Riding in London
Discussion
clonmult said:
I did the London bike commute for just over a year (Waterloo to Tower Bridge), and thats probably the only part of my job in London that I miss - that bike ride was the most enjoyable part of the day.
By far and away the most inspirational part of the ride was crossing tower bridge. On sunny days when the bridge was occasionally up, waiting at the front with a bunch of other cyclists, seeing the sun rising over canary wharf direction ..... it really was inspirational.
Never felt like I was about to die (apart from one time when my left spd wouldn't release), it was almost always entertaining for one reason or other.
The good : no reliance on the underground, could get to our backup data center in less time than it took colleagues to get to the closest underground station
The bad : the quality of the road was truly dire in places
Sounds nice By far and away the most inspirational part of the ride was crossing tower bridge. On sunny days when the bridge was occasionally up, waiting at the front with a bunch of other cyclists, seeing the sun rising over canary wharf direction ..... it really was inspirational.
Never felt like I was about to die (apart from one time when my left spd wouldn't release), it was almost always entertaining for one reason or other.
The good : no reliance on the underground, could get to our backup data center in less time than it took colleagues to get to the closest underground station
The bad : the quality of the road was truly dire in places
I really can't deal with the tube right now, I don't get the exercise and I spend 30 minutes getting cosy with people I don't know - dread to think what it'll be like in the summer 
Think I'm just going to give it a go and see what happens. I shall be ordering my new bike (Specialized Langster 2010 
) shortly 
Well, I can't use my nice road bike, can I? Now, what to do with the shirts...AyBee said:
Sounds nice I really can't deal with the tube right now, I don't get the exercise and I spend 30 minutes getting cosy with people I don't know - dread to think what it'll be like in the summer Think I'm just going to give it a go and see what happens. I shall be ordering my new bike (Specialized Langster 2010 ) shortly Well, I can't use my nice road bike, can I? Now, what to do with the shirts...
I found commuting by bike in London to be exhilarating. I carried all my kit in a rucksack and shirts were carefully folded (although I'm not known for my "pressed and dressed" appearance I really can't deal with the tube right now, I don't get the exercise and I spend 30 minutes getting cosy with people I don't know - dread to think what it'll be like in the summer Think I'm just going to give it a go and see what happens. I shall be ordering my new bike (Specialized Langster 2010 ) shortly Well, I can't use my nice road bike, can I? Now, what to do with the shirts...).Edited by ewenm on Thursday 3rd February 10:14
ewenm said:
I found commuting by bike in London to be exhilarating. I carried all my kit in a rucksack and shirts were carefully folded (although I'm not known for my "pressed and dressed" appearance :hehe).
Same here, I never expected it to be so enjoyable.One bad part - before I got a decent tyre/tube combo, the punctures got ridiculous. Can't remember which tyres I eventually found to be perfect, but they were armoured, with a slime innertube, never a problem since. Same tyres have been on for over 3 years, no problems at all.
I've got the perfect shirt carrier thing, look up eagle creek shirt folder, its awesome.
I now do about 13 miles each way from the burbs to west London, I go from Kingston gate of Richmond Park through to Roehampton, on a sunny morning its lovley, although does really make me want to work for myself when I see people walking their dogs etc. Lovley stuff.
Due to where I work its not really that busy, I go through Hammersmith one way system, which can be busy, and on the way back I go down through Fulham which is always busy, and Putney Bridge which has if you can fathom it, a worse road surface than Hammersmith Bridge!
At the minute I'm on my geared roadbike, as I don't think I could hack the steep hill in Richmond park on a single speed haha!
All in all I enjoy it, although I've wanted to punch a few people in the face, and the wind in Richmond Park sometimes makes we want to cry.
Regarding tyres, I think its actually down to riding style more than tyres, I've done 500 miles now on GP4000s tyres in rain, wet, grit, not to mention all the potholes and I've not had a puncture, and I'm 15 stone.
I now do about 13 miles each way from the burbs to west London, I go from Kingston gate of Richmond Park through to Roehampton, on a sunny morning its lovley, although does really make me want to work for myself when I see people walking their dogs etc. Lovley stuff.
Due to where I work its not really that busy, I go through Hammersmith one way system, which can be busy, and on the way back I go down through Fulham which is always busy, and Putney Bridge which has if you can fathom it, a worse road surface than Hammersmith Bridge!
At the minute I'm on my geared roadbike, as I don't think I could hack the steep hill in Richmond park on a single speed haha!
All in all I enjoy it, although I've wanted to punch a few people in the face, and the wind in Richmond Park sometimes makes we want to cry.
Regarding tyres, I think its actually down to riding style more than tyres, I've done 500 miles now on GP4000s tyres in rain, wet, grit, not to mention all the potholes and I've not had a puncture, and I'm 15 stone.
clonmult said:
ewenm said:
I found commuting by bike in London to be exhilarating. I carried all my kit in a rucksack and shirts were carefully folded (although I'm not known for my "pressed and dressed" appearance :hehe).
