riding your bike to the flight school
 

I have no idea where to post this! To save dough and for other reasons (to stay in shape etc.) I am looking at buying a road bike. I was just wondering if any of you guys/gals ride or have ridden your bike to the airport for flight lessons, work, etc, and if you could share you experience that'd be great. Hope you were not laughed at too often. I am not sure if it's a good idea or not, so that's why I am posting here. Thanks! (believe me I am laughing at myself already).

I've seriously considered buying a bicycle to ride around town. the problem for me though is that my town doesn't really have may sidewalks and everybody drives insane. If your spending $100+ an hour on flight lessons and have the means to safely ride your bike to your airport, why wouldn't you?

Until you're off probation at an airline which provides disability insurance, an entry-level pilot should...

Avoid skydiving, rockclimbing, or other extreme sports unless you are already very good at it.

Go easy on skiis, boards, mountain bikes, and motorcycles. I gave up road biking in my town...too many idiots, not enough bike lanes, and every bicyclist I know had gotten hit at least once.

Ultimately you will have to realize that one of the downsides to this profession is that you need to 100% physically functional to do your job. You may at some point have to cut back on some activities just so it's not hanging over your head.

Over the years I logged thousands of miles on a 1999 Schwinn Passage ($800, see photo). A conservative estimate of my use of this bike would put it at 8,000 miles now. I ride it whenever the streets are dry and it is daylight outside. It has helped me keep my weight down over the years without a doubt. Road biking is ideal for year-round urban commuting, and on any day the streets are dry and it is light outside. A good road bike is going to run $1-$2 grand. There are a lot of quality brands out there, the basic design has not changed in many decades. Trek, Cannondale, and Bianchi will probably be your best bets. Schwinn was very good ten years ago but it has changed hands since then, so I would be suspicious about the quality of the new ones.

Here is a conclusion I came to over the years: the typical 28-size tires on these bikes are simply too thin for regular commuting. The 120 psi pressure comes down at least a bit within a matter of hours and the puncture rate is just way too high. Long ago out of frustration with these problems I put on an old set of 32's and darned if the things didn't last for months, no punctures whatsoever. The extra rolling resistance is minor. They do not puncture because the tire patch is big and the pressure is only 90 psi to begin with, which seems counterintuitive but what happens is the tire bends around sharp objects rather than puncturing as with the harder 28 size tires. I originally had to grind away some metal to get them onto my Schwinn, but you can buy bikes made for 32 tires although there are not as many around. Most dealers will try to sell you a road bike with 28's because that is the standard sport tire. I really recommend you resist this and get either a hybrid road bike with 32's or try and find a regular sport style road bike with 32's and there are a few out there. You will have to search but I think Trek makes a few.

I recommend having a very good red flashing rear LED light, as it will save your life by helping idiots to see you and the same for the front end. There are some good LED lights on the market now. In the last few years some high power LED lights have cropped up and they are absolutely the thing to have on a commuter bike. An LED headlight for winter time is really desirable, so spend some money- I spent $250 for a Dinotte setup for my bike (see picture) and I highly recommend it although Cateye has some good ones also. I have a Planet Bike tail light that is very good and only cost $30.

For clothing, in college I just wore jeans but at work they expect us to wear nice clothes so I quit commuting but I see some of my colleagues still doing it. I used regular tennis shoes for commuting and wore jeans on the bike, but you will want a set of clipless pedals and shoes, and someof those spandex type padded rider pants for your sport rides. Girls love you to wear them too ;)

One odd thing about me is I never wore a helmet. I go back and forth about this in my mind, but my philosophy is one should ride so they don't get hit rather than ride so they will survive a crash, mostly because you probably won't survive one. I guess I am wrong about this but I refuse to wear a helmet because they are uncomfortable, cause you to stop looking behind you, and also make you think you are safe which you are not. I am sure of this but I know it is a politically incorrect argument. I still say don't wear a helmet if you don't want to, be smart about how you ride rather than armor-up for an accident. I also rode motorcycles seriously for years and I do not make the same argument for that. It is a totally different set of conditions and I see people dieing all the time from not wearing a motorcyle helmet so it is crazy not to wear one. Not the same for bicycles IMHO but you make the decision.

