Commuting Tips

• Fit a rear rack to your bike, and then fit a set of panniers. This will allow you to carry your work clothes, lunch, and towel to work and back each day.
• If possible get an under seat bag for carrying 1 or 2 spare inner tubes, puncture repair kit and tyre levers.
• The panniers can be of any style, that may have water proof jackets, or you could go for totally waterproof panniers.
• Also make sure that you don't forget your bike lock and pump. These can be stored in the panniers when riding. The pump could also be attached to the bike frame.
• Instead of panniers you could try and fit everything into a back pack, but this can make your back sweat a lot.
• When commuting to work and back always carry a spare tube. If you get a flat tyre, take the punctured tube out, and put the spare in. When you get home at night, you can repair the punctured tube. This saves you time on your commute if you get a puncture.
• If it's your first commute, try riding to work the day before. This will give you a rough estimate of your riding time. Keep in mind though, if it's a Sunday, the traffic will be lighter than a week day in peak hour.
• Have an alternative route to work so that you can ride it on alternative days for some variety. It's also handy to have a second route in case your primary route is blocked or roadworks make it too dangerous to ride.
• Fit some water bottles to your bike so that you have something to drink on your commute.
• Carry a spare set of light batteries if you need to use lights. Get as many lights on your bike as possible. The more lights that you have, the more chance you have of being seen in peak hour traffic.