The biggest barriers to bike commuting and tips for overcoming them

I started this channel to help more people make the bike a bigger part of their lives. But it can be difficult to start bike commuting, especially in those cities that have yet to see the benefits of a proper network of safe bike routes. There can be barriers, both internal and external, to bicycle commuting.

This video is my attempt to help overcome those barriers. I’ve collected a list of barriers and I’m sharing the tips I’ve picked up over the year to overcome those barriers. I suffered so you don’t have to.

0:00 Introduction
0:55 Barrier 1: I don't have the right kind of bike
1:29 Things to look for in a good commuter bike
2:00 My bike recommendation for a short commute
2:26 My bike recommendation for a medium-length commute
2:50 My bike recommendation for a longer commute
3:30 Barrier 2: I don't know what to wear on my bike commute
4:39 Barrier 3: I don't want to get sweaty on the way to work
6:25 Barrier 4: I have too much stuff to carry
7:44 Barrier 5: My commute is too long/too hilly
9:30 Barrier 6: The weather is too bad in my city
10:37 Barrier 7: My city's automobile traffic is too dangerous
12:45 Final tip: Don't forget that bike commuting is amazing

#cycling #bike #commuting

I don’t really do proper product reviews, but here are some products that I’ve tried on this channel that I like. (Of course you don’t need anything fancy to ride a bike, other than a bike, but these are Amazon affiliate links, and I get paid a small commission if you buy them 😉)

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[robfromcanada]

With regards to bad weather: when I was just starting in bike commuting, I decided on using the bike only two or three days week, when the weather was nice. And never in winter. I now use my bike all year, and in almost all weather. You don't have to start out cycling in heat waves or snow storms

[neeag]

My niece had a mini tantrum when I picked her up from kindergarten in a car rather than on the bike (no child seat on mine..) because she can not spot for animals on the way home :) I love that for her the bike is the 'normal' mode of transport/commute

[MixManik]

Your final tip is what counts. People don't realize (or remember) just how wonderful it feels to be on a bicycle, how sweet it feels to pedal along a path or a quiet tree lined street, listening to birds, hearing the wind in the trees, feeling the breeze in your hair, coasting along effortlessly while you take it all in....
Often, as I pedal my commute, I find myself thinking: lovely, just lovely, so simple, me and my bike just rolling along, looking at squirrels and people ... and then, “Oh my gosh, am I here already?” I don't think what I am doing is “commuting”--it feels more like communing. How nice is that? And at the end of my work day, I get to do the whole thing again.
Perhaps I should mention that I always plot my bicycle routes so as to keep car exposure to the absolute bare minimum. Experience has proven (to me at least) that no extra kilometer is too many if it avoids "la peste automobile".

[derekherman]

I would add a tip to barrier number 7. Ask your local cycling community for route advice. Route planning and map software in NA sucks for cycling and often puts you on busier roads. If you havent commuted by bike you might not know the better route. Cycling is great for community building and we want to help each other.

[dutchman]

Interact! When cycling the possibility to interact with others is plenty. Simply say 'hello' to those who are faster every day, or slower.
You see and pass the same people on your way daily, the boy with the German shepherd, the man with the red jacket who is going the opposite direction, the shopkeeper who is putting the parasols out, etc. It makes your commute look shorter and you do not need a watch to know if you're early, on time, or late. Close to home you see people from your neighborhood, close to work more co-workers.

[adrianbower]

As a 72 year old UK resident I almost passed this by as not relevant to me. How wrong I was. You have presented an excellent array of tips and inspirational insights into cycling which have universal relevance. I recently had my car written off by a truck on the motorway and it gave me the opportunity to reconsider my transport approaches. I am now less than a week into owning an e-bike and I am out for all the guidance I can find. Your video was quite a find and, as a real bonus, no crummy background music. Thank you.

[fredgoes]

I would strongly recommend some bicycle fenders for when you also commute in wet conditions. These will keep your clothes free from the water and dirt from the roads. And for such weather conditions a hub gear system is a better solution as well as those are relatively maintenance free. As mentioned, don’t overdo it on the number of gears; 3 to 5 will get you a long way. Even on my leisure bike I use only about 6 of the 24 gears…
Happy and safe commute to all of you!!

[Mantaslt]

About the pannier, it's kind of a life changer and don't forget that you can DIY it. A laptop bag and some zip ties can do magic.

