About
My name is Daniel. I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria but now I live in Cincinnati, USA. Currently I work as an IT personnel in a warehouse belonging to a business conglomerate in a small town across the border in another state – more on that later.
My cycling history can be divided into two eras. The 1st and shorter one being between the ages of 8-11 when I had a BMX bike. It came with training wheels, which is how I learned to ride a bike. Eventually I grew out of that bike and that was the end of cycling for me.
Fast forward a number of years later to when I had just got out of college and was in the worst possible shape of my life. I resolved to do something about it and decided to start running and found out that I didn’t like it one bit! Nonetheless, I kept trying to run but eventually I grew tired and frustrated with my lack of progress and how horrible it felt. Shortly afterwards I decided to purchase my first personal bicycle in over a decade since I last had the BMX. The rest as they say is history.
I became obsessed with cycling in a big way and now it is an integral part of my daily life -especially when it comes to commuting to and from work.
How long have you been cycle commuting?
After having rediscovered my love of cycling, I wanted to do more of it. When I moved to the city I currently reside in, I knew I wanted to try out cycle commuting. That was sometime in late October of the year 2016, nearly 3 and half years ago.
At this point I had only been cycling regularly for about 2 months. After going through a few crappy beginner bicycles, I decided it was time to visit a real bicycle shop for the first time to purchase a bike. I started out on a hybrid Jamis Coda Sport bicycle but I returned it two weeks later and purchased a Jamis Quest Sport road bike instead.
Why? I had caught the road cycling bug and badly wanted to fit in with all the road cyclists on their fancy looking bikes that I saw when I went to a cycling club meetup at a race track. Basically, I was peer pressured into buying my first road bike – Ha Ha!!!
Eventually I bought a pannier rack for this bike and started to research commuting basics. However, when I got a new job, the idea of commuting to work was starting to become less feasible. For one, I lived in Cincinnati and my new job was across state lines in a small town called Hebron in the state of Kentucky. A quick look on Google Maps confirmed a round-trip of 80 km (or 50 miles). Not only that, there was (and still is) little to no cycling infrastructure which meant I was gonna have to contend with impatient drivers. There was also the unexpected societal barrier of being a black cyclist and what that entailed in relation to my surroundings.
As a final nail to the coffin, I was duly informed that the Midwest winters could get harsh and highly unfavorable for cycling outdoors.
Nonetheless, I was determined to make it work. After planning out a route, I decided to do a trial run of cycle commuting on the very first day at my new workplace and it turned out to be a disaster. I had only gotten halfway when my rear wheel got stuck while trying to cross a Metro train track, which sent me careening across the handlebar and straight into a parked vehicle. As if that wasn’t enough, I landed on my face. Suffice it to say I didn’t make it to work, not a great impression for my first day!
Seeing as we are on a website dedicated to cycle commuting, you know that’s not where the story ends. After explaining to my new workplace that I had been in an accident, I was graciously given a week off my original start date to get back on the mend. If there’s one thing I pride myself on, it’s that I don’t give up so easily, especially when it involves cycling. I was still in the “honeymoon” stage and suffice it to say a little incident wasn’t gonna be the end of cycling for me. After getting the damage to the bicycle repaired, I once again decided to try out commuting to work. As a precaution, I noted the street I had crashed on and sought to bypass it by taking an alternate street. This was the first of many modifications I’ve since made to my commute route.
Eventually I was healed up and ready to try again. Google Maps had estimated that the 40 km commute to work would take me about 2 and a half hours, so I left home 3 hours before I had to be at work just in case. I was pleasantly surprised to get to work in just 1 hour and 55 minutes of riding, thereby beating Google’s estimate. This really boosted my confidence a lot and I figured if I left home early enough, I could make this seemingly daunting idea work.
Nowadays, I cycle to work 3-5 days a week (usually 4 days). On my slow days, my 40 km (25 miles) commute takes me about 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete. On average though, it takes me 1 hour and 35 minutes each way.
Cycle commuting to work has basically become second nature for me now and I am happy to say that at least 85% of my commutes in the past 3 years have been on a bicycle.
Your Commute
Like I previously mentioned, I have an 80 km round-trip commute. It is quite hilly for a commute with a 1-mile long climb on both ends on the one way trip and several other small climbs dotted across the terrain.
The terrain is undulating and is what I both love and hate about my commute. I love it because I get to experience everything from flat street roads to rolling countryside roads and then having to climb a hill.
It doesn’t get boring because I could always try to improve and get faster in one way or another. I can work on my cornering, descending, climbing and time trialing capabilities just by commuting to work. The downside of course is that on days when I’m tired the last thing I want is to climb a steep hill just to get to work!
I consider myself a year round commuter and I have ridden this route in all kinds of weather from rain to the occasional snow during the winter months. The lowest temperatures I’ve recorded on my commute is about -15°C (5°F) and the warmest I’ve recorded is about 40°C (105°F). Because of the nature of my job, I do a lot of commuting at night as well. In fact, nearly half of the rides I did last year were done in the dark.
As someone who grew up in a warm climate, commuting during the winter months is the most challenging aspect of my cycle commuting. I like to think that the past 3 winters have made a hardened cyclist but if I’m being honest I’m always looking forward to warmer temps.
