Commuting essentials!
Discussion
After battling with the tube for the total of 2 whole weeks I hate it!
Based purely on a leisurely ride around London on saturday where I clocked up 11 miles on my totally anti-commuter friendly Commencal meta 5.5.1 in just under an hour, nobblies n'all!
So, I've got my camelback bag to sling my work clothes in, bought some Catseye's lights to be seen, have a high vis, what else do I need, and any recommendations?
I'd need some gloves (what are Enduro Dexters like?) and some clear glasses, and possibly a commuter firendly bike when I sell my car............
Also edited to add its a 13 mile commute from Islington to Stanmore, how long do you think it will take?
Based purely on a leisurely ride around London on saturday where I clocked up 11 miles on my totally anti-commuter friendly Commencal meta 5.5.1 in just under an hour, nobblies n'all!
So, I've got my camelback bag to sling my work clothes in, bought some Catseye's lights to be seen, have a high vis, what else do I need, and any recommendations?
I'd need some gloves (what are Enduro Dexters like?) and some clear glasses, and possibly a commuter firendly bike when I sell my car............
Also edited to add its a 13 mile commute from Islington to Stanmore, how long do you think it will take?
Edited by AlecG on Thursday 2nd October 09:55
My commuting checklist would be
1. Good lights (I am using B&Ms with a Shimano dynohub plus a couple of tescos value LEDS and loads of reflective tape)
2. Waterproofs
3. Mudguards with decent mudflaps
4. Panniers - I use Clarijs, which lock to the rack so I don't have to take them off.
5. Puncture proof tyres like Schwalbe Marathon Plus
6. A bike with sit up and beg geometry so I can see the
s who are about to knock me off (bad ride in this morning, saw a girl in front of me narrowly avoid losing her foot from the ankle down cos a prick in a Golf decided not to look left when using the cycle lane and path to squeeze up the inside of a car turning left).
7. A bike with full chain guard, hub gears and brakes so I don't have to worry about maintenance or bike rack abuse.
I think my perfect commuter bike would be a Thorn Raven Tour with a hebie chain glider or a Azor Secret Service.
1. Good lights (I am using B&Ms with a Shimano dynohub plus a couple of tescos value LEDS and loads of reflective tape)
2. Waterproofs
3. Mudguards with decent mudflaps
4. Panniers - I use Clarijs, which lock to the rack so I don't have to take them off.
5. Puncture proof tyres like Schwalbe Marathon Plus
6. A bike with sit up and beg geometry so I can see the
s who are about to knock me off (bad ride in this morning, saw a girl in front of me narrowly avoid losing her foot from the ankle down cos a prick in a Golf decided not to look left when using the cycle lane and path to squeeze up the inside of a car turning left).7. A bike with full chain guard, hub gears and brakes so I don't have to worry about maintenance or bike rack abuse.
I think my perfect commuter bike would be a Thorn Raven Tour with a hebie chain glider or a Azor Secret Service.
Prime requirement for me was a shower at work.
After that it's kit to keep me warm and safe (lots of lights, mudguards of some sort, decent cycling-specific waterproof jacket). I always rode in shorts in all weathers as it was easier to clean my legs every day than to have loads of pairs of leggings/trousers.
After that it's kit to keep me warm and safe (lots of lights, mudguards of some sort, decent cycling-specific waterproof jacket). I always rode in shorts in all weathers as it was easier to clean my legs every day than to have loads of pairs of leggings/trousers.
OK, my tips for essentials are:
Either clip in pedals or those toe hooky things (which I have, but don't know the name of)
Defo carry two spare inner tubes
All in one tool kit/army knife type thing in case of problems.
If you need to be smart in the office, get an Eagle Creek shirt carrier, it's just a folding thing, but helps keep smart shirts fairly tidy
You may need to have an option of using panniers as your lower back may get painful 13 miles each way everyday.
Agree with other comments on thinnest tyres you can get - 28mm probably a good compromise between speed and robustness - Armedillo's have served me very very well
As you say, gloves, a must even in summer in case you fall off
You say you have got some lights - now go and buy another set as well - double up on that, it's vital in the darkening days
Waterproofs aren't the be all and end all, but cycling shoes that are partly water-proof is probably a nice-to-have
As for time, 13 miles could take about 50mins I guess - depends on a lot of factors though.
Oh and a pump....
Either clip in pedals or those toe hooky things (which I have, but don't know the name of)
Defo carry two spare inner tubes
All in one tool kit/army knife type thing in case of problems.
If you need to be smart in the office, get an Eagle Creek shirt carrier, it's just a folding thing, but helps keep smart shirts fairly tidy
You may need to have an option of using panniers as your lower back may get painful 13 miles each way everyday.
Agree with other comments on thinnest tyres you can get - 28mm probably a good compromise between speed and robustness - Armedillo's have served me very very well
As you say, gloves, a must even in summer in case you fall off
You say you have got some lights - now go and buy another set as well - double up on that, it's vital in the darkening days
Waterproofs aren't the be all and end all, but cycling shoes that are partly water-proof is probably a nice-to-have
As for time, 13 miles could take about 50mins I guess - depends on a lot of factors though.
