Comment by dkarl | Hacker News Reader

Comment by dkarl | Hacker News Reader

Very key piece of meta-advice:

The secret to persist with commuting on the bike is to remove friction as much as possible.

Lots of greats suggestions here. I would add a few more points. For me the biggest thing making me pick my car in the morning was thinking "But what if I want to...." Over time I chipped away at the "what ifs" by figuring out how to secure my bike, where I could get coffee before work and a beer after, where to pick up groceries on the way home, and how I could freshen up at work if I needed to. So:

- Keep a stash of wet wipes (the big ones made for camping), deodorant, and a fresh shirt at work in case you have an unexpectedly hot day or an unexpected 9am meeting with a client. - Learn how to secure your bike, and always carry your lock(s). Then you'll always be able to grab some groceries or have a drink with someone after work. - Get familiar with the amenities that matter to you on or close to your route. If you're a coffee fiend and run out of coffee in the morning, you'll want to make a detour. - Buy a bigger bag than you strictly need. Riding with a half-empty bag in the morning is the only way you have the freedom to buy groceries or dinner on the way home.

The secret to persist with commuting on the bike is to remove friction as much as possible.

That was certainly the secret for me. I kept track of every obstacle, and eliminated them one by one, so that there was no need to even decide in the morning.

I set aside a place in my house for all of my cycling , so I don't have to look for it. I check the weather when I get up, so I can grab the gear that I need for the day. I hauled a bunch of spare stuff to work, mostly worn out gear that I didn't need at home any more, including rain jacket and pants. I frequently check the condition of my bike, so there are no surprises during my ride. And so forth.

For me some of the frictions were self imposed. Take off the bike computer, don't turn on strava, etc and getting up and going is a lot simpler. Another key was adding a small poach to the front of the bike, just big enough to fit a phone, wallet and keys so I didn't have to pack anything before leaving the house.

If it's not on Strava you didn't ride :)

I have a Garmin 520, I don't actively upload to Strava, it syncs beautifully.

When I start the ride, it sends a text and email to my wife with tracking information so she can see where I am. I also train during the commutes so I look at my power numbers all the time.

I absolutely love it when I see people with no computer on the bike, I am too weak to give it up

A lot of people don't realize the logistics around going on the bike. This is HUGE friction.

Pumping the tyres, water, computer charged, clothes ready, it's all friction that you don't want to deal with in the morning.

None if those seem like huge friction. Filling my car with gas once a week seems like is would consume more time than all of those combined.

This is like filling gas in your car every single day.

Seems more equivalent to plugging in an EV every day. I wear clothes every day so putting on a pair of bike shorts and packing my work pants us a minor inconvenience.

I pump the bike tires once a week and that takes less than a minute, including the time to get the bike pump.

The water bottle takes a few seconds to fill.

A bike computer seems like a luxury, if you don't want to deal with charging it, don't use it.

In the summer, my bike commute prep is only a few minutes... Longer in the winter since I need more bike specific clothing

I'm not saying it's long, but it's a lot of steps that I don't want to deal with in the morning. Prepping everything the night before makes it so I don't forget anything.

For example, my first weeks in the new company I kept forgetting my entry card, now I put it in the same place every day as I arrive home, didn't forget it in months.

For me, it's mainly the winter. I only own one item each of the things I need, and I need all of the stuff to survive when it's below zero.

It's also not really a problem any more since I'm well over the hump of getting into the habit. It's more that I tend to misplace things in general. ;-(

I pump up the entire family fleet every Saturday. No computer, no water bottle. Part of the deal was figuring out what stuff I can confidently leave behind. As an extreme example, I can live with the possibility of getting a flat tire during the summer, since I'm never more than two miles from work or home.

I find it strange to give this advice, then provide 3 alternate example routes that add a mile or more of climb to the ride. Gravity isn't friction, per se, but it does pack a wallop all the same, especially if sweat or fatigue (or injury) is a concern.

Are these roads safer or prettier or something that I'm missing from the map?

Note the author isn't just a commuter, but a somewhat serious competitive cyclist. For cyclists, fighting against gravity is fun, or at least feels rewarding; fighting against friction or wind is not. I don't know exactly why - both simply require more effort - but everyone would agree.

I have like 10 routes to and from work and more elevation and distance is the way to go for me (if time is not a constraint).

Being on the bike and riding is not friction for me, trying to find my riding clothes in the morning is :)

Friction is anything that will prevent you from going out, once you're out the longer and harder the better (for me).

The way this works (on these routes)

The shortest route is the busiest in terms of traffic.

The longer ones are scenic, less cars for most parts, no traffic lights and much better workout.

The mid-range one is the one I like using the most, I get to do a lot of speed work and work on my sustained power.

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