6 ms·

I have been biking everywhere with an old school speed bike for the past two years - faster than cars downtown, save $$, environment and feel great man. Cars ar

by jbrun 18y ago

I have been biking everywhere with an old school speed bike for the past two years - faster than cars downtown, save $$, environment and feel great man. Cars are for suckers.

pmorici 18y ago
What do you do when it rains?
- silentbicycle 18y ago
  I don't speak for jbrun, but I wear a raincoat. When it snows, I wear a coat, a hat, and gloves.
- jbrun 18y ago
  Very hard, public transit or work from home. Light rain, jacket. I ain't made of sugar.
- bmj 18y ago
  Full mudguards, with mudflaps. Rain jacket (or even better, a rain cape). Wool shirts (year 'round as they keep you warm in the winter, they don't stink, and they can go a week or so between washings). Studded tires in the winter months. Granted, there are few people who can suddenly become full time bike commuters, unless you happen live in a flat area with a moderate climate. I've been bike commuting full time for about six years, and I did about half time for three years prior to that. I've gotten to the point that when I have to run an errand, I automatically think about hopping on the bike rather than in the car (and this includes errands that requires pulling the kids in the trailer).
  - MHollender 18y ago
    Wouldn't it work when "smart" clothes are required, would it?
- rcoder 18y ago
  I get wet. Seriously, that's it. Being out in the rain in a temperate zone isn't a big problem. You just need a change of shoes and a dry pair of socks at the office, and things are generally fine. It probably wouldn't work out if I were, say, a trial layer, but then again, all kinds of things about my personal and professional choices wouldn't make sense in that case. Good thing I hang out on "Hacker News," instead of "PHB News," eh?
  - davidw 18y ago
    You can get gore tex shoe covers. I used to have a winter outfit that consisted of a goretex jacket, goretex pants and shoe covers. If it was really wet, a bit would leak through here and there, but I was basically ok riding around over commuting distances, and was always completely dry after 20 minutes or so. When I lived in Portland, OR, the public transportation was good, so if it was raining hard in the evening, I'd take the bus home and to work the next day, leaving the bike at work.
    - rcoder 18y ago
      I've tried the Gore-Tex thing, and honestly prefer to just layer up and stash dry stuff at home and office. I do tend to ride pretty hard (even when commuting), so the problem I have with a really "waterproof" outer shell is that I end up sweating as much moisture out from the inside as is trying to reach me from the outside. I have a lightweight rain jacket and a pair of "Rain Leg" waterproof chaps which gets me through my 15-minute ride without getting too soaked. I do agree about the mass transit in Portland in general -- TriMet is fast, cheap, and reliable, in my experience -- but I have to transfer twice in the 4 miles between home and work, so it's not really time-effective.

by jbrun 18y ago

I have been biking everywhere with an old school speed bike for the past two years - faster than cars downtown, save $$, environment and feel great man. Cars are for suckers.

pmorici 18y ago

What do you do when it rains?

silentbicycle 18y ago
I don't speak for jbrun, but I wear a raincoat. When it snows, I wear a coat, a hat, and gloves.
jbrun 18y ago
Very hard, public transit or work from home. Light rain, jacket. I ain't made of sugar.
bmj 18y ago
Full mudguards, with mudflaps. Rain jacket (or even better, a rain cape). Wool shirts (year 'round as they keep you warm in the winter, they don't stink, and they can go a week or so between washings). Studded tires in the winter months. Granted, there are few people who can suddenly become full time bike commuters, unless you happen live in a flat area with a moderate climate. I've been bike commuting full time for about six years, and I did about half time for three years prior to that. I've gotten to the point that when I have to run an errand, I automatically think about hopping on the bike rather than in the car (and this includes errands that requires pulling the kids in the trailer).
- MHollender 18y ago
  Wouldn't it work when "smart" clothes are required, would it?
rcoder 18y ago
I get wet. Seriously, that's it. Being out in the rain in a temperate zone isn't a big problem. You just need a change of shoes and a dry pair of socks at the office, and things are generally fine. It probably wouldn't work out if I were, say, a trial layer, but then again, all kinds of things about my personal and professional choices wouldn't make sense in that case. Good thing I hang out on "Hacker News," instead of "PHB News," eh?
- davidw 18y ago
  You can get gore tex shoe covers. I used to have a winter outfit that consisted of a goretex jacket, goretex pants and shoe covers. If it was really wet, a bit would leak through here and there, but I was basically ok riding around over commuting distances, and was always completely dry after 20 minutes or so. When I lived in Portland, OR, the public transportation was good, so if it was raining hard in the evening, I'd take the bus home and to work the next day, leaving the bike at work.
  - rcoder 18y ago
    I've tried the Gore-Tex thing, and honestly prefer to just layer up and stash dry stuff at home and office. I do tend to ride pretty hard (even when commuting), so the problem I have with a really "waterproof" outer shell is that I end up sweating as much moisture out from the inside as is trying to reach me from the outside. I have a lightweight rain jacket and a pair of "Rain Leg" waterproof chaps which gets me through my 15-minute ride without getting too soaked. I do agree about the mass transit in Portland in general -- TriMet is fast, cheap, and reliable, in my experience -- but I have to transfer twice in the 4 miles between home and work, so it's not really time-effective.