(by 6 people)
Gas prices are continuing to rise, so what are you waiting for? Maybe you are already a serious cyclist just starting to think about commuting by bike. Maybe you hardly ever ride, but have a dusty old bike in the garage. Either way, read on. Riding to work is fun, healthy, and can save you money. After all, human power is free, so why not get started bike commuting now?
Commuting links
- Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips
- One of the best places on the web for general commuting information
- Bicycle Commuting Yahoo Group
- Get involved and exchange ideas with other bike commuters
- Commute-a-blog
- The blog of a Cape Cod bike commuter
- Commute By Bike blog
- Another blog about bike commuting
- Ken Kifer's bike commuting and transportation pages
- Full of great information. Check out the links to commuting articles. Sadly, Ken was killed by a drunk driver in 2003, but the information on his excellent webpage remains.
- My Alternative Fuel
- Dorothee blogs about her experiences as a new bike commuter in Chicago. Regarding her site, she says "basically it is about a suburban girl giving up cars in favor of bicycles and learning as she rides."
- Bike Commute Tips Blog
- Helpful suggestions for commuting by bicycle
- Raleigh Commutes Blog
- A great blog about commuting from the folks at Raleigh Bicycles
Articles about bike commuting
- The cycle commute gets chic
- Bike commuting is chic? So says this May 11, 2006 Wall Street Journal article. No argument from me.
- Gas prices fuel more bike commuters
- A CNN story from May 2006
- Editor's choice 2006: Commuting bikes
- Recent picks for the editors of Bicycling magazine
- L.A. bicycle resource guide
- Nobody rides a bike in Los Angeles. Not true, but that is the first myth that this downloadable pdf booklet dispels. This guide is intended to get people riding in L.A., but it is a good resource no matter where you live.
- Why Should I Commute by Bike?
- Read a short excerpt from roadbikerider.com's e-book about bike commuting.
- Tips for the rainy day commute
- This post from Emily has some good advice about commuting in the rain.
Books from Amazon
Effective Cycling: 6th Edition
Everyone who rides a bike on the road should read this book.
Amazon Price: $26.40 (as of 12/02/2008) 
Urban Bikers' Tricks & Tips: Low-Tech & No-Tech Ways to Find, Ride, & Keep a Bicycle
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/02/2008)
The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2008)
Bicycling Magazine's Bicycle Commuting Made Easy
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2008)
Bicycle Transportation, Second Edition: A Handbook for Cycling Transportation Engineers
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2008)
Anybody's Bike Book
First published in the early 70's, this is a great general repair book for people new to bicycling. I would also recommend the late Tom Cutherbertson's book "Bike Tripping" if you can get your hands on an old copy.
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2008)
Commuting related posts from my Bicycle design blog
http://bicycledesign.blogspot.com
- Bikes for everyone
- My thoughts on commuter bikes
- Integrated fenders
- A concept sketch for a frame with integrated fenders
- A concept bike for non bike people
- A quick concept for a style oriented commuter bike
- Biomega
- Biomega is a Danish company that makes design oriented bikes
- Racing or commuting?
- Why chose between recreational and transportational cycling? I think if you really like bikes you should do both.
- The Alta bike
- A nice clean bike designed in Norway.
- Trek Lime
- A prototype of a new commuter bike from Trek Bicycles.
Other blogs with commuting content
These aren't all about commuting, but are worth checking out if you ride a bike for transportation
- Cyclelicious
- A great blog about bikes in general. Fritz is a bike commuter and he writes about commuting issues fairly often.
- Cycledog
- Ed rides a bike to work as well. Check out his blog for humorous commentary on the bike commuting life.
- Go Clipless
- This is mostly a blog about mountain biking, but like the others listed here, the author is a bike commuter. Check it out for occasional commentary about commuting.
Advocacy Links
- League of American Bicyclists
- Founded in 1880 as the League of American Wheelmen, this group has been working for a bicycle friendly America for well over a century. If you ride a bike, I recommend you join the LAB. This website has great information for begining commuters, so explore it when you have some time.
- Bicyclinginfo.org
- A good source for pedestrian and bicycling information.
- Bikes Belong
- A group made up of bicycle manufacturers and retailers with the goal of getting more people on bikes. This site contains great resources and links.
- John Forester
- This may seem like an unlikely link in the advocacy category to some of you, but I think it fits. Though some of his ideas are controversial, Mr. Forester has done much for cycling. As the founder of the Effective Cycling program and a proponent of vehicular cycling, he is often at odds with bike lane building groups. You may not agree with him entirely, but I recommend that you read his book Effective Cycling before making up your mind about him. Buy it from the link on this page or check it out at your local library. Trust me, they will have a copy.
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Reader Feedback
monopoly wrote...
Great lens - 5 stars! Nothing better than riding a bike on a nice, sunny day - I'm not tough enough to be into it when its pounding rain tho! (Pacific Northwest rains a LOT!) For Articles, News and Resources on Bicycles, check out Bicycles. From mountain bikes to racing bikes to parts!
Posted June 17, 2008
proud_canuck wrote...
what about beach cruiser bikes? any beach cruiser articles or books there?
Posted November 30, 2007
EcoCol wrote...
Thanks for a great lens - if more people commuted by bike we would be better off. Using an electric bike might make it even easier!
Posted November 25, 2007
JuliaSm wrote...
Hi, great lens. 5* from me!
Please visit and rate my new lens What Types Of Shoes Are Best For Cycling?.
Posted November 07, 2007
