So whats daily commuting on a bike really like?

[shouldbworking]

My work is probably moving further away, ruining my main transport option (I car share at the moment and take my Lancia when thats not possible). Modern cars are too expensive, and the Lancia whilst reliable-ish when it does need work the parts can take ages to get hold of.

With that in mind and doing a DAS course (cbt tomorrow!) as a fun way of spending holiday time I am very tempted to get a bike as I can get a good one cheaply and save money on fuel.

Of course not having had any experience yet I dont know what the reality of it is. People say its cold - really? surely protective windproof gear mitigates this.

The route would be ~15-6 miles on rural a roads

[Nimbus]

Great idea on doing the DAS course as a holiday, you'll love it

I did mine at the end of last summer with the idea of commuting to work, as my journey, ( 18 miles of A road ), can take anywhere between 20 minutes, and 5 hours. Parking is also getting a problem.

So far its worked out fine, I have the benefit of a £300 snotter for the rainy and icy days, but in general I use the bike as much as possible.
On an average day its no quicker, but on those nightmare days, its fantastic

Best of all tho, I'm always in a better mood when I get to work, and I enjoy the ride home

Sadly my poor 911 isnt getting used at all, and will soon be sold I think..

Good luck with the course

[Taita]

Its ace!

[Chilli]

That sort of diatance on those kinda roads will be quality. You won't get cold if you have the right gear on. Go for it, nothing to lose.

[lawrence567]

I've commuted to work on my bike since i had a ped... about 4 years now in wind rain & sunshine.
I enjoy the ride to work as it wakes me up in preparation for the day ahead.
In the winter i wear a full set of textiles that go over my clothes (waterproof too) they have an innner layer that if i must admit im too hot in in the winter! (but it is removable)!
& i wear a neck warmer - best piece of kit ever!
along obv with boots and some thick richa leather gloves.
I've ridden in in 0'C before and i must honestly say i dont feel the cold that much when fully wrapped up!

[lawrence567]

To add to that it's also a darn site cheaper to run, tax, park & on the hellish days when theres taffic its a lot quicker!

[dern]

shouldbworking said:

Of course not having had any experience yet I dont know what the reality of it is. People say its cold - really? surely protective windproof gear mitigates this.

You can stay completely dry and warm with the right kit. Dry is relatively easy with decent textile stuff and the stuff I got from HG is great and I reproof it every 6 months. Boots to keep your feet dry is piss easy. Gloves are more difficult I've found but with a combination of heated grips and bar muffs I just wear summer gloves through the winter now and dry warm, dry and in control.

As to what daily commuting is like... you'll either like it or you won't. I didn't initially but now hate using the car.

[barry sheene]

best bit of the day, the ride to work, the ride home, everything else is just waiting

[Hyperion]

barry sheene said:

best bit of the day, the ride to work, the ride home, everything else is just waiting

That about sums it up.
I commute 35 miles each way and it's the highlight of my day. I have the option of a car, but even if it's raining I'll always take the bike. My Car just sits on the drive as a backup should it snow or be really icy (it doesn't get used much!!) I suppose I could sell it, but it's not costing me anything and it's nice to have something to fall back on.

[lawrence567]

I don't drive so i cant drive although i work for the same company as my brother so i can always get a lift with him in his car but i'd rather ride tbh!

[shouldbworking]

Thanks for the input - So weather isnt much of an issue unless its extreme and / or you have bad gear?

What about reliability - you see so many low mileage bikes about, is this due to reliability or just because people buy them for weekends and rarely use them?

thinking about an sv650 for a first bike - v twin character with some reliability thrown in.

[lawrence567]

SV's are a good starter bike...
I got a Thundercat as i preferred the inline 4 to the 4 twins!
Weather isnt much of an issue to me.
I dislike wind more than rain!
& yeh buy decent gear and you'll be fine!
If you look after your bike, service it regularly, oil the chain
etc etc. It should be fine.

[dern]

shouldbworking said:

What about reliability - you see so many low mileage bikes about, is this due to reliability or just because people buy them for weekends and rarely use them?

Define 'low' but in general it's the latter.

[Hooli]

barry sheene said:

best bit of the day, the ride to work, the ride home, everything else is just waiting

thats it too a tee.

as to low mileage bikes, as you say most people buy them as toys & hardly use them.

[Ace-T]

shouldbworking said:

thinking about an sv650 for a first bike - v twin character with some reliability thrown in.

As has been said the SV is a good starter bike (why I bought one!) but can suffer from bad corrosion if you don't smother it in protective gunk through winter.

forums.sv650.org is the place to ask specific questions about the SV. Friendly bunch too.

Trace

[Rick448]

I commute 60 miles a day and it is great, buy some decent gear and enjoy it. I use Gerbing heated gloves for the depths of winter and my hands are toasty, well worth the cash. My only wish is that the roads where a bit twistier and less city work, however that is what my weekend bike is for

[Ruttager]

I have about 12 miles of open country, twisty roads to get to work and have been commuting on the bike all week. Its been great. The time it takes me to get home in the evening has increased from around 20 mins to, on one day in particular, over an hour.... well, who can blame me for taking the odd detour

My bike has some nice touches like heated grips so come winter I still plan to use it. I just need to get me some decent all weather gear.

[davidgt4]

Just gone back to commuting daily on a bike (FJR 1300) after a 10 year break. Doing wonders for my sanity and as the others say I now really look forward to the commute!

Aerostich one-piece suit is great for zipping quickly over my smart clothes and I'll just have to get a crew cut to cope with helmet hair...

[UpTheIron]

I've been commuting by bike for just over 3 months now.

Good bits:
- I arrive at work far, far less stressed...not just because I don't get stuck in traffic, but also because I don't spend the whole journey thinking about work...I spend it thinking about riding.
- There are few better feelings than (safely) filtering past cage drivers.
- Complete strangers will speak to you when you are both on bikes...just like the TVR thing but more mainstream.
- The fact that you can leave to go to/from work at any time and know it will take roughly the same time to get to your destination regardless of the traffic and time of day is absolutely priceless.
- The girls in the office love bikers

Bad bits:
- Sometimes it does take a bit of planning if you have to pack/carry extra gear.
- If you ride anything remotely interesting it probably won't be much cheaper than by car.
- If you commute a decent distance (I do 100 miles a day) you will find yourself keeping a collection of jerry cans or filling up daily.

Other thoughts:
1. There is no such thing as bad biking weather, just bad biking gear!
2. If you get into biking purely for commuting (as I did) you will quickly find yourself looking for a "weekend bike"

[Robertjp]

echo everything that has been said here. I used to do my commute in a fiesta TDI - which was great on fuel, but just sooo dull. did my test earlier this year and the car has done less than 100 miles since!!

Thats a daily 80 mile commute. What the most unbelievable thing is is that the SV uses less fuel than the fiesta!! I also get to work 15 minutes earlier and no matter what the traffic is like.

Still working on getting all waterproof gear as it can be bloody expensive for Goretex gear -which is the only thing i would trust after mmany years of walking / camping!