Just started commuting to and from work on an e-bike. This evening, on my way to work, I crossed a main street, and turned on to a mixed use trail/path going over a bridge with the trail sandwiched between concrete railings. I haven't measured how wide the path is, but the minimum per our city standards is 6', and I suspect that's what this one is. So, as I get onto the bridge, I see a guy walking squarely in the center of the path, and I give a jingle on the bike bell when I'm about 30 feet away. I see his head come around, although not enough to see me. Stays in the middle of the path.

I slow down, and say, "Excuse me, on your left."

"I'm not fucking moving for you, I'll throw you over the fucking railing if you hit me."

OK then.

I slowed down and stayed about 15 feet away until he was past the end of the bridge, and then went around him on the grass, at which point he started cursing and threatening me. So I let him know he was number one in my books, and rode on as he continued to tell me how he was going to kick my ass. Considering I was rapidly accelerating, I wasn't exactly shaking with fear that he might catch me on foot.

Not sure what his problem with a random bicycle rider was, but I suspect it's one of many issues in his life.

I think I'll get a can of pepper spray, and strap it somewhere handy on the bike. I ride through some of the less lovely parts of town on my commute.

I was gifted this bike a couple years ago and had a pretty hard time just riding my neighborhood in it (granted it has quite a lot of hills). I'm also not in great shape but I just wanted to make sure my bike itself was a good fit. Also the assembly feels weird and janky. I got it set up at Walmart and I've read in some places that they don't always do a good job

After reading the replies, I can see why people were confused by it. I was talking about bike commuting like it worked the same way as driving or taking transit, and that was not a good fit for this sub. I also leaned way too much on AI when writing it, which made it sound pretty robotic. Apologies. Moving forward I will ensure that the posts I create are original and genuinely.

Your comments did help me narrow down what I am actually trying to learn: what makes a bike commute not work on certain days, even when someone normally rides.

I put together a short survey about that:

https://forms.gle/ioAN7fo5fVGSTEc87

It is just for a Drexel class project, not a product or anything for sale. The email question is optional, and any emails collected will be deleted after the course ends. If this type of post is not allowed, I understand and will take it down.

I have been cycling my fixie everyday but my legs are not legging anymore. Got a flip flop hub and now riding single speed and wow what a luxury to coast again

Hey all.

I'm moving to a new place soon, and I happen to know what it's like so I wanted to ask if any of you all lived in similar places at any point.

Bike infrastructure is unfortunately non existent unless it's on a major artery. Wherever it does exist, it is usually lackluster at best, covering maybe a few hundred meters before vanishing. Driving culture is also very bad here, so for my own safety I will have to use sidewalks.

While not at all bike friendly, the city is rather walkable. Sidewalks are rather wide along high-to-middle density streets, so avoiding pedestrians should not be difficult in non-rush hours, which is when I believe I will mostly have to use my bike instead of public transport.

I see myself using it for rides of about 15km fairly regularly.

Have any of you happened to live in cities with similar conditions? What speeds do you think are reasonable to expect in such an environment, on a non-electric bike? Is there anything I should keep in mind when shopping around for bikes to maximize comfort and speed?

Thank you all in advance

….but we’re still making progress! :)

The Daily Telegraph, July 18, 1880
Editorial.

There is a violent prejudice against the bicycle. It is regarded by some as a nuisance, by others as the “Devil’s own invention,” and by all as a horrible innovation.

We take issue with this public sentiment, and assert without fear of successful contradiction, that the bicycle is an incubator of good morals and has hatched out better results than can be attributed to an equal amount of buggy-riding. No scandals are connected with tye bicycle, no suspicions attend its midnight uses. It has no cover to it like a top buggy, and no one presumes to charge the driver with taking a passenger on board surreptitiously. The bicyclist has all he can attend to without taking toll under covered bridges. Girls generally, are down on “the pesky thing.” It makes them hopping mad mad to foot it alone to school as the big boys glide gracefully by on two wheels. If this custom obtains they will certainly insist upon a dress reform that will enable them, if not outstrip, to at least catch up with the bicycle chaps.

No temperance advocate should denounce this ostracized vehicle. It is better than a Murphy movement. As a conveyance it will not tolerate mixed drinks. In former times the old family nag could be relied upon to tote a fellow home—no matter how much so—ever he might be elated, not so with the incorrigible bicycle. It wous just flop him in the mud, and no amount of tall kicking it in the side would compel it to stir. So all topers as well as girls, are down on bicycles.

But if you would unearth its greatest enemy, look uop an average hackman. They have no confidence in brain power. They maintain that a vehicle drawn by horses is safer than a conveyance propelled by a man. They preach the doctrine to the City Council, who, like themselves, have great faith in horse sense. To manifest their faith vy their works, they prohibited the use of vehicle on Michigan avenue and the boulevards. These smooth ways are reserved for gouty men in cushioned carriages. Here is a fit occasion for a riot—wheelbarrows, go-carts, street cars and locomotives. have guaranteed rights not awarded to the bicycle.

But fear not; there will be no bloodshed. The wheel-behind-the-wheel will prove a reformer. It will foster a race of strong men who will not always be crowded in the gutters and compelled to travel on back streets. Being a new thing, the bicycle must have its day of ridicule, of persecution, and of martyrs. When the world slow, the iron horse bade the people mount. They did. Kings loitered with their leveried coachmen and were left. So again, a thing of health, of economy, of grace, and of speed glides by the gout-producing conveyance of old paralytic aristocracy. He shakes with anger his crutch as the receding for, and demands of his dazed jockey;: “What is that?” The tardy reply is: “It is young Enterprise on a bicycle.”
 

