Tips to Commute to Work by Bike and How to Keep It Safe at Work
In March last year, the popular online edition be.brusselsexpress wrote that the number of Belgians commuting to work by bike has increased by 250% since 2005.
The big transport strike that seized Paris in its tight grip in 2019 caused the number of bike commutes to rise by 54% on average to 225,000, CyclingIndustryNews reports, asking if the urban development experts of France’s capital can make the city as cyclist-friendly as Amsterdam.
Given the pan-European tendencies mentioned above, we’d like to share with you some tips on how to commute safely to work and how to keep your bikes safe at work.
5 tips for bike commuters
- Do not overestimate your stamina
- Wear cycling shorts
- Can you change your clothes at the office?
- Pick up the best route
- Wear a reflective vest and a helmet
1. Do not overestimate your stamina
When you take the bold decision to start commuting to work, you should consider your current shape. If you are lucky enough to live in the very heart of Paris, cycling to work should not be an issue, as all office buildings are within a walking distance from each other.
However, this isn’t the case in Toronto, where average bike commutes are several miles long in one direction. We advise you to start with one or two commutes a week depending on how far you live from your office.
2. Wear cycling shorts
If your commute takes 20 or so excruciating minutes of uphill pedaling, then you should take our advice and put on a pair of professional cycling shorts without underwear. They eliminate the friction between your skin and the saddle, while the breathing fabric they’re made of takes care of perspiration.
3. Can you change your clothes at the office?
Cycling to work and back is a good idea if there is a place to change your clothes at the office. You certainly don’t want to attend a business meeting with important overseas partners reeking of sweat and other odors.
4. Pick up the best route
When commuting to work, you should never forget that you’re sharing the road with motorists, even if there are clearly defined cycling lanes. Motorists in the Netherlands and Belgium are quite tolerant towards cyclists, and Paris’s cycling lane network is improving every day.
However, YouTube celebrity CyclingMikey has shared a not so pleasant incident he had with a reckless driver in London’s Regent's Park.
5. Wear a reflective vest and a helmet
Cycling to work early in the morning and back late at night can be very risky unless you’re wearing a helmet and a reflective vest. You should also make sure that your bicycle is equipped with appropriate head- and taillights.
How to Keep Your Bike Safe at Work
Having safely reached your office, you should consider safekeeping your two-wheeled machine until the end of the workday.
Use the corporate bike parking
Ideally, your company should provide corporate bike parking. If this is not the case, you can use the standard underground parking lot. Just make sure you have a word with the officer on duty first.
When choosing a spot to leave your bicycle in the parking lot, you should choose one close to the attendant’s booth or at least one in the security camera’s scope.
Search for a rail to lock your bike to. If that’s not possible, lock its back wheel with a robust lock (more information here).
Park your bicycle in the lobby
If possible, leave your bicycle on the ground floor of your office building. As a rule, bicycles occupy very little parking space, and many firms in Antwerp and Brussels have installed cycle parking stands in their lobbies. Even so, you’ll still need to lock your bike to the stand.
As a last resort, lock your bike to a post in front of the office
If your company hasn’t got a parking lot or a bike parking stand in the lobby, you can lock your bike to a light post or some other fixed structure in front of the office. If possible, choose a post within the vision field of a CCTV camera.
Make sure to remove all parts that can be removed with bare hands before you walk in. Also, you should use an appropriate bicycle locking system with a high-security level (more information here).
This is the least safe parking option, so you should really consider signing up for bicycle insurance with a reliable insurer like Qover-me.
