Want to begin bike commuting – need some advice please!

[docjones]

All,
Inspired by links like this: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/06/the-true-cost-of-commuting/ and http://www.mrmoneymustache.com and other financial independence bloggers along with the overall frustration of being incapable of driving 16 miles in less than 40 minutes around here, I’d like to give bike commuting a try. Here’s the details:

I’m 37, and not in as good a shape as I should be. Currently 215 vs. my historical norm of 190. I live in Kingstowne, VA, near the intersection of Kingstowne Village Parkway and Manchester Blvd. I’m a contractor, and 3-4 days a week I head up to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. 1-2 days a week I head into my corporate office in Crystal City. I’ve got MANY questions (lights, clothes, backpacks vs. panniers, etc.) but I think 2 of them really trump all others. I’ll figure out the rest after I get started as I go along.

Question 1. I currently have a 2010 Cannondale Synapse Carbon Six that is currently an excellent piece of wall art. It’s my only bike, but what would you all recommend to make it a suitable option for commuting? Should I be trying to swap out wheels/tires for something a little thicker than the road tires it’s currently got? Should I consider spending $300 for a cheap commuting bike off craigslist/Nashbar instead? I rode the bike recreationally (<15 miles usually) when I lived in SE DC and Shirlington, but haven't ridden it much since the move to Kingstowne. (2+ years)

Question 2. My route (I think) is going to be to start out DRIVING my truck with said “wall art” over to a coworkers house who lives 300 feet from GW trail in the Fort Hunt area. Then I’ll dismount my Lumbering Decadent Couch of Combustion and get out in the real world and ride up the trail to either JBAB (across Woodrow) or Crystal City. What should I know about doing this? It’ll take more time than driving overall, but hopefully save me a trip to the gym.

Obviously riding directly from home to work from Kingstowne would be preferable – but not realistic given my current conditioning and the existence of hills. That’s a goal for the future. This Kingstowne area also doesn’t feel very bike commuter friendly but I’ll leave route options from Kingstowne directly to another post. I’ve also got the bare basics for biking clothes: bike shorts, helmet, wicking running shirts, etc, so I’m ok there – but no commuting experience whatsoever. Have access to showers at work, no problem.

Thanks for any help y’all can provide!

Topic

[Crickey7]

If your road bike has road shoe pedals, you’ll want to switch before too long. You can commute with road shoes, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

[dplasters]

A fellow mustachian!

Welcome. Watch out for Dismal, he might be cheaper than even MMM.

[Alcova cyclist]

My $0.02 is there’s no need to change bikes any time soon, but figuring out the most comfy way to carry stuff is key.

For carriage, I’ve used four different options over the years:
Backpack – simplest and easy on/off. With a lot of stuff can be uncomfortable (for me anyway) and in the summer leads to extra sweaty back.
Panniers – most stable and comfortable, but a pain to take on/off and depending on brand can be ungainly to carry around.
Pannier garment bag – I used this one a lot. It’s also a pain to take on/off, and has to be adjusted just right to avoid foot/wheel contact. But you can carry a suit and extras. I still use mine every week or two to bring in dress shirts/slacks which I keep in the office
Trunk bag – My current go-to (which I got used from someone on this board) is the Topeak MTX Trunk Bag. It goes on/off with a click, holds a ton, and can expand into panniers if you need to carry more. For me, it’s the best piece of carriage gear I own.
I’ve never tried a messenger bag.

When planning your route, consider bike+bus or a bike+metro+Cabi. I commuted from Herndon to DC/Rosslyn for years going bike->bus->bike->destination.

Register for Bike to Work Day (may 15th) to help you get motivated.

[lordofthemark]

Maybe someone here knows great routes from the WW bridge to JBAB, but my gut is that the best idea would be to ride to work in Crystal City (from your friend’s house) and not bother with riding to JBAB till you are more experienced. The ride to CC a couple of times a week will both get you more familiar with all the issues involved in bike commuting, and get you in better shape. At some point you can decide if your next step up is to ride more frequently (which would mean riding to JBAB) or riding all the way from Kingstowne.

Of course if the locker/shower/bike parking situation at JBAB is better for you than at Crystal City, disregard what I have just written.

I am not as experienced or as frequent a bike commuter (yet) as many folks here so take my advice for what its worth. But that is my two cents.

[lordofthemark]

@dasgeh 112109 wrote:

Lots of good advice. My one add is this: I usually tell people that you don’t have to do maintenance yourself: if something happens on a ride in the city, you can throw your bike on a bus at any time. But with your route, the bus might not be a viable backup. So you probably want to know how to change a flat, and bring that stuff with you when you ride.

I know there are buses (metroway) from CC to Braddock Metro, I think there is a bus (but not sure) all the way from CC to King Street metro, and then there are buses from King Street metro roughly paralleling the MVT. It would not be good for regular one way bike commuting, but for an emergency because of a bike mtnce issue should be doable.