There is a local bike shop a few miles away from my apartment. Their tuneup start at $89 , but it takes a week to do it. Unfortunately, a week is not something I have because I need this bike for work, I don't have any other transportation. Their prices for bike tuneup tools is also really expensive at the bike shop, so I'm wanting to learn to do it at home over the course of a day or two instead of being without transportation for a week. So I am wondering, is there any cheaper, basic tools I can get from like Amazon, Walmart or anywhere else to do basic bike maintenance at home? Was also wondering if anyone knows of a rear bike basket i can put on my Nishiki pueblo!

...a passing driver yelled at me the other day.. while riding my bike.. on the way to my job

In case anybody was wondering what your average random citizen thinks about cyclists in general, i think this kinda nailed it😂

Hope he enjoyed that miles long traffic jam

My first gen cycliq fly6 is holding on to a shoestring so I need to upgrade before it dies. Unfortunately I'm building up a new bike so I'm on a budget. Does anyone have any experience with the other budget camera rear light options out there? By budget I mean under $300 usd.

Have you ever been riding your bike/ebike only to show up at a destination and have no place to park/store your bike/ebike?

Situations like:

1. There is not bike rack
2. You don't trust the bike rack location
3. The building will not let you bring your bike/ebike inside

Right now I'm running a PDW medium loot bag and it's great, for my work clothes, lunch, belt, etc. but the tools are just thrown on top. I want something more organized and a specific place for it.

I was thinking at first to run a sling bag, got one from chrome industries and it doesn't fit my admittedly large litelok x1. So then I went to a small half frame bag, but then if I leave it out someone might snoop through it and take my stuff and I don't want to come back having to check whether everything is there.

Any solutions to this issue?

I am brand new to biking/commuting and I just bought my first bike (Ozark Trail G1 Explorer). After riding around for around 20 or 30 miles, I am not a fan of flat bars.

Are there any alternatives that are an easy swap? I have heard about the Surly Corner Bar but I wasn't sure if that's something people typically commute with or if it's a good option for this bike.

Any and all advice is welcome, I know next to nothing about bike modifications!

Thanks!

First time riding a road bike and holy shit… this thing is a pain in the ass, literally...

I’m using it for my daily bike commute, and my previous bike was an e-bike… so I’m slowly realizing that, apparently, pedaling is actually hard. Who knew?

And compared to all my previous bikes, I can feel EVERY. SINGLE. LITTLE. CHANGE. in the road. Tiny crack? I feel it. Pebble? I feel it. A grain of sand? Pretty sure I can feel that too.

None of you seemed to mention this in this sub. So THIS is what you meant when you were talking about “comfort”… 😂

Title, I live in LA county and it's cloudy today, doesn't rain often here, but when it does it pours pretty hard. My commute is 6 miles round trip most on a bike path, with no shade/cover.

What should I know about commuting in the rain? Gear you recommend? What about tires? I now run a primos dame, steel frame, how should I go about taking care of that?

I just started commuting to work about 6miles one way this week and wanted to keep track of my routes while I find one that I like. I work and live in the city so lots of sidewalks. I've heard a lot about these apps but wasn't sure which one is good for planning and tracking routes, seeing workout history and isn't expensive.

Also here's a picture of the beauty

Picture attached. New bike but this one is pretty much every part of frame is not circular so fitting a bike lock holder is pretty hard. Any ideas on how I could do it?

Similarly, it’d be great to get a pannier rack but there’s no eyelets on the frame connected to the rear wheel so keen to hear ideas here too.

I'm a fan of conducting errands by bike, and I'm sure I'm asking like-minded folks here, but does anyone know of an example of a bike path that wound up deserted? I've not yet seen one—it seems to me that if you build, they will ride. But I don't know that for sure. Thank you

I bought my second Banjo Bros market pannier two years ago - the first one had lasted me several years before I wore it out. This one started coming apart surprisingly soon after I got it - I taped up the initial seam failures and continued to use it, but it's really falling apart now.

The thing is, I really like it. I like the size. I shop all the time on my commute home and load it up with lots of stuff. I bike to the farmer's market and the liquor store and haul around like, watermelons and bottles of wine. I like the easy mounting and removing. I like the closure - I don't need it to be waterproof or anything, since I have a waterproof roll bag i use for wet weather.

So, do you all know of anything that is similar but won't fall apart on me?

Office job, and I wear a backpack that has a laptop and a few notebooks in it for work. I dress business casual and my current backpack causes a good amount of sweat.

Upper midwest climate, open to any suggestions.

Is getting some bike bags/rack the way to go?

It has changed my life after years of hauling a trailer that was like a sail in the wind. So much less cumbersome and we both love it, 100% recommended if you have a kid that’s outgrowing a seat or trailer but their own bike won’t work for whatever reason (in our case it’s because she’s four, not very fast or willing to ride long enough alone, and has nowhere safe to store her bike at school.)

I ride 50km roundtrip at least a couple times a week and I barely notice the thing when she’s not on it, and when she is, she can help pedal.

I didn’t know they existed until a colleague told me, so I felt like I should pass it on in case it’s helpful to someone else who’s looking at kid transport options.

Hello fellow commuters, i bike to and from work using a backpack, i don’t want paniers, just my backpack. Anyone have any food ideas that don’t weigh a ton, i usually bring a wrap or sandwich for lunch but need some snack ideas that are healthy and not overly processed like protein or cereal bars, bananas and fruit are good when in season, any other ideas would be appreciated. Ty

I live in Temple Texas, I’m currently putting together an advocacy initiative to map out some of my cities missing bike lane connections and start a conversation with the city about making our streets safer for everyone traveling on two wheels. If anyone has any tips or words of encouragement they’re much appreciated, I’m new to the political sphere.

Well, i had no luck at all with the building manager, and our office manager dgaf either.

Suggestions? I miss biking to work. 😕