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#31
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
"Fabrizio Mazzoleni" wrote:
Zoot Katz wrote in message ... And remains quite consistent. I think that's one great advantage of bicycle commuting. And looking like a FRED. I think that's one great disadvantage of bicycle commuting. Why do you types have to wear crap and ride junkers? What makes me angry about you guys is that the general public sees you every day and gets the impression all cyclist ride hybrids or other lamers and wear dorky gear from those general bike shops. I'm devoting all my time to putting forward the image and lifestyle of the euro pro and you types are ruining that for me. Far from it, Fab! I always tried to maintain proper kit level when riding to work. Sure, that meant I had to drive my clothes in every couple weeks, but I was able to look marvelous on my way to work. And the best part was I could cruise around the parking lot for a while when I got there so all the folks who drive to work (the shame!) could see how it should be done. I did have to compromise a little and ride MTB shoes and pedals, but made sure they looked like "real road shoes" so I wouldn't have to listen to the "tsk, tsk, tsk" from the Real Roadies [tm] I passed. Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame |
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#32
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
Erik Freitag wrote:
In article , (Claire Petersky) wrote: Depends on how hilly the ride is, and how many lights and traffic you have to contend with. My ride is relatively hilly -- only one flat section -- and is somewhat more downhill in to work and uphill for the way back. Oddly enough, my commute (26 mi one-way and a max of 3x week) is uphill and into the wind in both directions. Or maybe that's just me. It shouldn't be a problem - after all, your miles are shorter than ours... oh, and I hear that in the southern hemisphere, the rides are all downhill and with the wind in both directions. That must make it hard on those Aussie sprinters in the Tour! ;-) Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame |
#33
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
That's a pretty long ride if you're working in the middle of that commute.
A road bike would be best, but be sure to add fenders, lights and a rack. Vin - Menotomy Vintage Bicycles, Inc. http://OldRoads.com Hi, I am thinking of buying a road bike to commute to work every day. Would 15 miles each way be too far? I am in pretty good shape but new to biking. About how long would it take? How fast (average speed) can the average beginner go on a road bike? Thanks, Jeff. |
#34
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
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#35
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
My commute to work is about 14.3 miles so it is similar to yours in
distance. My route dosesn't have any significant climbs, and I spend all but 4 or 5 of those miles on the bike path so I have no cars to deal with for the most part. When I'm off of the bike path I take back streets with the exception of the last road that leads to work. So probably just under a mile is spent on a busy street. My shortest time for this commute has been 48 minutes. Obviously I was haulin' a*s that day and had a tailwind to boot. The longest it has taken is 65 minutes, when I was either not feeling well or having a really slow recovery day. Since I vary my rides to work with recovery days and very hard work days (intervals and time-trial speed runs) I can be pretty well worn down if things are also tough at work. Like today for instance is a recovery day, but I'm feeling pretty poorly given yesterday's workout was so hard, and I've been riding either 5 or 6 days a week for several weeks now. I'm really gonna be going home slowly today. The two most important things I've found when commuting like this and putting in major efforts, is getting enough sleep and eating so you have energy. Its not as easy as it sounds, beleive me. Good luck! |
#36
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
On Tue, 5 Aug 2003 19:28:51 -0400, David Kerber
wrote: Depending on what time I go out, it's easy to get the wind against you both directions in Narragansett. If I start out going norte around noon or so, by the time I turn around, the sea breeze has filled in from the south and I'm riding into it again. The parts of Narragansett I've been to, while windy, at least tend to be pretty flat...it's uphill both ways here in East Greenwich. -- Rick Onanian |
#37
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
Fabrizio Mazzoleni wrote: Zoot Katz wrote in message ... And remains quite consistent. I think that's one great advantage of bicycle commuting. And looking like a FRED. I think that's one great disadvantage of bicycle commuting. Why do you types have to wear crap and ride junkers? What makes me angry about you guys is that the general public sees you every day and gets the impression all cyclist ride hybrids or other lamers and wear dorky gear from those general bike shops. I'm devoting all my time to putting forward the image and lifestyle of the euro pro and you types are ruining that for me. A recumbent is even better, since you can dispense with the cycling clothes and just wear wicking fabric "travel clothes". Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side) |
