Bored of taking the sweaty, crowded subway to work every morning? Why not bike there instead – fresh air, exercise AND you don’t have to spend the first hour of your day squashed under someone’s armpit. Bonus! Well here’s how.

I’ll start with the obvious; you need a bike.  However, what you don’t need is a mega expensive commuter or road bike.  Any bike will do.  What you do need, though, is to make sure your bike is roadworthy and safe.  Use the M-Check.  Imagine the letter M drawn on your bike and make sure those parts are working correctly;

• rear of bike
• saddle and seatpost
• frame
• front derailleur
• cockpit
• front wheel

Once you know your bike is working correctly and safely, consider when and where you’ll be cycling.  If it’s likely to be dark, then you need lights, proper lights that is, not just reflectors! You need front and rear lights, and make sure you check them during the day to ensure they’re angled correctly, and not going to blind any oncoming cars or fellow cyclists!

You also need to look at the terrain you’re cycling over.  If you’re covering roads to work, then any tyre will do but be aware you’ll wear out your mountain bike tires pretty quickly! If you’re going offroad then you need wider grippier tires than a standard road tyre.

The next thing you need to focus on is what you’re going to wear. There are some cycling shoes that have the hard sole for cycling but are good looking enough to wear casually or in the office.  Also consider reflective clothing if you’re likely to be cycling in the dark. 

With regards to clothing, you need to wear fast wicking clothing that will dry out quickly.  Whether through sweating or rain, if your cycling clothes are damp at the end of the day, it’s pretty miserable putting them back on to cycle home!

Once you’ve got your clothing sorted out, then you just need to make sure you’re not going to upset the people you sit next to in the office!  If your workplace has a shower, then grab a microfibre towel and some all-in-one shower gel and you’re sorted. If you don’t have access to a shower, then best get yourself some refreshing wipes!

Obviously, you need a way to carry all your clothing with you to work, and there’s a couple of options.  You can get some panniers for your bike, which are great if you have a lot to carry – a laptop, extra set of clothes or lunch…  The alternative is a backpack, ideal if you’re travelling light.  

So, now you have all you need to become a bike commuter.  All that’s left is to get out there and get cycling!