What do I ride? What's the commute like?

What do I ride?

I have two primary bicycles that I ride on a regular basis. One is a Cannondale Carbon Synapse and the other is a Surly Long Haul Trucker. The Synapse is the "fun" bike, while the LHT is the commuter bike.

Cannondale Carbon Synapse

Surly Long Haul Trucker

The LHT is outfitted with all of the commuting essentials: fenders, rack, panniers, head light, flashers, and puncture resistant tires.

The Synapse is the "fun" bike because it is a fairly light weight carbon frame with minimal accessories. This is the bike I ride when I want to go fast (or climb hills). After commuting with my LHT all week with loaded panniers, it really is a thrill to hop on this bike and feel the acceleration.

The LHT is the ultimate commuter. The fit is nearly perfect for my body (the frame is 52cm and I'm 5'8"). The LHT is geared for anything from cruising down a mountain, to climbing a 10% grade. The frame fits very wide tires (although I have very narrow tires since I commute on pavement), has multiple rack and fender mounting points, and space for 3 water bottles. As you can see in the picture above I use the water bottle cage on the bottom side of the down tube for my headlight battery. The chain stay even has space to hold a few spare spokes. The LHT is a touring bike and is absolutely perfect for commuting. The standard LHT from Surly comes with bar end shifters. My LHT was built up by my LBS with STI shifters. I like to shift frequently with the hilly terrain around here, so this is a welcomed modification.

How far is my commute and what's it like?
10 miles each way. The terrain is rolling hills. There are no extreme grades to ascend or descend.

I ride along the shoulder of the highway from Poulsbo to Bainbridge Island and back. The shoulder is fairly wide most of the way. The ride is pleasant aside from the occassional exhaust fumes. Recently I picked up a riding partner that makes the ride go by really quickly. It's almost too short when I'm busy talking to someone else on the ride.

Drivers seems to be aware of cyclists along the highway. I would guess there are around 15 to 25 of us that commute along the highway every day. The more people cycling on the road every day, the more drivers become aware of cyclists. This is a good thing.