The machine that cuts a path through the darkness.
Reality is always an unpleasant surprise; no one wants to see ourselves the way others see us, and that’s for good reason, too: depression would be much more widespread problem if each of us realized what a pain in the ass we are. Speaking of unpleasant realities, after recently reviewing videos of myself speaking, I have deduced that I have the face for radio, the hand gesticulations for both Mime and Cheerleading (neither for which I have an ambition), and the voice for print. That leaves me with the Internet.
A long commute to work in darkness is a surreal experience. The early hour leaves the road vacant, and the rider is confined to the small cone of light beyond which exists only blackness. The mind settles into the vampire state of wandering a being alert all at once. Thoughts of the day’s work will lay somewhere on the periphery; not front of mind, yet inexorably nearer with every stroke of the pedals. The rain and cold amplify the effect.
Strange thoughts are thought in this state, not unlike those you might have just as you catch yourself falling asleep. The first paragraph of this article is a fine example of such a thought. For this, I ask your forgiveness.
The commute presents its own challenge, new obstacles to overcome. The wet winter commute sandwiches the workday like two soggy slices of bread. One finds very quickly that it is not the cold, the dark or the wet that is unpleasant; it is the sodden kit hanging in a locker all day not getting fresher that is unpleasant.
This morning looked dry from the bedroom window, a terrible place from which to judge the weather. Rain was in the forecast (this is Seattle and January, after all), so I slipped into my Gabba jersey as easily as James Bond slips into a dinner jacket. I stepped outside and noted that it would be nice if the weather stayed dry for the ride in so the kit might be more pleasant when dressing for the evening’s ride home.
I should know better than to think such thoughts; the rain was summoned immediately by the Nine Gods to remind me that the Glory of Rule #9 is not chosen at the rider’s convenience or whim. Fool.
Riding with a backpack is a nuisance. As Velominati, we have refined our position and learned to control the bike through micro-movements and immeasurable shifts of body weight. The gear-loaded backpack is a sledgehammer to our china cup of balance. Our position feels off, the bike handles differently, and we are heavier by two kilos at least. This, along with every other reason you can think of why backpacks suck, is more than enough to encourage one to avoid the climbs, especially the steep ones.
But there is a beauty behind the nuisance: climbing with a heavy load is like training in a fat suit. Seek out the hardest climbs and the next time you ride without a pack, you will feel as though you were given wings. Instant morale.
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Listen to all you A holes spruking about office showers and lockers. I would give my COTHO left one to work at my office with a shower facility and lockers.
Any tricks of the trade for us office workers without said luxuries but still trying to find ways to commute by bike.
@Barracuda
Although we have showers at my main office, I don't use them (mainly because I don't want to see the dangling bits of a co-worker in the changing room). I bring a complete change of clothes with me in a back pack and by travelling early (get there just after 6am) it never gets so hot that I sweat much. Of course, going home it doesn't really matter. I have a shower before I leave in the morning, and I haven't noticed people edging away from me in the lift during the day.
@Barracuda
You have a washroom at least? Quick whore's bath or some wet wipes? Stash a second, dry kit in the lower drawer and rotate?
Camouflage? As a teenager I rode 30km to work at a service station and changed into a petrol-doused jumpsuit that always stank more than I did. We smoked a lot of dope there, so my memory is hazy.
Career change? I worked long and hard to attain my current level of self-employed penury. The studio already looks and smells like a bike shop, and I rarely need to meet clients in the flesh, so some days I can't be bothered changing. Makes the midday ride less of a hassle when you're already kitted up.
With n+1 about to be delivered (Koga Signature with Ultegra), I can turn n=1 into the Nine bike, so I put the Crud-fenders on the 33 yr Old School steel Koga yesterday. Right now, there's snow in Switzerland, so the n=2 (MTB, also Koga -get the alias now, do you?) is a better option. I keep a spare suit in the office, leave the laptop at work so I do not need a backpacker and have enough space to put all stuff in the jersey pockets when taking the bike to get to work. Fortunately my office has showers, so days when I commute mean taking 3 showers. Just takes logistic-thinking to make it work.
Never had a puncture with the old n=1 for the last 5000 kms, but on my first ride to the office on the MTB, I had a puncture shortly before I got home (fortunately, since I did not have a spare tube with me then, now I do).
Btw, I ordered 2 namestickers and a pair of cufflinks for the new n=1, on Jan 5th, any idea when I can expect them to be delivered?
@frank
YES! I have a full commuter machine, flat bars, pannier rack, the works. But on occasion I will take my No. #1 in to either swing by the velodrome on my way in, or go for a spin at lunchtime.
On these occasions I bring my bike up in the lift and stash it in an unused office. It's partly because I don't trust to leave it in our undercroft bike rack,but mostly so I can have it near me during my working day.
3 or 4 times a week I commute to work in the 'normal' way: normal distance (5km), normal bike (city bike, with basket and child seat), normal clothes.
The other times I put on the good kit, take the good bike and make a good detour. Just like @Frank says, these days it's just you and your cone of light, the rest disappears (except for millions of suicidal rabbits which run towards the light). I love it. And in a good month the sun will rise while I'm on my bike. I love it. And in three months I'll get up and it will be light (and occasionally warm) already. I love it.
Once at the office I take a shower and a coffee. That's how the good days start.
The best part about my system though, is the change of clothes which I bring to the office on the 'normal' days. No need for a backpack on the good days. That, and the fact that the ride home only takes 5km, so no need to change back into a soggy kit...
@Owen
Beyond a doubt! Looking fantastic is all about context. If you're riding a beach cruiser down the boardwalk with your family, any semblance of rules compliance would be hideous. On an organized brevet, a frame pump+Carradice bag+steel frame+fenders+wool all over is de rigueur, and full rules compliance looks a bit off-music. Not that I don't try sometimes, anyway.
Very nice! I've been the tuna salad between wet bread a lot this winter. Very wet one for this area and also pretty darn cold too. Oh well, been at a new job for three months and I'm able to commute via bike on a MUP for a majority of the ride. It's awesome. I'd go to a job I hated each day if I could ride my bike, so having it be a job I like it pretty nice.
Dedicated commuter, a cx bike set up with a rack, mudguards and one pannier is enough. Have a big enough office where I can hang things to dry. On Mondays and Fridays I squeeze in a cx or road ride ahead of work, making sure to bring what I need to the office the previous day.
I don't mind riding in the dark but it's disorienting so it sometimes makes the commute home seem interminable.
Question on wet riding - does anyone make waterproof/resistant booties for regular shoes that have an enclosed bottom? All the ones I've seen have an open bottom. Since I'm in sneakers and don't have cleats, I'd like a full, closed bootie. Why do I want water coming in from the bottom? I'm okay pressing on my pedals with clips with a closed bottom. And I don't care about walking around and scuffing up the bootie either.
Oh, and this is the first winter in awhile that I've had a "real" job (not a grad school gig). Damn, finding time, the will, and negotiating the weather to fit in rides is a PITA. I'm commuting via bike 5 days a week, Saturday is soccer day, which leaves Sunday. Yesterday was installing a new fence in our yard.
I do get up early and ride for an hour on Mondays and Fridays, then head straight to work. But, coming from 2-3 hour rides 6 days a week, I feel like a Follower who has lost his way.
New respect for the lads who still make time to ride.
Frank - are you using the plastic or metal bar clasps for your Lezyne lights? I'm worried the metal ones will gouge my bars on my nice bikes. And, the clasps are not easy to get under the cables and squeezed in between the tape and stem.
Great lights though. A MegaDrive on my bars, a Super Drive on my helmet. Makes commuting/riding in the winter much nicer.