Please say it gets easier!

demba

My daily 8.5 mile commute journey each way from Leyton to Oxford was tough at first but once you get used to the route and your breathing patterns it's fine.

I would say it took me around 3 weeks to properly get used to it.

tuktuk

Thanks for all the tips guys

I will definately get onto the council re the condition of the paths in the area, the more people getting at them the better.

My helmet was delivered last week along with a windproof jacket, which im glad i had on thismorning as it felt like a battle at some stages! And going off the forecast that was only around a 10mph wind, im not sure i could push through much more haha. Lets hope it stays there for the journey home.

The bike is still clicking once per revolution of the pedals, i have had a good look and i cant see anything obvious. I oiled the chain just incase it could help but its still there.

Other than that i think im slowly getting used to it, even with the winds thismorning i got to the office in the same time it took me last week with no wind. Using higher gears up inclines where before i would have dropped right down.

It has helped with all the plebs panic buying petrol too as i havent had to use a drop and dont intend to for a little while

jonomc4

I am 43 and did no real sport for many years - I was overweight but was not fit for sure when I bought a bike over a year ago.

I took about 6 weeks to build up to my daily commute - 11 miles each way. I started with 3 mile rides and soon built that up to 6 miles and then 8 miles. The weekend before my first commute I did the journey to a from work.

I think the trick is to build up the days that you commute in - start with twice a week and gradually build it up to 5 days a week. At my age it is the 5 days in a row that had more effect than the distance.

The worse thing for me was getting hit by cars 2 times in 6 months and loosing 4 months of cycling - it was almost like starting all over again!

But that said in 2 months I am doing a 100km charity night ride through London - though that is a step up for me, it is a good next hurdle to aim for.

Good luck - and you will soon see how you come to rely on the bike ride - not only for fitness but also as time to clear your head.

tuktuk

Sorry to hear about the crashes. I feel really vulnerable when i join a road which hinders as much as it helps im sure. Good to hear you have got back on after both crashes! Good luck with the charity ride too!

jomoj

@jonomc4 - credit to you for getting back in the saddle after two offs, it can really knock your confidence so you did well to get back into it.

@tuktuk - so is it getting easier? sounds like it is. Been fantastic weather this week, have you tried out any of the alternative routes into Newcastle?

Your comment about changing gears brought something to mind . That is - don't make the mistake of pushing a hard gear in an effort to be quicker, it is much better to learn to spin a lower gear and change up and down to maintain the same rhythm (aka cadence). Lots of people will mash away at a high gear, with their bodies bobbing up and down when changing down a few sprockets will be less effortful and result in them going quicker.

About 80rpm is a good rate to aim for, try timing your cadence on a traffic free path and get used to how it feels, you shouldn't feel like you're really having to push, it should be a smooth spinning action.

jomoj

by the way - some really good advice in here:

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/zuvvi/ ... Riding.pdf

tuktuk

Definately getting easier and loving the whole concept more and more. People are asking where the real tuktuk has gone as i love my cars and for my mates its alien of me not to turn up in my car.

Its been a really nice way to wind the day down which i will be doing in half an hour or so.

I havent tried any alternatives just yet, i may try your suggested route one weekend before commiting to it on a weekday.

Thanks for all the encouragement and tips so far

tuktuk

I forgot to say, i have already experianced some minor grief from road users.

First was a guy that came through a set of lights after i did (was rurning orange as i went through so he must have been on red or close to) and i then overtook a bus offloading people, he tried to squeese between myself and the rail pushing me towards the bus which by this point wanted to move too an then the guy got alongside and giv me a load of abuse obly to turn across me a second later onto his drive...

And just now i was waiting to cross a road as a pedestrian would for a driver to turn her head while shouting god knows what at me. Im baffled as to what i could have possibly done!

BigLee1

Did you have words with the driver who`d turn into his house? I would`ve
Sadly it`s par for the course but very satisfying when you can catch the gobby driver and they soon calm down when you tackle them face to face!!

Long_Time_Lurker

I just treat every pedestrian and motorist as an idiot - always give people extra space and extra time at junctions - never take risks. For the sake of 10 seconds, it's not worth the hassle.
I've grown a pretty thick skin after years of being shouted at.
(I also have a very heavy chain/lock, just in case )

Massimo

It never gets easier, you just get quicker...

Initialised

It's been a month and Winter just happened yesterday. Has it gotten easier yet?

anthdci

How did you find this mornings weather or did you bottle it?

Today was my third day commuting by bike and so far, had a rear puncture on my second day and rain on my third!

Gizmo_

anthdci wrote:

How did you find this mornings weather or did you bottle it?

Today was my third day commuting by bike and so far, had a rear puncture on my second day and rain on my third!

I read somewhere that you should always commute on the wet, horrible days. So when its merely damp you think back to the horrible day and say "it's not as bad as then".

Initialised

Gizmo_ wrote:

anthdci wrote:

How did you find this mornings weather or did you bottle it?

Today was my third day commuting by bike and so far, had a rear puncture on my second day and rain on my third!

I read somewhere that you should always commute on the wet, horrible days. So when its merely damp you think back to the horrible day and say "it's not as bad as then".

I had to keep telling myself that this morning.

tonye_n

Hi,
please is it possible to give me a copy of the template for this spreadsheet?
I wish to make the same kind of record of my daily commute and training rides.

Regards, Tonye

Tegglington wrote:

Congratulations! and good work.

I was in a pretty similar situation 2 years ago, and now I wouldn't be without my trusty steed.