Same here, I never expected it to be so enjoyable.One bad part - before I got a decent tyre/tube combo, the punctures got ridiculous. Can't remember which tyres I eventually found to be perfect, but they were armoured, with a slime innertube, never a problem since. Same tyres have been on for over 3 years, no problems at all.
Just to add to the positive vibe in this thread - I ride through central London everyday (rain or shine). I've never been fitter; I save about £1k a year; I can reliably know when I'll get home (to within a couple of minutes); I save about an hour a day compared to commuting by public transport. I also get 45 minutes morning and evening to myself (no papers, Blackberrys, phones etc). I arrive at work awake and ready to get cracking, and I get home having "destressed" from work (usually!). I can never understand why more people don't do it, there really are few downsides and the dangers are massively overhyped. It has also made me a much, much better and more aware driver.
will_ said:
Maintenance does add up though if you use it everyday (especially on London roads).
How much maintenance do you do? I've done nearly 1500 miles now, and the only maintenance my bike has needed has been a little oil, a slight adjustment on the cables and two patches on the inner tubes.
Agree about the thoughts on cycle commuting in London though, even despite my recent incident with a van I still enjoy it every single day.
okgo said:
will_ said:
Maintenance does add up though if you use it everyday (especially on London roads).
Meh, I'd rather spend £2k on bikes rather than stinking trains.And if you're spending £50 a week on the bike then you're doing something wrong.
Mr Will said:
will_ said:
Maintenance does add up though if you use it everyday (especially on London roads).
How much maintenance do you do? I've done nearly 1500 miles now, and the only maintenance my bike has needed has been a little oil, a slight adjustment on the cables and two patches on the inner tubes.
Agree about the thoughts on cycle commuting in London though, even despite my recent incident with a van I still enjoy it every single day.
I do it myself, but if you were paying a shop to do that lot you're looking at £400-500.
I wouldn't expect to do much within 1500 miles, but my bike's on over 6k now.
I've looked up my old calculator, excluding purchase and depreciation.
Car cost for the 20miles per day were:-
Insurance, £250 Went down too £215 with out commuting and reduced mileage (£35)
Car Tax £205 No Change
Petrol = £600 per year (£866 on todays prices)
Servicing & Wear And Tear = £400 per 10,000 miles now doing 6,000 per year so saving £160 per year but still needs a check over annually so probably about £80 saving annually on consumables like tires, oil, screen wash etc.
Total Savings on not using car = (£600 + £80 + £35) = £715
Cost of Using Bike(s)
Service 2x year = £70
Parts & Consumables = £150 (Cassettes, Chains, cables, inner tubes, tyres etc)
Clothes-etc = £80
Total Bike costs =£300
However we had a cycle voucher scheme at work that gave you a £1 very time you cycled into work, and then gave you a bonus of £50 when you got to £250, so this covered the full annual cost of running two bikes (summer road bike & a winter slick shod MTB).
So I saved £715 a year a few year back, probably closer to £950 if I was still doing it now, got fit and had a much nicer time than sitting in traffic. Arrived at work and got home quicker than driving.
If you were using public transport I'd expect the saving to be similar or slightly higher and significantly more time.
Car cost for the 20miles per day were:-
Insurance, £250 Went down too £215 with out commuting and reduced mileage (£35)
Car Tax £205 No Change
Petrol = £600 per year (£866 on todays prices)
Servicing & Wear And Tear = £400 per 10,000 miles now doing 6,000 per year so saving £160 per year but still needs a check over annually so probably about £80 saving annually on consumables like tires, oil, screen wash etc.
Total Savings on not using car = (£600 + £80 + £35) = £715
Cost of Using Bike(s)
Service 2x year = £70
Parts & Consumables = £150 (Cassettes, Chains, cables, inner tubes, tyres etc)
Clothes-etc = £80
Total Bike costs =£300
However we had a cycle voucher scheme at work that gave you a £1 very time you cycled into work, and then gave you a bonus of £50 when you got to £250, so this covered the full annual cost of running two bikes (summer road bike & a winter slick shod MTB).
So I saved £715 a year a few year back, probably closer to £950 if I was still doing it now, got fit and had a much nicer time than sitting in traffic. Arrived at work and got home quicker than driving.
If you were using public transport I'd expect the saving to be similar or slightly higher and significantly more time.
Edited by OneDs on Thursday 3rd February 11:50
will_ said:
Maintenance does add up though if you use it everyday (especially on London roads).
Which is why I like the Boris Bike. £45 a year all in. Yeah I know it's not a cool bike and they're slow, but they work for me. I don't have far to ride and I don't have to worry about getting nicked or puncturesGassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff