Riding a mountain bike to work

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I ride to and from school 3 miles each way pretty much everyday. Unless my backpack gets into the 30+ lbs range... Decent amount of hills and the poly campus is on a hillside so its up and down both ways. I ride a specialized hardrock with platforms to school and leave my Giant full suspension with spd for weekend rides. Platforms are dangerous when you decide to try and pull up without the clip, my shins hate me :doh:.

Good luck on the weight loss though, biking is very satisfying and really lets you take the time to enjoy the commute and see whats going on.

p.s. Carry an extra tube, some tire levers and a basic multi tool with you all the time. Better safe than sorry.
 
tonkota said:
I've started riding my mountain bike to work. I'm not doing it to save gas, but to get my fat ass in shape.
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Why do you hate America?

Don't you know it's your duty to drive as much as possible, and get as fat as possible so all those poor drug companies will have someone to sell their drugs to?

This is EXACTLY what is wrong with this country...
 
mattlock said:
Why do you hate America?

Don't you know it's your duty to drive as much as possible, and get as fat as possible so all those poor drug companies will have someone to sell their drugs to?

This is EXACTLY what is wrong with this country...
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Don't worry, I still eat at McDonald's for two meals a day.




































I'm just kidding, I don't eat at McDonald's, just Arby's :D
 
KingBeeIII said:
Without a doubt, I need to get my fat ass back on the bike. I rode it on a regular basis a few years back when I worked days, just over 6 miles one way to work, and love it, felt great, wasn't so F'n huge. I work a weird schedule now, the trip there is early afternoon and the trip back is in the middle of the night. My biggest hesitation, other than laziness, is having no way to avoid the ghetto on the way home at night. I guess, I could buy a baton in the event I couldn't get past any problems.
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scottm said:
Pedal with one leg, you'll feel where you're not putting effort into the circle. Keep your heels down. By "clips" do you mean with a strap? Or step-in clips that lock you in 'till you turn your heel out? I've been riding with step-in pedals since Look came out with the first ones decades ago. I like my Specialized SPD system, there are some others that are great. Dont' get cheap ones, I tried that, could hardly get out when I needed to, popped out when I didn't want to.
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It worked. I think I have it now, and it is much easier to pedal up hills. I'm not fast, but at least I don't have to walk the bike up and my quads weren't burning beyond belief.

Thanks for the tips.
 
tonkota said:
I can't afford the shoes just yet for "real" clipless pedals. I have the plastic straps.
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Cragslist my friend. I got a sweet set of Crank Bros egg beaters for 40$ and for shoes you can get a good pair for 50$. I love riding clipless. If you do any serious off-road mountain biking your feet aren't always falling off the peddles. Another good investment is an under seat pouch I have spare batteries a CO2 pump and a tube in mine.
 
SLOonTheGo said:
I ride to and from school 3 miles each way ... the poly campus is on a hillside so its up and down both ways.
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Did I tell you I went there too? Math, '81-'87 with a few coop jobs thrown in so I didn't have to do math forever. We had the campus map marked up with ski-slope ratings and we'd use it as a skate park at night. From behind the dorms and down to the police station was double black diamond. :eek: Good times. I got a 5 speed cruiser my last year, but it was a tank and I'd get all sweaty on the way to class. I started riding mountain bikes immediately afterwards.
 
JONNYFJ said:
If you do any serious off-road mountain biking your feet aren't always falling off the peddles. Another good investment is an under seat pouch I have spare batteries a CO2 pump and a tube in mine.
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'zactly what i have in my seat pouch. plus a thing or two.

It's been so long since I've ridden without clipless pedals, I'm very uncomfortable without them. I don't know if people get used to riding without them and do great, or just don't do as well and accept it. I can ride down a flight of stairs one-handed when I'm clipped in, I'm fighting to stay on with flat pedals. I used to go down a long, wooden, spiral staircase every morning on the way to crew practice, sometimes wet with morning dew. It was awesome with the clipless pedals, suicide without. There was no stopping once I was going down.
 
Fast Eddy said:
Did I tell you I went there too? Math, '81-'87 with a few coop jobs thrown in so I didn't have to do math forever. We had the campus map marked up with ski-slope ratings and we'd use it as a skate park at night. From behind the dorms and down to the police station was double black diamond. :eek: Good times. I got a 5 speed cruiser my last year, but it was a tank and I'd get all sweaty on the way to class. I started riding mountain bikes immediately afterwards.
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I would not touch that hill on a skateboard for the life of me. That thing is fast on a bike, would hate to be on a piece of wood. Believe me Eddy, the hardrock's no xc machine, she weighs in at a nimble 36lbs, and thats with after market parts to strengthen and lighten her. The new X2 is nice and light at 27 lbs, so much nicer.

