The daily "I cycled to work" thread
Discussion
bakerstreet said:
London Midland? Where are you coming from and travelling to? Only reason I'm asking is I get a London midland train from kings Langley to London Euston everyday. If you have the same trains that we have, people expect you to leave bikes in the door area.
I tuck my pedal into the gap between the glass and the pole, so it takes up minimum space.
There is no glass and pole - this is a local train into Birmingham. The 'Midland' bit I tuck my pedal into the gap between the glass and the pole, so it takes up minimum space.
v15ben said:
Does anyone on the thread commute around 20 miles or so each way?
I do. I cycle 17 miles each way which takes in the region of between 50-60 minutes depending on the wind/traffic/legs. It's relatively flat (250m climb each way) and all on road (some half arsed effort at cycle path involving a white line on the edge of the road).Edited by v15ben on Tuesday 5th July 16:46
I started riding it occasionally, then more frequently as I got fitter. Last year I cycled 6,000 miles, mostly of that was commuting. This year I've been getting a free lift with a colleague who moved around the corner so I've got a bit lazy recently.
Try and enjoy it and then it won't seem like a chore. Feels a long way if your heart isn't in it though!
Apparently I took the direct route in to the office this morning: https://www.strava.com/activities/633906906
Afternoon plans have changed, which means I can take a proper detour on the way home, will be my first decent ride in a month!
Afternoon plans have changed, which means I can take a proper detour on the way home, will be my first decent ride in a month!
Had today off work, the weather was quite nice, so did this
https://www.strava.com/activities/634038236
Oddly, my Garmin had it at a 17.1 average (Always find strava a little slower...maybe it accounts for stops?)
Had to stop twice....once for a nature call, and annoyingly, once for a few minutes over a train crossing. Otherwise a nice ride and well over 4k ft of climb....that followed a lot of riding yesterday as well.
Enjoyed it, and was my longest solo ride for quite some time! Didn't push hard, intensity factor was just 0.702, and finished feeling pretty good and could easily have gone a fair bit further.
https://www.strava.com/activities/634038236
Oddly, my Garmin had it at a 17.1 average (Always find strava a little slower...maybe it accounts for stops?)
Had to stop twice....once for a nature call, and annoyingly, once for a few minutes over a train crossing. Otherwise a nice ride and well over 4k ft of climb....that followed a lot of riding yesterday as well.
Enjoyed it, and was my longest solo ride for quite some time! Didn't push hard, intensity factor was just 0.702, and finished feeling pretty good and could easily have gone a fair bit further.
v15ben said:
Luck ran out massively today with a crash outside work.
Swerved to avoid a kid who turned right in front of me, face and leg took the impact on the concrete. Nice helping of gravel rash on my hand and arm too.
Luckily I was whisked back to work to get looked at by a first aider within a minute or two.
Glad I was wearing a helmet and fully expect to be a laughing stock at work on Monday too! Very achy and looking forward to my first ever black eye at the age of 30!
Before...Swerved to avoid a kid who turned right in front of me, face and leg took the impact on the concrete. Nice helping of gravel rash on my hand and arm too.
Luckily I was whisked back to work to get looked at by a first aider within a minute or two.
Glad I was wearing a helmet and fully expect to be a laughing stock at work on Monday too! Very achy and looking forward to my first ever black eye at the age of 30!
...after.
Why I wear gloves all year round.
Lucky you have understanding employers. Not many would send their first aiders out for an off site issue.
I took the aerobars off my roadbike, which I've (occasionally) been using for time trials, aand (mainly) been using for smasshing Strava records on my commute. This is because I'm doing the Kitson's Devon Classic on Sunday. Which is 100 miles over Dartmoor, and won't really require an aero position, the ability to effectively climb stood up is more important.
It still felt a bit weird this morning though.
Porridge with SIS Vanilla Whey Protein mixed in.
It still felt a bit weird this morning though.
Porridge with SIS Vanilla Whey Protein mixed in.
louiebaby said:
I took the aerobars off my roadbike, which I've (occasionally) been using for time trials, aand (mainly) been using for smasshing Strava records on my commute. This is because I'm doing the Kitson's Devon Classic on Sunday. Which is 100 miles over Dartmoor, and won't really require an aero position, the ability to effectively climb stood up is more important.
It still felt a bit weird this morning though.
Porridge with SIS Vanilla Whey Protein mixed in.
