How to Bike to Work
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Equipment for Bicycle Commuting

Bicycles

People commute happily on a fantastically wide range of bicycles. Almost any bicycle you feel comfortable and confident riding in the conditions that you face on your commute can serve as a good commuting bicycle for you. If you commute safely and happily on a bicycle different than those described here, good for you! But... If you want to select a bicycle for commuting, here are key factors to keep in mind: yourself, your commute, and your workplace.

Yourself

Bicycling experience: Do you have lots of experience with bicycling for recreation or sport, or are you just getting back into bicycling after years out of the saddle? Experienced bicyclists often have strong preferences about how a bicycle should work and feel. Some of us choose a commuting bicycle very different from our other bicycle (which might be a mountain bike or a road bike for long rides). Even so, you don't want your commuting bicycle to have brakes, gear shifters, or handling so different from your other bicycle that it feels uncomfortable or difficult to control in emergencies that require quick action.

If you are getting back into bicycling or trying it for the first time, you want to commute on a bicycle that feels natural to you and does not force you to learn too many new things - a different riding posture, different type of shifters, more or less sensitive steering, more or less powerful brakes, etc. Make sure to test-ride a bicycle before buying it for commuting.
Preferred pace: Do you want to relax and smell the roses while riding, or do you prefer a vigorous workout on your way to and from work? Although you can ride easily or strenuously on any bike, some bicycles provide good comfort for relatively gentle riding while other bicycles trade off low-speed comfort for efficiency and handling at a more athletic pace.
Medical Issues: Do you need to keep weight off certain parts of your body due to injuries or other conditions? Your position on the bicycle determines how much of your weight will rest on your seat and hands. A medical problem such as carpal tunnel syndrome or enlarged prostate can require a bicycling posture and bicycle design that relieves pressure from the affected part of your body. If you suffer from back, neck, or shoulder pain, you may want a more upright riding posture, although this shifts more weight onto your seat. The riding position that you choose will influence your choice of bicycle.
Riding Position and Bicycle Speed: Much of the difference between a fast bicycle and a slow one is usually due to a difference in riding positions: sitting up, with elbows spread wide on slower (mountain, hybrid, and BMX) bicycles, and bent forward at the waist, with elbows closer together on faster (road) bicycles. A lower, narrower posture of a road bike gives lower wind resistance, allowing the rider to go faster with the same effort. For this reason, long-distance bicyclists generally prefer bicycles with downturned ("drop") handlebars that provide for a more aerodynamic posture.
Personality as a Bicycle Owner: Do you enjoy investing in equipment designed to suit your riding preferences, or do you take pride in getting a lot of service from a small investment? For the same use, one person might spend $1000 on a new commuting bicycle plus $500 for specialized accessories, while another spends $100 for a good used bicycle plus $65 for a rack, lights, duffle bag, and bungee cords. Both riders could be happy with their choices.

Your Commute

Distance: If you commute four miles or less each way over fairly flat terrain, your ride will take less than a half-hour even if you ride slowly. Investing in a fancy, fast bicycle will shave only a few minutes from the trip. If you plan to ride 12 miles or more each way, a faster bicycle might allow you to reduce the travel time by 15 minutes or more each way. Longer rides also require more attention to riding a bicycle that fits you well and allows you to ride in a comfortable position.
Terrain: If you ride in hilly terrain, you will probably want a bicycle with several gears ("speeds") to allow you to maintain a fairly steady rhythm of pedaling ("pedal cadence") even while riding up and down hills. In Louisville, most commuters can manage well with the gear range (about 2.5:1) offered by a typical 7-speed cassette (without needing a front derailleur) or 7-speed internal hub gear.
Road surface conditions: If your preferred bicycling route to work involves rough or broken pavement, you will probably want a bicycle with tires 1.25" - 1.75" (32 - 44 mm) wide pumped to a pressure of 45 - 75 psi. If you ride over streets with broken glass and other sharp debris, you will want heavier tires with a thicker layer of tread rubber, a puncture-resistant belt, or both. If you will ride through more than occasional sand, dirt, or gravel, you will want wider tires with knobby tread. These weigh the most and have the highest rolling resistance. On the other hand, if you commute on fairly smooth and clean paved roads, you can use smooth, narrow, high-pressure tires that have the least rolling resistance and allow you to ride faster with the same effort. The trade-off: a harsher ride and more susceptibility to flat tires. The frame and brakes of any given bicycle are designed to work with tires and wheel rims within a certain range of sizes. Very few bicycles can work with both smooth 25 mm tires and knobby 50 mm tires. Your choice of tire type will influence your choice of bicycle type.
Weather: If you plan to commute in wet as well as dry weather, you will want wider tires with more textured (but not knobby) tread to maintain better traction on wet roads. Riding in wet conditions also calls for fenders (aka mudguards) to keep road spray off you and the moving parts of your bicycle.

