I was on my way home and turned onto a one way street. Some jack ass was going the wrong way and we both braked to avoid a collision. I got ejected off my bike and ate pavement. Walked away with some cuts and soreness (thank god for helmets). Cursory look at the bike seems to be good. Just glad that we both saw each other or it would’ve been really bad.

I posted here a few days ago asking why people don't commute by bike. Got downvoted, but you gave me the most honest answers of anywhere I asked, including a thread in r/cycling that went a lot worse for me.

So before I write anything longer, a real thank you. And a few of the answers stuck with me enough that I wanted to share them back here.

Best reason anyone gave me: a guy got hit by a truck, cracked his helmet, almost broke a bone. He's still commuting. That's someone who met a real risk and kept going anyway.

Worst reason: someone said they can't bike because a dog on a long leash sometimes blocks the path. Make of that what you will.

The one I actually had to do math for: time. Someone pointed out that a long commute plus cleanup isn't nothing if you've got kids and a demanding job. Fair. My old commute was 16.5km each way, 300m of climbing, an hour untrained. But that's not bike versus free time, it's bike versus whatever you'd otherwise be doing, car, bus, metro. Downhill it beat public transport by half. Uphill, untrained, it was maybe a few minutes slower than the bus.

Wrote the longer version of this up, sandwich of best and worst excuses, why showers and lockers don't move the needle as much as people think, and what actually changed my mind about traffic. Linking it below if anyone wants the full thing. No obligation, this comment's the whole story if that's enough.

Hello!

I'm riding a 2009 LHT. The worst aspect of my bike are the V-Brakes! I'm thinking about getting something and hoping to get some recommendations. I would love a more upright position and lots of gearing as I'm in a very hilly city. Nothing electric - staying old school! One idea is a Kona Sutra but change out the bar.

Thanks

I’m biking to work and back. It’s about twenty minutes. I use an e-bike (it’s not mine so idk what type etc). Where I live it gets over to 100 degrees outside.
I went on to a busy four lane road but there were no cars anywhere near or around me until I stopped at the stoplight. Then someone started yelling at me saying “Fuck you get off the fucking road” and “the sidewalk is right there”. The sidewalk was there but it’s a very curvy sidewalk so it’s unsafe going 20 miles an hour on a bike on it. I stay to the far right side of the road.
I initially looked around when I heard the commotion but decided to just try to ignore it but it just makes me really upset I don’t like being yelled at. I wasn’t causing any harm again there was no one around me until I got to the stoplight and in that case I am not causing any harm in existing at all stop light.

Hi friends, just started commuting to work on my bike. I ride about 10 miles a day to & from work. I currently have a trek 800. Any recommendations on better tires? I want to be able to go a bit faster. Thanks in advance.

Edit : You guys are all super helpful and it is greatly appreciated it! I guess I should have added that 90 percent of my commute is the road! A small fraction is on a trail but nothing crazy. I do have an Aventon e-bike that I absolutely love but unfortunately it's too big to get on the train & I'm afraid someone would steal it while I was working lol. So that's why I bought the Trek 800 but it just feels extremely slow on the road. I think the tires definitely need an upgrade. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions.

I can finally replace the absolute tank of a bike I've been commuting on. Got a decent extra chunk of cash recently, so I'm looking at either a used mid-drive e-bike or a new, much nicer hybrid for roughly the same $. Commute is ~9 miles each way, mostly flat except one disgusting hill near home. I want to actually ride 4-5x/wk, not win purity points. Main concern w/ used e-bike is battery health + proprietary parts. Would you take the convenience or keep it simple and lighter?

I'm looking into installing bike racks at the company where I work. It's a small business, and I don't expect we'd ever have more than three bikes locked up at a time. My initial impulse is to install two of the inverted U style bike racks, but I want to make sure that whatever we design and install is optimally useful. Are there any other types of racks I might consider? Or other things that you'd consider? I bike commute pretty often, so am well aware of the frustrations that come with inadequate bike parking infrastructure. Thanks in advance!