My Morning Commute

[kcb203]

I decided to change it up a bit this morning and dragged out my 1987 Cannondale that I converted to fixed gear a few years ago. I’ve only ridden it about 20 miles since the conversion, but decided to use it for my 14 miles to Reston.

I was not very elegant on my mounts and dismounts, but managed to get to work only drawing blood once. That was when the pedal smashed into my ankle as I was scooting forward to press the walk button on my last road crossing of the trip. Over minor mishaps included almost bucking over the handlebars twice when I inadvertently tried to coast, once when transitioning from standing to sitting (I subconsciously must coast for half a stroke on my regular bike, and that habit doesn’t translate well to the fixie). The other almost bucking incident was when I tried to coast for a second to rearrange my shorts.

And my final mishap also involved my shorts–they weren’t pulled up all the way snug to my crotch, and I snagged them over the nose of the saddle while starting up, which almost caused a fall. Other than that, it was a great trip. Only about a minute slower than I am on my road bike. I’ve now commuted on four of my 6 1/2 bikes (the 1/2 bike being a unicycle that I still can’t ride at all).

Oh, and I saw a doe running along the trail in Vienna with an adorable little fawn. They probably ran next to the trail for a couple hundred yards while I followed behind.

[gswim18]

Road paving forced me to take a different route this morning. Nice ride. Beautiful weather again! Wonderful start to a Friday!

[dasgeh]

An appointment and the need to recon Sunday’s ride forced me to take different route to work (16 miles instead of . It. Was. Awesome.

[Phatboing]

I’ve been increasing the mileage in the past couple of weeks, trying to hit 140+ every week (because I entered a silly work contest competing for miles as a team of one vs. other teams of 5), so my commutes have been big.

I didn’t realize it, but that’s more than double my typical weekly mileage, and this morning my legs finally were annoyed and were screaming bloody murder. I need to nutritionize more better.

It was a lovely morning, though, and the wind blew delightfully around in the helmet vent channel things.

[Terpfan]

@Phatboing 90617 wrote:

I’ve been increasing the mileage in the past couple of weeks, trying to hit 140+ every week (because I entered a silly work contest competing for miles as a team of one vs. other teams of 5), so my commutes have been big.

I didn’t realize it, but that’s more than double my typical weekly mileage, and this morning my legs finally were annoyed and were screaming bloody murder. I need to nutritionize more better.

It was a lovely morning, though, and the wind blew delightfully around in the helmet vent channel things.

You have enough people for an intra-office competition? Count me as jealous.

It’s tough initially jumping mileage. When my wife and i bought our house, my commute went from 15miles roundtrip to about 30. Then 9 months later when I switched jobs, from 30 to 34/35, but with an added 750′ of climbing. The funny part is that I think my nutrion is going down. I went from eating breakfast daily to coffee only.

[cyclingfool]

@Phatboing 90617 wrote:

…so my commutes have been big.

I didn’t realize it, but that’s more than double my typical weekly mileage, and this morning my legs finally were annoyed and were screaming bloody murder… I need to nutritionize more better.

It was a lovely morning, though, and the wind blew delightfully around in the helmet vent channel things.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6242[/ATTACH]

Although I think CafePress misspelled Jens.

[Emm]

Today was my first commute using my new road bike. I wanted to be sure I could ride it safely before I tried it in DC traffic, since it really rides different from my hybrid.

Things of note:
-On the trail, I definitely go much faster. Sadly, since 50% of my ride is in the city, I don’t save much time by using the road bike (only ~3-5 minutes).
-For the first time EVER I went the entire trip without being passed!
-I like panniers more than backpacks. Sadly, my road bike can’t take the back rack without drilling new holes, so backpack it is… I’ll have to keep using the hybrid on days I transport my laptop.

Overall, compared to my hybrid I think the road bike is more fun to ride, and it takes much less effort to tackle hills on it. It lacks the utility (e.g. pannier bags) of the hybrid though, so I think it’s good I have both bikes.

[dasgeh]

@Emm 90713 wrote:

Today was my first commute using my new road bike. I wanted to be sure I could ride it safely before I tried it in DC traffic, since it really rides different from my hybrid.

Things of note:
-On the trail, I definitely go much faster. Sadly, since 50% of my ride is in the city, I don’t save much time by using the road bike (only ~3-5 minutes).
-For the first time EVER I went the entire trip without being passed!
-I like panniers more than backpacks. Sadly, my road bike can’t take the back rack without drilling new holes, so backpack it is… I’ll have to keep using the hybrid on days I transport my laptop.