I don't know how you could do the math major, after Differential equations I vowed no more. Of course they changed the ARCE curriculum and now we all have to go back and take a stats class so we can graduate. Third flowchart change since I got here. I am thinking that I need to get an internship mid year or something, it is getting to be disheartening spending all my time buried under building codes with a pencil in a death grip. Should be doing that now actually, gotta go...:bang:
 
Spud said:
3.5miles one way for me too!
I have a single speed road bike I set up with a rack/bag on the back.

I sometimes go in at 3 or 4 in the am and it is pitch black. I see deer all the time and coming soon in the spring the skunks are out...I sometimes see upwards of 6 deer and the same number of skunks, gotta avoid those. I once came really close to getting broadsided by a deer with a rack and all. Scared the bejebus out of me.
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I recently acquired a bike which I am going to convert in to a "commuter". I have heard of the single speeds. What is the benefit to a single speed verses a bike with multiple gears?
 
tonkota said:
I think I am going to get some clipless pedals. I have spent some time over at mtbr reading reviews and REI has a nice set Shimano PD-M520 on clearance, plus I have a 15% and the 20% coupon for some bike shoes.

Shimano PD-M520 Reviews
Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek Bike Shoes - Men's from REI.com
Shimano MT31 Sport Shoes - Men's from REI.com
I'll post up if I pull the trigger.
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so your just getting regular pedals? did I read that right? I've been thinking about getting some clip ons.
 
atoyot:

those are called clipless pedals. seems backwards since you "clip" into them...


I commute everyday, 7.5 to and usually 10 home. I ride in the early am and take the liberty of the vacant main streets, but on the way home those same streets have too much traffic. I started riding in the winter and it helped my snowboarding game and helped me drop about twenty pounds. No fixie for me I have a 10spd road bike. Sometimes I miss the tiny gear from my mountain bike, but the hills have gotten a lot easier :D
 
atoyot said:
I recently acquired a bike which I am going to convert in to a "commuter". I have heard of the single speeds. What is the benefit to a single speed verses a bike with multiple gears?
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Benefits? Hmmmm, well I can twist around some words and make the impression that it is beneficial. But just so you know, this is one of several types of bikes I have, so not my exclusive ride.

1. Less maintenance.
2. Less weight.
3. Less cost.
4. Arguable, makes you stronger.
5. Quieter.
6. Less chance of breakdown.
7. Less mental taxation.
8. Do I really need gears to do short rides that are not "time trials"?

If you want I could write out a bunch of benefits as to why a multi speed bike is better than a SS. But basically SS bikes and Multi speed bikes are all great! Just do it.

I got into SS for several reasons. One reason is because I used to work in a bike shop full time, worked on bikes all day, then on my time I was working on mine and my wife's bikes all the time. Kinda got sick of spending so much time and money on fixing stuff, instead of maximizing my ride time.

Another reason was to explore other "challenges" on the bike. I raced MTB, Cross and Road. After several years, I wanted new challenges so I got into racing SS MTB. Raced SS bikes for several years, then tested myself for a season racing my SS MTB and occasionally my SS Cross bike against multi speed group. With mucho training pre and in season, I had an awesome year and fared very well.

My point is, that riding a SS is a new level of challenge to explore. Challenging yourself, setting goals and achieving makes you a better person. If you are not challenged, you are stagnant.
 
I used a Rock Hopper FS for years as a daily commuter. 3.5mi one way. It was great, and relaxing.

I finally ordered parts to build my classic Super Sport into a fixed gear road bike. If I like it, I am going to look for a Schwinn Continental to build into a fixed gear commuter....
 
Spud said:
Benefits? Hmmmm, well I can twist around some words and make the impression that it is beneficial. But just so you know, this is one of several types of bikes I have, so not my exclusive ride.

1. Less maintenance.
2. Less weight.
3. Less cost.
4. Arguable, makes you stronger.
5. Quieter.
6. Less chance of breakdown.
7. Less mental taxation.
8. Do I really need gears to do short rides that are not "time trials"?

