Commuting Tactics:

This one is aimed at folks who haven’t tried to commute by bike.  It just might be helpful to those who have tried it too.

Let’s deal with the indelicate parts of this first.  Showers and changing.  If your planned commute covers any real distance these will apply.  Some happy few of us have the ability to shower at work.  If so, count your blessings.  For the rest, here are some things I’ve found helpful.

Clothing:  Lugging your work clothes around can be a real bother.  Is it possible to store several day’s clothing at work?  If so, you can cache clothes for your commute days, and decrease the load you have to carry.  Then, one day a week, use your car to bring in fresh laundry, and cart the used stuff home to wash or clean.

No showers:  Keep a towel and washcloth (or several) in a plastic trash bag.  Assemble the following “wonder potion.”  In a spritzer bottle, mix three parts water, one part liquid soap, and one part rubbing alcohol.  Add a dash of cologne to taste.  You can spray this liberally over yourself as you change and washcloth and towel off.  This helps cool you down from the ride, and gets the stink and crud off.

Note:  Most of us go to work in the morning, when it’s cooler.  Don’t ride as hard on the way in to work.  Save the high output for the evening commute home.

What if I have a flat?  Learn to fix it!  Carry the necessary repair equipment and supplies with you.  Always allow enough time to fix one flat.  You’ll arrive fresher that way.  Use quality tires, and keep them properly inflated.  Then relax!  Flats are actually few and far between.  A decent bike, with good wheels and good rubber will, with just a little care, go years between flats.

What if something else breaks on the bike?  Oh come on.  What if something breaks on your car?  It will you know.  You will deal with that as it happens.  Good maintenance prevents most of this, but sooner or later, it will happen.  I will add, if your bike actually breaks down, it’s easier to deal with than car trouble.  You can actually carry your bike away from the site of the break down.

Long Commutes:  Consider doing one of the following.

Two Stage:  Drive part of the way.  Park it.  Use your bike as a second stage.  Some folks reverse this a bit if they work in a very traffic congested area.  They will stash a beater car along the route, ride to the car, and drive the final leg.

Split Commute:  Drive in one day, with bike on car.  Ride home.  Ride in the next day.  Drive home.  (I’ve done this one a lot, to simplify scheduling problems.)

Finally, remember always:  Where there is a will, there is a way.