Fenders

Back when I was a kid growing up in Southern California, the only folks who had fenders on their bikes were leathery old white guys weaving down the Venice Beach boardwalk on beach cruisers high on airplane glue. That was the '70s, and unless you had a racing-style "ten speed" bike with skinny tires, you weren't shi'ite. Nowadays, utility bikes are becoming more popular, and, as a result, more bikes are sporting fenders. This is a good thing. 

I'm a firm believer in commuting in whatever bike you got. So if you've been meaning to try out the bike commuting thing and all you have in your basement is a carbon fiber time trial bike or a rusty old Huffy, then go ahead and ride it for crying out loud. It'll work for the time being, and then you'll figure out what exactly you need to make bike commuting more of a long-term reality. I commuted for a while in the Midwest without fenders and it worked out fine, but once I installed fenders on my bike, I found that I was able to ride more days and arrive at my destination looking considerably more dignified. Nothing like being drenched from your crotch down with brown street water (even when it's not raining) to make you realize that fenders are required equipment. 

I'm always happy to see other bike commuters out on the road. When I see a commuter riding a bike with fenders, however, I smile. I interpret it as the rider's declaration that his or her bike is a respectable mode of transportation, which it is. Plus, I think fenders look nice. Fenders are cheap and most bike shops carry a good selection of them. They're easy to install if you feel like trying it yourself. Otherwise, the bike shop will do it for you.

How to bike commute if you have to wear a suit to work

photo by .faramarz

I'm from Southern California, so it goes without saying that I hate wearing a suit. That's not to say that I'm a slob. I harbor no fantasies of being able to stay home all day in my PJs. I like to put on nice clothes, get out of the house, and project a respectable (albeit false) image of myself in public. I just think there's something weird about wearing a color-matched wool body suit, buttoning up my shirt to the point of semi-strangulation and topping it off with a completely useless band of colorful fabric tied around my neck. I mean, you can't even wash the outfit without hiring someone who is trained in the chemical process known as "dry cleaning." 

Look, I knew when I signed up for law school that I would have to wear a suit from time to time. However, coming out of law school I wound up getting a job with an old school, suit-and-tie-all-day-even-when-you're-in-the-office law firm. Just my luck.

Having to wear a suit at work poses interesting logistical issues for the four-season bike commuter. First, let me say that unless I'm riding from my office to the courthouse, I never ride in a suit. I know that it's fashionable nowadays to engage in Web-inspired fantasies of importing elegant Euro-style cycling to America. Cycling in a suit is feasible in a place like Denmark because their 50-pound "city bikes" never top 6 miles per hour and the commutes there are generally flatter and shorter than they are here. Plus, Europeans don't have the hang-ups we Americans have about body odor. In America, commutes can be long, hilly, and downright sweaty. Suddenly that dashing Euro-man cycling in the suit doesn't look so dashing any more. In fact, now he looks like a lunatic. And he smells bad, too.   

So here's what I do. I keep every suit I own in my office. This works out well because I've been able to declare my home a "suit-free zone," which contributes to my overall piece of mind when I'm at home. During the summer, I commute in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt and change when I get to the office. I keep all my ties and my dress shoes in my desk. I get my suits cleaned at a cleaners near my office. As for my dress shirts, I wash them at home because I'm cheap. I roll the shirt carefully and place it in my pannier (bike bag) before my ride. Rolling the shirt - as opposed to folding it - keeps it from getting wrinkled.

If I have to go to court in the middle of the day, I'll ride across downtown to the courthouse with my suit on, Copenhagen style. My commuter bikes all have platform pedals (no toe clips or clip-in shoes) so I can ride in dress shoes. At the end of the day, it's off with my suit and back into my causals so I can sweat to my heart's delight. Logistics during the rest of the year are not much different, except that I trade my shorts in for old khakis or cords. In the cooler months, I'll wear my dress shirt on my commute because I don't sweat much and it's just easier.  

That's all there is to it. So even if you have to wear a suit at work (my condolences), you, too, can be a bike commuter!

New and Downgraded - Now with Less Content!

Looks like I've been having too much fun bike commuting to write anything here. If you've been out cycling here in Milwaukee, you know how great the summer has been. For those who are thinking about riding their bike to work but haven't taken the plunge yet, just remember that Milwaukee sinkholes only swallow big hulking Escalades, not dainty little bikes.

My own fear of sinkholes (which has proven to be not as unfounded as it used to be) has inspired me to sell my car. In the spirit of full disclosure, however, it should be noted that I can borrow my wife's car whenever I need it (some restrictions apply), so I'm not like a total eco-stud or anything. Still, it's nice to be down to one car and to depend on the bike more to get around. My bike feels more secure in our relationship, too, now knowing that "the other woman" isn't sitting out in the garage waiting for the next sub-zero winter day to whisk me away in a cloud of heat and quality sound. Everyone wins!