First Bike Commute to work

xc62701

Well-Known Member
Well it's my 2nd to last day of teaching and I figured that I'd try this whole commute to work thing on my Lemond. It's around 20 miles and mostly UP. The backroads are pretty tame with lots of rolling hills through Kinnelon and up into West Milford. There is one section of high traffic that I have to hit - I was there so early there was nothing. Passed 7 deer and had 11 cars coming in my direction. It was a beautiful cool morning. I could even do some efforts and not even sweat cause it was so nice. I feel really good and would love to try this some more next year. I took it easy most of the way and did it in 1:20. I had enough time to get changed, have some breakfast and chill and type this snazzy post before school even begins. Not too shabby!
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
Welcome to the Club!

You picked a great morning for your first commute, it was great riding in today!

Did you take Macapopin road up? Cause that road does have some serious climbs?
 
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axcxnj

Hipster Keys
that sounded like a really nice ride, im jealous

i live 38 miles from work and i dont know any backroads...so im not sure if i could commute on my bike
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the Club!

You picked a great morning for your first commute, it was great riding in today!

Did you take Macapopin road up? Cause that road does have some serious climbs?

Yup the route was:
46 west
202 north
Fanny Rd
Powerville Rd
Kinnelon Rd
Macopin Rd
Up Macopin Rd
Up Up Up more Macopin Rd
Macopin Levels
Up Up Up some more Macopin
Maple Rd
Highlander to High School

It was nice and cool and I got to see the sun rise. Very NICE!
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
Did you take Decker Rd or Mapple Lake Rd to get from Kinnelon Rd to Macopin?
If you want to avoid some of the traffic in Butler try Mapple Lake.

*also once the bridge construction is done try Apshawa Cross Road for a steep burn of a climb.

Sounds like a fun commute! Much more exciting than mine! I've actually been thinking that my office is a little too close to my house!
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
nice I LIKE!

Congrats on the ride to work.

It was almost cold this am at 5:34 when I left the house.

It made me remember why I hate road riding in the winter. This was just wahat i needed. Now I will try to make the best of the remaining summer days.

My reps are already talking about winter clothing.. Yuk!


j
 

clarkenstein

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
man i'm jealous -


why can't we have a bike lane on 287? :D

or at least maybe a bike path that runs north/south from say... somerset... to livingston? hell i would even take some public transportation that isn't so NYC specific...
 

Maurice

New Member
Way to go, dude!

Now wait until you leave in the dark in the morning and come back in the dark as well. In the freezing rain. Then even a chilly spring morning feels warm.
 

graveyardman67

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Did you take Decker Rd or Mapple Lake Rd to get from Kinnelon Rd to Macopin?
If you want to avoid some of the traffic in Butler try Mapple Lake.

*also once the bridge construction is done try Apshawa Cross Road for a steep burn of a climb.

Sounds like a fun commute! Much more exciting than mine! I've actually been thinking that my office is a little too close to my house!

here here. Maple Lake Rd is the way to go. Its the last light before the Kinnelon mall. Make that left and you come out right at the bottom of Macopin.

Or for a steeper variation, take Glenn Wild Ave to Otterhole.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6067997
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
Did you take Decker Rd or Mapple Lake Rd to get from Kinnelon Rd to Macopin?
If you want to avoid some of the traffic in Butler try Mapple Lake.

*also once the bridge construction is done try Apshawa Cross Road for a steep burn of a climb.

Sounds like a fun commute! Much more exciting than mine! I've actually been thinking that my office is a little too close to my house!

I wasn't sure if Maple Lake would take me into the construction so I took Decker. I knew about Apshawa Cross as that's definitely a burner. It was really a nice ride if my roadie wasn't hurting my knee. I've gotta figure this thing out. I know my saddle is too high now but I'm thinking that it could be that my cranks are not as wide on the roadie. That could be doing it too. Now I'm waiting to get some lunch before I start my commute home. It's looking nice out again!
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
I usually take 287 but this commute is about 5 miles shorter on the bike and pretty nice. I think I'll be doing it more often. The 5 am start is rough but I'd get used to it.
 

mergs

Spokompton's Finest
JORBA.ORG
hey ryan, good to see you sparring with the "local traffic" up here. :getsome: you made nice time.

i got up a little too late to do the ride into work this morning but i am doing the ride home tonight (midland park, over skyline then up west brook to ridge). west brook is the crusher. 22 miles, give or take. west brook around the reservoir is always dicey but at least its paved fresh now.

tomorrow am i will ride back to work in the opposite direction. i might zip down otterhole through riverdale to avoid the back of skyline if i feel a bit tweaked or just sleepy. otherwise its the reverse of my ride in the night before.

