The daily "I cycled to work" thread (Vol 2)
Discussion
Fairly expensive Trek Crockett 9 in the LBS having some issues sorted out so came in on my 12 year old 5KG+ heavier GT Aggressor 2.0 fitted with Marathon Plus tyres (at nearly a kilo each). And it is a bit random in changing gear (new cables needed I think).
Commute was about 60 minutes moving compared to a "usual" 56-58 minutes for about the same effort. The distance is about 13 miles, albeit a lot of ice/mud/hills/wayward pedestrians to cope with.
That is about the same difference as going from faster (Schwalbe Mondial) to slower (Schwalbe winter) tyres on the Crockett.
Yep, spending a load extra on a nice bike doesn't really make that much difference in terms of times. The rider makes far more difference, followed next I guess by tyres and the general condition of the bike.
Still want to get back on the Trek though.
Commute was about 60 minutes moving compared to a "usual" 56-58 minutes for about the same effort. The distance is about 13 miles, albeit a lot of ice/mud/hills/wayward pedestrians to cope with.
That is about the same difference as going from faster (Schwalbe Mondial) to slower (Schwalbe winter) tyres on the Crockett.
Yep, spending a load extra on a nice bike doesn't really make that much difference in terms of times. The rider makes far more difference, followed next I guess by tyres and the general condition of the bike.
Still want to get back on the Trek though.
Brought in my old MTB today (Trek Fuel EX6 29er) and was unpleasantly surprised by how much harder it was than on my usual Boardman Team Carbon!
Was obviously expecting a difference but the relatively gentle hill on my very short commute had me quite out of breath. More training required!
Was obviously expecting a difference but the relatively gentle hill on my very short commute had me quite out of breath. More training required!
Twistingmymelon, louiebaby - thanks for the replies and the advice, it's very much appreciated.
I have planned to ride in to work on one of my days off to get a feel for it and had planned a tapered approach of building up total days cycled in gradually as well. I quite like the idea of car in , cycle home, cycle in, car home. It'll give me a chance to stock my locker with work clothes etc as well.
My biggest concern is the traffic on the A roads during the busier times. As said, I work shifts, which cover pretty much all hours during the shift cycle, so it'll only be every other week I have an issue either in the morning or evening. Do any of you tackle busy sections, and if so, how do you find it?
Many thanks,
John.
I have planned to ride in to work on one of my days off to get a feel for it and had planned a tapered approach of building up total days cycled in gradually as well. I quite like the idea of car in , cycle home, cycle in, car home. It'll give me a chance to stock my locker with work clothes etc as well.
My biggest concern is the traffic on the A roads during the busier times. As said, I work shifts, which cover pretty much all hours during the shift cycle, so it'll only be every other week I have an issue either in the morning or evening. Do any of you tackle busy sections, and if so, how do you find it?
Many thanks,
John.
TwistingMyMelon said:
fidzer said:
OK. Looking to start cycling into work, and ashamedly haven't done much cycling since the autumn, which has always been unclassified roads and forest track stuff.
My commute will be either a very busy A road which fills me with dread, with a distance of 10 miles, or a quieter mix of A road and B road, with a distance of 14 miles.
I work shifts, and have pretty much decided that during the busier commuting times I'll go with the longer route, and in the wee hours, take the shorter route as traffic will be minimal.
I'm looking to get fit and loose a couple of stone, and my main concern is that a 28 mile round trip will be too much initially. I'm reckoning it should take about an hours 15 to and hour and thirty minutes to do the 14 miles initially, and get that down to under an hour once I get fitter. Does this sound reasonable?
The distance will be too much initially to do every day this time of year. I would start 2 days a week, then 3 and then more in spring. My commute will be either a very busy A road which fills me with dread, with a distance of 10 miles, or a quieter mix of A road and B road, with a distance of 14 miles.
I work shifts, and have pretty much decided that during the busier commuting times I'll go with the longer route, and in the wee hours, take the shorter route as traffic will be minimal.
I'm looking to get fit and loose a couple of stone, and my main concern is that a 28 mile round trip will be too much initially. I'm reckoning it should take about an hours 15 to and hour and thirty minutes to do the 14 miles initially, and get that down to under an hour once I get fitter. Does this sound reasonable?