I have had my bars on my bike in preparation for a duathlon I done at the start of the month. I still haven't taken them off yet as I will be doing my first TT this week. I must say, as much as I must look like a complete tit in full on TT mode on a commute, I am liking my new cruising speeds. As long as I keep up the TT's then I have an excuse to keep them on!It still felt a bit weird this morning though.
Porridge with SIS Vanilla Whey Protein mixed in.
curtisl said:
louiebaby said:
I took the aerobars off my roadbike, which I've (occasionally) been using for time trials, aand (mainly) been using for smasshing Strava records on my commute. This is because I'm doing the Kitson's Devon Classic on Sunday. Which is 100 miles over Dartmoor, and won't really require an aero position, the ability to effectively climb stood up is more important.
It still felt a bit weird this morning though.
Porridge with SIS Vanilla Whey Protein mixed in.
I have had my bars on my bike in preparation for a duathlon I done at the start of the month. I still haven't taken them off yet as I will be doing my first TT this week. I must say, as much as I must look like a complete tit in full on TT mode on a commute, I am liking my new cruising speeds. As long as I keep up the TT's then I have an excuse to keep them on!It still felt a bit weird this morning though.
Porridge with SIS Vanilla Whey Protein mixed in.
E65Ross said:
What sort of speed difference are you seeing?
Maybe a couple of mph, but it was quite a headwind in this morning. The difference is the comfort vs how low you can go.The only change I've made, (as I want to just put the aerobars back on after the sportive, and not mess about with the other bits that were done on my TT fit,) was to remove the TT bars.
To get as low as I was without them, I need bent arms on the drops, which is much harder work to maintain than when on the aerobars.
Straight arms on the drops doesn't get me as low, but is more sustainable.
My TT setup isn't particularly agressive, as I'm 36, and as an ex-rower, not particularly flexible.
Gary C said:
Ho hum. In bed for a snooze before the first night shift. Hope it's not windy when I get up or I might wimp out.
Headwind all the way for me yesterday. Because I'm close to the coast it is usually but the sea breeze shift in the morning so I have a headwind in the morning as well. This morning I smashed my old record time by over two minutes but due to the near gale force tail wind the time doesn't count. 
I was looking at aerodynamic options before my off. Now I'm using a rucksack again instead of panniers my times have been better than before. I'll not use triathlon bars until my arm is healed. Thankfully we've not had the crappy hot summer yet so I've not melted yet.
E65Ross said:
curtisl said:
louiebaby said:
I took the aerobars off my roadbike, which I've (occasionally) been using for time trials, aand (mainly) been using for smasshing Strava records on my commute. This is because I'm doing the Kitson's Devon Classic on Sunday. Which is 100 miles over Dartmoor, and won't really require an aero position, the ability to effectively climb stood up is more important.
It still felt a bit weird this morning though.
Porridge with SIS Vanilla Whey Protein mixed in.
I have had my bars on my bike in preparation for a duathlon I done at the start of the month. I still haven't taken them off yet as I will be doing my first TT this week. I must say, as much as I must look like a complete tit in full on TT mode on a commute, I am liking my new cruising speeds. As long as I keep up the TT's then I have an excuse to keep them on!It still felt a bit weird this morning though.
Porridge with SIS Vanilla Whey Protein mixed in.
Liquid Knight said:
I experimented with leaning over the bars and resting my forearms on the grips this morning. It was okay for about a hundred yards then I hit a bump in the road and jarred my back. Triathlon bars can stay in the shop for now. 
I understand what you're saying, but when I had my TIME TRIAL bars set up, (not triathlon bars, I'm not a pervert ), we worked quite hard to have the pad fairly well back, only a few inches forward of my elbows.With that, you're carrying the weight in your elbows, not on the mid part of your forearms, so there is no "lever" effect of weight on the elbows, pivoting halfway up your arm, and then effectively meaning that you're holding onto the bars with your arms to stop your hands slipping up.
It does take a bit of getting used to, but I have started to find it more comfortable. The forearms on the grips is no use to me at all!
Steve vRS said:
I remove and replace the TT bars before and after every event. Always thought I'd look like a bit of a tit in the TT position with a rucksack on my back!
Might give it a go though as there is a nice long flat segment on my commute....
Since I'm either wearing a Heinz Beans top, or one to look like a waiter, I tend not to worry about looking a plonker.Might give it a go though as there is a nice long flat segment on my commute....
Simply by spending time on them, they've become more comfortable, so since my commute is the lion's share of my training, I need to use the bars.
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