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bicycle noob + riding to school = ??
burntheladle
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I'm doing a semester on exchange to CCA in Oakland, and my residence is about 2.5 miles from the campus.
I can ride a bike, but I'm not particularly experienced. Mostly I don't fall down. I can't do the thing where you stand up while you ride, or anything fancy like that.
Would it be complete madness to buy a cheap bike and ride to and from campus every day?
Things to keep in mind:
- I have never ridden on the road or anything before. To be honest, I've never ridden anywhere even remotely busy before.
- my classes finish late at night, is it safe to cycle through oakland at night (I have two classes that finish at 10pm)?
- I would like to do some exercise every day, and riding seems like a really good way to work it into my routine.
- I guess I would need a backpack, since a messenger bag doesn't seem very bike friendly?
- Are lycra biking clothes compulsory, or can I wear something else? What else should I wear?
- I am only here until may, when I would have to offload the bike again.
Thoughts? Tips?
I can ride a bike, but I'm not particularly experienced. Mostly I don't fall down. I can't do the thing where you stand up while you ride, or anything fancy like that.
Would it be complete madness to buy a cheap bike and ride to and from campus every day?
Things to keep in mind:
- I have never ridden on the road or anything before. To be honest, I've never ridden anywhere even remotely busy before.
- my classes finish late at night, is it safe to cycle through oakland at night (I have two classes that finish at 10pm)?
- I would like to do some exercise every day, and riding seems like a really good way to work it into my routine.
- I guess I would need a backpack, since a messenger bag doesn't seem very bike friendly?
- Are lycra biking clothes compulsory, or can I wear something else? What else should I wear?
- I am only here until may, when I would have to offload the bike again.
Thoughts? Tips?
What would Zombie Pirate LeChuck Do?
burntheladle on
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As for the biking itself, I don't really bike at all either, so I can't help too much there.
As for riding at night. You must have front and rear lights otherwise you're basically invisible to cars.
Riding to school is a great way to get exercise. I never need to go to the gym, I just ride my bike every day.
A messenger bag is fine. That's what almost everyone uses.
Lycra is not necessary. A good seat that fits you is. You really only need to worry about your pant cuffs. I just roll mine up so they don't get chain grease on them.
Bikes are expensive here but you should easily be able to sell it for what you paid when you leave.
Night riding: You'll need to get a front light. At least one rear blinking red light. Might want to get some bright reflective tape/clothing.
Clothing: you can wear anything you want. 2.5 miles isn't a long way, and plenty of people wear normal clothing for that distance. There are websites devoted to normally clothed cyclists.
You might want to read some sites designed to ease you into bike commuting. Like this one.
Just practice for a few days before you do. Starting, stopping, that sort of thing. Practice riding with one arm because you'll need to be able too. You don't have to be a bike god to be able to commute! Practice good form while looking over your shoulder behind you by placing either your left or right arm (whichever shoulder you're looking over) to your side and looking. This helps you keep good balance and prevents you from swerving.
- my classes finish late at night, is it safe to cycle through oakland at night (I have two classes that finish at 10pm)?
Sounds like the area will be fine, but you'll definitely want to get a front light and rear red light.
- I would like to do some exercise every day, and riding seems like a really good way to work it into my routine.
Definitely!
- I guess I would need a backpack, since a messenger bag doesn't seem very bike friendly?
Messenger bags are the de rigueur of many cyclists, but you'll have to try it out to see whether or not it is a good fit for riding.
- Are lycra biking clothes compulsory, or can I wear something else? What else should I wear?
Anything! If you get sweaty you may want to where wicking baselayers, or something you can change out of/into, but it's personal preference. Wear whatever is convenient to you! I wear my work pants while commuting to work each day, but a jersey that I can change out of when I get to work.
- I am only here until may, when I would have to offload the bike again.
You may want to look into a cheap bike from a local co-op that you can possibly donate back once you leave.
And of course, stay focused on your own safety and you should have a blast.
Depending on how much you sweat when you ride, you'll want to see if your school has a shower facility available. You don't want to be the stinky guy in class.
It won't stop a hacksaw, but most crimes are crimes of opportunity and it should make your bike less likely of a target if other bikes are vulnerable.
Be sure to attach the lock to the frame. If you attach it to the front wheel, they can just detach the wheel and still roll off with your bike. Of course, they can also steal both wheels and leave the frame but that's not as common and easier to replace.
I live in a country where everyone rides bikes everywhere, well, except for me (until recently), so I have a couple of tips from another 'beginner'.
First of all, get a helmet. Yes, you'll look ridiculous, but if you do happen to get in an accident, your head will be pretty well-protected.
