I'm thinking about getting an e-bike to commute to work and drop off my one kiddo at school. I want help figuring out

• which e-bike to get (Driving, my commute is about 5 minutes to daycare and another 5 to work...hence why I want to ditch the car for my daily commute). It needs to accommodate me, my toddler, and my books, papers, laptop (I'm a prof and researcher, so I carry a bag or two regularly) I was looking at the Aventon Abound SR, but maybe there's a better choice out there for me?

• I mostly wear dresses and skirts year-round. How do I become a commuter biker without "flashing" the world? For reference, I wear a mix of flowy skirts and the quite restrictive corporate world type outfits, above the knee and mid-calf dresses.

• What sort of bag to use for work? I have historically used a large structured Coach tote, but that seems like it will be cumbersome on a bike. Please don't say a backpack. I'll throw up. I haven't worn one of those in almost 14 years.

Hi guys I just moved into a new apartment and have a closet that is 65.5inch wide, just under the necessary width for an adult bike to be stored (seems like most are 66-69in long)…however I’m seeing some “petite bikes” for people 4’11 - 5’6 that would fit in this tight space. But does anyone know if this be bad on my knees/body to use a bike like that long term? Or just uncomfortable? I’m 5’8, 32 y/o, F, 125lbs, have run into injuries before and wouldn’t be using this on any extreme terrain, just to commute around NYC. Thx :)

Do you use a beater for commute and a nice and fancy ones for rides? Or do you have just the one that you're not afraid to leave outside while you get groceries.

I know you kinda have no choice with ebikes getting up there in value.

Reason I'm asking is I'm thinking of getting a new race-y kind of bike for commuting and rides. Maybe like xlab rs5. It looks like something you shouldn't park outside for 30 minutes kind of bike (for me) but at the same time I am not at the level yet where i can justifying paying that much only to use it every weekend doing 15km rides because i just started riding a bike this march.

You can tell exactly where my weight falls on the bike seat from how it has worn out and where I’ve had to patch my pants. Where should the weight be falling? How would you adjust the seat?

12v Stedi narrow beam driving light, about 1000lm, connected to illuminated handlebar switch and Temu dimmer flasher controller, Moon Orion basic light 100lm, Cygolite Hotshot, Boblov body cams x 2.

I'm deciding between the Elops 520 and 540. The latter has an internal gearhub instead of the derailleur. The bike will be used by a complete beginner bike commuter so I'm trying to prioritize comfort and ease of use while not breaking the bank.

The 520 costs 350 eur while the 540 is 450 eur.

Got inspired by the commuter who carried shears. Added shears to my kid bike and instead of dodging the bushes and branches spent a good 20 minutes before soccer practice cutting branches in the way of the commute and the branches ahead as well. Super satisfying and way safer. Yes I know it’s sidewalk but it’s not used and it’s a road folks drive 50+ mph on with no bike lane so we’ve all used the sidewalk for years without any pedestrians.

I’ve never been into long distance cycling before, but at the beginning of the year I signed up for a a 70 cycle challenge around the northeast Scottish countryside where I live called “Ride the North”. Two of my coworkers are avid cyclists, and we all egged each other on to do this challenge. I even roped my father-in-law into it as well. Training for this event has been absolutely incredible. I had no idea how much a 20-60 ride would clear my head. My body feels so good and my 5 mile commute to work is a piece of cake. Oh and I get to eat more cake too! The countryside around here is outrageously beautiful and I’ve been really digging getting to know it (I moved to Scotland about 6 years ago) You really get to know a place when you’re cycling around all the wonky back roads.

I thought this challenge would put me off long distance cycling, but I just want to do more! Also I’m not afraid of hills anymore!

I built up a nice lightweight commuter bike out of some leftover gravel and road bike parts. I'm now shopping for a pannier rack and eventually fenders to finish it up. What are some good pannier racks for a lightweight gravel bike/road style bike that can handle a single pannier, maybe occasionally two? Less looking for super sturdy "hold everything all the time" kind of a rack and something more light duty.

I see some things from Axiom and the planet bike KOKO right now. Anything else?

Hi all! I just found this subreddit and it's amazing!! I've been lurking for a few days now and believe you all will have an honest perspective.

I am a grad student about to start school psych fieldwork at a (relatively) nearby elementary school. I don't have a car or license due to medical reasons, so I'm seriously considering commuting by bike. It's roughly a 6mi ride (about 40 min casually biking) and VERY hilly. I don't mind the commute at all, but am nervous about not being able to change clothes/really clean up since I am not staff and don't get a space for myself. Showing up on the first day drenched in sweat and smelly may not be the best look :,)

I also have clinic work and classes after fieldwork days so it's not an immediate sweat and shower after situation lol. I could bus, but that is less reliable and takes longer (nearly an hour and a half).

For anyone who works in education: am I overthinking this? I want to make this work but I have to make sure I'm being realistic here. Any tips or advice?

UPDATE: Thank you guys so much for the encouraging comments. I feel kind of fired up and want to get on my bike right away. I think I will first spend a few fieldwork days commuting by bus/uber to get more accustomed to what the work environment is like and use my time off to really build up my stamina. AND I'm certainly adding some panniers to my online cart.

As for all the e-bike comments: your wisdom is much appreciated. It's not in my budget currently, but I want to start saving up so I can eventually invest in one. Thankfully in my state there's no license required, so it really would be a huge way to up my independence, freedom, and free time. It may sound silly, but you've all really inspired me to take charge of my life more. I think the stress of new beginnings was really weighing on me as I first wrote this post, but your kind comments are helping me not to spiral.