I have a similar distance and usually do 10 mile straight to work in the morning and then take a 12-14 mile longer ride home as it is pitch black and the longer way is safer roads. I'm not a morning person and prefer riding in the evening, but some are different and never go the long way home
Try the routes first, see how you go, you soon work out what you like and what works.
As long as you stick at it and work yourself reasonably hard your fitness will improve and after doing it for a few months it will feel a lot easier. I started off avoiding main roads until I was more confident, but then I hadn't been on a bike for the best part of 20 years. I still do avoid them if possible during rush hour though.
fidzer said:
Do any of you tackle busy sections, and if so, how do you find it?
Depends on what you mean by busy. I live in the North east and while the roads do get busy, it's not London busy. I sometimes use the main roads at busy times and it can be quite stressful. I avoid dual carrigeways and certain roundabouts and have learnt to be very cautious and cycle defensively.I do London busy, it's quite varied. The route I take is mostly A23 between Croydon and the city, over that distance (about 10 miles) you encounter quite a lot of different flavours of busy and road archtecture.
Where the roads are big enough to have bus lanes I don't find it too bad in general as they are mostly clear and the bus drivers I encounter keep their distance and are alert and aware, the busses also are quite slow and I can mostly out-drag them.
In areas where the traffic is so busy it's slow, you can pick your way through on a bike, and how easy/safe that feels depends on the speed you choose to maintain, the awareness you have and the width of the road. Looking back on it, when I started, I probably took risks I wasn't aware of because I didn't have the experience to know what to look out for. I don't know how to prepare you for that or what I do today I'll realise tomorrow isn't a great idea.
When you get toward the centre and there are lots of other cyclists, I think it gets a bit easier. There is more cycle specific hardware, superhighways etc. and some safety in numbers.
You probably need to try it to really determine if it's going to work out for you. I am planning to play with my route a bit to see if I can vary it for interest's sake and to cut out some of the sections which I don't enjoy so much. I don't like going through Brixton too much because the road seems to narrow to 2 packed lanes with high kerbs and you get struck.
Where the roads are big enough to have bus lanes I don't find it too bad in general as they are mostly clear and the bus drivers I encounter keep their distance and are alert and aware, the busses also are quite slow and I can mostly out-drag them.
In areas where the traffic is so busy it's slow, you can pick your way through on a bike, and how easy/safe that feels depends on the speed you choose to maintain, the awareness you have and the width of the road. Looking back on it, when I started, I probably took risks I wasn't aware of because I didn't have the experience to know what to look out for. I don't know how to prepare you for that or what I do today I'll realise tomorrow isn't a great idea.
When you get toward the centre and there are lots of other cyclists, I think it gets a bit easier. There is more cycle specific hardware, superhighways etc. and some safety in numbers.
You probably need to try it to really determine if it's going to work out for you. I am planning to play with my route a bit to see if I can vary it for interest's sake and to cut out some of the sections which I don't enjoy so much. I don't like going through Brixton too much because the road seems to narrow to 2 packed lanes with high kerbs and you get struck.
idiotgap said:
I do London busy, it's quite varied. The route I take is mostly A23 between Croydon and the city, over that distance (about 10 miles) you encounter quite a lot of different flavours of busy and road archtecture.
Where the roads are big enough to have bus lanes I don't find it too bad in general as they are mostly clear and the bus drivers I encounter keep their distance and are alert and aware, the busses also are quite slow and I can mostly out-drag them.
In areas where the traffic is so busy it's slow, you can pick your way through on a bike, and how easy/safe that feels depends on the speed you choose to maintain, the awareness you have and the width of the road. Looking back on it, when I started, I probably took risks I wasn't aware of because I didn't have the experience to know what to look out for. I don't know how to prepare you for that or what I do today I'll realise tomorrow isn't a great idea.
When you get toward the centre and there are lots of other cyclists, I think it gets a bit easier. There is more cycle specific hardware, superhighways etc. and some safety in numbers.
You probably need to try it to really determine if it's going to work out for you. I am planning to play with my route a bit to see if I can vary it for interest's sake and to cut out some of the sections which I don't enjoy so much. I don't like going through Brixton too much because the road seems to narrow to 2 packed lanes with high kerbs and you get struck.
You do the same route as me. Where the roads are big enough to have bus lanes I don't find it too bad in general as they are mostly clear and the bus drivers I encounter keep their distance and are alert and aware, the busses also are quite slow and I can mostly out-drag them.
