First Commute on the Fixie

I put some white handlebar tape (to match the saddle and rear rack) on the bike and I rode into work today, ~22 miles round trip on rolling hills. Going up hills is really fun. Flats are OK. Downhills are a pain in the... Independent of the downhills, the long, low reach bar configuration are a pain in the lower back and hands after 6 or 7 miles. I think I definitely need a higher rise, shorter length stem, or maybe mustache bars that go up and back.

It still need to try riding fixed with clipless pedals to see if that would help things on higher cadences vs. the cageless platform pedals I've been using.

I think I might need to work on the chain line or maybe chainring "truing" since I'm getting some noise under torque that I don't hear when just rolling the bike around on foot or when pedaling really slowly.

I had a couple of incidents of verbal abuse from stereotypical "Soccer Dad" (on the way into work) and "Young Redneck in a Pickup" (on the way home). In both incidents, they were annoyed that I was taking up a whole lane while approaching an intersection where I needed to make a left turn. In both cases, there was little traffic on the road and they could have had entire lanes to themselves if they wanted. I guess some people just have way too much stress or whatever else is wrong with their own lives.