As I alluded to earlier, my route mostly takes me on road with little to no cycling infrastructures. Of my 40 km commute only about 2 km of it is on a dedicated bike lane. The rest are on 2 lane and 4 lane roads shared with other motorists.
Half of my commute takes me through urban city areas, and the other half is on a countryside road that runs along the Ohio river commonly known locally as Route 8. Yes, this does mean that I have to go across a bridge. I have an alternate commute that is 8 km shorter than my main commute that involves taking a ferry, but I seldom ever take this route because I don’t like waiting for the ferry to arrive.
What is the best thing about Cycle Commuting?
My original intent to cycle commute didn’t come as a result of my need to go green, this just happened to be a side benefit. Rather, it came as a result of my love for riding bikes and commuting to work is a very easy way to ensure I get to do it on an otherwise busy work week.
So in terms of the benefits I get from Cycle Commuting, I get to save money on gas and vehicular expenses (although truth be told, I do spend quite a fair bit on bike bling instead) while also reducing my carbon footprint. I don’t have to worry about staying active either.
Also, I’m sure many like myself have experienced the therapeutic nature of simply riding a bicycle.
Perhaps most importantly, cycling keeps me happy and even on days when the weather is absolutely crappy I feel a sense of satisfaction in knowing I got to ride my bike.
Your bikes
Currently I’ve got 3 road bikes and I use them all for commuting. I don’t believe necessarily believe in having a dedicated commuter bike so none of my bikes get a special treatment when it comes to commuting.
I’ve got a 2017 Fuji Roubaix SL with full Ultegra 6800 groupset and generic 50mm deep section carbon fiber wheels. It currently serves double duty as my race bike and is my most trustworthy bike. Last year I completed a triple century ride on it and I didn’t have a single issue for the entire duration. I have recorded about 15000 km (about 9300 miles) and counting on it.
In addition, I’ve also got a 2017 Diamondback Century 2 Disc bike with an assortment of SRAM components and mechanical TRP Spyre disc brakes mated to Hunt 4 Season wheels. The shifters are Apex, the rear derailleur is Rival 1 and the crankset is Force 1. I recently stripped off the factory paint and polished the aluminium frame for a raw finish. This bike currently wears the most hats and as such receives the most abuse of all of the 3 bikes I own. It is my bad weather bike, it also serves as my gravel grinder and my cyclocross bike. It is probably not the best choice for any of the the aforementioned disciplines, but it does a good enough job at all of them. I currently have 8700 km (5400 miles) and counting on this bike.
Finally, the 3rd bike I currently own is a 1999 Lemond Zurich with Campagnolo Scirocco wheels and Veloce 10 speed groupset with an IRD Defiant crankset and a Nitto cockpit. I absolutely love riding this bike and I really can’t explain why! Some of the components for this bike came from a previous bike I had to retire due to frame fatigue, namely a 1978 Motobecane Nomade I had managed to have ridden 16000 km (10000 miles) on during the 2 year period it was on the road. I currently have that bicycle frame hanging on a wall as a reminder of all the fun memories I’ve had on it. As it stands, I’ve ridden 4100 km (2600 miles) and counting on the Lemond and hope to log many more happy miles on it.
Any top tips?
Start small – don’t bite off more than you can chew initially. You don’t have to start cycle commuting daily, just once a week is a great place to start. As you become more accustomed to it you can try to gradually increase the number of days you commute to work. There is no written requirement that you have to cycle to work daily for you to be considered cycle commuter.
Proper Sleep – Nothing prepares you better for a new day of cycle commuting like a good night’s sleep. Not getting enough rest can lead to feeling fatigued and not being motivated to cycle commute.
Preparation – From carrying spares to packing up your bag the night before, nothing hampers your ability to effectively cycle commute than being wholly unprepared.
Have a second bike – If you plan on becoming a regular bike commuter, I strongly advise getting a second bike because unforeseen occurrences can occur that lead to downtime on your main bike that would otherwise prevent you from riding if you don’t have a second bike. It doesn’t have to be a top of the line bike either, although if you are like me you find yourself turning what started out as a cheap beater into a very capable machine. The used bike market is a great resource for finding a spare bike, so check your local listings.
Invest in proper cycling gear – Unfortunately, cycling isn’t a cheap sport and that is especially true when it comes to quality apparel. However, if you find yourself riding in a lot of adverse weather conditions then it is highly recommended you shop for long lasting and durable products that can take a lot of abuse from the element. Don’t forget to read the reviews and stay away from unproven products with lofty claims.
Learn basic bike maintenance – Bicycles are inherently simple machines with few moving parts, learning how to repair or replace faulty parts yourself not only ensure you save yourself some money but it can also mean the difference between being stuck on the road and waiting for a pickup or getting to your destination on time.
Try something new – bike commuting can get boring, but that is only if you make it to be. Try to spruce things up by exploring new roads and extending the length of your commute when you can. Not only that, try other disciplines of cycling as well, you just might like it.
Additional Info.
Cycle commuting can seem like a daunting effort and that it is especially when you are just starting out. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying. With the right mindset and discipline, you might find it becoming an intrinsic part of your life.
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