i love my bike commute, its a nice chance to listen to some good tunes and clear my head. then i get cut off and my stress level goes back to "eee-leven" (11)
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
I waited for the heavens to stop downpouring and took off after school. The initial ride was hot and steamy as the new rain was cooking on the pavement and making it a sauna. It burned off and the rest of the commute was pretty good. I did opt for a different route. A little bit longer, 23.5 mile route. On the way home it was:

Highlander
Maple Road
Macopin
Hamburg Tpke
Newark Pompton Tpke
West Pkwy
Jacksonville
202
Changebridge
Millers
River
Vreeland
Greenbank
Knoll
Vail
Home

It was 3.5 miles longer but I did the route 10 minutes quicker. Of course the initial route was all downhill and it was a much flatter route. Plus I was playing with a higher cadence and moving a bit quicker. It was a fun commute home.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
hey ryan, good to see you sparring with the "local traffic" up here. :getsome: you made nice time.

i got up a little too late to do the ride into work this morning but i am doing the ride home tonight (midland park, over skyline then up west brook to ridge). west brook is the crusher. 22 miles, give or take. west brook around the reservoir is always dicey but at least its paved fresh now.

tomorrow am i will ride back to work in the opposite direction. i might zip down otterhole through riverdale to avoid the back of skyline if i feel a bit tweaked or just sleepy. otherwise its the reverse of my ride in the night before.

i love my bike commute, its a nice chance to listen to some good tunes and clear my head. then i get cut off and my stress level goes back to "eee-leven" (11)

Sweet! Sounds like a fun commute. Going over skyline would be a nice way to make the return trip more fun.

No sh*t on the being cut off thing...I couldn't believe this A-Hole today. I get almost all the way home and there's this little winding stretch of road. As I'm nicely cruising on the shoulder an 18 wheeler comes passing me. The cab gets past and the trailer starts and into the turn we go as I had to run off the road as to not be run over by the rear wheels of the trailer. The trailer was getting closer and closer and I had about 2 feet between me and the guardrail when I pulled over as to not be squashed by this enormous rig. As soon as I got back on the road I started sprinting as to hopefully catch him at the next light and to explain my displeasure at his mindless driving but alas I could not catch him. We will meet again evil driver...:getsome:
 

MTB Aussie

Member
I was thinking the same. My commute is only about 13 miles. Unfortunately, about 12.8 of it is on 287.

Try google maps and you can find a way to ride.

I have been riding from Metuchen to Berkeley Heights a couple of days a week for the last month and it's been great. I have even found an easy way over the Raritan Valley train line that was hidden away in the residential part of Fanwood.

I think a bike lane on 287 would suck. The traffic noise and fumes would be awful and half the attraction of the ride is taking the back roads and residential streets and seeing the sights. The smell of people cooking breakfast or making coffee drives me crazy though.

It would be cool if people could "bike pool" together if they live and work in similar places with similar schedules. One of my neighbors teaches in Fanwood and he and I plan to ride together when school starts again. During my few commutes (and I have ridden at times starting at 6am, 6:30am and 7:30am) I haven't seen a single other commuter. I did race a woman with a kiddie seat on the back for a mile or so in North Edison last week. She seemed a little annoyed at me using a rough downhill to blast past her, despite my 25lb luggage load :):):)
 

sasquatch2

Member
nice yob MTB Aussie, welcome to the pack! Someone mentioned a bike lane on 287 and I think it would be really cool. I was in Wisconsin last summer and rode 5 miles along a bike path which was put on the top of the embankment above the interstate. The drivers sitting in their cars in gridlock while the bikes wiz by above their heads... I can dream.
 

tonyride

Don't piss off the red guy
Try google maps and you can find a way to ride.

I have been riding from Metuchen to Berkeley Heights a couple of days a week for the last month and it's been great. I have even found an easy way over the Raritan Valley train line that was hidden away in the residential part of Fanwood.

I think a bike lane on 287 would suck. The traffic noise and fumes would be awful and half the attraction of the ride is taking the back roads and residential streets and seeing the sights. The smell of people cooking breakfast or making coffee drives me crazy though.

It would be cool if people could "bike pool" together if they live and work in similar places with similar schedules. One of my neighbors teaches in Fanwood and he and I plan to ride together when school starts again. During my few commutes (and I have ridden at times starting at 6am, 6:30am and 7:30am) I haven't seen a single other commuter. I did race a woman with a kiddie seat on the back for a mile or so in North Edison last week. She seemed a little annoyed at me using a rough downhill to blast past her, despite my 25lb luggage load :):):)
I grew up in Metuchen and then moved all the way across the street to Edison. Now I'm in Piscataway. I tried road riding in our area but the congestion and the close encounters with idiot drivers got to me so I sold my road bike. Congrats that you're able to do that ride to work without being some idiot's moving target.
 
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