The Slacker’s Guide to Bike Commuting
April 10th, 2008 by Tim Grahl 
This article isn’t for the detail oriented bike commuters. It’s also not for the hardcore, race-to-work riders either.
This one is for those of us that don’t like to plan ahead. Bike maintenance isn’t our thing. We consider rain showers wash-day for our bikes. And we certainly aren’t using our daily commute as training for a race.
Commuting by bike is first and foremost supposed to be fun. Gas prices, ‘going green’ and health reasons can get people into bike commuting, but it’s the daily enjoyment that keeps us in the saddle day after day. And let’s face it, planning ahead and wearing lycra doesn’t sound much like fun to a good many of us.
So for my fellow slackers, here’s your guide to bike commuting:
- Ditch the patch kit, grab the cell phone - The worst thing about bike commuting is dealing with flat tires. Standing on the road next to your bike with a tiny, frustrating mini-pump trying to force air into your tire. So forget the patch kit and use your cell phone. If you get stranded on the way to work, call a buddy at the office to come get you. If you’re on the way home, call the significant other. It’ll take less time than fixing the flat on the side of the road and you’ll get to use your floor pump in the comfort of your own workshop.
- Check the weather, consider the car or bus - Let’s face it, riding to work in a downpour causes a lot of problems. It soaks you and everything you brought. Takes a lot more time to get ready for work. All in all, zaps all the fun right out of bike commuting. So if the weather sucks, don’t feel bad about grabbing your keys or walking to the nearest bus stop.
- Leave the lycra, wear your normal clothes - When I see another bike commuter on their way to work in full body spandex, it just looks difficult. The time changing, the extra cargo to carry, etc. My normal commuting attire is what I work in everyday. I roll up my pants and head out the door. Simple and comfortable.
- Use lights that run on generators - Dealing with batteries in your lights can be frustrating and dangerous. They will always go out on you right at the darkest point in your ride home. Consider spending the extra money on some Reelights or Pedalites. Both are great options for adding visibility to your bike without ever worrying about batteries.
- Don’t be ashamed to walk the bike - Your morning bike commute is not the Tour de France. There’s no grand prize and yellow jersey at the finish line. There’s no reason to grind up those hills if you stayed up until 3am last night watching X-files reruns and eating cereal (am I the only one that does that?). Feel free to get off the bike and walk up some of those hills. We’re trying to keep this fun folks.
- Take the flattest route possible - Remember that the shortest route is not necessarily the best. By using a tool like www.mapmyride.com you can view the elevation map of your route. Play around with different variations to see what makes for the easiest way to the office.
- For a long commute, consider driving part of it - If you’ve got a commute that’s to long for your physical condition or time restraints, try finding a public parking lot where you can stash your car. Drive halfway and then bike the rest.
You may also want to check out my Guide to a Simple Bike Commute.
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Great article - thanks for the suggestions! I’m about to move and my commute will go from 2 miles to 7 miles (one way), and I’ll have a bridge to cross (over the Ohio River).
Now I just need a new bike - my mountain bike is NO FUN on the street. Any thoughts about commuting with a single speed bike (not fixed gear)? Pros? Cons?
Now you’re talking! I just got my slacker wake up call yesterday morning after cranking up a small rise on my 925 fixie. Somehow my leg ended up directly under my top tube, dented my right thigh, threw me down, bashed my left elbow, slid me 20 feet down the road, and re-branded my pedal (it’s now a “ma” - so much for “shi” and “no”). I guess blasting to work at 5am on autopilot ain’t such a good idea for me. It’s funny, the only time I’m a semi-serious rider is during my work commute. Otherwise I’m sporting some rolled up jeans and a pair of crocs…incidentally I flipped my hub back to freewheel last night.
Daniel,
How flat is your commute? Single Speeds are great, less work and cheaper to keep running but you definately lose on verstiality. If you ride to work is flat and your city or town is flat in general single speeds are great. Personally I like gears but I love along side the Coastal Mountains.
-Shawn
Shawn - my ride is almost completely flat. There’s only about a 50ft elevation difference between the highest and lowest points!
All the “hills” are long and gradual - no mountains, for sure.
Bikely at http://bikely.com is another great way to check out routes. You can also create and share your routes.
My commute is 16 miles round trip with a few hills (100 footers) and I have no problem riding my single speed. Sure you slow down on the climbs, but the way down is very nice. Also a good opportunity to take a slurp-a-joe and bite of danish. Just don’t try it fixed…the danish part.
