I commuted to the train station by bicycle today for the second time. I live in a small town so don’t have to worry much about traffic except for crossing two state highways, 20 and 12. For almost half of my commute I’m on the Prarie Duneland Trail that runs right behind my house. Today it was covered in places with snow and ice from the dusting we received on Tuesday night.
The commute is just over 5 miles (see map) and it takes me about 25 minutes. I’m using the Raleigh Sports 3-speed that I restored over the summer. It is perfect for the mix of potholes, railroad crossings and weather. I added a light on the front and one of the rear primarily for visibility, but I could use something brighter on the front. There aren’t many streetlights but plenty of potholes to avoid. I rode the original Brooks saddle the first commute, but it had to go. I think it is beyond restoration. I put on a spare seat from another project bike and it worked fine.
The biggest challenge is what to wear. It is a tricky balance between keeping warm and sweating up a storm. The first commute I overdressed and today I was a little warm by the time I got to the train station. I wore a vest under an outer shell and tonight I’ll try it without the vest. I wear a “beanie” under my helmet and so far that works fine. The temps have been unseasonably low (low to mid 30s) so I have not had the pleasure of riding in single digits yet. I’ll let you know how that goes…
My goal is to ride once per week. I am really enjoying being on the trail at 6am and cruising through town before most folks are up and moving. I pass by the two waste companies in town and they are always out getting their trucks ready for the day’s run. The commute home is just long enough to energize me for the evening.
I am definitely not a hard core commuter. I don’t think I’ll do this in the rain and the summer might be a challenge unless I bring a change of clothes. Even though I leave pretty early, it is already hot and humid. I’m looking forward to the spring.