Cycle commuting questions.

[idiotgap]

I've been trying out commuting by bike a bit over the last few days, and liking it. Right now while getting used to it I'm just cycling in one day and home another. It's 30 miles each way with some climbing and easing into it seems to make sense... I don't want to get so knackered I can't work.

I doubt I'll ever be an all weathers every day cycle commuter because I really don't want to do the unlit country lanes nearer home in the dark. The daylight's just about there at the moment for me to be able to get in and changed by 9 and to leave at 5, shorter hours at work than I normally pull.

2 questions for the seasoned pros...

1 - I'm used to pootling in the countryside, but feeling vulnerable up in that there London. What's the benchmark liability/legal etc. insurance cover to go for? British cycling?

2 - Anyone got any advice around the longer commute in to London from the south? Hill avoidance in particular, current route takes in Gangers Hill and Crystal Palace. https://www.strava.com/activities/542014446

[Pachydermus]

British Cycling is fine for 3rd party insurance. The cheapest way to get self-inflicted damage/theft covered is on your home contents policy.

This may give you some ideas for a slightly flatter ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/469451371

[Daveyraveygravey]

I wouldn't rule out riding in the dark on unlit country roads. You can get cheap bright lights off Ebay for about £20 (look for Cree) which are all you need. I would recommend teo fronts and two rears, one flashing and one steady. I would say generally drivers are more considerate on unlit country roads around bikes; possibly because they find judging distance harder, and the verges are harder to see.
I get quite a kick out of it, although anything over two hours gets a bit monotonous.

[TwistingMyMelon]

30 miles is a long way each , 60 miles in total?

Im a seasoned commuter and ride long distances, but don't underestimate how long that will take, when you factor in getting ready and changed at work

[curtisl]

idiotgap said:

2 - Anyone got any advice around the longer commute in to London from the south? Hill avoidance in particular, current route takes in Gangers Hill and Crystal Palace. https://www.strava.com/activities/542014446

I ride in to the West End from Bromley and my route has little in the way of hills, about 80m.
https://www.strava.com/activities/541993450

Pretty much a no thrills ride really. Bromley to Lewisham to Old Kent Road to Waterloo to West End.

Good luck with the ride in!

[idiotgap]

Pachydermus said:

British Cycling is fine for 3rd party insurance. The cheapest way to get self-inflicted damage/theft covered is on your home contents policy.

The bike is a 2009 Specialized Allez with 9-speed tiagra, I got it for £200 in 2014 when I was trying out cycling for the first time in 20 yrs. I'm not going to bother insuring that I don't think! Almost want it to get stolen to force my hand and get myself something decent, though I am quite attached to it now having ridden to Le Mans on it last year and other adventures. In some ways it's a decent commuter I suppose, might make use of the rack bosses again one of these days. It's a job for another thread, but I am procrastinating over what to replace it with.

I've signed up for British Cycling now, so I feel a bit better about the possibility of being liable for something.

Pachydermus said:

This may give you some ideas for a slightly flatter ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/469451371

Looks good for removing the Crystal Palace section, I think I'll try and work that in.

Daveyraveygravey said:

I wouldn't rule out riding in the dark on unlit country roads. You can get cheap bright lights off Ebay for about £20 (look for Cree) which are all you need. I would recommend teo fronts and two rears, one flashing and one steady. I would say generally drivers are more considerate on unlit country roads around bikes; possibly because they find judging distance harder, and the verges are harder to see.
I get quite a kick out of it, although anything over two hours gets a bit monotonous.

At the moment I can't even imagine riding in the dark, I'll see how attached I get to the ride over the summer.

TwistingMyMelon said:

30 miles is a long way each , 60 miles in total?
Im a seasoned commuter and ride long distances, but don't underestimate how long that will take, when you factor in getting ready and changed at work

Yep, this morning was 2hrs 7 mins moving time. I left home at 06:17 and was at my desk at 08:53 so 2 hrs 36 with changing. Maybe I can get that down a bit if I flatten it out and get faster, but to a large extent it is what it is.

I haven't yet done a successful trip all the way home. On the one attempt last week I left the office late, then got struck by a mechanical in Dulwich and my precious light ebbed so I bailed and cycled to Croydon to put myself on the train. I guess the profile on the way back makes it look slower.

curtisl said:

I ride in to the West End from Bromley and my route has little in the way of hills, about 80m.
https://www.strava.com/activities/541993450

Not too dissimilar to the Pachydermus route, I'll definitely try something based on those. I wonder what I can do with my big hill... I'll have a fiddle with Strava route builder on that one too.

[idiotgap]

Forgot to say - thanks so much for all comments so far!

[Pachydermus]

idiotgap said:

curtisl said:

I ride in to the West End from Bromley and my route has little in the way of hills, about 80m.
https://www.strava.com/activities/541993450

Not too dissimilar to the Pachydermus route, I'll definitely try something based on those. I wonder what I can do with my big hill... I'll have a fiddle with Strava route builder on that one too.

I've tried the lewisham route a few times but I find it takes longer as the narrower roads and lack of bus lanes mean you are constantly stuck behind cars. Seems to work ok for Curtis though, maybe he just rides over the top

[SoliD]

30 miles each way! You beast, could not imagine doing that on an almost daily basis. Fair play to you. Nothing but experience of the route will give you the confidence you need either of riding in the dark or in central London.

