OCD Guide to Beginning a Bike Commute
How I Prepared
I started simple and slow, just by pedaling around the neighborhood, 1-2 miles on a cruiser (Walmart brand, big seat) just having fun, getting used to riding a bike again. My confidence in stopping, getting on and off, turning, was VERY low. Hell, I still can’t jump curbs! After about a couple weeks fooling around, I decided I wanted a bike with handbrakes, and so I sold the cruiser on Craigslist, bought a Mountain Bike for 30 dollar difference and off I went.
I found a couple trails and on weekends would go with a friend to do maybe 3-5 miles total. After a month, I made a goal to bike 5 miles everyday in February. I met my goal and knew work was only 8 miles one way and was slowly building the idea of commuting. Only problem was that though I felt my strength was growing quickly, I realized I was pedaling harder, but not getting much return. It felt like I was pushing and getting no where. I set my next goal: change my bike and plan my commute.
Bike and Setup
I decided to get a hybrid bike. It’s like a mountain …