#38
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
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#39
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
"Tanya Quinn" wrote in message
om... (Jeffrey Pogodzinski) wrote in message . com... Thank you all for your suggestions! I will try a test run this weekend. The only thing I do not like is the lack of bicycle lanes or a shoulder on some parts of my ride that can not be avoided. How do you deal with no bike lanes? I have a mountain bike -- Giant ATX 890 -- it has knobby tires. Should I buy some smooth tires before I try it? Jeff. Hi Jeff, I commuted for a while on a mountain bike with knobby tires and it was fine. However once I replaced the tires with slicks I was much happier - I could go faster with less effort. Alot faster with alot less effort. You don't need bike lanes to ride on the road. You should ride vehicularly - the same as you would drive a car, with the exception that you keep as far to the right as practicable. Which is usually about 3 feet out from the curb That is an off-hand measurement that is both vague and misleading. Lane widths vary and so do shoulders, as well as the presence or absence of hard shoulders. - if you hug the curb you will get the impression that cars are out to kill you as they whiz by and leave you minimal room, and its nice not to ride over storm sewers etc. If there is not sufficient room for a bicycle and a car in the same lane then ride in the center of the lane so cars need to change lanes in order to pass, rather than give the impression there might be room. Very good. You may need to try a couple of routes before you find one you like. I have a different route going to work and coming home because of what works out best for uphill vs. downhill and also for traffic patterns at different times of the day. Here's some ideas for picking routes: 1. residential roads - when you are a beginner these will seem attractive as they are less trafficked. However those speed bumps and stop signs designed to slow traffic through the neighbourhoods will slow you down too, so its a quietness vs. speed tradeoff. They also may require more turns and not as direct of a straight line. 2. minor arterials - find the road that you would pick if you were a car and look at what is parallel to it. Often these are good choices since they go straight through, have traffic lights instead of stop signs. But they may be less attractive to cars because they have less lanes slowing down the speed - bad for them, good for you. 3. speed limits and effective speeds - the slower the cars go the more comfortable it is to share the road with them. So choose roads with lower speed limits, or roads that are more congested. While picking busier roads may seem counterintuitive, congestion can slow traffic down to biking speed - perfect Generally roads with high speed limits, not so wide lanes, no shoulder and frequent traffic should be avoided. On low frequency traffic roads with high speeds (such as country roads) the low traffic makes it easy for faster traffic to pass. 4. Width of roads - wider lanes make it easier to share bike and cars in one lane without any conflict. (its like having a bike lane but without the white stripe) However wider lane roads also tend to move faster (see point 3) To get respect from motorists, be assertive (but not aggressive), Some people don't know the difference. I prefer to be aggressive when necessary. have courteousy for cars Do not, I repeat, do not have courtesy for cars. This might sound trivial to you, but the wording is important to the meaning of language. Cars are operated by people and you do not give courtesy to inanimate objects. And only respect a motorist if they deserve it. but don't assume that you have to move for them either, signal your turns, stop for all traffic lights (even with no cars coming) If there are other cyclists in your area, or some kind of local group with email, they are great resources to ask about route planning. You may find out shortcuts you never knew existed. Be sure to have good front and rear lights when riding at night - visibility is important! You never know when you might have to stay late at work so even if you don't think you'll be riding after dark they are good insurance. Yes, please spend more than a minimal amount of money on the weakest light you can possibly buy. I'm constantly amazed at the number of idiots who think their life is worth no more than a $15 or $20 headlight As for the distance - If you live somewhere with decent public transit that you can take your bicycle on, you could try doing a half bike and half transit if you find the distance to be much. Or if there is somewhere you can park your car conveniently halfway if you drive you can do a half drive half bike. It may take a while before your commute feels easy enough to do every day. HTH Tanya Nice post. Robin Hubert ) |
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
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