As you're gonna be riding at night, make sure you've got proper lights on the bike. Here in Denmark the police will fine you, if you don't (not sure if they do this in Oakland), but even so at night people have to be able to see you from afar. You'll probably want some lights that don't get stolen right off the bike as well (you can usually get some that fit right in your pocket after you've reached your destination) and some back-up lights.
And, as many people have mentioned, go for a few practice rides before, and maybe ride your bike to your uni (so you know the route).
In traffic, I generally try to be err on the side of caution, and I prefer to get off my bike and simply pull it across the pedestrian crossing if the traffic is crazy or if the biking conditions are tricky. After you've biked to and from your uni a couple of times, you'll be much more comfortable.
2. Get lights if you will be riding at night. Also I would avoid riding really busy streets at night - use the sidewalk or smaller streets with less traffic.
3. Wear whatever the hell you want. You definitely don't need lycra shorts for a small commute like that.
4. Get a bike from craigslist, when you're done sell it on craigslist.
5. Messenger bags can work well, but they have to be able to fit on you pretty snug so it doesn't flop around. If you don't have one like that then a backpack is better.
Fitting lights for night (or even dusk) riding is a necessity, though, and make sure whatever you get has mudguards (I think they're called "fenders" in the US) if you're going to ride in the rain. If you buy a cheap bike there's a reasonable chance you'll end up with a mountain bike with knobbly tyres. You might want to swap them for slicks if you're only riding on the road. They require far less effort to keep roling.
- Be careful wearing baggy pants, because the will brush against the gears and get oil all over the bottom. Either use a reflective velcro band to keep them tight or don't wear baggy pants.
- You are legally a vehicle, so you need to stay on the road next to the cars. That being said, I was hit by a car twice, fell once, and had several near misses. They were all relatively minor, but enough to reinforce personal safety.
- I don't know how cold it gets in Oakland, but a poorly maintained/constructed bike will lose the ability to shift gears (or even brake) in weather below freezing. The better bikes might not go faster than the cheap Wal-Mart bikes, but you can definitely find important differences in their quality the more you ride them. That being said...
- Locate a nearby bicycle repair store as soon as possible. Make friendly with the people there. You're going to need repairs from there if you don't know (or can't) do them yourself. Do simple upkeep maintenance as much as possible like lubrication and tire air pressure.
- In terms of bicycles, there are many forumers who can help you with buying a specific type of bicycle. I had a street bike for the first year, but the wheels (and even frame!) were not sturdy enough to fit my all-weather/all-terrain city riding.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
You can also either roll up your right trouser cuff by a few cm or tuck it into your sock. I always end up losing the little velcro band things.
you don't need to do anythign fancy. and any any bag will work. my grad school had the second highest population of cyclists and you should see the kind of shit people rode aroudn with. expect to have a rough first week, but eventually everyone gets used to it
Depending on how flat it is you might be able to go with a single speed and cut down on weight. You are probably looking for a thin, fairly smooth tire bike. Those will go easier than a thick tired gripping mountain bike. If you aren't going mountain biking, don't get the mountain bike.
but they're listening to every word I say
I know it's only 2.5miles, but I still wouldn't ever recommend anyone get a fixed gear bicycle. I know there are probably a lot of folks on here who would disagree, but why cripple yourself the extra gears? It's like getting a single speed car vs a 5 speed. Sure you'll save a little bit of weight, but it's not worth the utility (IMHO).
Also regarding messenger bags, I would place my vote depending on how hilly the area is that you'll be riding. When I was commuting to work (20mi/day), there were some 18-20 gradient hills that would necessitate standing up on the bike to pedal through. The problem would be that even though the messenger bag was set to its tightest setting, it would still jostle around and even swing forward. This throws you off balance pretty significantly and almost caused me to spill multiple times (after the second time I thought it too dangerous and went back to using a regular backpack). Also to note, I had a Timbuk2 messenger bag.
plus, if it is flat, then you don't really need those extra gears.
also, be willing to spend a few dollars if you don't want to hate your life. You can get a decent bike for 300$ at a bike shop, or a 100$ one and want to kill yourself by the end of the semester.
but they're listening to every word I say
No. I will clothesline your ass if I see you doing that. Bikes go on the road.
As long as you are not blazing along at 20mph down the sidewalk you'll be just fine.
Hell, I've seen cops tell people to get on the sidewalk for trying to ride bicycles down a busy street.
Grow the hell up, it's not just your sidewalk.
Maybe there is a way to use the shower facilities at the gym there?
You can ride on the sidewalk as long as you ride safely.
This means riding slower, yielding space and speed to pedestrians, etc.
Maybe in DC but riding on the sidewalk is illegal in SF for adults and I'm guessing it is also illegal in Oakland.
2.5 miles is short enough that you could just walk and not bother with any of this, assuming you had the extra time.
That's about 45 minutes of walking at normal speed. It'd take 10-15 minutes on a bike. I'd say it's worth it.