Yeah baby!

jonny_trousers

So I did it! I broke the 30 minute commute! I know it is utterly meaningless to you lot, but I don't care. I did it and I feel great. Now I can relax and ride fast, but without expectation.

Since I began commuting by bike three or four months ago I have discovered a competitive streak I didn't know I had and I now fancy training up for a race or two next year. I will no doubt be spending way too much money on a quality road bike and quizzing those of you who compete over the coming months. So there!

EKE_38BPM

I know I don't know your commute, but I can't believe it takes you 30 minutes. I'm sure I can do it in about 25.

Beat that!

gb155

I did it in 23 mins (No idea what, or where ,like)

Fixxxer87

If my bike wasn't stuck to its lock I'd do it in 22.

dhope

SE London too, what's your commute?

EKE_38BPM

I heard CafeWanda and LiT raced each other the other day and did it in sub 20.

gabriel959

Mine takes 15 min

jonny_trousers

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I know I don't know your commute, but I can't believe it takes you 30 minutes. I'm sure I can do it in about 25.

Beat that!

Well I'm sure you could, but I bet you ride one of those poncy, big-wheeled "North London" bikes rather than a piece of Crystal Palace class like mine...

EKE_38BPM

That actually made me laugh out loud.

So much so, that I had to type the words out rather than use some stupid TLA.

rml380z

I hope you're going to be updating the times on the cycling superhighway signs to reflect reduced commute times.

CiB

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

So I did it! I broke the 30 minute commute! I know it is utterly meaningless to you lot, but I don't care. I did it and I feel great. Now I can relax and ride fast, but without expectation.

Result!! Good effort there. One of my first threads on here a couple of years ago was about getting mine down to under 1 hour; some good tips came back and I managed it. It no longer matters - 1h 5 is now a good time, but doing the sub 1 hour blast was a real Monkey Off The Back moment.

You can get back to enjoying the ride now. Unless your commute is only 3 miles, in which case 30 mins is absolutely pitiful and you should be ashamed of yourself young man.

UndercoverElephant

I still want to get mine under 30 mins, my record is 32:23, so a long way to go. Bear in mind though, this will take an average speed of 25 mph, so I don't think I'll be doing it soon.

If only I didn't have to slow down so much in Portobello, but there's a choice of a mile or so full of Peds, or a mile or so full of traffic lights and slow traffic.

Gussio

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I still want to get mine under 30 mins, my record is 32:23, so a long way to go. Bear in mind though, this will take an average speed of 25 mph, so I don't think I'll be doing it soon.

If only I didn't have to slow down so much in Portobello, but there's a choice of a mile or so full of Peds, or a mile or so full of traffic lights and slow traffic.

Sounds like you need to head out in the middle of the night to set a blistering PB. You wouldn't be the first person to do this.....

jonny_trousers

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I still want to get mine under 30 mins, my record is 32:23, so a long way to go. Bear in mind though, this will take an average speed of 25 mph, so I don't think I'll be doing it soon.

If only I didn't have to slow down so much in Portobello, but there's a choice of a mile or so full of Peds, or a mile or so full of traffic lights and slow traffic.

Your commute is clearly way longer than mine. I am both humbled and impressed.

To be honest yesterday's minor triumph probably was as much to do with getting lucky with the lights as it was me pushing myself harder than normal. I like tio ride fast for the simple reason that I enjoy the buzz of a good cardio workout, but I doubt I come close to the average speed of many of you guys here. One day though...

It's just a silly achievement made and I can now look elsewhere for the next challenge. Beating 30 minutes on the return journey with the inclines perhaps?

Matt.K

So do we get any details of the commute? Distance / terrain / location?

I remember when I finally got my 9 miler under 30 mins after months of trying.
Record now is 28.30 with an average speed of 18.3mph

Allez Mark

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Well I'm sure you could, but I bet you ride one of those poncy, big-wheeled "North London" bikes rather than a piece of Crystal Palace class like mine...

