Hi SweetEnnui

Welcome to the discussion board! I think you'll find that everyone here is mellow and there won't be any mockery for whatever type of riding you like to do. We're all cyclists!

I used to commute between North Park and UCSD regularly and one great option is to take the shuttle from the hillcrest medical center one way and then bike the other way. It keeps you from needing a shower upon arrival and still lets you get a good workout. The elevation is kind of U-shaped, so you have a hill at either end regardless of which direction you go. Just make sure you get good lights for your bike because Rose Canyon is super dark and low powered lights will have you going less than 5 mph at night. Although I have heard that since UCSD stopped providing a free MTS bus sticker, more people are using the shuttle in Hillcrest which means arriving early or waiting for a shuttle with an empty bike rack.

My recommendations for a commuter bike are:

Plenty of gears (triple crankset)
Room for wider tires (lots of potholes and cracked pavement out there)
Rack and panniers (way better than a backpack)
I also like traditional road drop bars because you can move your hands to lots of different positions

There are plenty of bike shops around that would be happy to listen to your needs, so don't waste time with a shop that doesn't. I think the folks at Cal Coast are great and North Park bikes too (they have older frames so you could get a commuter on the cheap there).

mfutch:My recommendations for a commuter bike are:

Plenty of gears (triple crankset)
Room for wider tires (lots of potholes and cracked pavement out there)
Rack and panniers (way better than a backpack)
I also like traditional road drop bars because you can move your hands to lots of different positions

I agree with all of this but want to point out that bars are a personal preference for commuting. I also prefer drops but I can completely understand people who prefer other types.

I would add that if you want to ride when it rains, fenders are a good thing to have. Having a rack with panniers is vastly superior to wearing a backpack.

I used to commute from Golden Hill (28th & A) to Campus Point Drive on the north-east side of UCSD. The hills don't actually have to be too bad if you take a more coastal route. My preferred route north was to ride B St to Pacific Highway or India St and take one of those north and then at Taylor, cut over to Morena and take Morena to Balboa where I would cut over to Santa Fe and take the Rose Canyon bike path up to Gilman/La Jolla Colony. None of the hills going that way are terribly steep for very long. Getting back up the hill to south park can be a bit steeper. If you're having trouble with the hills and you've run out of low gears, Market St is a bit less steep, though obviously that adds a bit of extra distance. You can cut back over to G st once you get east of I-5.

If you don't want to ride Morena, you could stay on Pacific Highway until it leads you through Mission Bay park and take the bike path behind the golf course to make your way to Santa Fe and the Rose Canyon path.

mfutch:Plenty of gears (triple crankset)
Room for wider tires (lots of potholes and cracked pavement out there)
Rack and panniers (way better than a backpack)
I also like traditional road drop bars because you can move your hands to lots of different positions

I generally agree with mutch's suggestions too; basically I think you'd want a (light) touring bike. Tourers can carry tons of stuff with them on a daily basis, and the bikes are designed to handle large loads and be comfortable for extended rides. Touring bikes don't tend to be the lightest things around, but my logic is that if I'm carrying all my commuting crap with me and I'm not exactly the smallest rider myself, trying to shave off a couple of pounds from the bike isn't really worth it, especially at the expense of comfort or durability.

In addition to the local uptown shops listed, I'd recommend Cycle Quest down in Sorrento Valley too. They sell a lot of high-quality commuter and touring bikes, and the owner Erik is a long-time bike tourer (and not a small guy himself either). Not sure what your budget is, their bikes aren't the cheapest around, but definitely worth talking to. Just make sure you have plenty of time if you get Erik talking. :)

My setup is a Surly Cross-Check built mostly as a light touring bike. Fenders, rack, super-sturdy 32/36-spoke wheels, 32mm slick-ish tires, built with a road compact double drivetrain and integrated shifters. Surly's own complete build comes with bar-end shifters which I didn't like, and I don't think a triple is necessary with modern compact cranksets. 7000 miles and I've broken one fender and one cable plus worn out some things. The wheels haven't needed any truing at all! My only real complaint is cantilever brakes; I'd definitely look for discs now or some of the new linear pulls that are designed to work with STI levers.

SweetEnnui,

Higher volume tires (30mm plus) can soften your ride considerably. You may want to experiment with handle bars. When I moved from drops to more up right bars my biking experience changed for the better. The addition of racks can really improve the functional aspects of your bicycle as you can move the load to the bicycle. I spend little time thinking about the weight of my bicycle. The engine on my bicycle (me) has a much greater mass then the bicycle.
Enjoy the ride as it is not a race.

Ride Safe

For multimodal commute, I would suggest folding bikes that have integrated carrying system such as Brompton, Tern, and Dahon. It gives you the flexibility of mixing bike riding, taking the train, carpooling, or car share. Metro Cyclery on Morena blvd carry all the brands I mentioned above. Also look into ebikes with geared motor hubs or mid drive e-assist. Be-Cycle in San Marcos is one ebike store I really like because they focus not only recreation but also bike commuter accessories.

Online, check out the folding bike folding ebike thread on this forum and brompton mafia,

Your commute from SP to UCSD is quite pleasant if you choose the right route, and it will keep you in shape, for sure.

