Thinking of starting commuting tips welcomed

symo

matthewdunn wrote:

Kieran_burns
symo
Whats a setpost mounted racks? Can't seem to find one.

Try http://www.alpkit.com/shop/ for the gourdon rucksack

and

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/top ... k-ec005992

for the beam rack

The Chingford Skinhead

My tips

1 plan your route and try it out on a quiet day first

2 If you haven't cycled for a while (or even if you think you are an expert) consider gettnng some training - lots of local authorities offer subsidised or free access to training.

3. Enjoy it. Ignore the silly commuter racing thread for the moment. Just get on the bike and enjoy the view. Plenty of time to get into tailing and passing the bright jacket you see in the distance

4 Be seen. Bright clothes, lights and signal your intention clearly to drivers. Lots of nutters out there - including other cyclists.

5 Obey the highway code. We all suffer for those who don't. Somehow breaking the law by red light jumping is seen as a far more serious crime by "society" than speeding recklessly, where the general view appears to be to moan about too many cameras (Basil Fawlty would say "don't mention the 3000+ deaths").

6 Helmet - I wear one but simply because if you are unfortunate enough to have an accident lawyers will use the lack of a helmet to argue contributory negligence for any head injury - that's about 25% off! Don't imagine it will save your life.

7 did I mention to enjoy it...

sc999cs

girv73 wrote:

13 miles might be a big ask if you've not cycled much before.

But you'll soon find that it is hardly noticeable after a few months once your fitness increases. I do the shortest commute of this forum - 5 miles a day (in total), hardly worthwhile but I love cycling so do it anyway. I also cycle roughly the equivalent of 20 miles each night on a turbo trainer. Last week I went for a short 70 miles audax ride up some quite steep hills (on a full suspension MTB!) and at the end, after eight hours (I wasn't the slowest either), I felt I could ride the thing again.

The point is the more you cycle, the easier it becomes. The easier it is the more you'll want to cycle - one of the few win win situations around.

Just to re-emphasise two comments. You don't have to cycle every day and enjoy it.

toshmund

Big thumbs up for the helmet! I attach a led torch to it as well (£2.68 from Hong Kong off ebay - superb piece of kit!) Gives me the focus point just in front of the wheel if you are cycling in poorly lit areas. Especially with the windy autumn nights just starting, branches and debris in the road. Along with the potholes.

Always carry a chocolate bar as well, if I feel as though I am flagging a bit. I am losing weight but the margin of error to be calorie deficient, is so much higher now

always_tyred

sc999cs wrote:

girv73 wrote:

13 miles might be a big ask if you've not cycled much before.

I do the shortest commute of this forum - 5 miles a day (in total), hardly worthwhile but I love cycling so do it anyway. I also cycle roughly the equivalent of 20 miles each night on a turbo trainer.

2nd shortest...

Got to ask - why do you use a trainer instead of taking a circuitous route to/from work? Turbo trainers are a form of punishment aren't they?

coffeecup

top tips:

1 - prepare for some initial saddle soreness. If you haven't cycled much before and plan to do 10-13 miles it may be fairly intense, but rest assured that it will go away the more you cycle!!!

2 - get yourself seen. Bright lights and flourescent jacket

3 - make sure you've fast tyres and pump them up nice and hard. Tyres are relatively inexpensive, but the difference between big nobbly mountain bike tyres and something slicker can be minutes over 10-13 miles

4 - i use this for folding my shirts and bring fresh ones in every 3-4 days. I leave my backpack behind on the other days. (Make sure you keep it in a decent plastic bag inside your backpack/pannier to keep your clothes nice and dry)

5 - carry one or two spare tubes and a pump and know how to use them

6 - enjoy it!!!! Don't overdo it. And remember - if getting wet is the worst thing to happen to you all day, then that sounds like a pretty good day to me!!

msw

a few other top tips and seconding some earlier ones:

- pretty soon you will start seeing this year's models of things like the Specialized Allez sold at a discount as the 2009 models start to arrive in shops - on a lower priced bike this could be about a 15-20% discount, say a £550 bike discounted to £450.

