Your top 3 tips that motivate you to ride to work please

davbay

Hi, my commute is 11.85 miles through the beautiful Cheshire countryside.

I aim to commute twice a week but find it very difficult sometimes to get motivated and it tires me out.

What's your top 3 tips to help you keep riding?

Thanks!

Mountainboy2465

Do you not feel better at the end of a day when you have ridden? I do, feel better, sleep better.

Getting out of the door earlier than I would have to if I was driving is sometimes a struggle but it is always worth it.

iain_j

1. The thought of the alternative - the bus. Paying for the priviledge of being crammed in and making such slow progress...

2. The burst of energy in the morning really wakes me up. Without the ride I feel lethargic all morning.

3. The smug feeling having got there when the weather's lousy, especially having a nice hot shower and change of clothes waiting for me, and then everyone else is moaning how terrible it was for them in their car.

geordiefella

tips for you fella

1. Leave your cycle stuff on the hallway radiator. get up, get em on, get down and get a cuppa.
2. get a bike that you love riding, feel good on and get out and feel good cranking the pedals to get a 'feel good' spin going. look around and enjoy the scenery / music...
3. tell everyone you know that you're riding to work. they'll ask you and you won't want to say you didn;t, so you do, ride that is, and then it gets a habit and you don't break habits that easy.
4. meditate a little over the feeling of riding your bike and relish the feeling of arriving at work under your own steam
5. get a comfy bag (i use howies chevron www.howies.co.uk) and keep your stuff in it all the time so you don't need to repack through the week. travel light and enjoy improving your ride and fitness, lowering your HR etc.
6. make a goal end of the summer. a sportive, a ride to your brothers house 80 miles away, the coast to coast in 2 days, anything to make your commute into some sort of goal based training too.

hows that...

Geordiefella from Geordieland

greg66_tri_v2.0

1. Having to.
2. Having to.
3. Having to.

The absence of any alternative is the supreme motivator.

cjcp

davbay wrote:

through the beautiful Cheshire countryside.

There's your first.

and it tires me out.

You'll get fitter. There's your second. 12 miles each way and you'll rack up some very decent mileage a week, month, year.

Third: in my case, it's better and faster than train and tube.

Good luck.

mtb-idle

1. as Geordie fella mentions I told everyone (especially those I see on the train) that i was going to start riding and then i couldn't back out
2. If i don't commute by bike I have to stare at the wall in my garage whilst on that bl**dy turbo trainer
3. It makes me lots fitter for MTB'ing at the weekend which is my first love

mtb-idle

re-reading your post I have posted 3 reasons why i commute so here's my top 3 tips as well

1/ Get your kit ready the night before and packed into your bag if possible including whatever you are wearing when you get to work. Much easier to get going in the morning

2/ Get your work arrangements sorted too. Hopefully you have a shower/changing facilities and a locker. I leave a bag at work in my locker with my suit, shoes, wash gear etc in it so i travel light and pick up my bag when i arrive

3/ Get your bike/kit sorted. Ensure you have all weather gear (important right now as well as when it gets hot in the summer), your bike is fully serviced and reliable and you carry a small tool kit/chainbreaker on you including pump and offerings for the p-fairy.

fidbod

a few thoughts.

for me I can either spend 40 minutes riding into work or 45 minutes on the tube. So I think of it a free work out - motivates me no end.

Always, always pack you bags before bed. Shave last thing before bed and you won't need to shave in the morning. All I have to do in the morning is put on my cycling kit and make my lunch. It means I can have an extra 15 minutes in bed and be in work on time.

If you are a fat b'stard like me weigh yourself ever week. Commute in 3 or 4 times a week and it strips the weight off - another great motivator.

always_tyred

For me, the thought of standing on a station platform having just been informed by a surly member of staff that I'll be late for work, followed closely by the thought of spending a week dealing with a cold I will have caught from the infected hoards on the train when it eventually arrives.

flamite

standing with my face in someones armpit and being shoved down the carriage, no thanks!

think of all the good you're doing your body

and its fun!

Wallace1492

1. Seeing the same people on the train
2. The fantastic "holier than thou" all day feeling after cycling
3. The cycle home...... just love it.. wow, I love it.

davbay

Wow! thanks very much for all your thoughts. Some useful encouragement there.

Fidbod - I am a 'secret' fat b@*tard as I look thin but discovered my body fat percentage is 18%.

My aim is to strip it down to 10%. (I had a body composition monitor for Crimbo).

My goal is to consistently commute twice per week (48 miles/week total) and I'll definitely try putting my kit on the radiator from now on as its bloody arctic out there.

Cheers for all your support. My commute is a lonely one and I rarely see other cyclists so thanks for the support!

Wallace1492

davbay wrote:

Wow! thanks very much for all your thoughts. Some useful encouragement there.

Fidbod - I am a 'secret' fat b@*tard as I look thin but discovered my body fat percentage is 18%.

My aim is to strip it down to 10%. (I had a body composition monitor for Crimbo).