A ton of good advice here. I would add, from someone who commutes by bike rain or shine: I can't emphasize enough to splurge on waterproof panniers. I've had experiences when I have arrived at work with sopping wet clothes inside the panniers - not fun.

I have done long commutes, up to 39 miles one way, and here is my take on it (with my rationale below if you care to read that far):
- Get a light road bike, forget all the fenders, racks and stuff. Keep the bike as light and fast as possible.
- Absolutely start by riding one-way if that's what it takes.
- Don't even bother trying to ride that distance in street clothes. Suit up in lycra or whatever riding gear you prefer, and change in the office.
- Buy some "shower to shower" sport or whatever version of that you like (I got mine on Amazon) and with some of that, dry clothes, underarm and a quick wash of the face and comb through the hair most people will be fine and not need to shower at the office (but by all means do shower if that's better for you).
- Carry as light a load as possible in a backpack. Consider leaving some work clothes and shoes, belt etc. in the office if you have somewhere to store it or bring in something from container store or whatever so you don't have to haul your stuff each day. Hopefully you can leave your bike in an office or something and not have to haul a heavy lock(s).

Here is my rationale...if you are going to commute 15 miles each way there is no sense in lugging extra weight up the hills. The lighter your bike the faster you can make the trip and the more fun and maneuverable your ride will be. I have commuted 19 miles each way from Kensington to Sorrento Valley, and more recently did a 39 mile commute one-way about 3X a week between Kensington and Carlsbad and would regularly see a lot of other distance commuters on racing bikes like mine. I outfitted my race bikes with tubeless wheels and 25mm wide rubber which rolls fast but prevents pinch flats and is plenty comfortable once you toughen up your bum a bit. Get some lightweight lights like Exposure Diablo/Blaze combo which is plenty for the Rose Canyon path in pitch black and general visibility, can recharge via USB at your desk and can be moved from bike to bike in a matter of seconds.

My philosophy on commuting distance is to keep moving fast and have fun. For errands around town like going to Vons I take a heavy duty bike with baskets and stuff. If I could only have one bike it'd be the racer for commuting and for sport use - and I would run my errands in the car.

Rainy days are a catch-22. There are so few it's tempting to blow them off and just drive - but traffic on the freeways can be the worst! I would typically ride if it wasn't raining too hard, since I am changing clothing at the office anyways. I commuted with a lightweight Shimano backpack that didn't bother my back even on the 39 miler, and at most I'd have a laptop, some clothing and stuff to fix flats. If it was raining hard which is even more rare, I'd usually just drive as typically when I'd get caught out on the bike in a torrential downpour it would be so sketchy since the roads tend to flood easily around SD.

Anyways, that's my $0.02 - hope to see you on the road!

JSnook:I have done long commutes, up to 39 miles one way, and here is my take on it (with my rationale below if you care to read that far):
- Get a light road bike, forget all the fenders, racks and stuff. Keep the bike as light and fast as possible.
- Absolutely start by riding one-way if that's what it takes.
- Don't even bother trying to ride that distance in street clothes. Suit up in lycra or whatever riding gear you prefer, and change in the office.
- Buy some "shower to shower" sport or whatever version of that you like (I got mine on Amazon) and with some of that, dry clothes, underarm and a quick wash of the face and comb through the hair most people will be fine and not need to shower at the office (but by all means do shower if that's better for you).
- Carry as light a load as possible in a backpack. Consider leaving some work clothes and shoes, belt etc. in the office if you have somewhere to store it or bring in something from container store or whatever so you don't have to haul your stuff each day. Hopefully you can leave your bike in an office or something and not have to haul a heavy lock(s).

Here is my rationale...if you are going to commute 15 miles each way there is no sense in lugging extra weight up the hills. The lighter your bike the faster you can make the trip and the more fun and maneuverable your ride will be. I have commuted 19 miles each way from Kensington to Sorrento Valley, and more recently did a 39 mile commute one-way about 3X a week between Kensington and Carlsbad and would regularly see a lot of other distance commuters on racing bikes like mine. I outfitted my race bikes with tubeless wheels and 25mm wide rubber which rolls fast but prevents pinch flats and is plenty comfortable once you toughen up your bum a bit. Get some lightweight lights like Exposure Diablo/Blaze combo which is plenty for the Rose Canyon path in pitch black and general visibility, can recharge via USB at your desk and can be moved from bike to bike in a matter of seconds.

My philosophy on commuting distance is to keep moving fast and have fun. For errands around town like going to Vons I take a heavy duty bike with baskets and stuff. If I could only have one bike it'd be the racer for commuting and for sport use - and I would run my errands in the car.

Rainy days are a catch-22. There are so few it's tempting to blow them off and just drive - but traffic on the freeways can be the worst! I would typically ride if it wasn't raining too hard, since I am changing clothing at the office anyways. I commuted with a lightweight Shimano backpack that didn't bother my back even on the 39 miler, and at most I'd have a laptop, some clothing and stuff to fix flats. If it was raining hard which is even more rare, I'd usually just drive as typically when I'd get caught out on the bike in a torrential downpour it would be so sketchy since the roads tend to flood easily around SD.

Anyways, that's my $0.02 - hope to see you on the road!

yea i used to be anti lycra and what not; but carrying weight, and wind causing drag is a big deal