[DismalScientist]

Your road bike has a carbon frame, so a rack and panniers are infeasible.

@dplasters 112132 wrote:

Welcome. Watch out for Dismal, he might be cheaper than even MMM.

Nah… He said biking to work costs virtually nothing. It sounds like he picks up his bikes at Walmart.:rolleyes: It’s true that I don’t need bicycle specific clothing and all, but I would at least get powerful lights (from ebay:rolleyes:) and a non-discount store bike (from bikesdirect, nashbar or CL:rolleyes:) MMM doesn’t seem to analyze the extra beer and other food consumption with biking as well.

[Greenbelt]

Getting to this thread late, but welcome to the wonderful world of bike commuting.

A couple years ago, with the help of some people on this forum, I compiled some notes and tips for bike commuters. Some of the advice may be a bit outdated, and some opinions may be debatable, but regardless, here it is:
http://www.proteusbicycles.com/community/jeffs-commuting-tips/

-Jeff

[Alcova cyclist]

@Greenbelt 112149 wrote:

Getting to this thread late, but welcome to the wonderful world of bike commuting.

A couple years ago, with the help of some people on this forum, I compiled some notes and tips for bike commuters. Some of the advice may be a bit outdated, and some opinions may be debatable, but regardless, here it is:
http://www.proteusbicycles.com/community/jeffs-commuting-tips/

-Jeff

That write-up is great!

[Tim Kelley]

@Greenbelt 112149 wrote:

Getting to this thread late, but welcome to the wonderful world of bike commuting.

A couple years ago, with the help of some people on this forum, I compiled some notes and tips for bike commuters. Some of the advice may be a bit outdated, and some opinions may be debatable, but regardless, here it is:
http://www.proteusbicycles.com/community/jeffs-commuting-tips/

-Jeff

Are you still updating the page? One suggestion–the term “Protected Bike Lanes” has now come to generally be recognized as a better descriptor than “cycletrack.”

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/25158/out-cycletrack-in-protected-bikeway/

http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/how-smart-language-helped-end-seattles-paralyzing-bikelash

http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/selling-biking-better-language-for-better-bike-lanes

[Birdstrike]

@lordofthemark 112140 wrote:

Maybe someone here knows great routes from the WW bridge to JBAB, but my gut is that the best idea would be to ride to work in Crystal City (from your friend’s house) and not bother with riding to JBAB till you are more experienced…

Doc, I’ve been riding from Fort Belvoir and the Pentagon to JBAB for years as part of a rec loop ride from Virginia to DC and back into Virginia. It’s a very scenic route. Once you cross the Wilson Bridge eastbound, wind down to river level and you’ll come to a path fork. Bear left via the ped/bike tunnel (bearing right takes you to National Harbor). Proceed uphill, northeast, on a paved trail parallel to the road to reach Bald Eagle Rd at the hilltop. It’s a decent climb! Turn left at Bald Eagle, follow the sidewalk, overtop I-495 bridge heading west towards Oxen Hill Park. After less than a mile turn left into Oxen Hill Park and pick up the bike trail or the service road, both head soutwest and rejoin at the bottom of the hill onto a single paved path. Becomes the Oxen Hill farm trail, follow through the woods, water stays on your left. At the fork, bear left crossing Oxen Hill creek over a bridge. Then you’ll emerge from the park onto DC Village Lane SW, an industrial area. Take that to Shepherd Parkway SW and turn right, now heading north, past the DC Fire Academy training grounds. At the stop sign, turn left proceed under the I-295 overpass and then take an immediate right onto Overlook Ave. Stay on that past the Research Lab and you’ll come to the first Bolling gate on the left and you’re there. Ride north within Bolling to reach Anacostia, either via the base roads or follow a trail along the east bank of the Potomac. It’s all on google maps. Later you can complete the loop by proceeding north on Overlook to the Douglas Bridge and cross into DC and follow the SW waterfront roads to the paths that take you across the 14th Street or Memorial Bridge to the GW trail south. You may not want to tackle this daily but I ride it at least once a week, it’s about a 25 mile loop to and from the Pentagon.

[hozn]

Yeah, we have been down this discussion before, but I take issue with the idea that the average cyclist will save much money commuting by bike. If you really focus on getting the most inexpensive consumables (e.g. tires, drivetrain) and running your chains long past when they start skipping and do your own maintenance … and make your own lunches, then I am sure you can save money. If you pay retail for nice quality stuff and have the LBS install it, I can’t see it adding up. Nice bike tires are almost half the price of car tires and last roughly 1/10th the mileage, to put it in perspective. The $7/day in tolls for me helps a little, but I don’t save much.

**But** I do think commuting by bike is wonderful! I would do it even if it cost me significantly more per mile than driving.

