Bike commuting in Paris... tips and advice s'il vous plait!
June 29, 2017 7:05 AM Subscribe
Help me figure out whether biking to work will work for me. Snowflakes inside.
I'm starting a job in Paris in August and looking into commuting to and from work. I'm looking for any and all advice/tips as to whether this is a good idea, and how to make it work for me.
- My office is in Boulogne-Betancourt, and most likely I'm going to be living on the other side of the bois de Boulogne, giving me a rough commute time of 20-25 minutes by bike vs over an hour by public transport.
- I love biking and biked to school often growing up in India. Advantage: Traffic does not phase me and I have pretty good reflexes. Disadvantage: I have no idea what the rules of the road are, especially since the French drive on thewrong right side of the road, not the left. Are there classes I can take? I'm willing to throw some money at this.
- I won't be able to shower at work (which is a pretty chill place, thankfully) so any tips on navigating that, especially as a pretty femme chick who mostly wears dresses, are appreciated.
- What equipment do I need? As I mentioned, I grew up biking in India, where nobody ever wears helmets, much less vests or other safety gear.
I'm starting a job in Paris in August and looking into commuting to and from work. I'm looking for any and all advice/tips as to whether this is a good idea, and how to make it work for me.
- My office is in Boulogne-Betancourt, and most likely I'm going to be living on the other side of the bois de Boulogne, giving me a rough commute time of 20-25 minutes by bike vs over an hour by public transport.
- I love biking and biked to school often growing up in India. Advantage: Traffic does not phase me and I have pretty good reflexes. Disadvantage: I have no idea what the rules of the road are, especially since the French drive on the
- I won't be able to shower at work (which is a pretty chill place, thankfully) so any tips on navigating that, especially as a pretty femme chick who mostly wears dresses, are appreciated.
- What equipment do I need? As I mentioned, I grew up biking in India, where nobody ever wears helmets, much less vests or other safety gear.
Do you speak French? You might start by learning the code de la route . Here's some free practice materials: http://www.code-route.com/. Even if you have no plans to drive (or if you already know how to operate a vehicle, but just don't know the road rules in France), it would be worth it to know how other drivers are supposed to behave.
posted by Liesl at 8:04 AM on June 29, 2017
posted by Liesl at 8:04 AM on June 29, 2017
Response by poster: @Lutoslawki: I don't mind driving in the park in the mornings, it's after work that gives me pause - but using one of the roads by the river should work. I don't mind a little extra exercise on the way back.
@Liesl: Yes I do, thanks for the link!
posted by Tamanna at 8:26 AM on June 29, 2017
@Liesl: Yes I do, thanks for the link!
posted by Tamanna at 8:26 AM on June 29, 2017
Hey! I did this for a few years a few years ago, though in a different part of the city. I found it to be fairly easy to navigate, and, as long as you don't mind the occasional inclement weather (and coldness in winter) it is a good way to stay above ground in the city.
General tips: No equipment needed, no classes that I've heard of. Stay on the right side of cars, don't turn right on red, be assertive. Pretty much it. Before I started riding I observed the bikers for like a day. You could also consider taking a bike tour to get your sea legs under you. Fat Tire Bike Tours is pretty good. As to hygiene, I can't really help you there. I had a shower at my office.
While I was there, I had a velib subscription, which is perhaps the best and cheapest and easiest city bike share service out there, since it is only 40 euros a year! Crazy!
They seem to have ample stations where you're commuting from and where you're commuting to, so I'd say it'd be a pretty good option. One note - the bikes are a bit heavy (like most city bikes).
Here's a map of the stations, so you can check if it'd work for you.
posted by durandal at 9:01 AM on June 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
General tips: No equipment needed, no classes that I've heard of. Stay on the right side of cars, don't turn right on red, be assertive. Pretty much it. Before I started riding I observed the bikers for like a day. You could also consider taking a bike tour to get your sea legs under you. Fat Tire Bike Tours is pretty good. As to hygiene, I can't really help you there. I had a shower at my office.
While I was there, I had a velib subscription, which is perhaps the best and cheapest and easiest city bike share service out there, since it is only 40 euros a year! Crazy!
They seem to have ample stations where you're commuting from and where you're commuting to, so I'd say it'd be a pretty good option. One note - the bikes are a bit heavy (like most city bikes).
Here's a map of the stations, so you can check if it'd work for you.
posted by durandal at 9:01 AM on June 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
If you have the time, it can be helpful to cycle a few commute routes at the weekend if you can, so you can find out where all the awkward junctions are and so on. Going over the route on Google Maps / OpenStreetMap (OSM has better information on cycle infrastructure in my experience) first might also be helpful, especially in spotting odd short cuts that you might not be aware of. If there are any complex junctions then it can be helpful to watch how other experienced cyclists navigate them.
The advice to use panniers is good & I’d also add that it’s OK to cycle slowly enough that you don’t get sweaty! Cycle commuting isn’t a race :) If you like wearing dresses, you might want to see if you can fit a skirt guard & chain guard to your bike? Mudguards are a must if you want to stay clean IMO.
Wear a helmet if you want, but it’s much more important to stay on top of your bike maintenance, practice safe & assertive cycling and use lights at night.
posted by pharm at 9:20 AM on June 29, 2017
The advice to use panniers is good & I’d also add that it’s OK to cycle slowly enough that you don’t get sweaty! Cycle commuting isn’t a race :) If you like wearing dresses, you might want to see if you can fit a skirt guard & chain guard to your bike? Mudguards are a must if you want to stay clean IMO.
