This year we (Five Hills Bikes folk) have made a personal commitment to ride more and drive less. When our schedule and time permit, we will ride into town to drop off at daycare and work at the shop. We will ride into Stowe for our other job. We will make the effort to commute by bike.
There's a great article on commuting by bike for the average person on the
Commute by Bike Blog. The tips are a great reminder that you don't have to make bicycle commuting into a struggle. Call for a lift if you get a flat. Take the car if it's going to rain. Wear your civilian clothes and save the lycra for your sporty rides. Take the flattest route possible.
Since I (Mandy) have been working in Stowe at my day job, I've been meaning to ride into the office. But the prospect of facing Rt 100 traffic in the morning was daunting. Equally daunting was the series of long dirt road hill climbs that would await me at 7am if I took the back road.
This year with the rise in gas prices, I knew it was time to make it work. The first step was replacing my uncomfortable road bike with a cyclocross bike. I did some research and decided to get a
Soma Double Cross. This isn't a frame that we stock, but was easy enough to get through our distributors and the cost was right - cheap.
It's a steel frame that will accept fenders and racks for panniers. Most of the components from my road bike would work on the new frame, also helping with the cost. My main objective with this bike was to create a perfectly serviceable ride for commuting - not built to impress anyone.
Brake levers on the top of the bar
It has bar top brake levers, which also help with the comfort level. I'm not that comfortable in the drops and I really just want to get to work safely, so I like having the option of these levers. I've also grabbed a Knog light for the back and
YAWD for the headset topcap - to keep it interesting.
YAWD for decoration
Knog LED light (as seen from the top)
My first ride into the office was great. The bike is comfortable. The steel frame is supple and smooth on the road and the wider tires on this cross bike make for a much more stable ride. Though there are patches of gravel and sand still on Rt 100, I felt that the tires provided great confidence and grip. I still need to get the racks and panniers, but the ones that I want are out of stock until next week. I dislike riding any distance with a messanger bag, so that is why I will go with the panniers.
Nice wide tires to inspire confidence on Vermont's roads
We can help anyone build up a commuting bike. Whether it's a new bike or changing something that you already have to be more efficient and comfortable for a daily commute - we're happy to help you figure it out, just ask.
Labels: commute by bike, cyclocross, Five Hills Bikes, Soma
-757048.JPG){kind=logo}