Oh and a pump....
I have been commuting into work for about 8 years now. I use;
My Orange mountain bike with slicks (don't worry about mudguards etc..)
Good lights and ankle strips.
Waterproof jacket
Decent gloves
And thats about it really. The main thing for me is the shower at work. As for clothes, the most sensible thing to do (if you have the option) is to leave your work shoes and two pairs of trousers at work on rotation then take clean boxers (not much fun wearing soaking ones all day!), socks and a shirt in each day.
I use a carrier bag with my shirt folded like they do it in the shops then lay it down flat in my bag (best to use a record style bag) and it stays neat by the time I get it on at work.
I also leave all my wash stuff, razor and towell at work. It's all you need to do really unless you have many client vists and need to look immaculate everyday.
My Orange mountain bike with slicks (don't worry about mudguards etc..)
Good lights and ankle strips.
Waterproof jacket
Decent gloves
And thats about it really. The main thing for me is the shower at work. As for clothes, the most sensible thing to do (if you have the option) is to leave your work shoes and two pairs of trousers at work on rotation then take clean boxers (not much fun wearing soaking ones all day!), socks and a shirt in each day.
I use a carrier bag with my shirt folded like they do it in the shops then lay it down flat in my bag (best to use a record style bag) and it stays neat by the time I get it on at work.
I also leave all my wash stuff, razor and towell at work. It's all you need to do really unless you have many client vists and need to look immaculate everyday.
Thanks all for your input... Think I should purchase some tyres soon then, as currently (due to the XC nature of my bike) I'm rolling on 2.2 and 2.3 inch wide nobblies, haha!
Dress at work is smart/casual, so but I will look into the carrier. I take a lot of spares with me anyway and tools, and a pump for my suspension and tyres!
Dress at work is smart/casual, so but I will look into the carrier. I take a lot of spares with me anyway and tools, and a pump for my suspension and tyres!
AlecG said:
Thanks all for your input... Think I should purchase some tyres soon then, as currently (due to the XC nature of my bike) I'm rolling on 2.2 and 2.3 inch wide nobblies, haha!
Dress at work is smart/casual, so but I will look into the carrier. I take a lot of spares with me anyway and tools, and a pump for my suspension and tyres!
You might want to lock that suspension!Dress at work is smart/casual, so but I will look into the carrier. I take a lot of spares with me anyway and tools, and a pump for my suspension and tyres!
Given your bike (and its weight relative to a road bike), I wouldn't worry too much about getting super-slim tyres - just anything that's pretty much slick; it's the knobbles that are going to hold you back rather than the weight / aerodynamics. A bit more volume in a (say) 2.0 or 2.1 slick will allow you to crash through potholes and hop kerbs etc without killing your rims.
Not sure I'd bother locking the suspension either - 26 miles a day with it locked out is likely to kill the seals in fairly short order.
Best bet really, though, is to pick up an old rigid/hardtail clunker and use that instead of inflicting serious wear & tear on the "playtime" bike.
Not sure I'd bother locking the suspension either - 26 miles a day with it locked out is likely to kill the seals in fairly short order.
Best bet really, though, is to pick up an old rigid/hardtail clunker and use that instead of inflicting serious wear & tear on the "playtime" bike.
AlecG said:
After battling with the tube for the total of 2 whole weeks I hate it!
Based purely on a leisurely ride around London on saturday where I clocked up 11 miles on my totally anti-commuter friendly Commencal meta 5.5.1 in just under an hour, nobblies n'all!
So, I've got my camelback bag to sling my work clothes in, bought some Catseye's lights to be seen, have a high vis, what else do I need, and any recommendations?
I'd need some gloves (what are Enduro Dexters like?) and some clear glasses, and possibly a commuter firendly bike when I sell my car............
Also edited to add its a 13 mile commute from Islington to Stanmore, how long do you think it will take?
As for time, i used to cycle from uxbridge to stanmore ( honeypot lane ) that is 11 miles and that took me around an hour to do, so i would leave and hour and ten/fifthteen minutes to start with, depends on your bike, i used to do it on a crappy town bike, on my road bike now I would think about 50 minutes easy.Based purely on a leisurely ride around London on saturday where I clocked up 11 miles on my totally anti-commuter friendly Commencal meta 5.5.1 in just under an hour, nobblies n'all!
So, I've got my camelback bag to sling my work clothes in, bought some Catseye's lights to be seen, have a high vis, what else do I need, and any recommendations?
I'd need some gloves (what are Enduro Dexters like?) and some clear glasses, and possibly a commuter firendly bike when I sell my car............
Also edited to add its a 13 mile commute from Islington to Stanmore, how long do you think it will take?
Edited by AlecG on Thursday 2nd October 09:55
I'm not especially fit but my 5 mile commute is around 20 minutes (on slicks), a little less if the weather's kind and I'm feeling strong.
That's deliberately taking a route that is mostly flat with the minimum of road junctions, traffic lights etc. The more urban your route gets, the more variable it will be I guess.
That's deliberately taking a route that is mostly flat with the minimum of road junctions, traffic lights etc. The more urban your route gets, the more variable it will be I guess.
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