Overall, compared to my hybrid I think the road bike is more fun to ride, and it takes much less effort to tackle hills on it. It lacks the utility (e.g. pannier bags) of the hybrid though, so I think it’s good I have both bikes.

You can try this rack, but I would not recommend using it with panniers, only a trunk bag.

[Phatboing]

@Emm 90713 wrote:

my road bike can’t take the back rack without drilling new holes, so backpack it is… I’ll have to keep using the hybrid on days I transport my laptop.

Is it a carbon bike? If it’s metal, then this is a competent rack: http://www.thule.com/en-us/us/products/luggage-and-bags/bike-bags-and-racks/racks/thule-pack-n-pedal-tour-rack-_-pp_100016

(I have one, and have used it to considerable joy; you also get a pannier frame add-on)

That said, I too am really enjoying increased use of my road bike, and schlepping a backpack is a small small price to pay for going like the wind.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Emm 90713 wrote:

Today was my first commute using my new road bike. I wanted to be sure I could ride it safely before I tried it in DC traffic, since it really rides different from my hybrid.

Things of note:
-On the trail, I definitely go much faster. Sadly, since 50% of my ride is in the city, I don’t save much time by using the road bike (only ~3-5 minutes).
-For the first time EVER I went the entire trip without being passed!
-I like panniers more than backpacks. Sadly, my road bike can’t take the back rack without drilling new holes, so backpack it is… I’ll have to keep using the hybrid on days I transport my laptop.

Overall, compared to my hybrid I think the road bike is more fun to ride, and it takes much less effort to tackle hills on it. It lacks the utility (e.g. pannier bags) of the hybrid though, so I think it’s good I have both bikes.

The fun and aesthetic pleasure of riding a “clean” (no rack or fenders) road bike, for me, greatly outweighs most utility concerns. I used to commute solely on my rack’d and fender’d bike with a pannier, but somewhere along the line I did a couple road bike + backpack commuting days and the use of my “utility” bike declined very quickly after that. A lot of people dismiss as impractical the idea of road bike commuting in and around the city, but I enjoy it a lot. Don’t be ashamed to embrace your inner ELITE!

[vern]

@dasgeh 90716 wrote:

You can try this rack, but I would not recommend using it with panniers, only a trunk bag.

Thanks for the link! Though I don’t mind using a backpack, I miss being able to use my trunk bag, and the weightless feel of not wearing the backpack. This looks like a better option then the more common rack that only attaches to the seatpost.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@vern 90725 wrote:

Thanks for the link! Though I don’t mind using a backpack, I miss being able to use my trunk bag, and the weightless feel of not wearing the backpack. This looks like a better option then the more common rack that only attaches to the seatpost.

A colleague of mine has a Bontrager rack mounted on his road bike at the rear skewer and the brake bridge. It looks pretty clean (though I do tease him about it anyway).

[cyclingfool]

Depending on frame material (might not be advisable if carbon), you could get a couple of p-clamps from the local hardware store. Get the rubberized kind or use some pieces of old inner tube wrapped around the seat stays to keep the clamps fro scratching the frame. That’ll cover the lower connection point for a rack. Then you could use a seatpost clamp rack mount for the top/front mounting points.

All of that is assuming you’re not interested in just keeping the clean look, which I couldn’t blame you for on a new road bike.

[dasgeh]

@vern 90725 wrote:

Thanks for the link! Though I don’t mind using a backpack, I miss being able to use my trunk bag, and the weightless feel of not wearing the backpack. This looks like a better option then the more common rack that only attaches to the seatpost.

I think I have a lightly used one that I’d part with for $60…

[Emm]

@cyclingfool 90731 wrote:

Depending on frame material (might not be advisable if carbon), you could get a couple of p-clamps from the local hardware store. Get the rubberized kind or use some pieces of old inner tube wrapped around the seat stays to keep the clamps fro scratching the frame. That’ll cover the lower connection point for a rack. Then you could use a seatpost clamp rack mount for the top/front mounting points.

All of that is assuming you’re not interested in just keeping the clean look, which I couldn’t blame you for on a new road bike.

The frame is aluminum, but the rear fork, seat stay and the seat post are carbon…so I think I may be stuck with it how it is. Some of the options mentioned above could work…but it seems odd to add a rack when I already have a bike with a nice rack for days I really need it. The cleaner look of the road bike is also really appealing–my hybrid is super functional, but not very pretty. I’d like to at least try to keep this bike pretty.

I did realize that one night this week I’m stuck with the laptop in the backpack since I’m “between” houses right now while I finish moving all of my stuff to Del Ray, and I left my hybrid at the home I wont be at until Saturday . Whoops…The shoulder pain I’m going to experience will hopefully teach me a lesson!

[Author]

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