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You are here: Home / Bike Commuting / The 10 Most Important Things I’ve Learned about Bike Commuting

The 10 Most Important Things I’ve Learned about Bike Commuting

January 16, 2016 by Average Joe Cyclist

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Bike commuting is a great way to keep fit year round – but to succeed you have to be super organized and have a great game plan. Here are my top ten tips for successful bike commuting.

Tip #1 for Bike Commuting: Route Planning

Work out a safe route before you start. This can take a while, because many paths don’t show up on maps. It’s well worth while spending a lot of time on this. It helps if you start by getting a detailed bike route map, as this is a great starting point. But don’t follow it blindly – sometimes there are parts of the route where a parallel road or path is quieter, or less steep. Take the time to try some different options. Also, try to speak to other cyclists who have experience of cycling in the area. They are likely to have some great advice on the safest routes. All of this will help you to figure out the best possible route. Next, memorize it. That will make your first day of bike commuting much easier.

Top ten tips for bike commuting. When you first start bike commuting, make sure you are very clear on your route. 10 most important things tips for bike commuting
When you first start bike commuting, make sure you are very clear on your route

Tip #2 for Bike Commuting: Backup Plan

Have a backup plan – sooner or later, something will go wrong. This could be a simple flat tire, but it could also be a broken axle, or a medical problem. So either have a cell phone and a credit card, or have a good repair kit and know how to use it. Read my story here, about how the Automobile Association failed to be a good backup plan for me.

Personally I rely on a credit card and a cell phone (and quite often, Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist). I know a guy who cannot even walk without assistance, but he can ride a bike. He carries a cell phone and a credit card, so if the bike breaks down, he has an out. I was biking with him once when that happened, and within ten minutes he and his bike had disappeared in a cab! If you prefer to carry tools and fix things like a flat tire, check out this video that shows how simple fixing a flat can be:

Below are links to all of our best posts on bike commuting

How to use this slideshow: Clicking on a picture will take you to that post. Hovering your mouse over a pic will pause the slideshow. On the right and left, there are arrows to move ahead or back.

  • My current commuter bike, which is an adapted Specialized Tricross
    How to Set Up a Commuter Bike
  • 7 Tips for New Bike Commuters
  • 7 of the Best Bike Panniers
  • The 10 Most Important Things I’ve Learned about Bike Commuting
  • 9 Tips for Women Bike Commuters
  • Our picks for 5 of the best bike locks. Read more below!
    5 of the Best Bike Locks
  • 7 of the Best Bike Lights

Tip #3 for Bike Commuting: Bike Lights

Have bike lights in front and back of your bike. (Best to have two sets of lights, including backup lights. Here’s my complete guide to bike lights for those who are planning on bike commuting.) And use the lights during the day time too, just as people do with cars. A bus driver once told me that he loves it when cyclists use day-time lights, because he can see them from two blocks a way – instead of struggling to notice them until he is almost on top of them. That statement turned me into an immediate proponent of day-time lights on bikes!

Top 10 tips for bike commuting. 10 tips for bike commuting
Click here for my post about the best bike lights

Tip #4 for Bike Commuting: Organizing Your Clothes

Find an organized way to keep a supply of clean business clothes at work (I once had to spend the first hour of my working day buying pants and having their hem taken up – the alternative of walking around in tights all day would have been cruel and unusual punishment for my colleagues). Some bike commuters drive to work once a week, bringing in a week’s supply of clean clothes. Read Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist’s tips for women bike commuters, which talks about the things you need to get in place if you want to bike to work and still look groomed and professional.

Top 10 tips for bike commuting. Buy waterproof cycling gear. Unfortunately, not every cycling day is going to be perfect weather. However, cycling in the rain can be quite pleasant if you are properly dressed. This guy in front of me was NOT!
Buy waterproof cycling gear. Unfortunately, not every cycling day is going to be perfect weather. However, cycling in the rain can be quite pleasant if you are properly dressed. This guy in front of me was NOT!

Tip #5 for Bike Commuting: Be Ready for Rain

Buy waterproof cycling gear. No one wants to be wet to the skin while cycling to work. Here’s my very popular post that tells you everything you need to know about waterproof fabric, and compares the 7 best waterproof cycling jackets. And here is my post about the best waterproof cycling gear, including jackets, pants, and gloves.

Below are links to all of our best posts on winter bike gear

How to use this slideshow: Clicking on a picture will take you to that post. Hovering your mouse over a pic will pause the slideshow. On the right and left, there are arrows to move ahead or back.

  • Top 10 Tips for Winter Cycling
  • Waterproof cycling jackets - group of cyclists
    Best Waterproof Cycling Gear - Includes Jackets, Pants, Gloves, and Balaclavas
  • Your mission in Phase 3: to kick it up a notch, so as to increase the demands on your body and keep getting fitter. Complete bike training plan
    How to Get Your Bike Ready for Winter Cycling
  • 7 of the Best Cycling Balaclavas
  • How to Dress for Winter Cycling
  • 7 of the Best Bike Lights
  • How to Use Bike Reflectors as a Cheap Way to Be Visible
  • 7 of the Best Women's Cycling Jackets
  • When people see a flashing light at night, it is hard for them to judge how far away it is, and how fast it is moving. This means that a motorist may misjudge where you are, and that is NOT good
    When to Use Flashing Bike Lights
  • Best Cycling Jackets - includes Best Waterproof, Best Windproof, Best Women's, and Best Bargain Jackets
  • How to Keep Your Feet Warm for Winter Cycling
  • There are many factors to consider when you choose a cycling jacket - and this post covers all of them!
    7 of the Best Waterproof Cycling Jackets
  • 7 of the Best Waterproof Cycling Pants
  • Gore Introduces its Newest Lightweight Shakedry Waterproof Cycling Jackets
  • Review of Leglites - Easy High Visibility for Cyclists and Pedestrians


Tip #6 for Bike Commuting: Assume Blindness

Assume that all motorists have a disability that prevents them from seeing cyclists, and dress and ride accordingly (bright clothes, bright lights, and defensive cycling).

