The passing of daylight savings time is a sure sign that cooler temperatures and dreary weather are on the way. Autumn in Madison is already well under way with morning temperatures in the 30's. Tough weather conditions can certainly make year-round commuting difficult, but with the proper preparation you can continue to enjoy your car-free commute. Here are a couple of tips as we head into fall.

1) Safety

Safety should be a top priority. With the waning daylight hours, it’s always a good idea to have both rear and front lights. Steady and flashing modes are certainly a plus. If you use rechargeable batteries, be sure to check their power often. A Superflash Turbo tail light is always a solid choice.  An easy way for additional visibility is to incorporate clothing with reflective characteristics and to outfit your bike with reflective stickers.

2) Clothing

Clothing choices can be tricky in the fall. The temperature variation from the morning hours until the end of the workday tend to fluctuate 15 or more degrees. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but the key is to dress in layers. This allows you to shed a layer as you warm up to avoid getting sweaty. A great cycling fabric for chilly temperatures is merino wool. It’s lightweight, comfortable, wicks away moisture, and retains a good portion of its warming qualities even when wet. Below is a recommended outfit for a 35 degree morning commute:

-Helmet
-Merino wool cap
-Merino wool shortsleeve baselayer
-Long sleeve, breathable jersey
-Thin un-insulated windproof jacket
-Insulated vest with windproof front
-Planet Bike Borealis gloves with liners removed
-Bib shorts with insulated legwarmers. If it’s windy, add some loose-fitting knickers over the top.
-Merino wool socks
-Cycling shoes
-Planet Bike Blitzen shoe covers

If you start overheating, you can take off either the vest or jacket. If you really gauged the temperature wrong, get rid of the hat (remember, layers).

3) The Bike

A smart addition to any commuter bike for the fall is full coverage fenders. If you don’t have the proper braze-ons for full fenders, clip-on fenders will cut down on rain and debris spray. Another common bike change for fall is slightly wider tires in anticipation of the random October or early November snow showers (fortunately, Madison has escaped the snow thus far).

Bike maintenance becomes crucial to an enjoyable commute. Rain and road grit get into every crevice on your bike and dramatically increase wear and tear. Even if you aren’t well versed in bike mechanics, make sure to lubricate your chain at least once a week and wipe down your bike just as often. The lubrication of choice around Planet Bike headquarters is T9. When wiping down your bike focus on the drivetrain and braking areas.

The web is full of ideas on how to prepare for fall commuting. Do some experimenting and find out what works for you because there’s no better way to start the day then a bike ride on a crisp fall morning!

photo: James LaLonde

The 3-in-1 design of the Borealis Gloves offers superb flexibility in temperature range. Use the windproof shell alone, or add the liner on those extra chilly days.

It started with a question: “Can the bicycle be a tool for bringing sustainable change to our communities?”  The man asking the question is bicycle advocate Keith Holt and his quest to find the answer has taken form as the Milwaukee Bicycle Works.

A former community organizer with the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (now the Active Transportation Alliance), Keith moved to Milwaukee in 2007.  His new neighborhood on the Cream City’s westside lacked bike shops, safe places to ride and a culture of pedaling.  Upon arrival, Keith made it his mission to transform this part of town from a bicycle desert into a neighborhood velotopiarich with the sounds of bicycle bells, people on bikes and a community bike shop.

Milwaukee Bicycle Works is working to remove the barriers to bicycling and broaden the access to bicycling and its benefits through hands-on programming for youth and adults, volunteer projects, and the creation of a neighborhood bike shop.

In Keith’s mind, the biggest barrier, independent of income, to cycling in urban bike deserts is the absence of a nearby bike shop for purchasing and repairing bikes.  Remove this seemingly simple barrier and the result is a community that more fully embracesall the benefits of cycling.

Currently working out of the band shell in Washington Park, Milwaukee Bicycle Works will be opening a permanent neighborhood non-profit bike shopthat will offer basic bike repair, sell affordable refurbished bikes and serve as the epicenter of cycling in the Washington Heights neighborhood.

Besides establishing a fully functioning shop, Milwaukee Bicycle Works has launched a fistful of other programs with the aim to engage and empower the community.  Each spring the non-profit hosts the Washington Park Bike Blitz which helps neighbors with free bike maintenance and fits people with affordable used bikes. The organization also offers basic lessons in bicycle safety, do-it-yourself maintenance workshops for adults and youth, a “Women on Bikes” program, and a cyclocross racing program for under-served and at-risk kids in the neighborhood.

With the help of community supporters and the dedication of Keith Holt, the wheels are beginning to spin around Washington Park.  Planet Bike is proud to be a sponsor of this important initiative.  If you would like to volunteer time or donate resources to this exceptional organization, visit www.milwaukeebicycleworks.org.

A SUPERCOMMUTER rides through every season, in all types of weather, day and night. Choosing the simplicity, health and pleasure of bicycling, a SUPERCOMMUTER simply prefers to ride a bike instead of driving a car.

Twenty-seven year old Christian Beuschel is a husband, father, and medical student.  And, this month we’re happy to bestow upon him the honor of SUPERCOMMUTER!

A native of the Sunshine State, Christian and his family have called Indianapolis home long enough for them to have experienced the capricious cycles of Midwestern weather.  Through the Heartland’s summer heat, winter’s chill and everything in between, Christian is committed to commuting by bike.

Christian’s typical commute clocks in at eight miles roundtrip but that can easily turn into forty miles on days when he is assigned to more distant hospitals. The distance, however, has never been an issue. Instead, Christian quickly found that the hardest part of his commute was just getting out the door in the morning for his frequent early morning rotations. Christian recalls, “Last winter was not that bad as we dodged most of the snow. However, it was still wet. On one of my most ‘enjoyable’ rides, I pedaled straight into a 25 mph wind, through swirling snow at 4am on my way to my 24 hour shift.” What an exhilarating commute!

Christian’s appreciation for the velocipede was cemented during his neighborhood rides as a youngster in Fort Lauderdale but it wasn’t until a few years ago that he made a conscious commitment to become a bicycle commuter.  Living in suburban Indianapolis, Christian began to “detest the idea of driving his gas-guzzling muscle car" on his daily commute. As an alternative, he started taking the city bus.  Soon, he began taking his bike along on the bus.  Not long after, he moved downtown, sold his 2007 Ford Mustang GT, and became a car-less wonder who now bikes every day.

While Christian’s hectic schedule doesn’t allow him to participate in many advocacy efforts, he does support IndyCog, his local advocacy group. He adds, “I think the biggest way anyone can advocate for cycling is to stop at red lights and stop signs.” Christian encourages unseasoned commuters to focus on developing the confidence to ride on the road and to persevere through tough weather conditions. Christian’s other prescriptions for commuting success include setting a comfortable pace, obeying the rules of the road and refraining from bike snobbery. We’d like to add one more bit of healthful advice – “A bicycle commute a day keeps the doctor away.”