Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Every time I ride to work, it's the same old song: the night before, I pack all my stuff. Inevitably, I miss something. In the morning, I check and double-check and (sigh) triple-check I have everything I need. On each revision, I identify something I forgot to pack or for whatever reason, took out then forgot to put back in.

Somewhere in all of this, I'll realise my water bottles need filling, and I'll fill them. Half the time I leave them on the bench and I'm back and forth between the bench and the bike putting the bottles where they belong.

I'll be halfway out the house before I realise I haven't pumped up the tyres. There are days I'm lucky if I remember my gloves, sunnies and helmet. One day I was halfway through my commute before I realised my gloves were missing.

I'm normally a pretty organised person, but when it comes to riding my bike to work, it seems I'm a frickin' airhead. I'm getting better, but I wonder if I'll ever just have the routine down pat, to the extent that I don't have to double and triple-check everything I do.

How long did it take you to develop your commuting routine?

Max

I can't count the times I forget a water bottle. It doesn't matter too much in winter though

Max wrote: How long did it take you to develop your commuting routine? Max

2 weeks

I've down it to pat especially when I arrive at work and degear from my cycling outfit and put on my work outfit. Hence my locker's crowded too - a dresser away from home. I have spares - what I use at home, has now its equivalent in the office. I have 2 hairbrushes, 2 pairs of gloves, 2 deodorants, 2 water bottles etc.

It helps having panniers because I chuck everything in it. It's become a bigger handbag for me

Not long at all. I'm anally retentive, paranoid and realise that I can't just phone the wife to get her to rescue me in the car with our 9 month-old in tow Z(unless it's an emergency). My commuter doesn't fit in the boot of the car even without both wheels like my roadie can. I have to be self-sufficient on my 1 hr each way commute . That self-sufficiency helped when I destroyed my RD earlier this year and had to make the commuter a single-speed for the final 7km to the office.

I've got to point B in the car 3 times before realising the bike wasn't in the boot 3 times. Do I win a prize?

Can I just add that since commuting on a bike, I don't *mind* driving when I do have to drive? It's made both modes of transport agreeable. I don't get so stressed behind the wheel of a car anymore because I think, I cycle, I cycle, I cycle....anyone else feel the same?

What routine?

I'm at least as bad as you are. Except I only double check, not triple. Sometimes.

It takes me a couple of weeks to settle into a new routine when I change offices etc. I still forget stuff though. Yesterday it was my towel. Luckily, I was able to improvise and I think that is one of the things I've got better at in general.

not too long at all , a week or two but you learn that when you're doing night shifting waking up in the middle of the night crawl out of bed half asleep last thing you want to be doing is running checking you have everything , out of bed ,coffee and off to work

A couple of weeks usually. I'm not a morning person, do the multi checking the night before.

You can't forget yer hemlet if it's hanging on the bars.

Mulger bill wrote:You can't forget yer hemlet if it's hanging on the bars.

Done that Wondered why my head felt cooler until halfway into my commute.

Mulger bill wrote:A couple of weeks usually. I'm not a morning person, do the multi checking the night before.

You can't forget yer hemlet if it's hanging on the bars.

Oh, I dunno - I see at least one person a day riding along with the helmet dangling from the bars

Routine is not my strong suit, I've been commuting off and on for about five years and still manage to forget at least one thing most days. Just have to embrace it I suppose - variety is the spice of life!

My wife says I am a geek, but I wrote it out printed it and put it on the wall. Not kidding, here it is. Not for commuting, but for general riding.

In pen I have 'set the alarm,' on my actual copy in the other section.

Such a cycle nerd, I don't know...

Max wrote:How long did it take you to develop your commuting routine.

I have everything at work so I don't have anything to forget. Because my ride is only 9km I don't take water and I don't pump my tyres up in the morning (I am running 32mm tyres so they are lower pressure anyway. Even with all that there is stuff to remember:
helmet, wallet, keys, sunnies... I tend to just put everything I need in one place the night before because I am shocking in the morning. I stumble about half asleep so can't trust myself to remember anything.

Good question. I find the problem is when switch mode. Ie, I just pack my panniers and ride every day. This is great because you get in the swing of it. Also, it is a disincentive to catch the bus because it's a re-pack.

Two weeks - about three years ago - "I never forget anything I need" (I am hopeless in the morning)

Reason - Keys. (Ops manager knows me well and rightfully thinks that in the morning I would forget my head if it wasn't attached)

I lock my bike in the sunroom out the back (must be locked with the key from the outside) with my shoes still in the pedals and head inside.

When I get there I remove my helmet and place all the riding items (gloves, helmet lightpack, etc) inside along with my keys in on top. I remove my lunch container, dirty work cloths and put them out for washing, then I attach my helmet to my backpack.
In the morning I get up & get dressed (riding cloths placed in bathroom near towel the night before), make Kids lunches and mine (my hungry lot don't let me not make theirs) and deposit theirs on the table and mine in my helmet. Feed the dog & rabbit out the back. Look at the clock - I'M LATE - call out to Mrs Westab - wheres my keys - Get responce about being a "forgetful idot(again) - in your helmet" - tell her that I love her (again) - kiss her if time. GO TO BIKE - with helmet, backpack, keys, lunch (now in backpack so I can get keys) - and ride to work (slowly getting some brain function) - arrive feeling good.