- if you keep dry you're unlikely to get cold, especially if you're trying quite hard. I found a light, windproof rain jacket got more wear than the padded fleecy one, which made me too hot. But your hands do get cold so get some waterproof gloves (mine are Altura).

- you'll appreciate mudguards in the wet but if your bike doesn't have the mountings or the clearance between wheel and brake you can get clip-on ones called RaceBlades that do an OK job.

- someone else said it, but always carry inner tubes, tyre levers and a pump -- better that than have to fix a puncture by the roadside or lock the bike and leave it.

The best thing? Pretty soon you'll find it's amazing how even the worst day at work is shucked off by the time you get home to the front door...

cheers
Martin

the_hundredth_idiot

girv73 wrote:

13 miles might be a big ask if you've not cycled much before. Have you tried going that distance in an evening? Better than setting out on your first day and not making it!

I'll offer a tip for motivation: once you're into cycle commuting, any day you don't feel like cycling, take the bus/car/whatever. You'll soon realise once more why you take the bike

+1 re motivation point.

sc999cs

Always Tyred wrote:

sc999cs wrote:

girv73 wrote:

13 miles might be a big ask if you've not cycled much before.

I do the shortest commute of this forum - 5 miles a day (in total), hardly worthwhile but I love cycling so do it anyway. I also cycle roughly the equivalent of 20 miles each night on a turbo trainer.

2nd shortest...

Got to ask - why do you use a trainer instead of taking a circuitous route to/from work? Turbo trainers are a form of punishment aren't they?

Unfortunately one of my children is disabled - severely autistic - and we can't get after school care for him. Very few people want to know about looking after disabled children. As a result my employers, who are very good, allow me flexible working so I take a very long, late lunch so I can look after him until my wife finishes work. Trouble is I have to head off straight to work when his bus comes in the morning, and straight home in the late afternoon to maximise my hours at work. Most days I only beat the bus back by a few minutes and the children on it are desperate to beat me, they managed it the other day. I don't get home until very late following my second stint at work for the day but it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Hence the trainer. It is a form of torture, but I can watch loads of films yet not be a couch potato at the same time.

symo

sc999cs wrote:

Unfortunately one of my children is disabled - severely autistic - and we can't get after school care for him. Very few people want to know about looking after disabled children. As a result my employers, who are very good, allow me flexible working so I take a very long, late lunch so I can look after him until my wife finishes work. Trouble is I have to head off straight to work when his bus comes in the morning, and straight home in the late afternoon to maximise my hours at work. Most days I only beat the bus back by a few minutes and the children on it are desperate to beat me, they managed it the other day. I don't get home until very late following my second stint at work for the day but it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
.

You are a great human being.

linsen

You have good employers too

il_principe

jjojjas wrote:

Finally, ignore fashion If its really cold (as in minus) then I have been known to cycle in an old pair of jeans. I'm no different when I get to the end of the journey, except my legs are warmer.

Not sure what this has to do with fashion. I really wouldn't recommend riding in jeans for any distance... i use bibtights when it's really cold, trust me they don't look fashionable but they do the job a damn sight better than denim...

Oh and commuting bike actually is the best thing since sliced bread, and that's a FACT.

symo

I've had my new errr... alpkit :oops: denim on the motorcycle this morning and I did not feel the wind at all. Or slight shower.

il_principe

symo wrote:

I've had my new errr... alpkit :oops: denim on the motorcycle this morning and I did not feel the wind at all. Or slight shower.

Motorbike saddles are a tad different to bike one though, less likelihood of chafing...

SmellTheGlove

Great effort to start at this time of year.

So much good advice above especially about enjoying it.

If you haven't done a recce already, try doing one at the w/end when there's no pressure and you can explore possible shortcuts (or longcuts through that extra 500 yards of forest track etc...)

Also tyre pressures up = effort down.

Finally I can only add, don't be a slave to momentum. If a situation seems in the slightest bit hairy, use the stoppers.

sc999cs

linsen wrote:

You have good employers too

Yes I do.

