inside, even on cold days in the 30s or 40s, but for your short commute that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Actually, for a two-mile commute, I’d consider walking when it rains (don’t say it can’t be done: my daughter walks to and from work every day – rain, snow, cold, heat).

[peterw_diy]

For sponge bathing, I heartily recommend sport sponges like those that Speedo and Tyr market for swimmers — very efficient and since you store them damp in plastic containers, they cool your skin off as they dry you. Also the big ADA/wheelchair bathroom stalls are a good substitute for a locker room.

For rainy days you want to carry both your work clothes and an evening riding outfit. When you change at work stash the wet morning clothes in a plastic bag, don’t bother trying to dry them out.

[Steve O]

Two miles is way too short to worry about showering. It’s the equivalent of a 10-minute walk. Just ride easy. I presume you don’t take a shower every time you walk down the street to the Post Office or deli or whatever. Sounds like you have a downhill going to work, since you have an uphill coming home. That makes it even less of a problem. Also, it’s cooler in the morning (but often humidity-er). If you get sweaty, or wet in the rain going home, it’s less of a big deal, because you have your house, with dry clothes, a shower and towels in it, at the end of your ride. Getting caught in a warm summer rain on the way home is actually kind of fun–just like when you were a kid and you went out and danced and played in the rain.

My commute’s about 5 miles, and I do it in my street clothes pretty much all the time, although in the summer I wear a t-shirt and put my dress shirt, jacket and tie in my bag. Then I change when I get there. On the hottest days, I will get sweaty, in which case follow the advice given previously.

Clean sweat does not smell. If you shower before you start, then even if you manage to sweat on your short ride, just wipe it off. I promise no one will be able to tell–even you probably. I don’t even bother with the baby wipes; I just either use the paper towels in the rest room or–if I remember it–a hand towel that I pack in my bag.

As far as every day? I do now, but when I first started commuting I did not. When the weather was bad I would Metro. Over time I acquired gear and fortitude and knowledge such that I pretty much bike everywhere all the time. But that didn’t happen instantly. Even at that, it’s good to have a backup plan. Always remember your SmarTrip card, just in case.

[CWJW]

trailrunner, peterw_diy, TwoWheelsDC SteveO – thanks for the suggestions about sponge bathing. I did a test ride today mid afternoon w/ a heavy back pack and it was alot easier than I thought. I bought some baby wipes and some other stuff but I’ll have to look into those sport sponges.

What rain gear do you recommend over the summer for really bad down pours? Would something like a Patagonia torrent shell jacket be ok combined with DWR (durable water repellent) pants that that the legs roll up?

Also, do you happen to know if a messenger bag (not one specifically designed for bike, but I have a really large one that I use daily that I prefer to carry my stuff in. It’s huge) is harder to bike around with than a backpack??

thanks!

[ShawnoftheDread]

Once you get into the routine, you’ll barely notice you’re on the bike with only two miles. Go for it. You’ll love it, that hill will shrink every day, and you’ll start scouting out longer routes to work.

[mstone]

I never bother with a raincoat on a summer ride. Temperature isn’t an issue, and I’ll get just as wet from sweat under the jacket as I’d get from the rain. (And funkier.) My bigger concern out in the boonies is lightning and trees coming down.

[trailrunner]

@CWJW 116673 wrote:

What rain gear do you recommend over the summer for really bad down pours? Would something like a Patagonia torrent shell jacket be ok combined with DWR (durable water repellent) pants that that the legs roll up?

Also, do you happen to know if a messenger bag (not one specifically designed for bike, but I have a really large one that I use daily that I prefer to carry my stuff in. It’s huge) is harder to bike around with than a backpack??

As others have suggested, in the summer just don’t wear any sort of rain gear. If you do, you’ll just overheat and get just as wet on the inside as if you were wearing nothing. But I dunno – your commute is pretty short, so maybe you can get away with a shell.

I’ve used backpacks, messenger bags, trunk racks, and panniers. All of these can be made to work well. Messenger bags made for cyclists will usually have an extra cross strap in the front to help stabilize the load and keep it secure.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@CWJW 116673 wrote:

Also, do you happen to know if a messenger bag (not one specifically designed for bike, but I have a really large one that I use daily that I prefer to carry my stuff in. It’s huge) is harder to bike around with than a backpack??

thanks!

I find a backpack more comfortable, but I generally use a messenger bag for rides to class, since it’s more functional for my needs…but when my messenger bag is loaded up, I wouldn’t want to ride more than a few miles with it, since the weight is so unbalanced. For my 15 mile round trip to the office, I use a backpack and practically forget I’m wearing it after a couple minutes.

[hozn]

Yeah, just get a water proof backpack for the laptop and don’t worry about yourself getting wet until it is winter time. Tilden is a nice hill, but you can just take it easy and spin up; it isn’t too steep. Of course if you are doing that everyday, you should be working to get the KOM.

[PotomacCyclist]

Note that synthetic fabrics dry much faster than cotton does. On rainy days, wear synthetic/polyester/”technical” clothing. You should still bring a change of clothes because even the synthetics won’t dry immediately.

Cotton clothing will remain water-logged throughout the day. I went out for a ride in the middle of a rainy day a couple years ago. I was wearing cotton. That turned out to be an extremely miserable afternoon.

[KLizotte]

Fortunately DC’s storms can be quite predictable in terms of direction and timing, esp in the summer. I always check the WashPost’s and Weather.com’s radar coverage. With such a short ride, you should be able to time your riding to avoid the storms so long as you have flexibility to sometimes leave work a little early and stay a little late. Storms around here tend to be between 4:00 and 6:00 pm.

Since it seems like you will be heading mostly downhill in the morning, you will have a nice breeze and little exertion. On the way home, you will have a pretty decent workout (I hate Tilden!). My commute is 5.5 miles one way. I pack my office clothes in a packing cube and change at work. I use baby wipes and put on my makeup once I get to work. I only need the wipes when it starts getting humid and/or 80s or above. I hang my cycling clothes by my cubicle to dry for the ride home. I’d say that for 8-9 months of the year, sweating really isn’t a problem. Last summer was fantastic, very cool and low humidity! Fingers crossed.

Your biggest problem may possibly be dealing with snow/ice in the winter going down Tilden. I don’t know how well plowed that area gets. The other option is Capital Bikeshare which would allow you to do one way trips (I would not want to go UP Tilden on a Cabi though).

As others have noted, a 2 mile commute is really short and will be easy logistics wise most days of the year. Try it for a month and see how you like it. Now that the weather is nice, I intentionally add extra miles to my commute home so I get a workout at the same time.

Best of luck!

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