My goal is to consistently commute twice per week (48 miles/week total) and I'll definitely try putting my kit on the radiator from now on as its bloody arctic out there.

Cheers for all your support. My commute is a lonely one and I rarely see other cyclists so thanks for the support!

18%!! No place for skinnies like you here!! get yourself over to the roadies forum!!

simonaspinall

There is only one motivator that can bring all bikers, bike-baiting motor journalists, society, government wrangling, racial harmony, world peace, the credit crunch, free love and the enlightenment of the conscious to brave a new dawn of harmony and progress...

SPRINT FINISH FRIDAY!!!!!!

My PB: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire to Leeds 35.02

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=heckmon ... CAoQ8gEwAA

Anybody else?

Canny Jock

I'm a bit simple, it just annoys me if I can't. This week I'm annoyed :evil:

Seriously though, I don't want to come over all 'do you know how lucky you are', but do you know how lucky you are? I look forward to commuting through South East London in the rain, god to be able to cycle through some nice countryside!

I think it's best to do it every day - makes it easier for me to get into a routine.

BreadOfHeaven

When I started bike commuting I promised myself that if I rode every day through the winter I'd buy myself a new bike in the spring. It worked, although come spring I was skint and didn't buy the bike.

Colleagues are amazed sometimes when I ride in very cold weather and ask me why I cycled but it's never a decision I make any more - that's just how I get to work.

shouldbeinbed

I'm a solo commuter on the north of manchester.

3 tips

1 - you said it, the beautiful cheshire countryside. you'll notice so much more of it on a bike and the wildlife you'll meet will be a real surprise.

2 - you'll be bouncing off the walls by the time you get into work wondering why the rest of them are in slow motion guzzling coffee and moaning

3- it gives you 'me' time (I've got wife, 3 kids, 3 dogs and a volunteer life - my commute is just for me and I love it). I put the working day to bed on my ride home, by the time I get through my front door I'm a whole different person and mych more chilled than when I have to drive or sit on public transport with a book and walkman. You don't get the same peace with any other form of trnsport

4- It gives me a buzz that the rest in the office think I'm mad for cycling as they have absolutely no idea what they're missing.

ride and enjoy.

roger_merriman

1) it's quick 15 mins don't have to use bike clothes.

2) it's though lovely back roads and a Royal Park so really nice.

3) bike is weather proof it has big mudguards so I don't end up with wet legs etc.

4) it keeps me active if not fit.

5) it's cheap no fuss transport.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Adds to my limited aerobic exercise, which is rather limited these days.

My normal route avoids the busy roads, going through The Common, which is a stress buster (unlike the car commute most days).

I arrive at work more alert and happier, which should in theory make me more productive!

singlespeedexplosif

1) I get to ride my bike more
2) Really nice de-stress at beginning and end of day
3) It's quicker and cheaper than going by either car or public transport.

Roastie

davbay wrote:

Hi, my commute is 11.85 miles through the beautiful Cheshire countryside.

I aim to commute twice a week but find it very difficult sometimes to get motivated and it tires me out.

What's your top 3 tips to help you keep riding?

Thanks!

In all cases, thought of the alternatives. Also, given that my commute is fairly long and (for last year anyways) I was able to include travel part by train, I was also able to get a good 40mins reading in each day.

dervish99

Always Tyred wrote:

For me, the thought of standing on a station platform having just been informed by a surly member of staff that I'll be late for work, followed closely by the thought of spending a week dealing with a cold I will have caught from the infected hoards on the train when it eventually arrives.

Couldn't agree more,

i can walk to the station in 10 mins, wait for a train which may or may not turn up, try to get on said train, then have to walk home, get changed and then get on the bike to get to work because said train did not turn up or i couldn't get on the dam thing.

So cut out the middle man and jump on the bike in the first place.

rolf_f

One thing that helps is habit - once it becomes the default commute method (5 days a week) it is much easier to just get on and do it; no decision to make.

I started gently last winter - waited for daylight to get me in on the canal and moved to the road route in Summer. Increased from a day or 2 a week to everyday I was in the office. Now I still cycle in even if I am travelling unless I have to get up particularly early or get back particularly late.

Until September I had a Metrocard which meant I'd prepaid on the buses - once that expired, I had the additional incentive of having to dust off the wallet if I wanted to take the bus. Since, if the bus is late, I can be stood at the bus stop for most of the time it takes to cycle in, paying for that privilege doesn't seem like a great deal.

It isn't so easy in this sort of weather but I find getting out of bed harder than kitting up and getting on the bike!

One thing that might help is just to allocate 2 specific days of the week for the commute. That avoids the decision unless the weather is foul. A bit of rain or cold really is much less unpleasant than you'd think so don't let that put you off.

Finally, sign up for SCS stats - gives you a little extra competitive motivation!

ricardo666

1 I get to ride my bike a 15 minute bike ride on a bad day this include the horrendous weather that we're having at the moment

2.Public transport is a joke £1.80 to ride 2 miles thats when the buses turn up. Not including a 10 minutes walk to the bus stop, and then another 10 minutes to work.

