Writing this review has been very difficult for me. Ordinarily, I like to inject a bit of levity into my contributions to Commute by Bike, but this product from Two Wheel Gear has frustrated me at every turn. There's really just not much funny about panniers in general, let alone panniers designed to carry work clothes. And are these panniers, or is it a garment bag? How can I even begin to write a review if I don't know whether I'm writing about a single product or a pair? It seems imperative to at least establish the cardinality of the product before embarking on a qualitative review. And is the word panniers plural (like tires) or singular (like scissors (and is it ...

It snowed all night last night in Flagstaff. It's supposed to snow all day today, and tomorrow. And it got me thinking about some of the reactions to Shanna Ladd, our guest blogger who is learning to bike commute in Alaska -- 10 miles from her cabin in the boondocks into Wasilla. Some readers have commented that she makes them feel inferior -- like a wimp, a pussy, ashamed. "Why," asked mwmike, "would anyone tolerate such pain and suffering?" Not so deep down, perhaps I'm thinking, Mission accomplished! But really, I think it misses the point if you view Shanna as some kind of heroic extreme commuter -- or worse: a martyr. A couple of years ago, I wrote "Repeat After Me: Winter Commuters Aren’t ...

Commuting by bike through the winter has presented several challenges. One of the challenges has been adequate lighting. Without good lighting, I have lost the trail and ended up off my bike. I have had to stop many times by the highway until the bright lights of the oncoming cars passed, because the headlights completely blinded me. I have hit debris and rocks on the trail that sent me flying. I hear moose along the side of the trail but can't see what is happening. So, solving the lighting issue has been a top priority. I don’t care about packaging. A light doesn't need to be cute. It has to be reliable, rugged, and provide the required lighting for every kind of ...

Cuff straps and cuff clips are designed to do one thing, which is to keep your pants cuff away from your chainring where it can be exposed to sharp, gnawing, nasty, greasy teeth. They don't always do a good job. Like many -- perhaps most -- American bike commuters, I use a repurposed bike that was originally designed for sport or recreation. We have no chain guards. And I have a collection of cuff straps that I mostly don't ever use. That's right. Hiking boots and jeans -- at work. You got a problem with that? It's pretty inconsequential to me if I arrive to work with a little grease on my pants cuff. But what about you poor saps who don't have a casual ...

Matthew González is a pedestrian, cyclist, and in-denial vegetarian who blogs his adventures at www.mgregueiro.com. He formerly worked in Miami with Teach For America and now travels Europe doing research as a Fulbright Fellow. He launched www.mgregueiro.com as a place to discuss great ideas with the many great minds hiding throughout the wrinkles and corners of the interwebs. Check out his site to join the conversation. Four months ago I sold my bike, packed everything I own into one backpack, and moved from Miami to Santander, Spain. Crazy? Maybe a little. Since I was a kid, I dreamed of moving to western Europe. I imagined it as a magical place where people commute by bike or foot, eat great food, and drink at ...

So that Lance guy has fessed up to cheating. I got wind of it yesterday on Facebook. My first reaction was a giant yawn -- which perhaps could have been bigger and louder with steroids. It didn't even occur to me that Lance Armstrong's confession to Oprah had anything to do with the work that I do. Then my friend Chuck told me that Commute by Bike readers would be let down if I didn't weigh in with some wisdom and/or snark. I said something like, I have as much to do with Lance Armstrong as a fry cook has to do with a sword fighter. They both use knives. The similarity ends there. This morning, still in nothing but my boxers, I opened ...