(PS I tried to post the following image using the direct photo-link icon, but it seems they took it off the toolbar in the Flight Training forum for some reason; wut gives?)
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http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/l...8/IMG_1503.jpg

I'd definitely get a bike to get to school. Unfortunately I live in AZ so even if I got one, I'd be covered in sweat by the time I get on the bike (that's right) not even by the time I get to school...:rolleyes:

I rode my Cannondale Mt. Bike to work the other day. I live about 8 miles from work and there are sidewalks the entire way. It took me 35 minutes because sidewalks tend to be slower the street. Like Rick mentioned, I'm not interested in getting hit by a car either. I've ridden road bikes in the past but I got a mountain bike because I could be a little more wreckless with it. The only thing I didn't like about riding to work was having to have my shower stuff and lunch pre-staged. The only thing I didn't like about the actual trip was the afternoon heat, here in Florida, made sweat run into my eyes which tends to make thing a little uncomfortable. Other than that I intend or riding more often because my fat-ass could use some excersize.
$850 new
I got it for $650 as a closeout

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/9448/cannon1pi1.jpg

Rick may be right about airline life precluding riding bicycles, but I definitely think it is a skill that requires risk management no matter what choice you make. You need to be smart if you are mixing it up with cars and have so little protection from collision. I would stay off all fast moving streets- about 40 mph is where I draw the limit. Stay off of excessivley rough asphalt surfaces. Stay off of excessively narrow streets also. Carry a can of mace for the occasional heckler; I have almost used it several times and the mental peace it gives is well worth it. Teenagers are always the problem but there are some rednecks in every part of the country.

Do not ride after dark for visibility concerns and for drunk driver concerns unless you have a highly protected route (like a college campus). Have a front light on at all times because as amazing as it is, people will look right through you as you ride along and cut in front of you as though you were invisible. Sidewalks are for pedestrains, and do not ride against traffic. If you hit a pedestrian you will be sued for all you are worth. Riding against traffic is highly dangerous because people do not know what to expect and you are liable both financially and causally if you force someone try to get away from you and they wreck.

You do want cars to pass on your left within a few feet so that traffic is not disrupted. Use hand signals for turns, and act more or less like a motorcycle but be ready to go for the ditch at all times when someone appears not to see you. Make sure there are some ditches or sidewalks on your route or don't use that route bar none. Another thing is, if a road suddenly becomes dangerous then move out to the smack dab middle of it, demand total control of your lane until you are clear of the dangerous section. Let people know you are thinking about them. Stop traffic if you have to, this occurs most often at narrow turn lanes where I will take the whole turn lane up every time. They can wait to get around.

If you are willing to do all this then riding a bike is a good idea. Otherwise you might do better not to risk it.

Cub,
You're correct, sidewalks are for pedestrians. However, in Pensacola, Florida rednecks are the predominant species and will hit a bicyclist for the mere sport of it. Hell, that's how they hunt for deer around these parts. Besides, Pensacola is the finest example of the lardassification of America as one could find. Hence, pedestrians don't use the sidewalks. :)

Speaking of lardassification. I'm heading out to Hooters to get a seat for tonight's UFC card. Gotta get there early because it becomes standing room only. I'll raise one up for all of you who are working tonight and/or have early departures.

Sounds like a poor biking environment. Be careful not to hit anybody, I suggest using a horn to warn people you are passing.

The best biking environment I have ever came across was the Silver Comet Trail in Atlanta, which has over 100 miles of paved, lighted, bridged, policed, maintained, paved, scenic paths made from a defunct railroad line. Local governments have poured millions into it over the years as a beacon of suburban health and recreation. You can spend all day on the trail and there are car parks at various locations, eateries, bike shops and bathrooms along the way, and the scenery is beautiful.

Cities really should do better in terms of bike paths. They enhance the quality of life in the city, attract business to the city, reduce congestion on roads, help to reduce obesity rates, offer benefits. I really cannot understand the reason so few cities are willing to get into it.

Wichita has a few bike protected bike paths that are falling apart from lack of maintenance. The funny thing is, this is an old railroad town and there are hundreds of miles of decommissioned railroad lines complete with the rails already removed, going right through all the key areas of town and none of them are developed for use.