Tip #7 for Bike Commuting: Cycle as if You Are Invisible

Even if you are doing everything in no. 6, continue to assume that all motorists are stone blind. Cycle as if you are invisible – because a lot of the time, you are.

Top 10 tips for bike commuting. Ride safely and follow the rules of the road. If you can find a separated bike lane, use it! Read about the unexpected benefits of separate bike lanes here
Ride safely and follow the rules of the road. If you can find a separated bike lane, use it! Read about the unexpected benefits of separate bike lanes here

Tip #8 for Bike Commuting: Be Predicatable

Ride safely and follow the rules of the road. Don’t do anything unexpected, such as riding on the wrong side of the road, because that exponentially increases the chance of an accident.

Tip #9 for Bike Commuting: Avoid Rush Hour

Try to ride outside of peak rush hours, if you can. It’s much safer, and much more fun. There’s nothing quite like a bike ride in the crisp hours of a perfect dawn – with no one else around!

Top 10 tips for bike commuting. My own Specialized TriCross, set up to be an ideal commuter bike, with lights, rack, fenders, rear view mirror and bell. You can read about how I set this bike us as a commuter bike here
My own Specialized TriCross, set up to be an ideal commuter bike, with lights, rack, fenders, rear view mirror and bell. You can read about how I set this bike us as a commuter bike here

Tip #10 for Bike Commuting: Get a Decent Bike

Have a decent quality bike – no one can succeed at bike commuting on a clunker. The bike above is my own commuter bike, set up for success with all the necessities for safe bike commuting: lights, rack, fenders, rear view mirror and bell. Try to buy the best quality commuter bike you can afford, and be sure to kit it out with safety essentials.

You can read about how I set up this bike as a commuter bike here.

Not many people use rear view mirrors, which I find extraordinary. I always use a mirror, and it has saved me from harm more than once.

One time I was minding my own business in the bike lane, when I noticed in my mirror that a jeep was thundering up right behind me. He had taken a left turn too wide, and ended up in the bike lane. Seeing him in my mirror gave me a couple of seconds to jump onto the sidewalk. Being hit from behind is one of the most common ways to be seriously injured on a bike, and I avoided it that day only because I had a mirror. Sure, I could hear the jeep behind me, but there was tons of traffic around, and I had no reason to look behind me to see if one of those noisy vehicles was actually in the bike lane! Even with a road bike or tricross bike, you can get a Mirrorcycle which fits into the bar end. You wouldn’t drive without a rear view mirror, so why cycle without one?

Top 10 tips on bike commuting. I never commute without a rear mirror. The Mirrorcycle fits into the drops, and can be rotated to suit your riding position. 10 tips for bike commuters
I never commute without a rear mirror. The Mirrorcycle fits into the drops, and can be rotated to suit your riding position



Get a bike that works for you. For example, if you have back problems, a recumbent might be the way to go. Here is a post about cycling in Florida with a great recumbent bike!

If you have back problems, a recumbent might be the way to go. This man has been commuting on his recumbent bike every day for many years.
If you have back problems, a recumbent might be the way to go. This man has been commuting on his recumbent bike every day for many years

Or, you might do better with a comfortable upright bike. Maggie loves her upright bike, and the fact that it is step through, so she can ride it while wearing a skirt.

Maggie loves her upright bike, and the fact that it is step through, so she can ride it while wearing a skirt. 10 tips for bike commuting
Maggie loves her upright bike, and the fact that it is step through, so she can ride it while wearing a skirt.

Or if you are out of shape or physically challenged (bad knees, heart problems, etc.), consider getting an electric bike. (Here’s my blog with reviews of great electric bikes.) You can still get plenty of exercise, but it will be less intense. (Read here about the surprising number of calories you can burn on an electric bike.)

As for getting the right bike – bear in mind that it is possible to get great bargains online, such as Craigslist, because so many people buy bikes with good intentions, and then don’t use them. Here’s my Bike Buyer’s Guide, which focuses on how to buy decent bikes online (you can get this book as a free download if you subscribe to this blog!)

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Filed Under: Bike Commuting, Bike Commuting Tips Tagged With: Bike commuters, Bike Commuting, Bike Safety

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Welcome to Average Joe Cyclist!

Average Joe CyclistWelcome to our blog! I’m Joe Goodwill, an average cyclist, and I write a blog for people like me. People who love cycling but will probably never win any races, and who don’t necessarily look good in Lycra! I also write the Electric Bikes Blog and Average Joe's RV Living Blog. To find our most popular posts, check out our Start Here page.

Mrs Average Joe Cyclist - MaggieHi! I'm Maggie Neilson (aka Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist). Joe and I have done a lot of cycling, and we share what we have learned on this blog . We also write reviews of cycling products and trails! Get to know us better HERE.

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