One thing I look back on and wish I had done from the start is keep a track of the miles I had covered. I started a spreadsheet about 6 months on and guessed anything before that. its nice to know how far you could have covered. so far this year I have covered 367 miles on my commute. I also update it with punctures and when I replace parts to see how long things are lasting on the bike. keeps me happy anyway

mrtuk

tonye_n wrote:

Hi,
please is it possible to give me a copy of the template for this spreadsheet?
I wish to make the same kind of record of my daily commute and training rides.

Regards, Tonye

Do you have a smartphone/iphone? If so might be worth trying an app like "Map My Ride" or endomondo or "My Tracks" or... (I think there are lots). These use GPS to track your distance/times etc and allow you to upload your details which can then be reported against. Not sure if you can export the data into a spreadsheet though.

jomoj

Google MyTracks android app will export to a spreadsheet via google docs, for what it's worth.

tomb353

If you bought bike online and have problems with strange noises may just be worth getting it serviced.

Whiptail Cycles in Tynemouth seem to live off doing endless amounts of very reasonably priced repair work (they are rebuilding three wheels for me at the moment)

anthdci

really pushed this morning, got to work in sub 60mins (just) for the first time! knocked 4mins of my time. Really happy with that. The phrase "it doesn't get easier, you just get faster" was going round and round in my head 8)

distance: 12.15mile
avg speed: 12.18mph
climb: 636ft

daveyroids

Just noticed this post and I have had a quick look at your posts, looks like your doing brilliant, keep it up. And yes some of the surfaces on your commute are rough. I live in Washington and venture up that way from time to time on my way to Coach Lane. Don't think the route is that bad (if its the one I have in mind) but like many routes in our area they need improving especially with the increase in cycle commuters.

Initialised

@roids: try the stretch between Newburn Bridge and Scotswood Bridge on the south side, it's pretty dire.

daveyroids

Yes, Familiar with Newburn bridge side I pass from time to time on the road bike when going up to Nothumberland. OK for leisure but daily commute a bit bad.

I mentioned in another post that as part of Sunderland Clarion club we had a meeting with Sunderland cycling development officer. He was telling us that a joint bid for Sunderland, South Tyne and East Durham was won to improve cycling facilities in that part of the region. He said that bids from local authorities including your area had went in, if I remember right, and that local councils have a plan for improving routes. Think it may be some sort of council secret as I don't know anyone who knew of this previous to the meeting. We got in contact with this person via one of the members contacting his local MP (Washington) about a fast cycle route being put on Northumberland Way in Washington. It may be an idea for people across the country to pester local MPs as money is being made available for local networks. Think it is important for cyclists to actually know what local plans are and it would be sensible for cyclists to be used on council steering groups.

And after all that, hopefully there are plans to upgrade the likes of the Scotswood - Newburn section. C2C from Sunderland through Washington is one of our upgrades. Tarmac and street lamps are planned.

Furry Mommy

It does get easier, especially at your age....I'm 45 and cycle between Chesham and Northolt 5-6 days a week which is just shy of a 40 mile round trip, you'll even miss it when you have to do it in a car!

unclemalc

tuktuk - you using padded shorts/bibs? If not grease up and do so (regardless of comments ) - it makes it even easier.
It's good you are starting now - when the c--p weather and darkness comes in November you'll be prepared... :shock:
Oh - now you can start buying more 'essential' stuff in order to stay cycling.
Stay safe!!

anthdci

Well I have just ordered some Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres to replace the crap specialized ones the bike came with after my second puncture in 120miles this morning. Please say I get more luck on these!

@davyroids I signed up for the Sunderland clarion forum over the weekend. Think I am going to do the training route from the Bungalow Cafe by myself this week sometime to see how much slower I will be before attempting to do it with the more seasoned riders.

Furry Mommy

@anthdci - I've been running Schwalbe Marathon + tyres on my Marin Muirwoods 29er all last year and after over 8,500 miles I only suffered one puncture and that was due to hitting a bloody crater on the road home from work one day (usual Chilterns/BCC crap roads) that caused a compression blow out - the tyre survived, the tube did not!

Great tyres but only one minor issue - until you've "scrubbed" the surface of the tyres off a bit, they can be a little unforgiving in the wet (say 30-50 miles or so) but that's it. The only downsides to these tyres is that they are a little heavier and slower than some of the other tyres on the market but for puncture resilience etc they are the dogs!

anthdci

Furry Mommy wrote:

The only downsides to these tyres is that they are a little heavier and slower than some of the other tyres on the market but for puncture resilience etc they are the dogs!

thanks, that was what I was aiming for. I will happily be a minute or 2 slower over my commute everyday than have to stop at the side of the road to change a tube! But I have ordered 700x28 instead of the 700x32 that is currently on there so hopefully that will equal out. It was quite a violent one this morning, a steep downhill bit that I can get upto 30mph on normally, but was stuck behind a bus this morning, so when it went I was luckily only doing about 18mph, could hear the air coming out at a rapid pace!

tuktuk

Hey guys

I have to admit i have been slacking on the useage of the 2 wheeler.

Come 2 weeks time i will be without a car as im getting rid to put a deposit together for me and the girlfriends first house! This means full time cycling, no excuses

I do have padded shorts, they ripped on the first day i wore them lol. I now have to wear boxers underneath incase the hole largens on my commute and i stop at a traffic light with the little man waving to the traffic. I got some nike compression tops and a castelli jacket. My grandad gave me a backpack too!

Also have a saddle bag for my puncture repair bits and spare inner tube.

Im waiting to see how the handlebars are height wise and il take it to whiptail cycles to lower the bulge on the frame and check out the click noise.

So in theory im pretty much ready for the full time daily commute!

Initialised

Can't blame you for slacking lately, either freezing in the morning and over dressed in the evening or wet one or both ways. But the weather will clear and next time it closes in it'll be a bit easier to stick it out.