Advice on biking to work?

[steuard]

Now that I'm recovered enough from my knee-related fun over the summer, I'm planning to start bicycling to work at least some of the time. One flaw in that plan is that I do not, at this time, own a bicycle. In fact, I know next to nothing about what to look for in a bicycle: the last time I was shopping for one, I had very different needs and expectations (and hey, maybe bicycle technology has changed in the past fifteen years). So I put it to you, blogosphere: what kind of bicycle should I buy (and does it matter where I buy it)?

A bit more information: I live about 2.5 miles from work. I have my choice of riding to campus on a moderately busy street (Arrow Highway) or on a convenient bike path that runs right behind my apartment complex (most of the way, anyway). The route seems basically flat, though that perception could change once I'm riding rather than driving. I'm in decent shape apart from the knee thing (and my physical therapist tells me that bike riding would be good for me). I expect that most of my riding will be done during the day or early evening (but during the winter, the sun might certainly have set before I head home). I don't foresee any major off-road biking in my future. If there are other significant details that I haven't thought of, let me know!

Once I've picked a bike, what else should I make a point of doing or having done or buying to be set to go? (I don't know what happened to my old helmet, so I know that I'll need to get a new one.) Any advice from others who have tried this sort of thing?

Comments

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

OK.

On bikes:
* Pick a price range. (I tend to view the low end as a few hundred dollars; mid-range as $500-$1000, and high end as arbitrarily expensive. As you are looking at a short and simple commute and haven't done a lot of biking lately, I would go for a low-end bike; if you get into it you can always upgrade, but you're unlikely to justify the features of a nice bike at your present level of skill. But hey, your money. :)
* Pick a feature set. (Since you haven't been biking much lately, you may not have features you particularly care about. In that case, a competent salesperson at a decent bike shop will give you some things to think about. If you absolutely have no idea what features are out there: try road, mountain, and hybrid bikes; you almost certainly don't want a mountain bike since you're commuting, but maybe you like suspensions. Shifters and brakes come in a variety of configurations/grips; try them all and see what works for you, since people have strong and idiosyncratic opinions. Think about block vs. clip pedals; clipless pedals aren't worth it unless you plan to be doing much more ambitious riding; clip pedals have a week or two learning curve but significantly improve energy efficiency and speed. Have the salesperson help you with sizing, which matters for comfort.)
* Test ride everything in your price range with your feature set.
* Buy the cheapest one that is fun. (You will be totally unable to predict which ones are fun without riding them.)

Other items:
Obviously, a helmet.
Front and rear lights. Reflectors aren't good enough as they are only visible under direct lighting. You can get very decent LED lights these days for $20-$30. They won't suffice to illuminate your path much (you'll want to be on moderately well-lit roads), but they'll make you visible. Even if you don't expect to do a lot of night riding, you don't want to get caught without them.
If you expect to be riding in rain (not that there is much of that where you are), get fenders. They will keep streaks of wet dirt from adhering to your butt. Also think about rain gear.
If you expect to be carrying significant amounts of stuff on your bike, think about how you want to carry it. If all you need is a change of clothes, a backpack or messenger bag might be fine. (You can keep clothes dry even in serious rain by putting them inside a garbage bag inside your backpack.) But if you expect to be doing shopping or much else with cargo, consider panniers.
Consider getting a little pouch that attaches to your seat tube to carry small emergency items (eg batteries for your lights, tire iron, allen keys, emergency $20). May not be worth it for short commutes in a densely populated area, particularly if you don't know much bike repair. But, under some circumstances, totally indispensable (especially the spare batteries).