[Zigster]

I have a similar route, albeit a bit further south than you making it 45 miles each way.

I only do it in the summer months because the I'm also not a big fan of the dark country roads. I'll cycle in one day (Setting off at 5.45 am - almost able to start doing it again) and cycle back later in the week. Takes me about 3 hours each way - gets a bit slower when I get into London - so I can be at my desk before 9am.

I am a little to the west of you as well so I come up through Bletchingly and over Farthing Downs which is lovely on an early morning in the summer, although it is a bit of a steep climb up to Chaldon. Beauty is that the roads are tiny little roads which very few cars ever use,

That then keeps me a little further west compared with you so I skirt around Crystal Palace. I then cross over your route - I used to live in Dulwich so know a good cycle route from there which keeps you mostly away from the busy road:
- in the middle of Dulwich Village turn right on to Calton Ave
- cross over Dulwich Grove and along the cycle path Green Dale
- Champion Hill then cross over the top of Dog Kennel Hill and then turn left down Camberwell Grove
- zig zag right and left a few times to bring you into Burgess Park which you then go through
- up Portland Street
- another quick zig zag right and left so that you come out on the cycle path on the New Kent Road
- cross at some pedestrian/cycle lights into Rockingham Road
- cross over Newington Causeway into Southwark Bridge Road where you then join up with your current route.

Hope that makes sense. I've always found it a lot more pleasant than heading up Denmark Hill and it avoids the worst of the craziness of the Elephant and Castle junction.

[Daveyraveygravey]

I meant to add, with 30 miles each I wouldn't get too hung up on doing it every day. That's a good distance, and I know if I was doing that much every day I would be knackered permanently!
I give myself the option of riding in or not, I try to do it at least twice a week, sometimes it is every day. I find those weeks when I try it every day some of the fun goes out of it, somehow.

[curtisl]

Pachydermus said:

I've tried the lewisham route a few times but I find it takes longer as the narrower roads and lack of bus lanes mean you are constantly stuck behind cars. Seems to work ok for Curtis though, maybe he just rides over the top

Once I get to Downham, there is a Bus lane pretty much all the way to The Strand. There are quite a lot of sets of traffic lights but one day, you have all the luck and others you stop at every bloody light!

[idiotgap]

Thanks for the extraordinary detail Zigster, I've been studying it carefully and constructing another route to try. Your distance and origin make the insight very relevant!

I'm not too hung up on doing both ways every day by bike. For the next couple of weeks I'm going to do it once or twice if I can fit it in. Work up to maybe doing a there and back one day as a challenge.

Tonight, back home on the train, try and watch some Roubaix highlights I think I've managed to download onto my phone.

[Chainsaw Rebuild]

That's quite a big commute, certainly longer than mine was, so best of luck.

You could consider a 125cc motorbike, it would be like cycling but much faster and only a bit more to run.

[oyster]

OP, you're climbing Titsey Hill but worrying about Crystal Palace? The former is more than twice the height of the latter.

On a more practical note, if it's Anerley Hill in Crystal Palace that's causing an issue, perhaps go round the east of the park - Thicket Road and Crystal Palace Park Road to connect to Dulwich College - it's a much gentler incline.

[Kermit power]

idiotgap said:

Anyone got any advice around the longer commute in to London from the south? Hill avoidance in particular, current route takes in Gangers Hill and Crystal Palace. https://www.strava.com/activities/542014446

In case you're wondering why you just got Kudos from a 10yr old, that would be because I hadn't realised Strava was logged in on my son's login!

That's one hell of a commute!

[idiotgap]

oyster said:

OP, you're climbing Titsey Hill but worrying about Crystal Palace? The former is more than twice the height of the latter.

On a more practical note, if it's Anerley Hill in Crystal Palace that's causing an issue, perhaps go round the east of the park - Thicket Road and Crystal Palace Park Road to connect to Dulwich College - it's a much gentler incline.

I've been avoiding Titsey and Chalk Pit in favour of Gangers Hill - it's still quite burtal though. Anerley Hill isn't really a significant problem after that admittedly, but still good to have the options of cutting it out.

[idiotgap]

Kermit power said:

idiotgap said:

Anyone got any advice around the longer commute in to London from the south? Hill avoidance in particular, current route takes in Gangers Hill and Crystal Palace. https://www.strava.com/activities/542014446

In case you're wondering why you just got Kudos from a 10yr old, that would be because I hadn't realised Strava was logged in on my son's login!

That's one hell of a commute!

I was wondering! Cheers for the kudos.

I'm done for the week now, I finally made it all the way home on Tuesday night and it was a very enjoyable ride. Perfect evening in terms of weather, mood etc. I didn't deviate from my original route because I've not yet settled on the plan and I don't have a garmin so route finding with more than a few twists and turns is a pain of frequent stopping and checking the phone.

I'm not going back in again this week because my parents are staying for a couple of days and I don't want to tell my mum I'm cycling in London, feels a bit strange to be saying that at 40!

All being well I'll try a Farthing Downs based route on Monday.

[mooseracer]

Kudos from me too, and )) about not wanting to tell your Mum!

[mooseracer]

Kudos from me too, and )) about not wanting to tell your Mum!