In areas where the traffic is so busy it's slow, you can pick your way through on a bike, and how easy/safe that feels depends on the speed you choose to maintain, the awareness you have and the width of the road. Looking back on it, when I started, I probably took risks I wasn't aware of because I didn't have the experience to know what to look out for. I don't know how to prepare you for that or what I do today I'll realise tomorrow isn't a great idea.
When you get toward the centre and there are lots of other cyclists, I think it gets a bit easier. There is more cycle specific hardware, superhighways etc. and some safety in numbers.
You probably need to try it to really determine if it's going to work out for you. I am planning to play with my route a bit to see if I can vary it for interest's sake and to cut out some of the sections which I don't enjoy so much. I don't like going through Brixton too much because the road seems to narrow to 2 packed lanes with high kerbs and you get struck.
greenamex2 said:
Fairly expensive Trek Crockett 9 in the LBS having some issues sorted out so came in on my 12 year old 5KG+ heavier GT Aggressor 2.0 fitted with Marathon Plus tyres (at nearly a kilo each). And it is a bit random in changing gear (new cables needed I think).
Commute was about 60 minutes moving compared to a "usual" 56-58 minutes for about the same effort. The distance is about 13 miles, albeit a lot of ice/mud/hills/wayward pedestrians to cope with.
That is about the same difference as going from faster (Schwalbe Mondial) to slower (Schwalbe winter) tyres on the Crockett.
Yep, spending a load extra on a nice bike doesn't really make that much difference in terms of times. The rider makes far more difference, followed next I guess by tyres and the general condition of the bike.
Still want to get back on the Trek though.
A slight update. The journey home took about 5 minutes longer than normal...and my legs were shattered. This does not normally happen...my lung and heart usually pack up first! So maybe there is more of a justification for a lighter bike after all!Commute was about 60 minutes moving compared to a "usual" 56-58 minutes for about the same effort. The distance is about 13 miles, albeit a lot of ice/mud/hills/wayward pedestrians to cope with.
That is about the same difference as going from faster (Schwalbe Mondial) to slower (Schwalbe winter) tyres on the Crockett.
Yep, spending a load extra on a nice bike doesn't really make that much difference in terms of times. The rider makes far more difference, followed next I guess by tyres and the general condition of the bike.
Still want to get back on the Trek though.
dirtbiker said:
Brought in my old MTB today (Trek Fuel EX6 29er) and was unpleasantly surprised by how much harder it was than on my usual Boardman Team Carbon!
Was obviously expecting a difference but the relatively gentle hill on my very short commute had me quite out of breath. More training required!
Yeah, see my post, came to a similar conclusion on the ride home. As have my legs!Was obviously expecting a difference but the relatively gentle hill on my very short commute had me quite out of breath. More training required!
greenamex2 said:
A slight update. The journey home took about 5 minutes longer than normal...and my legs were shattered. This does not normally happen...my lung and heart usually pack up first! So maybe there is more of a justification for a lighter bike after all!
I'm commuting on my old Carrera Hybrid as my winter road bike needs repairing. It feels like a tank in comparison and is a lot harder work on hills. idiotgap said:
Renn Sport said:
You do the same route as me.
I do see the same people quite frequently and have got talking to one or two over time. Say hi if you see me, I'm the guy with the sad looking basket on the back.
This is me.. on dirty winter bike probably huffing and puffing along your route.
Perhaps see you on the road.Craikeybaby said:
Did I really commute if I forgot to start strata so didn't record it?
No. 
(But you can manually add the mileage and a sensible time it would probably have taken you, purely for tracking purposes.)
Warmer this morning, no winter jacket, just a long sleeve and gillet. Come on summer...
Had my first fall this morning. Riding along some fairly new smooth tarmac (shared path) and hit some ice as i was barely turning left. Must have slid about 5 meters on my arse 
Have a nice big graze on my knee and my left cheek, bikes fine though. Im running on Sammy Slicks, ive questioned these tyres in the past when its been damp, ive no confidence in them, Even less so now.
Have a nice big graze on my knee and my left cheek, bikes fine though. Im running on Sammy Slicks, ive questioned these tyres in the past when its been damp, ive no confidence in them, Even less so now.Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff