Seven Tips for Bicycle Commuting

By Amara B. Beatty


I love riding my bike to work. The fresh air and exercise wake me up and get my blood pumping. But I've learned a few things about bike commuting during the past year.

Wear a Bright, Reflective Helmet A helmet can not only save your life in an accident, but it can help prevent accidents. Your head is at the perfect height to be seen by drivers, so take advantage of this fact by putting reflective tape upon every side of your helmet. Yellow and orange are probably the most easily noticed colors for a helmet.

Get a Gortex Bicycle Jacket Gortex is breathable but waterproof, so it keeps you cozy and dry in bad weather. There are a lot of types and colors readily available, and some of them are highly noticeable while also being stylish. And you can use your cool-looking new Gortex jacket to hide your nerdy pannier and neon helmet.

Use the Right Tires Contrary to popular belief, tire tread doesn't give a bicycle any more traction on wet roads. Because of their shape and flexibility, bicycle tires do not hydroplane. Slick tires are faster and are much better for smooth streets. But if you ofttimes ride on gravel or loose ground, treaded tires will help with traction. Get Bike Shoes Cleated bicycle shoes lock your feet to your pedals, vastly raising your peddling efficiency; and yet they are simple to slip off the pedals, once you get accustomed to them. Bicycle shoes also secure your feet and ligaments from being injured by the strain of pedaling. Bicycle shoes come in a wide assortment of styles, including nerdy and neon.

Wear Padded Bicycle Shorts These probably aren't really critical if you only ride a couple miles to work and don't ride on any tours. But they help prevent chafing and they wick sweat away from your body. They're definitely more comfy than regular shorts for biking. Use Tire Liners and Flat-resistant Tires Flat tires can not only make you late, but they can also boost your chances of being involved in an accident. Tire liners and flat-resistant tires won't completely eliminate flats, but they'll decrease the likelihood, particularly if you ride on gravel.

Carry the Right Tools A bicycle multi-tool is useful to have, so long as it's well-designed and strong enough to hold up under strain. But a multi-tool can be hard to use for particular jobs, so you may need to supplement it with other tools.




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