Good tips, Tim. I’d suggest flat resistant tires of some kind over calling for help, though.
Ian — ouch! Get well soon.
1. Echoing Fritz, what works for me is a combination of non-fragile tires and liquid Slime.
2. Riding in the rain is a special kind of fun. Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it. My favorite rain gear is a cycle cape/poncho.
4. My LED lights go for weeks of use on a set of batteries. (White LEDs might be the most significant new cycling accessory in years.) I’ve never had them die on me. They just get dimmer as the batteries wear down. I have front/rear lights on both the bike and the helmet, so I’m covered if one should ever fail.
7. I’ve done the drive+bike thing. I’m currently doing the bike+train+bike thing.
Daniel,
A single speed sounds ideal then or a 3-speed internal gear could be cool too.
-Shawn
Here I thought I was just out of shape. but it turns out I’m really a slacker! Told my wife that being a slacker could save some money :)…
I’m a slacker too! Mostly commute on a san jose single speed racks, fenders and lights etc. Have it ready to go at all times. At this point it is easier than remembering where my car keys are we are still getting frost and I am to lazy to scrape windows so I’ll ride my bike. I ride the single speed cause I am to much of a slacker to worry about and do any kind of maintanance. I do however take the time to put on cycling shoes. But they have velcro and are easier to get on than tying laces. Guess I am a slacker there too. I do pack and take my own lunch but only cause I am too much of a slacker to go get something. I’m a happy slacker though. I ride my bike and park it right by my work area of I drove I would have to walk to my car. That is too much effort.
I. Love. This. Article.
I am a huge slacker when it comes to my commute. I wear my work clothes, take the flattest route, drive in on bad-weather days (like today, booooo!), and make sure my commute is one of the high points of my day.
I do need some conditioning, since I’ll soon be pulling a trailer and a toddler around town…but I’ll keep kicking back on my way to work.
1. I’m way to much of a slacker to own a cell phone. I don’t want to be that connected.
2. I don’t own a car and stopped taking the bus after discovering I’m so muck quicker on my bike.
3. Agreed. I have never nor will I ever own lycra. I really do wish SOME others would follow this rule also.
4. Can’t be bothered with lights and or reflectors. Ruins the lines on my slick ride.
5. f you have to get off your bike and push it’s the wrong bike for the job. Gears are awesome, nine is enough though.
6. I live to ride the hills. I like nothing more than the feeling of accomplishment when cresting a hill after feeling like my lungs and heart are going to burst out of my chest.
7. .I go out of my way to extend the length of my commute so I can have more saddle time. make at least
hmm. love the article. i am the quintessential slacker. always willing to stick my bike on the bus halfway to work if not feeling it in rainy vancouver.
but i kind of like my spandex pants. dorky and sleek at the same time. keep me warm. make me feel faster if i am having a want to feel faster day.
let’s not rule out the lycra, kay folks?
warmest
Tara
This is a welcome article. I certainly agree with most of these points. Namely–yeah, ride your bike as much as possible, but if you are exhausted, the weather is horrible, or whatever, take the bus or carpool with someone. If that’s not possible, then drive.
On my short (7 mile round trip) commute to school, I am occasionally passed by super macho cross type cyclists. You know, the guys with 6 foot round calf muscles. Well that’s fine and all, but I have to giggle to myself when I see them in those costumes. As if they can’t be speed demons without them.
Personally, I think that one of the best ways we can get more people on bikes is by showing how it cycling is a perfectly normal form of transportation. I don’t want people to think it’s some kind of life changing investment. That’s one of the reasons why I always wear regular clothes for my commute. Plus, I don’t have 6 foot calfs or monstrous quads to show off. To each his own!
http://www.bicyclefixation.com/slackers.htm
More tips on the physical slacking aspects of commuting : )
Very seductive article here; yea, you can be a slacker… just commute when its easy and take it easy… but it’s only a matter of time before you turn into a die-hard, righteous commuting snob like Rick
Single speeds are totally fine if it’s flat. Hang out on ebay until a Schwinn Racer comes up. I’ve got a ‘68 model and for their time they were, in their way, built for efficiency. One speed (they come in three-speed too but I didn’t want ot mess with that) but the gear is higher than most so you can really crank out the watts.
Good advice.
I wear cycling gear, ride no matter what the conditions and always repair flats by the side of the road.
I relented the other week and caught the train some of the way home,but only because it was raining and I was shivering uncontrollably with a fever, but still rode the rest of the way in an illness induced dellerium.