R34PER

i found it took me a lot longer than expected on my first few rides in to work as my trial run was a still day then my first real run was into a headwind all the way and i think it added on 10+ mins to the route :shock:

i also found that after about 2-3 weeks of cycling 2 days a week i got over saddle sore. padded shorts are great though. high tyre pressure is the way forward... you can really notice the difference. oh and clear or yellow tint glasses are really helpful at keeping the eyes dry on chilly mornings/nights. clothes; personally i ride in one set, work in another and keep a spare set incase i happen to have got soaked on the way in.

:idea: always keep an eye on other road users, i cant even count the amount of times that regular looks over my shoulder and expecting the unexpected have saved me from a close shave or worse :idea:

biondino

R34PER wrote:

clear or yellow tint glasses are really helpful at keeping the eyes dry on chilly mornings/nights.

And they keep the crap from the streets from getting in your eyes, especially around this time of year when leaf litter is everywhere. I can't even ride without glasses these days, it's become such a big deal for me.

Kieran_Burns

How do you keep the glasses mist / rain free? I had a right nightmare this morning with the fog!

girv73

I don't - I close my eyes and use The Force.

demBones

i'm a relatively new commuter 3 months (13 miles round trip) and counting but here is my 2 pennies worth

another vote for the glasses. been hit by a small stone and some idiots with a water pistol going in the opposite direction v glad i was wearing them. mine are cheap dhb ones with interchangeable lenses clear blue and dark.

i have a deuter transalpine 30 backpack and has a built in waterproof cover which is good. although i am going to try and use a saddle /frame bag combo when i come back from holiday in pursuit of more speed!!

I also wear a helmet for the same reasons as mentioned above.

I rent a locker in a gym near work(£10 per month) and use their towel service(another tenner a month) and have my shirts laundered at work but this means i only need to carry socks etc to/from work.

I have some decent cateye lights (rear holy hand grenade and front single shot plus) but im going to get a fenix shortly as the beam on my front light isn't good enough when its really dark.

looking forward to cycling through the winter it's soooo much better than the m62.

I have also nearly completed the slide from baggies to full lyrca/technical clothing. it may happen to you. if it does just embrace it. lol

Specialized Needs

R34PER wrote:

i also found that after about 2-3 weeks of cycling 2 days a week i got over saddle sore.

I, too, have been pleasantly surprised how different it is now, compared to a couple of months back when I started - much less sore. I thought it was always going to be that way after 4 or 5 rides. But not so. I don't use any padding either, other than what nature (and my wayward eating past) has endowed me with :roll: .

R34PER wrote:

oh and clear or yellow tint glasses are really helpful at keeping the eyes dry on chilly mornings/nights.

Excellent point. Yellow lenses really do help my sight in the morning/evening twilight (as well as protecting my eyes from bugs, grit and other projectiles). I keep 2 sets of glasses to hand - one with yellows and one set up as sunglasses. The only problem being me not realising how dim it is to the other road users and so how difficult I must be to see. So I leave my rear light on all of the time, now.

Stuart

R34PER

Kieran_Burns wrote:

How do you keep the glasses mist / rain free? I had a right nightmare this morning with the fog!

gloves with a "snot pad" (not sure what its actualy called) or i'm sure i have seen a clip on thingy somewhere (for your glove/hand) for motorcycle visors like a little window wiper

secretsam

Kieran_Burns wrote:

How do you keep the glasses mist / rain free? I had a right nightmare this morning with the fog!

I may be imagining it, but I'm sure smearing washing up liquid on them works????

I'm not going to offer top tips, too much good sense being talked here, and I'm too much of a pathetic noob (10 miles per day)

Keep your eyes open, though

Kieran_Burns

SecretSam wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

How do you keep the glasses mist / rain free? I had a right nightmare this morning with the fog!

I may be imagining it, but I'm sure smearing washing up liquid on them works????

I'm not going to offer top tips, too much good sense being talked here, and I'm too much of a pathetic noob (10 miles per day)

Keep your eyes open, though

it does until it rains - and then you look a right Fairy.....

Oh, God I did it again.... <mental note: develope sense of humour>

I'm going on a quest now to see what can be done to remove mist from the glasses.... wish me luck I may be some time.

secretsam

Kieran_Burns wrote:

it does until it rains - and then you look a right Fairy.....

...ah, yes, the obvious flaw in my cunning plan...<<slinks away, feeling stupid>>

symo

Spit on them and rub it in.