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Some beginner tips for commuting
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Copyright NM Independent
Now that summer is over its time for most people to return to school or the regular work routine again. While other cities see summer as the best time to commute by bicycle, I think the moderate autumn in Los Angeles is actually the best time to ride your bike. With L.A. being as sprawled out as it is, commuting by bike might not be as convenient as New York or San Francisco, but if thousands of people a day do it I’m sure you can.
Here are some basics tips/rules in case you’re thinking of getting a bike to commute with:
1. Buy a new bike, not a used one. You can always try different sizes in the shop to figure out what’s best for you. Plus you never know how much an old bike has been abused and you’re getting a bike to ride to work, not to break down and frustrate you back to your car.
2. Don’t buy a single-speed. I know they are the newest trend and the hippest way to get around town, but unless you have a completely flat ride to work (maybe if you live and work in downtown exclusively) you’ll quickly get frustrated and give up.
3. Don’t buy a beach cruiser either. It’ll look nice on the beach, but they are slow and bulky and they’ll cause you to exert too much energy on the way to work.
4. Please buy a helmet with your bike. Commuting by bike is safer than driving in my opinion, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful. Also, if you act sharp at the bike store you might even get them to throw in a helmet for free, along with some free tune-ups and a water bottle.
5. Commuting takes a toll on your ride, especially if you begin to use your bike for other things. Therefore there is no reason to buy anything too pricey, just stick to something simple. Bike shop employees are notorious for smelling a newbie and they’ll try to sell you things you don’t need. Go in with a budget and stick to it, look at the bike stores on yelp to figure out which one has the friendliest and most helpful staff.
Okay now you’ve got the bike, now you just need some tools, some spare tubes, a trusty lock, some cycling clothes, a map and probably some baby wipes. It may seem like a lot, but the last time I checked a gallon of gas was $3.29.
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