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Home , Cycling shorts, Skort

BIKING TO WORK

CLOTHES TRAFFIC YOURROUTE SAFETYTIPS PARKING& LOCKING BIKINGRESOURCES How to pack wrinkle-free Bags for carrying clothes CLOTHES Smart Idea ROLLING Some bike-grease stains won’t come out in the wash.For tough SIMPLE BACKPACK Work clothes grease stains,apply a degreasing WHY & WHY NOT hand soap (usually a waterless Low cost to bike in o- gel or cream) found in autom Can bungee to your bile-supply stores.(First check Fold where creases are least noticeable bike’s rear rack or goggles how it affects the fabric’s color.) Keeps airborne debris Makes your back sweat out of your eyes. Can’t pack lots of or sports Back side Back side extra stuff On cool days, wear Roll from to bottom Key holder or chain instead of . When you bike in clothes without pockets. Large-breasted women HANDY PANNIERS find more comfort in WHY & WHY NOT athletic support . Can fit lots of stuff Comes in handy to Put belts & ties in to save space or Pack shoes with bottoms together Attaches easily to your wipe grime from bike bike’s rear rack contact or sweat from Loose enough to let exertion. air in. CLOTHES AT WORK Smart Idea ➢ On the weekend or start If you take your clothes to of the week, take five days' Slacks worth of clothes to work. ➢ Black or dark-colored work each day,keep spare pants don't show clothes (especially , ➢ At week's end, take your ear,and shoes) at clothes to the cleaners. grime from your bike. underw DELUXE BIKE in case,one day, ➢ Pick up your cleaning ➢ If you often bicycle in work— GARMENT BAG Underwear . from work and leave it at the same pair of you forget to bring them WHY & WHY NOT Nylon or other synthet- work. pants, the pants' seat ics absorb sweat less Don’t have to fold stuff can get shiny or than cotton. faded—especially if High cost for limited use they're corduroy or Dressing for the ride wool.Wear loose In warm weather: Wear loose t-, tank-tops, and over the pants. Cuff tucked in socks shorts for good ventilation. If sweat gets in your eyes or Keeps pants cuff from face, wear a . getting in chain or front Ankle strap gears. In cold weather, wear loose cycling clothes, your work clothes, and windbreaker in layers that you can remove Keeps pants cuff from in layers as you heat up. getting in chain or front gears. Shoes ShoweringIn a coast-to-coast survey conducted for this book, over 85 percent Soles have tread to grip of people who bike to work or school said they don’t shower at their destinations. Do they pedals. just smell bad? No. Most erase bad odor by simply toweling off and changing into fresh clothes. If they want to feel even cleaner, they sponge off and apply talcum powder. As for clothes themselves: When weather’s mild, they bike in the clothes they wear at work. On 2 days when they’ll sweat, they change clothes when they get to work. 3 Riding to work To cut down on Getting Comforable withTRAFFIC sweat, leave earlier and cycle more slowly. If you don’t If your route involves hills, find the and Surprise Facts already ride in roads with the most gradual inclines. traffic, this page If you commute into the sun at dawn or A GOOD NOT AS DANGEROUS has a few tips to sunset, wear a red or deep orange top. CYCLING 1 AS IT LOOKS help make you Don’t wear white, because sun-blinded : more comfortable. motorists behind won’t see you. ➢ Bicycling in traffic isn’t as scary as it Isn’t too tight to let looks from the sidewalk. Bicyclists you open your legs don’t usually get hit by enough to pedal. motorists from ➢ Comes down no farther than the knees. behind—one of the How to learn Cleaning ➢ Won’t get caught in the back brakes. most common fears. Cyclists do ➢ If it’s shorter or wider than modesty PRACTICE up at get into trouble allows, wear underneath. At first, biking next to two-ton hunks of when they don’t 1 work ➢ metal (cars) scares most people. How do you Try a “”: a pair of shorts that look act like the other get over it? Walk or drive your bike to a quiet like a skirt. vehicles around Change clothes and clean up in a wash- parking lot and ride around. Ride down rows them—namely, cars. 1 room. For privacy, use a toilet stall. of cars, getting closer and closer.When you ➢ Use wheelchair-accessible stalls for get within four feet of a line of cars, practice It’s hard to find a looking inside the cars. Look for people who the most room. work skirt I can YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW might open doors or pull out in front of you. Remove your work clothes from your cycle in.Women’s 2 Then practice following cars through the lot. 2 bag and hang them up. skirts often aren’t Because you probably know how to When you’re ready, repeat these steps on a ➢ If stalls don’t have wall hooks, buy flared enough. So drive a car, you already know how to quiet side street. adhesive ones and put them in the I’ve bought skirts get through traffic.You just have to stalls yourself. made for teen- apply this knowledge to bicycling. agers, which Take off your cycling clothes and work fine. YOU’VE ALREADY 3 put them in your bag. ➢ If you’ve nowhere to let cycling clothes 3 TAKEN BIGGER RISKS dry, put them inside a plastic bag. More bike crashes happen on ➢ If you store your bike in a secure, off-street paths than in traffic.Why? private area, lay your cycling clothes on On paths, people bike next to walkers, the top tube and handlebars to dry. LONG DRESSES OR SKIRTS runners, skaters, skate-boarders, dogs, and small children. Wear a . GET TO KNOW YOUR BIKE Use a towel to dry off sweat. 1 2 You might not ever need these skills, but 4 knowing how your bike performs will build your confidence. Learn how small a space If you feel smelly: Pull one or two feet your bike will fit through by riding between ➢ Carry a package of disposable, moist of material up until 5 2 objects, such as parked cars or sign poles. Do towelettes and use them to sponge the hangs at this until you can judge spaces on sight. off. Or use a washcloth. knee height. ➢ Apply talcum powder. Tuck the material Towel off hair, wet it if necessary, and 3 into the belt. 6 brush, comb, and/or blow-dry. If you have no belt, Put on jewelry away from toilets and 4 tuck the dress into 7 sinks so you don’t drop it in. the waistband of your underwear. 4 5 TRAFFIC COMMUNICATING WITH FINDING YOUR WAY YOUR HANDS AND HEAD TAKE IT EASY Choosing your route Remember that on a street, you either share 3 efore you ride off to Choose a route that lets you make the lane (cars pass next to you) or take the your destination, as few left turns as possible.This lane (you ride in the middle, and cars stay B might mean using one route to a behind you or pass in another lane). If a think about the roads can you destination, and a different route street’s not wide enough for you to share safe- you’ll take: How from the destination. ly, and taking the lane scares you, stay off that make your trip easier, cutting Cross major roads at street—at least until you feel more comfort- your conflicts with automo- traffic signals instead able. Riding behind an experienced partner I’m turning (for observers biles? Experiment with differ- of on side streets. can help. in front & behind) ent routes, or ask for help from a local bike group. NO YES