Wear a helmet if you want, but it’s much more important to stay on top of your bike maintenance, practice safe & assertive cycling and use lights at night.
posted by pharm at 9:20 AM on June 29, 2017
Good advice above. About the dresses: you don't necessarily need to do anything different from usual unless you particularly favor tight skirts or very long skirts. Otherwise, it's generally more physically comfortable to bike in a dress than it is in anything but bike shorts. (Source: just biked six miles in a knee-length A-line-style dress, same as most mornings.)
A step-through frame can be useful but definitely isn't required for biking in a dress; I don't have one myself (but I avoid very tight or very long dresses.) If you plan to buy a bike, consider test-riding them in the clothes you'd want to wear daily. I usually leave my dress shoes in a drawer at work, not so much because I can't bike in them as because I don't want to scuff them.
For a ride under a half-hour you're not likely to have to worry too much about sweating through your clothes, but YMMV. Try out potential routes on a day you're not working so that you know what to expect. Baby wipes are great for freshening up when you get to your destination. If you wear makeup, you can usually avoid ruining it by going slowly to minimize sweat, not touching your face until you cool off after a ride, or just applying it after your ride. Whether or not you wear a helmet, a silky scarf can keep your hair from getting too messy (and they do a lot to prevent helmet hair.)
posted by asperity at 9:28 AM on June 29, 2017
A step-through frame can be useful but definitely isn't required for biking in a dress; I don't have one myself (but I avoid very tight or very long dresses.) If you plan to buy a bike, consider test-riding them in the clothes you'd want to wear daily. I usually leave my dress shoes in a drawer at work, not so much because I can't bike in them as because I don't want to scuff them.
For a ride under a half-hour you're not likely to have to worry too much about sweating through your clothes, but YMMV. Try out potential routes on a day you're not working so that you know what to expect. Baby wipes are great for freshening up when you get to your destination. If you wear makeup, you can usually avoid ruining it by going slowly to minimize sweat, not touching your face until you cool off after a ride, or just applying it after your ride. Whether or not you wear a helmet, a silky scarf can keep your hair from getting too messy (and they do a lot to prevent helmet hair.)
posted by asperity at 9:28 AM on June 29, 2017
One of the tips I've hear a lot with regard to hygiene is to consciously bike relatively slowly - like the difference between walking and running to work.
posted by R a c h e l at 10:35 AM on June 29, 2017
posted by R a c h e l at 10:35 AM on June 29, 2017
Best answer: Hey, je me déplace souvent en vélo dans l'ouest parisien :)
Your best friend will be the Citymapper app, which will help you find the best biking course according to your needs (you can choose between "calm", "normal" and "the fastest route"). I don't know where you are situated but the Bois de Boulogne has lots of lovely paths suitable for biking, it is way nicer / calmer than the road!
The helmet is a good idea and lights are mandatory. You can get a fine if you don't have the red light on the back and the white one on the front.
The drivers are crazy (in my opinion) so favor the quieter streets / cycle paths. Bus lanes are often allowed for cyclists but in my experience it is pretty unpleasant, not so much because of the buses but more because of the taxi drivers who can be a bit careless.
Regarding the shower thing my opinion is that if you don't sweat it should be fine.
The good thing about summer in Paris is that there is way less traffic than during the rest of the year, which makes biking really pleasant. Enjoy :)
posted by Ifite at 2:24 AM on June 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Your best friend will be the Citymapper app, which will help you find the best biking course according to your needs (you can choose between "calm", "normal" and "the fastest route"). I don't know where you are situated but the Bois de Boulogne has lots of lovely paths suitable for biking, it is way nicer / calmer than the road!
The helmet is a good idea and lights are mandatory. You can get a fine if you don't have the red light on the back and the white one on the front.
The drivers are crazy (in my opinion) so favor the quieter streets / cycle paths. Bus lanes are often allowed for cyclists but in my experience it is pretty unpleasant, not so much because of the buses but more because of the taxi drivers who can be a bit careless.
Regarding the shower thing my opinion is that if you don't sweat it should be fine.
The good thing about summer in Paris is that there is way less traffic than during the rest of the year, which makes biking really pleasant. Enjoy :)
posted by Ifite at 2:24 AM on June 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
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- If you are living on the other side of bois de Boulogne, you might be able to ride along the river most of the way? That would be nice and make for an easy commute.
-w/r/t to not smelling at work - get a good set of panniers and pack your work clothes and commute in biking clothes. Carry some deodorant. You'll be fine - my commute is 20 minutes on bike and I don't shower at work and have never had any complaints about being smelly (maybe people are too nice at work...)
-w/r/t to equipment: helmet, lights, locks, panniers (you'll need a rack), and fenders (so you don't get super dirty on raining days). Do wear a helmet. Lots of people bike in Paris (and elsewhere) without a helmet, which I personally think is totally bonkers. It's a small thing that could have a huge payoff. People die because they don't wear them. You'll need lights - I don't know what the specific laws are in Paris about lights, so I would check, but typically you need a bright headlight and at least one red rear light. Finally you'll need good locks. I generally use a u-lock to secure the bike to the bike parking and then a chain lock around the wheels and frame.
posted by Lutoslawski at 7:57 AM on June 29, 2017 [2 favorites]