First Ride to Work
Today I joined the ranks of Bike Commuters.
It wasn’t without minor problems, but it sure as heck was better than driving.
Problems that I’ll have to figure out:
- Timing – I have to leave by 8:20 to make it to work and cool off a bit before 9AM meetings. 8:30 only gives me about 5 minutes to stop sweating, even in my cold office.
- Seatpost – it really would help to tighten the bolts on it. Really.
- Backpack – The backpack is acceptable, but not the best solution – it’s too heavy and hot right now.
- Shirt – today I wore my dry-fit polo shirt, so no problem there. Cotton, however, just won’t cut it. A dry-fit t shirt and a change at work will probably be the way to go.
- Stem is just a hair off-center. not a problem riding, but an annoyance that’s easy enough to fix.
- Traffic lights suck. I hit just about every light, and though I won’t be doing it, I understand the temptation to blow lights all too well. Especially after sitting through two cycles before even getting out of my neighborhood.
- Construction on the route in – I had my route all mapped out and pre-tested, but I didn’t realize that they close the roads for construction every morning (and have a big truck spraying all the roads with water).
Things that went well:
- Jeans are fine for the short ride. A bit sweaty, but today was just shy of 90% humidity – what a day to pick as the first ride.
- The Pearl Izumi MTB shoes I’m using work perfectly – it still takes me an extra half-second to clip in compared to my road shoes, but no big deal.
- Overall, the bike was sweet, no mechanical issues at all except for the brake squeal.
Now, I’m watching the weather, hoping it doesn’t rain on me on the ride home!
Update! It’s raining – we’ve had severe drought (take a look this post) and the day I ride in, it rains!
Tags: bicycle, commute, surly crosscheck, transportation