Bicycle Commuting Part III: Customizing Your Bike for Commuting

Whether you have just purchased a bike or are using a bike you already have for commuting, the first thing to do to your bike to get it ready to commute is to make it safe, comfortable, and practical. To be effectively safe, you need to be visible to other commuters, including bikes, cars and pedestrians. I use a couple of common devices to ensure that others on the road are visually and audibly aware of my presence. Lights are the best means to make other commuters visually aware of your presence. Unlike bright clothing, they are active during any time of day or any kind of weather. I recommend two lights, one on the front and one on the back to make you visible to traffic. Lights come in all varieties, however it is best to have lights that blink and bring attention to you. In riding through urban areas, most streets are lit well enough to allow you to see; therefore you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on the expensive night riding lights. Those systems are designed to allow mountain bikers see in a dark forest. You just need to ensure that motorists are aware of your presence on the street. Your local shop should have a selection of lights available that will allow motorists to see you.

Bike bells are a must. While they may seem either a bit childish, I like to think of it as the bike’s equivalent of the car horn. However, a bike bell is more polite, and much nicer to listen to on a residential street. The bike bell comes in handy to alert motorists at an intersection of your presence. They are also a great way to get the attention of pedestrians or other bicyclists. I use the bell prior to entering and while I am traveling through intersections that have vehicles stopped at signs or lights. It is a great way to get their attention and to ensure for your benefit and theirs that they see you. It is also a great way to alert pedestrians prior to going through a crosswalk. Again, the bike bell is a non-intrusive means to communicate to others of your presence and intention.

If you are commuting to work, shopping center or to school, you will probably need to carry something. There are many ways to carry your necessities on your person or on your bike. There are many types of bags to carry any amount of gear, with the only limitation being how much your back can withstand. Bikes, however, can be outfitted to carry much more weight than you can manage on your own.

Bags come in all shapes and sizes, and there are quite a few designed just for riding on a bike. Courier bags are the most popular and useful. At first glance they appear to be a gigantic purse, with a large bulging rectangular main pocket held at each top corner by a wide strap. The bag is strapped diagonally across the body, with the weight of the bag resting on the lower back. While this may not be ideal for walking or hiking, when the back is angled at 45 degrees and supported over a bike frame, it is a great means of carrying bulky, heavy items. Courier bags come in a variety of sizes and colors from a variety of manufactures. Most are waterproof, and courier bags are an easy way to ensure the items you are carrying stay dry despite wet streets or inclement weather.

Other bags work great, whether backpacks or duffle bags. If it works and is comfortable, use it. If you are concerned about something getting wet, put it in a plastic bag.

Your bike should have a number of mounts or grommets on its frame to allow the mounting of external cargo racks. Some bicycles allow for front and rear racks. Rear racks sit directly above the rear wheel, behind and just below the seat. They also help protect the rider from being splashed by the rear wheel, and act as a sort of fender. Front racks mount around the front tire and mount to the fork. Rear racks are the most useful for commuting and shopping as they allow for the most weight to be carried. Milk crates or other such baskets of metal or plastic construction can be mounted onto the rack to allow lose items to be carried. A milk crate or basket makes your bike very useful for local shopping, whether getting a bag of groceries or a few items at the local hardware.

Propositioning clothing and other gear reduces the necessity to carry gear daily. If your daily commute goes to the same location, your ability to store clothing and shower essentials in a locker room means that you are carrying that much less gear on a daily basis. In commuting situations where I have quite a bit of clothing stashed, I may only have to carry clothing in and out for laundering, not for daily use.

Part 4 in the Series: Rules of the Road