If you want I could write out a bunch of benefits as to why a multi speed bike is better than a SS. But basically SS bikes and Multi speed bikes are all great! Just do it.

I got into SS for several reasons. One reason is because I used to work in a bike shop full time, worked on bikes all day, then on my time I was working on mine and my wife's bikes all the time. Kinda got sick of spending so much time and money on fixing stuff, instead of maximizing my ride time.

Another reason was to explore other "challenges" on the bike. I raced MTB, Cross and Road. After several years, I wanted new challenges so I got into racing SS MTB. Raced SS bikes for several years, then tested myself for a season racing my SS MTB and occasionally my SS Cross bike against multi speed group. With mucho training pre and in season, I had an awesome year and fared very well.

My point is, that riding a SS is a new level of challenge to explore. Challenging yourself, setting goals and achieving makes you a better person. If you are not challenged, you are stagnant.
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I got into it with one of my Dutch buddies a while ago about the whole single speed bike vs the geared bike theory.

Unless you live in Holland, gears are your friend.

My theory is that if the Bicycle was invented at a certain point in time, gears were invented a week later.

Gears make a bike much more versatile. Sure. if you are twenty and you are looking to impress chicks with your athletic physic a single speed makes a lot of sense. But, if you are like most people, your bike will be much more accessible if it has gears.
 
My theory is that if the Bicycle was invented at a certain point in time, gears were invented a week later.
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Not based on reality though...right? Cause' as I am sure you know, bicycles were single speed for many years prior to gears, and the first gears only covered a small range of change.

I have never been one of those persons that tries to convince others that SS is the way to go. If you like it great, if you don't that is great too.

I'm 37 and can still rock it on an SS, so life does not end after 20. I know some dude's in their 40's and 50's that can kick ass racing on a SS. :cheers:

:hhmm: Think I will go for a ride today....
 
Spud said:
Not based on reality though...right? Cause' as I am sure you know, bicycles were single speed for many years prior to gears, and the first gears only covered a small range of change.

I have never been one of those persons that tries to convince others that SS is the way to go. If you like it great, if you don't that is great too.

I'm 37 and can still rock it on an SS, so life does not end after 20. I know some dude's in their 40's and 50's that can kick ass racing on a SS. :cheers:

:hhmm: Think I will go for a ride today....
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Too many people in our culture "die" when they hit 30. I have never understood it....

There should not be any age limit on riding a fixie or single speed.
 
Spud said:
Not based on reality though...right? Cause' as I am sure you know, bicycles were single speed for many years prior to gears, and the first gears only covered a small range of change.

I have never been one of those persons that tries to convince others that SS is the way to go. If you like it great, if you don't that is great too.

I'm 37 and can still rock it on an SS, so life does not end after 20. I know some dude's in their 40's and 50's that can kick ass racing on a SS. :cheers:

:hhmm: Think I will go for a ride today....
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Yeah, I know there was a break in the action in the minds of bike builders for the first twenty years or so. That said, gears are here now and they make sense for most people.

Don't get me wrong, I do have a single speed Schwinn that I pedal around town.

When I was in college, I organized a huge cruiser race that had over fifty entrants and several hundred people in attendance to watch. I also have pedaled one of my old road bikes as a single speed. In Madison we have a ton of steep hills and I struggled to get up them on the bike. If I would have been drunk, I would have been walking.

My parents are in their sixties and they still bike all over the place, more than I do even. If it wasn't for gears they would be driving. That is my only point.
 
Good timing, my shop needs to get one of our trucks to a repair shop near my house. Without thinking, I offered to do it and ride my bike in. So, for the first time in a year, I'm going to ride to work again! I've still got my stash of work clothes in a locker from my years of riding in. This morning I replaced my jeans with khakis and a nicer shirt. I'm trying to remember everything, sucks to get to work and realize I forgot socks or a belt.
 
Last evening on my ride home I experienced why clipless are good. While I was pedaling in a circle, like I've been practicing, my left foot kept coming out when I pulled my foot back and up. Then when I got home I stopped by the stairs to my house and my left shoe became caught on the metal buckle and I fell over onto the steps.

I'm going tonight to look at some shoes and pedals. I've done some thinking about them and I had wondered if they make a pedal for clipless and regular shoes in one. I like to ride with the kids, which isn't very serious and a regular platform is nice.

I found these:
Shimano PD-M324 Reviews
 
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