Fantastic picture. It made me smile so much. I learnt to ride on one of them.

UndercoverElephant

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I still want to get mine under 30 mins, my record is 32:23, so a long way to go. Bear in mind though, this will take an average speed of 25 mph, so I don't think I'll be doing it soon.

If only I didn't have to slow down so much in Portobello, but there's a choice of a mile or so full of Peds, or a mile or so full of traffic lights and slow traffic.

Your commute is clearly way longer than mine. I am both humbled and impressed.

To be honest yesterday's minor triumph probably was as much to do with getting lucky with the lights as it was me pushing myself harder than normal. I like tio ride fast for the simple reason that I enjoy the buzz of a good cardio workout, but I doubt I come close to the average speed of many of you guys here. One day though...

It's just a silly achievement made and I can now look elsewhere for the next challenge. Beating 30 minutes on the return journey with the inclines perhaps?

** Cough ** Massive tailwind ** Cough **

jonny_trousers

Matt.K wrote:

So do we get any details of the commute? Distance / terrain / location?

I remember when I finally got my 9 miler under 30 mins after months of trying.
Record now is 28.30 with an average speed of 18.3mph

Crystal Palace to Covent Garden (about 7.5 miles). Pathetic by most people's standards, I'm sure, but I was just excited about my own personal triumph; forgive me.

Cafewanda

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I heard CafeWanda and LiT raced each other the other day and did it in sub 20.

Yep. That's right. Sub 15 actually 8)

lost_in_thought

Cafewanda wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I heard CafeWanda and LiT raced each other the other day and did it in sub 20.

Yep. That's right. Sub 15 actually 8)

Well, CafeWanda was sub-15. I think I was a shade over.

She used the bike pictured above, which frankly amounts to cheating.

Cafewanda

Cafewanda wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I heard CafeWanda and LiT raced each other the other day and did it in sub 20.

Yep. That's right. Sub 15 actually 8)

OK so LiT probably did it in 10mins, but I can dream about mine can't I?

UndercoverElephant

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Matt.K wrote:

So do we get any details of the commute? Distance / terrain / location?

I remember when I finally got my 9 miler under 30 mins after months of trying.
Record now is 28.30 with an average speed of 18.3mph

Crystal Palace to Covent Garden (about 7.5 miles). Pathetic by most people's standards, I'm sure, but I was just excited about my own personal triumph; forgive me.

I suspect you have a few more traffic lights to contend with than I do. I'd say that in Central London, that's going some.

Matt.K

I wouldnt say pathetic.

90% of my commute is rural roads so the only thing slowing me down is my own fitness.
If it was all urban I'm sure it'd be a bit slower.

dhope

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Matt.K wrote:

So do we get any details of the commute? Distance / terrain / location?

I remember when I finally got my 9 miler under 30 mins after months of trying.
Record now is 28.30 with an average speed of 18.3mph

Crystal Palace to Covent Garden (about 7.5 miles). Pathetic by most people's standards, I'm sure, but I was just excited about my own personal triumph; forgive me.

Dunno, I'd be happy with that. I don't know my commuting PB yet - normally tend to do a bit under 30mins for my 6 miles. Not pootling but not giving it some either. May need to start the stopwatch and find my PB.

Aidy

I finally got mine to be sub-hour from the new office last night.

I did have to switch routes (a shade longer, fewer traffic lights), and use the fast road bike to do it, though.

I have been tempted by the middle of the night all out sprint idea, though... I reckon sub-45 minutes shouldn't be too hard. Even 40 seems plausible...

Headhuunter

My commute from Brockley to Chancery Lane usually takes me 22-23 mins. I find it hard and pretty meaningless to try to beat that though as even if I'm feeling really fresh and ready to go one day, I may end up hitting red lights all the way, or traffic queues up OKR etc. There are just too many other factors affecting my commute time, it's not just down to sheer leg power on the day.