Equipment to Ride

There is a spectrum of what people wear and carry on their bikes. Some don the full superhero spandex outfits for their commute hoping to turn it into a training ride, others wear the same clothes they work in. Some of us straddle the middle line. That would be me. I thought I would share what my basics are. The bottom line basic stuff that I use every day I'm out, commuting, running errands or just out and about.

The bag:The waterproof pannier made by Banjo Brothers has been my bag of choice for over a year. As you can see from the pics above, it has an inner liner that can be removed should the need arise. I still roll with it. Capacity is OK. This is not a trekking bag mind you. It has enough room for what I need to carry: scrubs, lunch, grab bag, tool set and when it gets wet a jacket. And I've been hauling shoes as well having been wearing sandals this summer. When I leave in the evening it gets pretty packed between everything I carry, but it has held up. Normally I strap my lock to the rack instead of carrying it internally. People as me why panniers? One big reason: my back. I was having a lot of extra back pain last summer before I bought this and both my physical therapist and I ventured to guess that it was either the backpack or messenger bag I was using to carry my stuff that was adding to the strain. Not that I've been pain-free since, but it had helped greatly.

If you look closely, you can see that the seams are pretty beat up. That has been my one beef with the bag, it doesn't take abuse well. I have a feeling that I'm going to be needing to replace it soon. On the upside however, it was $40, which if you have every priced panniers, is damn cheap. Second, I made it through the whole winter with nary a drop of water inside. Completely dry.

The tools:
I learned the hard way that carrying tools was not a waste. Stuck with a lose crank and pedal I had to shamefully walk to work and back home. It was not enjoyable. It's a basic set. Allen wrenches, pedal wrench, tire levers, screwdriver, patch kit and my newest addition, a CO2 inflator. That little guy fits so much better than my previous pump and it actually works. And the kit rolls up into a small bundle that sits neatly at the bottom of the bag.

The gloves:
Full-finger you ask? In the summer? Yep. There is something about the way the cut finger gloves feel that I just don't like. These Kona Chevrons fit great, have minimal padding which helps me not grip so tight and breathe really well. They get a little warm, but I've been wearing them all summer long. They look good, feel good and work good.

The brain bucket:Call me a ninny, or a sissy, or unmanly, but I wear a helmet near-religiously. I have seen first hand the effects of a traumatic brain injury having taken care of those patients adn it ain't pretty. So if there is something i can do to prevent that I do. Sure, I may be giving myself a false sense of security but ignorance is bliss. I figure if folks don't want to wear one, its OK by me, they just have to deal with the consequences of not doing so. The only crash I've been in *knocking on wood* didn't dump me onto my head and as I was wearing the bucket, I would have been just fine!

So that's it. I put my equipment through the wringer and am pretty tough on it, but it has survived. The bag is going on over a year, the gloves 3 months, the toolkit has been with me for a long time and the helmet is recent as well. The best thing about it all is that it does work.

Next? Clothing, fair and foul weather.

Me: All you ever wanted to know

I read Bike Commuters.com on a near daily basis. And when I read they were soliciting profiles, I just had to submit mine. So read all about my commuting life here.

And for those disinclined, here's a montage to fill you in.

The Reason:
The Bike:


The Ride:
Questions?

What's next?

OK, this article freaks me out.

Like several commenters noted, I too would be scared to stop if someone in black just yelled at me to stop. No identification, no, "Stop, Police!" or anything like that. Hell, I've been yelled at many times and just keep on truckin', more for self-preservation than anything else. So now what? No riding at night? Sure, PDX is a Platinum city, but our cops are not on-board with that.

The Daily Commute

I'd like to believe that I'm luckier than most. I only work 3 days a week. Granted, they're 12-hour nights, but it works out in the wash. I say this because if I don't, this sounds more impressive than it really is: I commute by bike everyday I work.

Without the disclaimer it sounds pretty hardcore, with it, not so much. The reality is that in commuting by bike I'm able to exercise, clear my head and not be a complete road hazard. At least when riding a bike in a sleep deprived state I'm not going to kill/maim/injure anyone but myself. I'm less of a danger to my fellow commuters than if I was driving.

It's nice though. I can have the roughest night at work and by the time I'm home, it's gone. Awhile ago we a had a particularly nasty code situation that affected my physically and emotionally. By riding home, I had the time to process the situation and debrief myself a little, allowing me to relax and slow down enough to sleep. Had I been driving I more than likely would have been still stressed and still running on pure adrenaline when I got home. It is my meditation time.

The commute itself is truly multi-modal. I'm sorry, no matter how hardcore I may think I am, there is no way I'm going to ride over the Hill and then spend a 12 hour shift on my feet. Sometimes I feel like a poser, having to use the MAX, but then I realized I ave nothing to prove to anyone. One evening talking with a fellow MAX rider and fellow cyclist I was remarking on this very subject to which he said that the only reason he can ride all the way in is because he sits in a cubicle all day. When I first started working on my floor, I wore a pedometer to see how far I walked in a shift. I figure based on that I average 5-6 miles a shift. Combine that with a 13 mile ride and I'm burned by the middle of the shift. So I multi-mode it. Ride to the MAX, take MAX over the Hill, ride from the MAX to work. It averages 6 miles a day, round trip. The nice thing is that I can get off early and ride further home, ride further before getting on the MAX or ride the normal run. It works.

I've been doing this now for over a year. I started in April 2007 and went through the winter and continue it now. How many times have I driven? Both ways: twice since 2007. One way: 2 times since the start of the year. Even when I don't ride my bike, I ride the MAX and walk.

That's my daily commute, in a nutshell.