After reading this I think maybe I could relax a bit, but I’m stuck in my habits.
Just found this site, love this article.
I do have a question, though (and I’m not sure where to put it). I’m moving off campus for the next school year and my apartment is a little over two-miles away, over relatively flat terrain (it’s Florida, I cannot be convinced that hills actually exist here). I have a mountain bike already–would that be bad for such a commute? I am quite a slacker (so much so that I never bothered getting a driver’s license), so I’m not looking for too much exercise, but I’m also cursed to be a low-income college student.
The bike you have is the perfect commuter bike, Lindsey. Have fun with it!
Mountain bike tires generally are harder to push along than smoother-tread or skinnier ones, but 2 miles prob’ly isn’t far enough to make a big difference. Slack on
It pays to watch out for an old gem on craigslist too. I picked up a 1994 Scott MTB that had seen better days. Striped it down, cleaned it up, had to replace the bottom bracket and put a single speed conversion kit (from Performance, $18, sweet!). All in all, I have about $70 in this bike, including the bike!
Running a 34/15 gearing over a flat 4-mile commute. It’s quite nice. Not so tall that I have a hard time rolling, and not spinning my butt off trying to feel like I am getting anywhere. That coupled with the fact that this is far from the prettiest bike in the rack and therefore not a target for the taking make it the perfect bike.
Since I have built it up I haven’t been on the roadie or my MTB. Guess that will have to change eventually, but dammit. . . this bike is FUN.
Not to mention the pride in ownership knowing that I tore it down and resurrected it. Best of luck getting something that works for you. I like the simplicity of the single speed for a commuter.
Cheers.
I do #7 every day.
I’ve been tossing about the idea of “recreational commuting”. Riding a bike to work is almost like playing hooky anyway.
I start out my commute by riding in the opposite direction of the office. There’s a nice road that I like over by Emory University so I go about 3 miles out of my way to head over there.
Down by Candler Park, there’s a nice multi-use trail that runs next to the golf course. This is worth expanding the route by another few miles.
And there’s usually something along the way worth making a detour to ride past.
I feel like single speed is good for ‘commuting slackers’ like myself.
Less maintenance. Less shifting.
That and my commute is barely 8 miles round trip.
I ride a re-used 70’s schwinn with some new wheels that I converted to a single speed.
Tomorrow If I go on a training ride its gonna be over 25miles
and then I break out the clipless pedals and bike shorts and my Trek.
Fixed gear is an option I’m thinking for my next city bike.
I wanted to have some experience riding in urban traffic
before I jumped right on the fixed gear boat.
ah, the bike-bus-bike combo…some it’s more bus than bike, some days it’s more bike than bus. really depends on the weather, the amount of time, and how tired I am coming home. good advice! becoming a bike commuter was a little nerve-wracking for me, but now I dread the days I have to drive. excellent article.
So relieved that I’m not the only slacker in the cyclommuter universe. I do a rinky-dink 3 miles to a train station for a 20-mile one-way commute.
Yesterday morning the train system was partially shut down because someone jumped into the track (and survived). I got off the rail, biked an additional 3 miles on a bile path under the track (it’s elevated) and hopped on a bus with bike rack - they all have them in Miami - to the next functioning station. Beat my boss and his secretary (both early birds and two trains - about 10 minutes - ahead of mine) to the office.
They don’t make fun of my cyclommuting anymore, at least not too much of it. : )
I’m just starting to commute on my $10 yard sale bike and after reading many of the articles on this site I was starting to feel inadequate. I’m not so much a slacker as a complete novice. Maybe someday I’ll be more of a real cycler but for now I just want to go from point A to point B.
Shoot, I’m just glad I’m not the only bike commuter out there that doesn’t carry an entire bike store - I’m sorry, spare tire kit - with them.
My 13-mile round trip commute carries me up and down a few steepish hills (there’s a 250ft change between my highest and lowest points), and I’m grateful for my multiple gears.
Here’s the ultimate bike commuter slackerdom though - I bought myself an electric bike. I love it. I don’t have to stress myself over the hills, I just pedal (and occasionally get some help). Because I don’t work as hard, I don’t sweat as much, which means I can ride in my regular clothes and carry less with me. That said, I do bike in a bright orange shirt with whatever other layers I need - I just carry some body spray and deodorant and change my shirt at the office.
Anyway, I’ve been loving my commute. I’m saving a bunch of money on gas, love the fresh air in the mornings…