Also - on bike in saddle pack and Toolbottle - 3 spare tubes, repair kit, handpump, basic tools, spare batteries for lights.

At work - locker with enough cloths for two weeks (min), shaving kit and toothbrush, floor pump, two spare water bottles, works complete tool kit for everything, & a spoke key (in top draw).

At home - floor pump, and all my tools.

Work clothing gets taken in on Monday - after ironing on Sunday night one guess where it gets put (hint - it is on top of the keys)

ps - great idea for a thread - realy like it

So far since I started commuting (10 months) I've forgotten:

Towel,
Trousers!! (wife had to rescue me for that one)
Shoes,
Gloves,
Waterbottle,
Headphones/Mobile Phone



T.

I'm so glad I'm not the only disorganised one! I'm also very envious of you folk who managed to get it all down within a couple weeks. I have so much to learn.

I like ft_critical's list. I think I'll have to make one and stick it somewhere obvious/annoying/obnoxious - like the bike seat or the front door or something. Thankyou everyone for your a) commiserations and b) suggestions

Edit: Thomashousman - my workmate once forgot his trousers. He spent all morning sitting at his desk wearing a work shirt and nicks!! Thank god he was able to convince his wife to bring him some pants!

Max

ft_critical wrote: Such a cycle nerd, I don't know...

I'm impressed Must do one for myself...and for other tasks.

Max wrote:I'm so glad I'm not the only disorganised one! I'm also very envious of you folk who managed to get it all down within a couple weeks. I have so much to learn.

I like ft_critical's list. I think I'll have to make one and stick it somewhere obvious/annoying/obnoxious - like the bike seat or the front door or something. Thankyou everyone for your a) commiserations and b) suggestions

Edit: Thomashousman - my workmate once forgot his trousers. He spent all morning sitting at his desk wearing a work shirt and nicks!! Thank god he was able to convince his wife to bring him some pants!

Max

The worst thing I have done it thought that I forgot jeans on casual friday. Went to target in all my lycra glory and bought jeans. came back to my locker to put my shoes in before my shower and realised... duh! there are trousers in my locker which I pushed past that morning to get my shoes to go shopping in

Had my shower and tried on the jeans... too small

I wore the trousers that were there all along and returned the jeans at lunch time

Did I mention I am hopeless in the morning?

I bundle everyting about routine into one big package so it includes whatever makes it easy to ride. Accessoreies included.

My advice to noobs is that a year after they start (and provided they persit) they will have a different routine and duifferent gear and a different slant to what they hold true at the start. If I had to give a number I'd say at least one set of seasons, and possibly two (12-24 months).

But I have found that, in those time frames, there is always sufficient change (aches and pains coming and going, changed job location, time constraints changed to accomodate kids activities, etc etc etc) that the routine is never fully bedded down.

That being said, the need to experiment with different backpacks/panniers, clothing, lighting, tools and so forth reduces. So in theory the expenses should taper off. However, as we know, we then replace the reduced absolute NEED for purchasing accessories and stuff, with much rationalising to justify a new frame, a new set of wheels, seats, second bike, latest cleats, Brooks saddle, competitive riding...

For example, I'm nearly sixty, I've been riding for well over thrity years. You'd think that there is bugger all to change with a unicycle. But then I went and lost some weight and vanity determined that I ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY HAD to buy up a more flattering style of clothing - drop the baggy tees and find some tight muscle singlets.

+1 I'm with Colin... my routine slowly evolves, or is in cycles with the seasons.
I'm swapping between panniers and backpack at the moment and swapping between an old & new routine just to confuse things.

I make a general rule too - never take anything home from the locker (if you're lucky enough to have one) until you've got bought a clean one to replace it; this generally just applies to Trousers & towels though. Buffer a couple spare pairs of socks & jocks in there as well. 7 or 8 shirts usually get a trip in every other weekend when I'm out & about in the Smokebox.

took me a couple of weeks to get a good routine going, still forget stuff every now and then though - forgot to bring a water bottle a couple of times (fortunately my commute is short enough that this didn't suck too hard) and I had to go commando once Paranoid about forgetting my pants one day.

lethoso wrote:took me a couple of weeks to get a good routine going, still forget stuff every now and then though - forgot to bring a water bottle a couple of times (fortunately my commute is short enough that this didn't suck too hard) and I had to go commando once Paranoid about forgetting my pants one day.

I've done that before. I typically pack my pannier the night before and add my lunch, wallet, keys, phone to it in the morning. No locker at work so will carry my shoes one day and leave them there.

Strangely, the thing I tend to forget most - or not allow for - is my mobile phone.
Might have something to do with my long latent desire to back over it in a Haulpak anyway.