3. Oh if went in the car this would be a £1 a day for parking on top of the running of the car.

4. The money I save I can spend on my bike or holidays.

5. I hardly get a cough or cold from the infected humans on public transport since I've been biking to work.

6. Plenty of fresh air.

cyclopsbiker

davbay wrote:

Hi, my commute is 11.85 miles through the beautiful Cheshire countryside.

I aim to commute twice a week but find it very difficult sometimes to get motivated and it tires me out.

What's your top 3 tips to help you keep riding?

Thanks!

Lucky you...I'd love to have a commute in the countryside!! that alone should motivate you. just think of us lot in cities, some with no choice but to commute on busy urban roads.

my travel card expired at the end of September so that motivates me a whole lot - I now see the £££s I have to spend on train tickets if I don't cycle. I also find it easier to know that I'm just going to cycle every day. in fact my thoughts on this over Christmas were that the only things that will stop me are illness, ice and snow. so far this year only 1 day managed on the bike so not so good!! but, it is -8c on my balcony this morning. I also find it easier to do the commute everyday when I was doing it everyday - your fitness improves quite quickly but you do have to just get out there and do it. it does get easier. I got myself a computer so I know if I'm improving...which I was. so my motivating things are:

1. fitness
2. saving money
3. avoiding being squished in a train/tube (which takes longer than my commute/shower time) - and getting a seat everyday!!

as someone else said, rain and cold aren't really a problem, just wear the right gear and you'll love the feeling of arriving at work knowing you're improving your fitness and having a great view on the way

fenboy369

shouldbeinbed wrote:

I'm a solo commuter on the north of manchester.

3 tips

1 - you said it, the beautiful cheshire countryside. you'll notice so much more of it on a bike and the wildlife you'll meet will be a real surprise.

2 - you'll be bouncing off the walls by the time you get into work wondering why the rest of them are in slow motion guzzling coffee and moaning

3- it gives you 'me' time (I've got wife, 3 kids, 3 dogs and a volunteer life - my commute is just for me and I love it). I put the working day to bed on my ride home, by the time I get through my front door I'm a whole different person and mych more chilled than when I have to drive or sit on public transport with a book and walkman. You don't get the same peace with any other form of trnsport

4- It gives me a buzz that the rest in the office think I'm mad for cycling as they have absolutely no idea what they're missing.

ride and enjoy.

+ everything I've got and a bit more! Spot on there, espec No.3.

CiB

In no order:

1) Saves me ~£5 a day for each day I ride in.

2) Personal well-being. Better fitness, more alert, happier all round.

3) Superb countryside to spend an hour in at each end of the day

4) Being one up on those who 'have to drive' in to work.

5) Cycling is just great

6) Having a PB to aim for and beat.

7) Miles on the Stats board. That's the clincher these days; not tumbling down the Stats table, although it's happening now as cycling 20+ miles in this weather is a non-starter. Sign up to it - link below.

the_hundredth_idiot

My bike is in the hall by the front door. Bag packed and next to it. Jacket and helmet hanging from the handlebars.

The alternative is to repack my bag for travelling by train, walk past the bike out the door and 10 mins walk to the train station, queue for a ticket (as no season ticket any more so there is also a direct financial cost of getting the train), nose to armpit for 17 minutes to London Bridge, do the commuter shuffle along with 1,000 other people to get through the turnstiles, and then a further 7 minutes walk to the office.

No comparison; no decision to be made. Commuting by bike is the default for me.

sportbilly1976

My daily routine...

shower (none at work, but only 7 miles and fresh sweat doesn't smell)
pack lunch
pick pre-packed bag up, attach to pannier & off I go...

takes currently about 30 mins on knobbly-tyred hybrid as I'm out-of-shape.

get to work feeling full of vigour and energy - no coffee required either...

even in the cold it is good, keeps me from not getting colds/flus too....even in Manchester I'd say I had 3 or 4 trips in heavy rain last year

acts as a way of de-stressing my mind from work after a busy day

also the bus/tram alternative would cost £20 per week so save the ££'s towards holidays...

...and then you have the ability to push things a bit harder on the way home, shower, relax and not feel quite so guilty about having a glass of red watching telly

skins2

I'm lucky enough to have the choice of either a V8 5 series or the wife's 59-plate John Cooper Works Mini to get to work by car. It's a pleasant countryside drive with no traffic to speak of and mainly fun, derestricted roads. There is also plenty of free parking at work.

But I always cycle unless I *have* to drive for work purposes. I used to find it hard-going but if you stick at it and you have the right gear it gets better. I also have absolutely no excuse having just bought a load of Gore clothing, Exposure lights and studded tyres. The sheer amount of money I've spent from the joint account on cycle gear would mean that if I didn't cycle SWMBO would make my life not worth living.

So I guess for me the main motivation first thing in the morning is having no excuse not to cycle and avoiding a severe beating from the OH.