I like bicycles. I like riding them, I like fiddling with them. But for some reason I never consistently commuted by bicycle. 6 months ago I made a decision to commute by bicycle every single day regardless of the weather. Even if it rains or storms or snows.

As it turns out adverse weather conditions are conquerable with appropriate gear. I am lucky that I have an opportunity to change clothes and take a shower upon my arrival at work. Item by item I arrived at the following clothes:

  • Gore-tex bike jacket
  • Wind/water proof trousers
  • 2 synthetic shirts (depending on the temperature I either wear one or two)
  • Gore-tex bike gloves + undergloves
  • Gore-tex outdoor shoes + water shoe covers

The coldest days are yet to come (so far the coldest has been -3C). I expect that I will need to wear underpants and possibly another shirt when the temperature drops to -7/-10C.

Bike pictures before cleaning and service:

I’ve made a lot of upgrades to my commuter/touring bike. It started as a BMC alpenchallenge AC01 from 2010. Full list of upgrades:

  • Shimano XT disc brakes (tried SRAM twice)
  • SRAM X.0 rear derailleur
  • SRAM X.0 shifters
  • Shimano 105 crankset
  • Wippermann Connex black chain
  • DMR V12 pedals
  • Ergon GP3 grips
  • Specialized toupe 143 saddle
  • Garmin 800 computer (shared with 2 other bikes)
  • 2x Lenzyne superdrive front lights (shared with 2 other bikes)
  • Cateye TL-LD610 rear light
  • Topeak defender M2 rear fender
  • Racktime ADDit rear pannier rack
  • Ortlieb classic waterproof rear pannier bags

This configuration suits me very well. Everything works smoothly and the bike is exceptionally quiet on the road.