The ultimate beginner's guide to bike commuting

Bike commuting can make your life better in so many ways, but it can be difficult to get started, especially if you live in a city that doesn't make it easy by providing safe, separated bike infrastructure. So, after many years of bike commuting, here is my advice to help you get started.

0:00 Introduction
0:32 Part 1: Choosing the right bike
0:55 Reliability over speed
1:16 Seeking efficiency
1:38 Ditching the front derailleur
2:33 Prioritizing comfort
2:51 My bike
4:01 E-bikes are great options
4:32 Part 2: How to ride a bike for commuting
4:48 How to pedal
5:44 How to shift gears
8:03 Finding safe routes
9:16 Dealing with sweat
10:03 Taking the lane
11:09 Making a left turn
11:39 Part 3: Carrying your stuff
11:50 Panniers are best
12:43 Packing your bag
16:46 Part 4: The right attitude
17:12 Learning as you go
17:41 Persevere, but don't be a masochist
18:22 Find a community
19:25 Finding the joy

#cycling #bike #commuting

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[jacksonbangs]

Because my job involves picking up garbage and cleaning public bathrooms in city parks I don't need a second set of clothes and shoes when I get to work.

[charlotteice]

If you're buying a bike for commuting, there are two important considerations that I believe weren't mentioned in the video:
1) tyre capabilities. You want to use tires that are good for road use but have some profile to them, like what he has in the video, so they should not be road cycling tyres. You also don't want mtb tyres because although very secure and confidence-inspiring, they're inefficient. So go for something with a medium profile. The wider, the smoother it can get (wider tyres allow for lower pressures), but the tradeoff is efficiency. If the bike you're eyeing doesn't come with commuting-suited tyres, make sure it can accomodate them, so any bike that goes too far to the narrow (road bike) or wide (mtb) extreme is probably not suited (mtb tyres are mighty fine for commuting if you're ok with the efficiency loss, though).
2) accessory mounting options. Bikes can feature mounting holes for water bottle cages, rear racks, kick stands and sometimes even front racks, but the key word here is can, so if you want to use panniers (you probably will), make sure the bike you're planning on getting has those mounting holes.

[longdarkrideatnight]

Leave a set of cloths at work, as an emergency backup. If you forget or get soaked use them.
The cloths you bring you use. If you have to use the emergency cloths remember to bring replacements the next day.

[Eowyn]

Unless you live in a desert, always have a rain jacket with you. And in Winter, always have a spare set of gloves in your bag. Nothing is worse than cycling in freezing temperatures with wet gloves.

[definitelynotacrab]

Ive found the ebike motivates me for commuting as i know that if i get super windy days i can click it on and take the burden off. Love these tips and all that you do to advocate for bikes!

[garyhost]

Best advice ever. Thank you so much. Cadence over speed, good times over fast times. Only stop riding when we get old, only get old when we stop riding.

[ijuktni]

After years of wanting to cycle, but being scared of the aggressive car drivers, I've decided now is the time to try. I just watched a video about how to choose the best bike, and your video was recomended. Thank you so much for your thoughtful, helpful, practical and pragmatic advice. I really appreciate it. Though I'm more confused about what type of bike to get. 😅 Before watching this I was struggling to decide between a gravel bike and a hybrid bike. Now I'm considering an e-bike too!!!🤪😬😃Decisions, decisions! Regardless, I'm excited to embark on my new cycling journey! (Both metaphorically and literally!!) THANK YOU. 🚲🚴‍♀😃💪

[jeffersonchua]

Hey Tom, just wanted you to know that because of your videos (and skyrocketting costs here in Manila) I decided to bike commute a couple of months ago and it really changed my life. Another tip I have and this might probably be relevant to friends in tropical areas like myself: hydrate when you can. Temps are reaching 35C in the morning and the exhaust from all the cars make it a lot worse. When I pass by a not so busy street where I don’t have to be extra vigilant because of traffic, I stop to drink a bit of water. Beats having to chug down lots of it at the end of the ride and makes you feel less crummy during the commute itself.