Your Workplace

Dress Code:

Commuters in Amsterdam / Brian W. / ski-epic.com

Do you work in an open-air environment wearing rugged clothes or in a closed building wearing a dress or business suit? If you can arrive to work sweaty without it bothering anyone, so much the better! Many bicyclists make short, easy commutes by bicycle while wearing office clothes. If you choose to do this, you will want a bicycle that you can mount and dismount easily in your work clothes. It should have a chain guard to keep chain lube off your clothing.
Showers and Lockers: If you need to carry a change of clothes and supplies for a shower, you might choose a bicycle with a rack, or with eyelets for mounting a rack. This will allow you to carry your load on the bicycle, rather than on your back.
Bicycle parking: In some cases, you will need to park your bicycle in an unprotected outdoor location. This means you will want a high-security lock, for example a U-lock. If you will need to leave your bicycle outside in the rain or snow for hours at a time, you probably want to commute on an inexpensive used bicycle. Long exposure to water is hard on bicycles, and there is no point leaving an expensive bicycle out in the rain to deteriorate. If you can take your bicycle into your workplace with you, bingo! - you don't need to carry a lock. Access to secure indoor parking or a bike locker (a rarity in Louisville thus far) makes it more appealing to ride a fast, expensive bicycle to work without fear of it getting stolen, vandalized, or damaged by weather. A bike rack under an awning within the guarded perimeter of a building is the next best thing to parking your bicycle in the office. You will still need a lock, though.

OK, Now, So Which Bike Should I Buy?

Here are some of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the types of bicycles most likely to suit you for commuting.

Comfort ("Cruiser") Bicycles

These bicycles generally have one speed or three speeds, sometimes with a coaster (back-pedal) brake rather than hand brakes. They have wide, upturned handlebars. They are heavy, slow, stable, and comfortable for rides under five miles, with large tires that will cushion the ride and tolerate considerable abuse. Comfort bikes provide an upright seating posture - easy on the hands, neck, and back but potentially hard on the rump if you ride longer distances. Some have step-through frames making it easy to ride them while wearing a skirt or relatively tight trousers. They usually have soft plastic or rubber pedals that make it easy to ride while wearing ordinary walking shoes. They come with chain guards to keep clothing away from the chain. They generally do not have eyelets for mounting racks. If you have a short ride to work and don't need to carry anything that you'd prefer not to carry in a backpack, a comfort bike might work for you.

Hybrid Bicycles

These bicycles are halfway between lightweight, skinny-tire road bikes and rugged, knobby-tire mountain bikes. They have two strong hand brakes and usually between 21 and 27 gears ("speeds") covering a wide gear range - more than needed for most commuting in our area. Hybrid bicycles have flat handlebars. They sometimes have a front suspension to absorb shock from hitting bumps and holes. The trade-off: the front suspension adds weight and potential maintenance headaches. Hybrid bicycles offer a fairly upright seating posture. Hybrid bicycles' tires have smoother tread and roll more easily than mountain bike tires, but are heavier, slower, and more durable than most road bike tires. Most hybrid bicycles have eyelets for mounting front and rear racks. Hybrid bicycles serve well for many bicycle commuters.

Mountain Bicycles

Even heavier and more rugged than hybrid bicycles, mountain bicycles generally trade off too much pedaling efficiency for the ability to handle soft terrain, mud, and large bumps and drops that a competent urban bicyclist should never encounter while commuting except in the aftermath of an earthquake, tornado, or hurricane. Full-suspension mountain bikes (with both front and rear suspension) are needlessly heavy and complex for commuting on paved roads. If you want to use your mountain bike to commute, get a pair of "slicks" (higher-pressure, non-knobby tires) to use whenever using the bicycle on pavement. They will dramatically increase speed and eliminate the vibration that comes from running knobbies on pavement. If you can afford an extra pair of wheels (including cassette), you can mount knobbies on one wheel set for off-road use and slicks on the other wheel set for paved-road commuting.

Road Bicycles

Road bicycles range from super-light racing machines to heavy-duty beasts of burden for cross-country touring. All have downturned ("drop") handlebars to enable an aerodynamic "tuck" position and smooth, relatively narrow tires for low rolling resistance. The touring variety, with wider, heavier tires and eyelets for front and rear racks, can make very good commuting bicycles. Many people commute on touring-style road bikes made 15-30 years ago. Like hybrid bicycles, road touring bicycles have more gears, covering a wider range, than most commuters need. If you will occasionally need to haul 30 pounds of groceries up a steep hill, though, those low gears will come in handy!

Commuting Bicycles

A recent growth of bicycle commuting has encouraged many bicycle manufacturers to market specialized commuting bicycles. Each model offers a different package of features to please commuters, though most are built with a geometry and riding position similar to hybrid bicycles. They range from 7-speed designs (with internal hub gearing or a rear derailleur) to 27-speed bicycles with front and rear derailleurs. Common accessories included on commuting bicycles include racks, front and rear lights, bells, fenders (mudguards), and chain guards. Many offer disc brakes, which provide powerful braking in wet weather. If you want the full package without the hassle of shopping for accessories, a commuting bicycle might do the trick for you.

How to Bike to Work
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