[Tim Kelley]

@hozn 112175 wrote:

Yeah, we have been down this discussion before, but I take issue with the idea that the average cyclist will save much money commuting by bike. If you really focus on getting the most inexpensive consumables (e.g. tires, drivetrain) and running your chains long past when they start skipping and do your own maintenance … and make your own lunches, then I am sure you can save money. If you pay retail for nice quality stuff and have the LBS install it, I can’t see it adding up. Nice bike tires are almost half the price of car tires and last roughly 1/10th the mileage, to put it in perspective. The $7/day in tolls for me helps a little, but I don’t save much.

**But** I do think commuting by bike is wonderful! I would do it even if it cost me significantly more per mile than driving.

What about the harder to measure type stuff? You’re exercising instead of just sitting around so that saves you on gym memberships and more importantly it saves you on time since you’re multitasking. You’re also healthier and probably happier–how do you put a price on that?

[hozn]

@Tim Kelley 112176 wrote:

What about the harder to measure type stuff? You’re exercising instead of just sitting around so that saves you on gym memberships and more importantly it saves you on time since you’re multitasking. You’re also healthier and probably happier–how do you put a price on that?

Yeah, good points. There are lots of benefits to cycling; just may not result in a net $$ savings in the end. Maybe if cycling means you can drop a gym membership? Or if you have to pay for your own healthcare (and qualify for a better rate). Cycling did help me get a 30% lower [than default non-smoker] life insurance rate, so that is something!

Of course there are also (a few) intangibles with driving too — like listening to books on tape or catching up on world news (yes, some cyclists use headphones too, but not recommended, especially in traffic). And it is easier to have a conversation with my son when we are in the car, though it works to talk to him in the trailer if I ride slowly enough.

[Crickey7]

There’s too many variables to make a blanket assertion. To me, the big ones are whether you would have to pay for parking and whether it allows you to not buy another vehicle or significantly reduce useage so that maintenance intervals are infrequent and you can keep the car longer.

[PotomacCyclist]

Many people commute on Capital Bikeshare these days (although I recognize that this can’t work for everyone, because not everyone lives or works near a bike station). The costs are minimal. $85 for an annual membership (as of May 1st). Helmet and quality bike shorts are recommended. Any shirt can work for bike commuting. The occasional overlimit per ride fees (if you forget to dock the bike within the 30-min. time limit). I do the vast majority of my bike commutes on CaBi. Even though I don’t ride as much in the winter, and many times I only bike one way (either AM or PM rush but not both), that’s still a lot of bike trips that are replacing Metro trips for me.

I’d estimate that from April through Sept., I bike commute about 4-8 times a week (counting each one-way trip separately). If I take all those trips on Metro, I would pay about $250 to $500 total. In Mar., Oct. and Nov., I might bike commute 2-6 times a week (individual trips), totaling another $60 to $200 in Metro fare that I didn’t have to pay. Then a few more trips in Dec/Jan/Feb. So I save about $400 to $800 on Metro fares by bike commuting. The total cost is $85 for the membership ($75 in the past), $45 for bike shorts (which I buy already for fitness training, but I don’t buy new shorts every year). I still use the same helmet that I bought in 2009, so no additional helmet expenses over the last 5 years.

I come out ahead about $270 to $670 a year by bike commuting on CaBi. Plus I save on bike maintenance costs that I would incur otherwise if I did more riding on my own bikes. I would probably have to replace my chains, cassettes and brake pads more often if I didn’t ride CaBi so much. (Admittedly, a pro athlete shouldn’t spend so much time on Cabi, but I’m not a pro athlete so I don’t care too much that CaBi riding isn’t as specific for race training as the race bike is. I consider myself a hybrid of bike commuter, amateur non-elite athlete, recreational cyclist, and bike tourist.) As it stands, I could be saving $100 to $200 or more each year because of those reduced expenses (partly because I do some non-commute rides on CaBi too).

These are just quick informal calculations. I think I got the big picture correct. So at least for the many people who now bike commute on CaBi in the region, bike commuting can save quite a bit of money. Even more so if this lets you get rid of a car altogether. That saves on car payments, insurance, parking fees, gas and expensive car maintenance. All that can add up to as much as thousands of dollars a year. (Many residential buildings charge $50 or more a month in parking decals. I know some people who park downtown every work day at $10-$20 a day. That’s $200-$400 a month just in work parking fees, or $2,400 to $4,800 a year! (Some adjustments needed for vacation days, etc., but it wouldn’t change the numbers by a significant amount.) Meanwhile, I pay $75 or now $85 total for the year for the right to park the CaBi bikes at the bike stations.)

Even if you still keep a car, you would still save on gas expenses and downtown parking fees (for those who would have to park in a paid garage or lot). Anyway, that’s my situation. It doesn’t apply to everyone, but it does apply to a fair number of people in the region these days.

[Author]

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