Bike Commute Checklist

It's seems like every time I take a break from bike commuting--even if it's just for a few days--I get "out" of the habit of packing the things I need for my commute. D suggested that I make a packing checklist to help avoid yet another potentially embarrassing day (like the time I forgot an undershirt for my cutout blouse and had to go around in a cardigan and hope nobody noticed).

At the bottom of the page (after the cut), my checklist in categories. The main category is for things that go in my bag, broken up into subcategories such as clothes and toiletries. I also included the "on my person" and "on my bike" categories because I have actually managed to leave these things at home. In fact, I've forgotten most of the things on this list at one point or another since I started bike commuting (going back to Cleveland). Anyway, I started this list a couple of weeks ago, and I've used it several times since to good effect--no wardrobe or bike mishaps in that time. One thing my list is currently missing: a small bike pump, which I hope to acquire soon. (Got a bike pump last fall! It's pretty cool, but I hope never to have to use it.)

Amazingly, everything fits into my Brompton O bag, even when I bring extra items like a bag of coffee beans (though I did put extenders on the front straps to enable carrying more bulk).

Bike and O bag tucked into a corner in the locker room
(ignore the black backpack on the right, that's not mine)

Of course, making this bike commute checklist didn't do much to help me in my car commute today. I got all the way to lunchtime until I realized that I had forgotten my wallet. At least I've never forgotten that while riding my bike!

Brompton US Championship 2014: Notes from a Spectator

#BUSC2014

So by now it's actually been a few weeks since the Brompton US Championship. I started writing it up right after the big race, but it's been a hectic couple of weeks so I hadn't had the chance to finish up. Plus there was so much to write about!

• My First Social Ride: A Day at the Races - I finally go on a social ride
• Race Festivities - I try (and mostly fail) to stay cool 
• The Race Itself: A Spectator's Perspective - I have fun with my camera settings

After the cut, a series of mini-posts about the above.