Daily Commuting Tip: Ready to Roll

Above: Ready to roll? Oh yes. (image: Hugo Gladstone)

My overriding philosophy (don't you just hate people who've got overriding philosophies) for a commuting bike is that it's got to be ready to ride whenever you are.

Your commuting bike shouldn't sit there, like that impulse buy home multigym, making you feel guilty for not doing ‘serious' exercise. It should lean casually in your hallway, like a two wheeled 50s era Marlon Brando, casually ready to ride.

Your commuting bike should never make you dress up for a date. A proper commuting bike should take you just the way you are. You don't need to put on special shoes or special pants before you're ready to go.

Your bike should be ready to go at all times and in all weathers. It should have mudguards, flat pedals and bags to put things in (bags on your back are a bad idea).

Your bike should also be ready to stop whenever you feel the need. A built in wheel lock, Dutch style, is the way to go. Flip the lock, immobilise the back wheel, pocket the key and pop into the shop on the way home for those groceries. Swap out that quick release on your front wheel too. Get a security skewer or a nutted front wheel. Seriously, how much longer does it take to undo a nut as opposed to a quick release? You're not racing are you?

Get a prop-stand. Practicality aside, there is simply no cooler sight that a bike leaning, James Deanesque, at the side of the road, and that jaunty, 10-degrees-off-vertical angle.

The elite level commuting bike will not only have all these 'utiluxuries'. It will be a Plain Jane - it'll dress down, blend in with the street furniture. Subdued, natural colours and no logos are the way to go. Who wants to be a billboard, when your target audience is the bike thief?

You can buy bikes like this everywhere, but bike shops seem reluctant to sell them. There is a movement out there, but it's glacial. Google ‘Dutch Bike' and you'll find loads of outlets for quality town bikes.

But, evolved as Amsterdam Black Widows are, there's no need to go Dutch. Maybe you'll want a bike that's good for high days and holidays too? Base your commuting bike around a good, light touring, hybrid or all-rounder frame and you've got a true multipurpose bike, ready for day rides and touring, as well as the daily potter to work; highly evolved for commuting, but not too specialised that it's not suitable for a quick getaway.

More: Daily Commuting Tips Archive