What Equipment Will I Need?
If I am going to do this I would like to do it with some degree of realism. I do not want to spend a lot on new equipment, but I do want to be safe and fairly comfortable while commuting.
The Bike:
OK, I am a little more comfortable with bicycles than most people. I have six bikes. Yes, six. They are not all new. In fact, I have only ever had five new bikes, four of which I still own the short list of which are a 1982 Schwinn Le Tour from my eighth grade graduation, a 1984 Trek 760 road bike I built when I was in highschool, a 2001 Trek 5200 road bike (my mid-life crisis bike), and a 2006 Gary Fisher Cake 2 mountain bike (won by a drawing, at the 24 at Nine Mile 24 hour race). The other two are an early 90′s Trek 2100 road bike and a 2000 Schwinn Moab mountain bike. I use them all!
I have mostly commuted on the road bikes and have lately favored the 5200 because it is so much fun. The mountain bikes I use for around town or actually mountain biking and the Schwinn Le Tour is a strict around town bike. However, upon the recent snow I am thinking hard about which bike I would like to use on snowy, icy days. The Le Tour may work if I can get some studded tires for it. Otherwise it will have to be the Schwinn mountain bike as the fisher is just too nice to subject to the salt and road grime.
Clothes:
Foot ware:
I mostly use my newer (both ten years old with hundreds of miles on them) road or mountain bike shoes, but will take out the old ones (twenty years old at least) when riding leisurely on one of the older road bikes. The shoes correspond with the bikes because the pedals only fit with the respective cleats. The older the bike, the older the pedal and corresponding shoe.
Closer to the skin are socks. Get good socks! I always use good socks made with material that will wick the moisture away from my feet. I usually take it very easy on the way to work so my socks don’t get sweaty. As such, once at work you want the socks to look good. I have some very colorful cycling socks that are very comfortable, but when meeting with clients, wearing bright blue and yellow socks looks a little odd peaking out between your shoes and pants. Get darker neutral colored socks like black or gray (without skulls or sperm on the side). Or keep socks at work to change into. You will always want clothes to change into at work so socks are an easy thing to keep at work along with pants and shirts.
As it is cold now, I also use booties. Not baby type booties but neoprene shoe covers that help to keep your feet warm. I have used them for years and they work great even in below zero weather.
Head Gear:
The helmet is always a must. I don’t care if you fancy yourself to be a “Cyclist” or not, everyone should ware a helmet!
Under the helmet on cold days I use a hat or, better yet a balaclava. I swear by my balaclava. Gives you hat hair, but keeps me very warm and prevents frost bite!
I also use sunglasses on nearly every day. Not just for the sun, as rain, snow and if you are going very fast, insects are deflected away from your eyes by the simplicity of a cool pair of shades.
Gloves:
I never used to use gloves, but ten years ago I started and it has made a huge difference. When I was younger doing 75 miles on a summer day to visit a young woman whom I met camping and of whom I had a crush on was a good day! However, I would arrive home with my hands numb. Even years later biking in the rain my hands would go numb from gripping the handlebars tightly. Now, with the assistance of a good pair of gloves, I don’t have to grip the bars so tight because the leather of the glove assists in the gripping. Gloves don’t have to have much padding, but a good pair of gloves will make you much more comfortable on the bike.
Layers:
Now for the real stuff. Shorts make the commute easy, OK bearable. I used to bike in running shorts. How many hundred miles did I bike not knowing the luxury of a good pair of bicycle shorts.
Then the Jersey. Any wicking material will do as long as it is fairly light. In other words, it doesn’t need to be a tight multi-colored Tour De France want-a-be.
In cold weather I will wear a pair of tights. They keep your legs warm! They do fit like woman’s nylons I’m told, but they keep you warm. And in cool weather I ware a heavier layer on my upper body. Usually this is a long sleeve jersey or another long sleeve active ware. Wicking! Have I mentioned that your clothes should be wicking!
On very cold days a shell for your upper body is a welcome cover against the cold wind. Until recently, I used a shell I bought for $15 when I was twenty. Last year, the shell ripped as I passed through a wooden fence. It was faded and now had a foot long hole where no hole should have been. The shell worked fine for all those years of biking running and skiing, but after using the new shell twice I understand again why good clothes really do make a difference.
My short advice: always dress in layers and purchase the most comfortable clothing you can.