[bobr]

I bought an e-trike (recumbent trike) that I love! I usually go bike riding with a group every Saturday (unless it's too cold, rainy, or windy). I have a rear bike rack, bolt on a rear basket, and keep everything in a zip-up insulated cloth cooler (which has a bungee cord strapped over it). I have 2 lights in front and 2 lights in back, along with a flag, and wear the brightest clothes (orange windbreaker primarily). Object to the game: be as visible as possible! Although I'm retired, I want to use my trike to go on errands but find stores that don't have a place to chain up your bikes (although I'm looking forward to going to the bank and using the drive-up each month!). Enjoy your videos - have learned a lot in the 7 months I've been riding (also have lost about 80lbs in that time).

[YugoCasillas]

“Don’t get dehydrated and blame me” 😂 I love this man

[madcap.julian]

about one month into biking as my main mode of transport and loving it! this video was exactly what i needed to hear to get started, enjoyed returning to it for a boost and to catch things i didn't get the first time, really grateful for the work you do on this channel and that you share this with us!

[azndward]

I just started biking and I’ve watched all your videos and I feel so confident because it really gave me an idea of what to expect! Thank you so much! I’ve been biking for a couple months now and everything you’ve said has been true and it’s awesome how you have videos to help others! 🔥🔥🔥

[mindyshively]

I have a ten year old Trek Verve 7 speed. It is comfortable, has good components. I have been commuting most days for about 3 years. I always walk up a long hill because I don't want to get too sweaty. It is one of the best part of my day to ride, I often will extend my ride a little on the Greenway.

[dxmxrxsbxxckthxwxxdxlf]

I use my ebikes as my only form of transportation (unless I am riding with friends or family), so getting more tips is great 👍

[Regantdarcy]

Living in NYC i had so many high end road bikes stolen over the years. I finally stopped buying expensive road bikes and bought a Giant Escape 2 hybrid bike with flat bars for less about $500 10 yrs ago and love it for commuting. I still locked it up, but never worried about it like I did with more expensive bikes. Recently my aluminum Giant Escape frame cracked in half along the top tube. Been thinking about getting the L Train or Eight from Priority Bikes here in NYC. They are both similar in geometry to the Giant but they use a Gates carbon belt drive instead of a chain.

[criesoftly]

recently put my first ebike together and gonna start commuting to work with it and this video n tips (LOVED the one about left turns as that was kind of worrying me) really makes me feel like i got this. thank you!!

[connorpeppermint]

I commute via bike with an old milkcrate on the rear rack. The way I keep things from flying out is by using two wide bungees crossing each other and placing my ulock on top of light objects like cold weather gear. Milk crates are awesome and how I do small grocery trips. I also take advantage of the fact it has holes and mount more flashing lights on it.

[gordonmorrow]

Very good advice. For me, I think using an e-bike is the #1 best solution for most commuters: you arrive non-sweaty and feeling mildly wonderful. Live on a hilly route? Hills are flattened by the motor assist. Let’s face it: American is very car centric. If your area has poor/no bike infrastructure, consider an e-bike model with wider tires and at least a front suspension because now you can ride on dirt paths or across grass fields instead of on roads filled with high speed traffic. Going up and down curbs is also easier when there are no curb-cuts. Add tire sealants to your inner tubes and forget about flat tires. You will enjoy the autonomy and sense of control bike commuting gives you compared to sitting in your car with hundreds of other commuters queued up to merge on a jammed freeway. You can (often) bypass it all with creativity and it feels great.

[michaelc.]

I've been thinking of getting a bike for a while as I often hate taking the car to the local shops and gym, where parking is really busy and difficult. I also need to get a bit more exercise and people keep recommending cycling due to my knee troubles that have stopped me running and playing football (soccer). The things that have always put me off are 1) I live in a very hilly town 2) I think I'd feel stressed out by cars on the road 3) not wanting to wear lycra cycling gear. Your channel has really helped ease my fears around those three things and also helped me know what to look for while shopping for my first bike. I'm hopefully ordering one soon through my work's cycle to work scheme and I will report back on how I get on!

[philwyeth]

Great guide Tom.
Start your commute clean, shower before you leave home. Then I use a very small towel, half the size of a hand towel and it's enough to dry the sweat off, then apply deodorant. I change my clothes too. I've asked my work colleagues and they say I've never smelt... and they are brutally honest!

100% get a bike rack and panniers, less sweat, nicer ride, ability to carry extra when required.

I leave my shoes at work, just bring chinos, shirt and underwear.