I am overwhelmed, this is a bit more than what I expected! Thanks so much everyone, and especially, Cubdriver for sharing your experience and offering some valuable safety tips! It is very much appreciated. I am not at all new to biking, in fact, I have been riding my mountain bike on roads for well over five years. But your one post was like a refresher course for being safe out there. I am thinking of getting a road bike because I want to get into road biking to stay in shape, plus, riding the mountain bike is kind of hard on paved surfaces due to the weight, and if I could ride to the airport it would work out fine(which I could, roads are fine, I have experience, I can get to the airport in a 25 mile zone, the ride is less than 6 miles). Thank you again for offering what type of bike I should look for, info about the tires etc. I went for a local cycle shop today and their starting price was $800 but I figured, I should wait a bit more and look for a better deal. Thanks also for sharing the pictures of your bikes. I think I will probably go for a used one (i am thinking below $400), fix it up for now, later on I can get a newer, more expensive one...
I perfectly understand what Rick said, but I figure you can never be too safe. For the past couple of months I had no medical insurance, but I still rode, drove, etc.

Hey no problem. It's nice to share what your experiences are in something plus it's raining cats and dogs here today in Wichita KS. No glider towing, giving my students lessons or dropping people out at 10,000 feet so why not talk about something interesting to kill the time.

I ride a bike to the airport several days of the week and, in addition to being a decent work-out, I find it quite relaxing on the way back.

Cub hit most of the big points; so here's a mere half-pence from me:

1. Figure out where you're going to park/lock your bike at school. A lot of airports are stunningly bicycle unfriendly, so scout it out first. If there isn't a rack anywhere, inquire with your school about parking your bike on the secure area of the ramp. Maybe they'll go for it, maybe they won't, but U-locked to the inside of that fence is far safer than to the outside.

2. Don't forget your personal hygiene kit; your instructor will thank you.

3. Figure out your route ahead of time and drive it in your car on several occasions at different times of day before making your assessment if it's doable. Beware of seemingly docile two-lane roads with cars parked on both sides. Hitting car doors and being thrown into traffic sucks.

4. I like clipless pedals, but please, please get used to them (especially getting in and out) putzing around your neighborhood before you hit a major street.

There are some nice cross/hybrid bikes out there now if you don't want to go full-on road. Unless you want to go carbon crazy, they top out around $1200, though an entirely decent bike can be found new between $400-500. I ride a Jamis Coda Elite--the Jamis Coda and Allegra lines are great--but I'm also thinking of Trek FX and Soho lines, Giant FCRs, Specialized Sirrus and Cannondale Road Warrior and Bad Boy lines.

Some of the instructors at school started biking when gas was around the 4.00 Gallon mark. They showed up on these road bikes with a change of clothes in a back pack, and then bike to the main FBO to take a shower.

I think they kept that up for about a week and then started driving again.

If I could ride to work, I would. I did in a previous life. In one summer, I managed to only put about 1000 miles on my car and nearly 2000 on a bike. I worked in a bicycle shop during highschool and college and it was by far the most fun I've ever had while getting paid.

A few things to consider if you do this.

1) You get what you pay for. Spending a couple hundred at a shop on a properly fitted bike with a good warranty can go a long way.

2) Sidewalks are illegal to ride on in most places. Also, obey traffic laws. Stop at lights and signs, etc.

3) Wear a helmet.

Hi!

I rode to the airport to get my PPL.

I would suggest buying a used bike. If U live in certain locations, there will be TONS of them for sale. If U live in a non-bike place, you can buy them on line and the shipping won't be too much.

If you've never ridden a bike "professionally" (commuting, etc.), U definitely want to get a used bike, as you won't know what kind you prefer: Road vs. Crossbike vs. Mountain w/ road tires, much less which brand model.

If you can, go to a local shop and have them give you professional advice on the right type of bike for your needs. You may also be able to buy used from/through the shop.

Good luck!

cliff
YIP
PS-I had a helmet and two helmet-mounted mirrors, which worked great. I rode in multi-lane traffic downtown (small town) and the dual mirrors helped a lot with traffic on the left and right.

Motorcycle with bags >>>>>>>> bicycle any day of the week.

Looking for a used bike, try Craigs List...

Please reconsider your personal opinion on this. There are just too many factors of which you have no control that can cause an accident. Perhaps you should try on some of the newest helmets. There are many great, lightweight, comfortable helmets to choose from. I can't imagine riding without one. It would be like driving or flying without wearing seat belts. IMHO.

Otherwise, great advice from you and the other posters.