[joetilman]

My first experience bike commuting was caused by necessity – a broken car in a town with zero transit, my budget did not include taxi money...but I owned an old bike. The only thing I needed was some decent gloves, because it was January. Over the next 30 years I commuted by bike on and off, including almost every Western state in the US. What I've learned is...pretty much everything you just went through 👍🙂

[flossybum]

As an older female (return) rider here are my tips: (1) go slower, what’s the rush? It might mean it takes you 16 minutes instead of 15 to get there (2) keep water bottle on your bike, remember water doesn’t have a used by date (3) get an ebike if you need to– it’s cheating? Umm, remind me who are you cheating when you’re riding a bike - it's better to be riding ebike than not riding at all (4) Commuting anywhere is great for your mental health – I can’t be bothered riding, I’ll just drive….oh, ok, I’ll ride, 10 seconds in to the ride you just feel better, (5) bike straps cost $30 at a bike shop, and $6.50 at a big box hardware, same thing different brand [hint go to the tie down section of big box] (6) buy decent breathable rain pants at the end of season on sale, I am dryer riding a bike at the end of a trip than running from the car in the wet [hint, once again not from a bike shop] (7) use strobe lights through the day, if your riding in the shade of a tree lined street motorists can’t see you if the sun is bright, I have this theory that motorists notice the strobe and wonder what it is and have a second look at what it is (8) be polite, say “hey” to other cyclists as you pass (comradery) (9) acknowledge a motorist if they let you in or slow down to let you cross, motorists do this for other motorists, and maybe other motorist will see the gesture is appreciated (10) I have a few lights flashing at night, my family tease me that I look like a xmas tree, who cares?, motorists can see me at night and I get to my destination, and (11) to be honest, as a female, at night, I feel safer on a bike than walking, and finally (12) don’t store your bike in the garage, out of sight out of mind, mine sits in my home office…..no excuses.

[joel]

Ebike is a great one to include, most people won't want to be riding many miles a day so this new genre of bike definitely brings more people into the picture, I recently got my self an ebike like a few days ago actually, after nearly like 7-8 yrs of riding bikes and wow, it makes going around my neighborhood to run errands so simple even more than a regular bike(and I always thought that was amazing), although I'll always have love for my original bikes I still have to admit, having an ebike does help A LOT, a lot of these tips you mentioned can inherently already be helped because its an ebike so yeah there you go

[bradleys]

There are times when it's best to dismount and walk when contending with a overly challenging or unsafe circumstance.

[simonmandrakejones]

Thanks Tom... Watching your channel encouraged me to start cycling after a break of 15 years. And I did it by fixing up my old bike ...I am not going very far, but I am cycling rather than taking the car. And I am having so much fun doing it.

[Tilimst]

The e-bike I bought is the best thing I have bought ever. I have the ability to change between a vehicle for exercise and a vehicle for transportation with the press of a button.
If you don't feel like exercising today, just use more assist. Steep hill? More assist. To warm? More assist. To sweaty? More assist. Bad mood? More assist. Need to carry a lot of stuff? More assist.
And with this mindset you are always motivated to use your bike and 90% of the time I use the lowest assist anyway.
With an e-bike you have the speed of an road bike with the comfort of a Dutch bike.

[th]

"I think my commute is too long". My experience is that as you get used to it, it stops feeling that way. Those 30-40 minutes starts to fly, and you don't think the ride is a never ending journey.

[tomreingold]

I remember long ago when I had my first hilly bike commute. I dreaded the big hill. Two weeks later, I noticed I was topping the hill without even a thought. Nowadays when I pass through that neighborhood, I ask my former self, “You call that a hill?”

[Trevor.Adams]

I commuted to work by bike for most of my working life from 1977 to 2019, when I retired. Commutes varied from 3 miles to 21 miles each way. My city is quite hilly and for many years, I lived at the top of a big hill, so couldn’t avoid it. Low gears and take your time, plus take a longer, less steep route up the hill if there is one, was the way I tacked it. I only did the 21 miler in summer, I cut it to 10 miles in winter by catching a train part of the way. E-bikes were never a thing for most of my working life. Always had a rack and a pannier, mostly had dropped bar bikes, because that was what I owned at the time.

I still ride now, but purely for pleasure and utility (going to the shops).

[longrider]

I've been commuting on a bike since 1981. First thing I bought after the bike, was a helmet, and this was back in the dark ages of biking.It was a road/racing bike. A good bike, which I still had it. Then I went to a mountain bike. A lot more comfortable. And now you can get some really good road tires for them, so comfort and durability. Then I bought my first recumbent back in 1991, and I've never looked back. I bought my second two wheeled recumbent in 1997, and converted it into an ebike in 2019, and it is wonderful. Yes I wear a helmet and always will, but I wear a military type patrol cap under it. I also have flags, rear view mirrors and lots of lights when I ride after dark. Just remember one thing, people in cars are out to kill you. So stay alert, no headphones or ear buds. Check your mirrors and stay as far to the right as you can. Stay safe, Ride safe, Be safe. Oh and I'm 60 years old and still riding. Okay, A ebike/two wheeled recumbent :)

[laakkonen]

I never got a proper rack bag. I have a rack with a milk crate. I cut a piece of cardboard to fit the bottom to avoid tire splash. And I set my backpack in there. If it's rainy, I can put my backpack in a plastic bag. It might not look very aesthetic, but it's practical and looks fine when I walk into work. Plus, a milk crate is great imo because it fits two paper grocery bags and most reusable bags perfectly.

[raymondpaulshive]

I would suggest looking into gravel bikes as well. The drop bar geometry can really help you build speed if you're in a rush, but most are also able to mount racks and such. They also boast more ruggedness compared to typical road bikes and can utilize some pretty beefy tires if you live in a snow climate or ride poorly maintained roads, as is the case in my city, Philadelphia.