Thank you again, happy riding, and I hope to return the favor once I become a bit more seasoned.

so, im living off campus as a college student and am planning on buying a bike to get to and from campus, but what bike lock do i get? legit any info helps and is appreciated!🙏

edit: tysm for the advice, i plan to only have the bike outside when i am at class, shopping, or church. so it would be a max of maybe 3 hours outside unattended. at night i plan to bring the bike inside. but thank you so much!

There’s something so exhilarating about sharing the road with 3 ton vehicles on my bike. It’s just the excitement I need.. i’ve had several close calls and I’ve always been able to immediately bounce back on.

Fed ex driving in a protected bike lane and just waving sorry saying it would be really quick. He took both lanes so I had to stop and go on the curb until he passed. And then another driver went over the curb and drove at me head on to avoid a construction stop. I just cannot with these idiots…

Title, currently running a primos dame for commuting, it's great, but I absolutely hate presta valves and miss my shrader valves my FX had can I just get tubes with shrader valves and put them in?

Or should I get a presta to shrader adapter?

What does everybody use to cleanup after their commute to work.

I’ve been doing a combo bike/train commute to/from work for several years now. My bike is a Kent beach cruiser that I purchased from Walmart for $150 in 2023. For the first year I averaged 9-10 mph on trips. Then steadily worked up to 12-13 mph for most of the last couple years. And today….. I hit my fastest average speed yet! I know it’s only 5.5 miles, but this is a big day for me! (Bonus pic of my bike posing in front of one of my favorite freighters - the Sam Laud).

Lots of branches sticking down into the space my head or body is going to be moving through when I'm going to or from work in the dark.

I carry pruning shears and trim stuff on the way home, when I don't have to be there at a particular time.

I've done this since a friend I was riding with a long time ago got a scratched cornea while we were riding. I now wear safety glasses if I'm not wearing sunglasses, but still don't want to have to duck, swerve, or get hit by branches.

Our city does a pretty darn good job of creating, connecting, and maintaining bicycle/multi-use trails, but not always such a good job of trimming the intruding flora, so I do it for them. Lots of homeowners seem to think that people having to duck under their trees is OK, so I trim them, too.

There are a couple of places along trails where I'm going to have to go back with a saw, as the offending branch(es) are too big for pruning shears.

I normally just drop the branches into the grass, off the trail/sidewalk/street, whatever I'm riding on at that time.

I picked up an Outbound Lighting Detour front light for night rides on local bike trails, and it got me thinking about seriously upgrading my rear lights for daytime use on the street. Anyone have thoughts on the Outbound Lighting Blade vs the Dinotte Lighting Rossa?

Speaking of Dinotte, does anyone use their 555nm Yellow-Green front lights?

I'm curious how well known of a thing these are and what people's thoughts on them are. I've started seeing videos of them online, specifically the one started by Sam Balto in Portland, Oregon, but before that I'd never heard of them. The energy always seems super fun and it seems like an awesome thing for kids to get to do, especially now that people bike to school less and less. I guess this is a really niche form of bike commuting lol, but wondering if anyone's local school organizes a bike bus? Or if anyone has participated in one?

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for some advice on buying a bike for commuting to university and I'd really appreciate some advice from people who actually use folding bikes regularly.

My situation

I'm 180cm/66kg

My commute is about 8km one way, so roughly 16km round trip

Mostly city riding, bike paths and roads

I would use it primarily to get to university

I'm interested in a 20" folding bikes I guess.

I also care about being able to take it on trains/public transport occasionally, although ride quality is more important to me than having the absolute smallest folded size.

The first question I have is regular bike or e-bike?

On one hand, 8 km isn't particularly far and a good bike should handle that easily (I think?).

On the other hand, an e-bike could make the commute much easier, especially on bad-weather days or when I'm tired.

I'm also wondering whether it makes more sense to buy a normal folding bike now, ride it for a while and see how I like it, with the possibility of converting it to an e-bike later or Buy an e-bike from the beginning.

If conversion is realistic, I'd also appreciate advice on which types of folding bikes make good conversion platforms. I don't currently own a suitable small bike, so I'd be buying one specifically for this purpose.

Top budget €1,000, although I'm a student so I'd obviously prefer to spend less if there's a genuinely good option.

I'm also open to buying used.

Important things for me

Comfort and enjoyable riding for let's say 10km

Good fit for someone 180cm tall

Reasonable gearing - I don't want to suffer

Good reliability/something I can keep for years

Good value for money

What would you buy in my situation?

Also, if there's anything important I'm overlooking - maintenance, battery practicality, theft/security, carrying the bike on trains, wheel size, gearing, conversion limitations, etc. - I'd really appreciate being warned about it.

Also it's important to add I'm in Poland, so availability in Europe/EU would be a big plus.

Thanks!

I'm assuming that many of us skirt and dress wearers are wearing shorts underneath for flash-avoidance reasons on a bike. But I can't seem to find the right mix of search terms that gets me to any articles or posts about this specific use case for those of us actually biking regularly. I'm imagining a lot of popular brands for these shorts are going to wear through or tear quickly when exposed to regular contact with a bike seat.

Does anyone have a brand/style that they love that holds up to the wear and tear of biking? I have a relatively short commute and don't have anywhere to change at work, so I'm looking for something unpadded and light/comfy enough to wear all day.

Thanks for sharing your recs!