On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 17:29:16 -0700, ufatbastehd <
[email protected]>
wrote:
>Decided I'm going to bike to and from work aboujt 8 mi each way.
>I live in NYC and have a Trek "Mountain Trek" bike that I'll use as my
>commuter bike.
>
>Just changed the tubes, bought a pump and bottle holder and seat pack
>for tools and spare tires.
>Have a chain lock and a u lock. BIke has a rack over the rear tire to
>carry clean clothes.
>
>Plan on removing the seat/pump/waterbottle when the bike is locked for
>the day.
>
>I don't have a light yet but will be home before dark
>
>
>Any city bike commuters have any insight as to what I'm missing or
>what to look out for?
>
>Thinking about getting one of those rear view mirrors that hook up to
>the helmet but other than that I think I have it all covered
I commute from Flushing to Water Street most days. It's exactly 15
miles each way and takes about 1:20 if I'm not moving quickly. But I
don't have to go to the gym when I get home. Do remember to stretch
the hamstrings however; they really need it after biking.
Summer is pretty easy to do the commute but winter is a bit harder.
We'll discuss that some time down the road if you stick with it,
though the icebiking site has good info:
http://www.icebike.org/ .
The only bad part of my commute is from the QB Bridge to 34th street
where I cut over to the east side bike/ped route. Otherwise it's
pretty easy.
You likely don't need a water bottle; there are fountains in just
about all the parks. I have my pump in the rear rack trunk and it just
comes with me. I park the bike outside, but under an overhang, chained
to a fence right outside a Staples. The chain and lock stays there
year round since it's far too heavy to carry around. Over the last
four years or so I've lost two chains. One was lost when the city
removed the lamppost to which it was attached, the other was likely
stolen.
My bike, a Trek 7100 hybrid, has not been stolen. The cost was around
$300 and it likely has around 18,000 miles on it. However, the rims
have been replaced with quality wheels with double or triple butted
spokes that won't break. I used to break a spoke every three months or
so, now they don't break. Broken spokes are a pain in the butt.
You'll need to replace the chain every 1400 to 1600 miles or so. There
is a cheap gauge you can get that will show you how it is stretching.
The chain has to stay in sync with the gears or they won't work well
together.
Times-Up New York (
http://times-up.org/) is a bit more radical than
Transportation Alternatives but offers free bike clinics that teach
you how to do your own repairs. Both groups are well worth joining.
The Five Boro Bike Club is also a good group, but I rarely attend
rides anymore since I do so much biking during the week.
I finally put slime tubes into both front and rear tires. I'm very
good a changing flats but it gets annoying, and is a real drag in the
winter. Since I put in the slime a few months back I've had no flats.
I also find that I need to top off the tires much less than
previously.
Watch out for those double-length buses. They're really hard to get
around. I feel like pulling out the giant cotter pin that must hold
the two halves together.
Oh, make sure that you replace knobby tires with slicks. There is
little more annoying than the rattling of knobby tires on asphalt.
As for lights, I use a Planet Bike 15w halogen with a NiMH battery
that straps onto the frame. I've thought about a hub generator but
that's too expensive to leave outside all day. I don't find that I
forget to recharge the battery and it's easy to deal with.
We're in the big city and there are really very few spots on my
commute that are actually dark. Mostly it's a matter of being seen
rather than lighting up the road. Use the Planet Bike SuperFlash for
the rear. That thing is awesome.
I actually use neon tubes (cold cathode) held onto the frame by velcro
and powered by 10 AA rechargeables during the dark season. I'll admit
that it's a bit hokey but I don't get hit:
http://www.vibelights.com/bili.html
I chain the bike through the frame and front wheel and that goes
through the fence. I have a smaller cable that goes through the seat
and the rear wheel. That seems pretty easy to cut but no one has
bothered so far.
Well, that's all I can think of right now. Have fun.
