Riding a mountain bike to work

[scottm]

It's true again, hopefully to stay. I like the linseed oil idea. These are my new beater wheels, I'll ride all winter on them on salted roads, and even in summer they get wet and grimy on my commute. I'm a big advocate of threadlocker for keeping crud and corrosion out of threads, more than keeping them from loosening. This is another good use for low-strength threadlocker, gonna have to get some. I've never found it at a moderate price, time to look again.

 

[mustardfj40]

My singlespeed, at least my best one.

I'm about your age and my knees scream if I go single speed...I'll let gears do the work for me

 

[SLOonTheGo]

I rode my buddies single speed back in hollister when I was home without a rig. It was nice to cruise out to tres pinos and back on the roadie with it, nice gearing and uber light. I am looking into buying another bike this summer for training, if all my cash doesn't go towards the cruiser.

I want to get the redline monocog and then swap on some hayes mx2 mech discs and use it to train for xc mountain biking. Hurt my knee pretty bad training for the boston marathon so I figure it is time to get back on the bike full time.

Eddy, can I look at your bike fleet tonight, please... I won't steal anything I swear...

 

[atoyot]

Finally got my SS commuter about done.
I am going to remove the smaller front ring to make it look cleaner. I removed the front brake and all the derailer stuff.
Before and after

 

[tonkota]

I bought some clipless pedals and some shoes today. Shimano PD-M520 pedals and Peal Izumi shoes. I was going to go for a dual platform and clipless pedal, but decided against it. And I tried on many shoes in my price range, but the Pearl Izumi shoes felt the best for my wide feet.

Damn that is a weird feeling. Its satisfying to clip in, and the way you can pedal is amazing. Now to practice clipping and unclipping so I don't fall over

 

[atoyot]

Clip less rock. That will be my next big purchase for the bike. I might just keep an eye on Craigslist for a steal.

 

[IronYuppy]

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. It's 3 1/2 miles one way for me, mostly downhill in the AM so I'm not too sweaty when I get to work.

It's been really nice to ride. It doesn't take me any more time to ride to work than it does to drive the car.

Who else rides to work? And how far one way?

I'm "gearing up" for a 15 mile ride (each way). I'm going to try it next weekend and see how really feasible it is. The ride in is a very mild, steady descent nearly the whole way, but the return is, of course, a very mild, very steady ascent. I don't know if that's something I really want to do after eight hours of physical labour.

The upside is that the commuter buses here have bike racks, so I could go transit part of the way if necessary.

I'm getting my bike (1991 Giant Iguana!) from the shop tomorrow, and I'll test the waters next weekend.

 

[atoyot]

Another option is to drive to work with your bike in your vehicle and ride your bike home. Then ride your bike to work the next day and drive home. This method is good for people who have a longer commute. I live a few miles from my work so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[scottm]

I shoulda mentioned, the shoes with the ratcheting straps are amazing. My old velcro ones weren't in bad shape, but after a ride with these shoes I tossed the old ones. I'm totally locked in, without having them real tight. These never loosen at all once set.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

I've bike commuted for 20 years, and like Scott, less now in the darkness of winter than I used to. It's 14 miles each way, so about 50 minutes with traffic. Much of my riding is on an '88 Paramount fixie, but I also ride an older Heron (531 steel kind of retro) with normal Shimano gearing.

I agree with Nutley-I virtually never have to wrench on the bikes, and my commute wheels I built 10 years ago, and other than an occasionaly truing, they run fine. Bikes are so simple, that they rarely go bad. I've built and run lots of my own wheels, and never use a thread locker of any type. With proper tension it isn't needed and hinders later truing.

Hands down, the #1 benifit is weight control. I broke my foot in December and could not ride or run for 3 months. Gained 10-15 pounds for the first time in my life. Not good, and working on that now.

 

[stinkyfj60]

Well, yesterday I scored the frame I wanted to build I wanted for a fixie that is my daily transport.

It is a mid-70s Schwinn Suburban. It is in pieces but I have the frame, matching fenders, book rack and handle bars. It is a 5-speed, so I will keep the one piece crank, and begin my build and totally geek it out

 

[scottm]

According to the bike shop mechanic, disk brakes put a lot more stress on spokes than rim brakes, and can loosen a wheel faster. I can see that. But I think it'd have to be a marginal wheel to loosen even with disk brakes.

 

[atoyot]

Well, yesterday I scored the frame I wanted to build I wanted for a fixie that is my daily transport.

It is a mid-70s Schwinn Suburban. It is in pieces but I have the frame, matching fenders, book rack and handle bars. It is a 5-speed, so I will keep the one piece crank, and begin my build and totally geek it out

Take a before picture. I wish I would have with my bike. After you take the picture post it here! My bike turned out to be way more trouble than I expected. But now that it is ridable I am digging it.

 

[atoyot]

Well I rode my bike to work this morning as the Sun was coming up. It was harder than I thought it was going to be. And there where little hills that I never even noticed in my cruiser. I made it to work in 23 minutes. I think I will sleep good tonight. I am stoked!

 

[landcrusher80]

25km one way 15.5 miles it kicks my ass!
Once in blue moon.

 

[Spud]

Well I rode my bike to work this morning as the Sun was coming up. It was harder than I thought it was going to be. And there where little hills that I never even noticed in my cruiser. I made it to work in 23 minutes. I think I will sleep good tonight. I am stoked!

Yesterday on my ride in, the pollen was so heavy in the air it looked as though it was snowing, very tiny flakes but as dense as a snowfall.

A lot of birds chirping this am...