Pick streets where you have room to avoid the door zone. I’m slowing (for observers behind) YES NO

Find streets where the traffic lights are timed to turn green for 20 MPH (35 KPH) traffic or Sharing the lane Taking the lane I’m going there slower, so you can comfortably make all the greens. Fewer red Learn how well your brakes work: go fast, then lights means fewer conflicts try to stop within 10 feet.Then try to stop with- with vehicles at intersections. in six feet, then three feet, then one. Also see how quickly you can speed up from a stop. For more info on stopping.

Wait YES Smart Idea You can warm up NO your legs before rid- ing by stretching your quadriceps and When starting your ride, choose streets where (if you use pedal you can go slowly and warm up your leg mus- clips) your calves. cles before exerting them. Avoid roads where Go ahead you immediately have to go fast or climb a hill. 6 7 Riding in the DOOR ZONE LOOKING Techniques How to avoid The up-and-down scan s you ride, you have to getting doored Aavoid two kinds of THE DOOR ZONE: things: hazards on the ground right in front of The three or four feet next to parked cars in which you could get you, and cars and pedestrians up hit by an opening door. ahead and on either side.You should Don’t focus always know how both the ground on stuff that and the traffic around you looks. doesn’t Look inside each affect you. 1 parked car before you pass it.

Can see inside, no occupants: Pass in door zone. Look at the ground 1 20 to 30 feet in front of you.

Look up at traffic 2 in front and to the sides.

Look back down 3 at the ground.

If you hear the click 2 of a door handle engaging, swerve outside the door zone. Smart Idea ething If you want to check out som interesting on the sidewalk,first do Can’t see inside or someone is inside: a quick look at potential dangers Move outside door zone or slow down ahead and to the sides.This gives and pass carefully. you a few seconds to stare.

8 9 WHERE TO PARK YOUR BIKE If you lock with a cable, Before you lock you don’t make theft easy; lock to a sign pole, the cable tightly. check whether you can pull it out of the ground. Some thieves don’t steal bikes where lots of people are walking around. But if you park next to a bunch of other bikes, you give a thief cover: while he’s If you’re parking stealing your bike, he looks your bike and a car like just another cyclist. So passes you several park away from other times, out. If bikes but out in the open, the occupants keep where people pass very looking at you, Whatever your close to the bike. they’re probably destination, planning to steal look for your bike. Move to chances to another spot. park your bike hen you indoors. Some Warrive at proprietors your destina- will, if you ask, tion, or even let you bring at home, w here do you your bike into you park your bike? How their buildings choose a parking place while you do If you lock your bike can cut your chances of business. to a sign pole, a thief Some cities and businesses rip-off. can remove the sign provide thick metal bike and slide your bike racks embedded into the over the top of the sidewalk.These are pole—no matter If you hobble your secure places to how you have it bike (i.e., lock the wheel park. locked.That’s why to the frame) instead of lock- poles with several ing it to something secure, don’t signs are better. park it next to a subway entrance. A thief could grab it and disap- pear quickly.

Smart Idea Lock your bike to a parking Some public parking lots will let Some buildings having little or no bike es- meter if you’re using a U lock. you park your bike for a small parking are used often by bike m Never lock to a meter with only a fee. If you forget your lock, sengers. Help the messengers by park- chain or cable—a thief will slide look for an attended es- ing down the block.This lets the m your bike over the top. parking lot. sengers come and go quickly.

10 11 GETTING HELP Finding a bike shop Information One of the best ways to get good, regular maintenance Resources is to find a good bike shop. How? Here are some tips. Ask around. Find people who ride like you do, 1 and are happy with the work done on their bikes. Get the name of their bike shop. Go to a recommended shop and talk with the 2 owner or manager. (If you can, do this when they’re not busy: during cold or rainy seasons, or mid-morning on a business day.) Tell them you want to find a shop where you can regularly have your bike fixed. Ask about the mechanics. Are they experi- 3 enced urban bikers? Also ask if you can use the same mechanic every time (just as you’d always have the same person cut your hair). Some shops hire certain mechanics just for the summer, so you don’t know if they’ll be around next year. How does the dealer react to your questions? 4 If they seem willing to spend time with you, Do it yourselfyou might have found a winner.

Maybe you’d like to know enough about repairs to keep you bike going in emergencies. Or maybe you can’t pay a bike shop every time you need repairs. If so, learn to fix stuff yourself—it’s easier than you might think! Several ways to learn: ➢ Take a class. Many bike dealers, community colleges, and bike clubs offer bike-repair classes. ➢ Get a book. Some books on fixing bikes are easy to follow. Find one you like at a bookstore or bike shop. ➢ Get an advisor. Find a friend or bike dealer who’s will- ing to advise you when you can’t figure stuff out. In exchange for a bike dealer’s help with your bike, you can: 1 Buy the tools and parts you need at their shop. 2 Refer your friends to them. Put off big repairs until cold or rainy months, 3 when they need business. 12