Buy a helmet, and wear it.
Starting out, I would suggest riding on sidewalks to get yourself comfortable with riding around cars. Be very cautious at intersections and driveways where cars may be crossing the sidewalk and may not see you. Check out a map (Google Maps has "walking directions" that are pretty neat) and see what looks like a good route (see my route). In choosing a route, consider the amount of car traffic present, the width of the road (extra wide right lanes and lots of paralell parking are good) and how flat it is. Also try to avoid major intersections which can be difficult to get through without using a crosswalk. My route is 2.1 miles according to Google Maps, and it generally takes me between 15-20 minutes. If I drive my truck it takes me about 12 minutes to get to the parking lot, and another 5-10 to walk to class. At 20mpg, that's about $0.80 rountrip; $2.80 per workweek, $140 per work year (discounted for average rain days) - not to mention saving the planet ;)
So what do you take with you?
I often wear gym shorts while riding and pack regular shorts/pants in my Camelbak 3L Rim Runner. It holds 3 Liters of water and has enough room for a pair of pants, a textbook, two notebooks, calculator, pens, mp3 player, etc. Sunglasses are a must. If you like to ride with music, make sure to set the volume so you can still hear what's going on around you. I also reccomend over-the-ear headphones instead of the in-ear/earbud type. I carry a lightweight allen wrench multi-tool, a Topeak portable tire pump, plastic tire spoons, and a spare inner tube with me at all times - just in case. I know it sounds like a lot, but it will keep you from
Don't have a road bike?
Me neither. I have an old steel-frame Diamondback Outlook mountain bike similar to this with no suspension. Bikes like this are cheaper and easy to find used. If you're serious, head to your local bike shop and pick up a pair of slick tires and 3 matching inner tubes (gotta have a spare) for about $40-50 to get a better ride.
Do it in the road
Once you get used to making the trip, try riding in the road. I average between 10-15mph, so keeping up with downtown traffic isn't too difficult. I believe it's safer than riding on the sidewalk because drivers turning at an intersection are less likely to see a fast-moving bike crossing the street at a crosswalk. If you prefer the sidewalk, you may want to get off your bike and walk across intersecting streets or slow down and keep a sharp eye out for turning vehicles.
This is my route, taking Sumter street.
It's flat, has wide traffic lanes and is a straight shot. Sumter has traffic lights at every block, but they change often, keep traffic slow and provide shorts breaks along the way. I cross three main roads: Main, Elmood and Gervais streets. I used to go this way, but I didn't like the intersection at Bull and Elmwood, it was slower, and there were lots of turns. Sumter is a straight shot and has slow traffic.
Once you establish a good route, share it!
Post a comment here with a link, and feel free to describe your commute.
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