Newbie for Commute - NW London to Hampstead area

littleprawn

Guys,

I have been reading with much interest and humour through the many topics in this forum in recent weeks in anticipation of commuting from home to work at least once a week around the end of March/ early April. If all goes well, then I hope to maintain the commute (baring an mishaps on the road and rants from missus) at least until September/ October time.


My route will be around 13 miles each way travelling from North West London (Eastcote area if people have heard of that place) towards Hampstead Heath. My bike will be my CAADX 2011 105 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/caadx-5-105-2011-cyclocross-bike-ec025338 and I have been riding this since November 2011. At weekends, due to catching man flu every week from the kids, I have managed to muster 13 miles in an hour or so and hope this will be the kind of time I want to aim for in the commute.


I already mustered a light rucksack which I aim to use. Storage for the bike and clothes should be fine at work. I already have spare inner tubes, a multitool, pump, plastic gloves which I carry when I go out at weekends and these will be kept in the rucksack. I also have a set of lights which i will use and aim to get a spare set.

My other questions I have are as follows:-


THINGIES TO BUY
Gloves - which ones to buy? Can I get some cheapos from Decathlon which are fully gloved until when I decide to upgrade? Currently I use my Adidias runners gloves which are quite thin and have been up to the task but feel they are starting to wear....

Clothes- I do not have a dedicated jersey and hope to use my running top (long sleeve Nike and a baselayer) or would it be better to get a windproof Altura jacket/ jersey in bright yellow/ Orange/ red?

Shorts/ Shoes I currently wear adidas track bottoms when cycling and do not have any shorts/ tights and have not got any spds but have been cycling comfortably in trainers. I know I should get decent shoes and spds but these will set me back at least £100 so will aim to get them in summer (is there a cheaper option?)

Spare Chain link - no idea what I need to get but my multitool has a chain tool


ROUTE
Any thoughts? My route I have looked at is either on the Western Ave towards Hanager Lane and then towards Stonebridge and then towards Kilburn and West Hampstead or would it be better going across Harrow/ around Northwick Park before

Is there anything else I remembered apart from doing a dummy run some time before the actual commute and finally what would my bike be classified in FCN?

Cheers

Little Prawn.

willy b

Sounds a good commute.

A quick search on Google would suggest your best route may be Harrow - Accross M1 - Golders Green - Climb to the Heath. You can always extend etc... and that route looks to be less traffic. Crossing Kilburn and west of there would be rather busy id say!

Clothing wise i'd just stick to basic cycling gear, providing you can change and shower at work.

FCN, well this will help http://www.itsnotarace.org/fcn-calculator/

Enjoy!!

littleprawn

Cheers...

When I start commuting....FCN will be 8!

Will look into the alternative route you suggested!

nich

Gloves - just wear yours till they wear out I'd say - if they are comfy, that's all you need. None of my gloves have lasted...so I don't really know which brand would be best.

As far clothes, it completely depends on what you're comfortable with. I overheat in anything more than a long sleeve top after 2 mins on the bike, so i only wear something like an Altura jacket in winter or if it's pi$$ing down (mines a Montane Atomic D2). I don't like the feel of trousers either, so shorts for me. I wear my Endura Humvee's all year round now - bit expensive but really nice.

Regardless of whether you wear shorts or trousers, you probably want some under-shorts, i.e. padding. Something like this - make sure they have rubber grippers on the leg, else they can ride up and get really uncomfortable.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalo ... CHMQ8wIwAQ

Merino wool base layers are popular, but I just wear a couple of old running tops and wash them once or twice a week

For pedals you could go the MTB style route like many people do:

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop ... PDM520.htm

Plus some half decent shoes for £30 or so..

kelsen

Welcome littleprawn, and well done for taking the plunge!

Once your fitness and confidence builds up you'll probably find yourself wanting to cycle in more than taking PT, and possibly even through winter when the bug bites. You'll feel knackered the first few weeks but it definitely gets easier (well no actually, you get faster!).

Can't help you with your route but others will be along with advice. With regards to gear, you seem to have the basics covered so don't worry too much about having absolutely everything.

Gloves - as long as you can operate the shifters and brakes properly, any will do really.
Clothes - running clothes are fine. A waterproof/windproof shell with layering underneath pretty much covers all your bases.
Shorts - again running tights are fine. Later on you might want to invest in a decent pair of padded shorts which will be more comfortable
Shoes - clipless pedals and shoes are nice to have but not essential. I would recommend double sided clipless pedals for commuting to save faffing about when clipping in at lights
Spare link - KMC and SRAM chains have a hand removeable link, whereas Shimano chains require a chain tool to split the chain. If you accidentally break your chain during a ride, having spare removeable links means you can quickly repair it. You will need the appropriate sized link for 8, 9 or 10 speed chains. In my experience, chain failures are very rare if the chain is well looked after and replaced before it's excessively worn.

Ride sensibly, obey the rules of your road, be respectful to others, and don't lose your cool with idiots is my other advice!

Nice bike by the way! I was after a CAADX but ended up getting a Synapse instead because of Cannondale's supply problem last year.

nich

Synapse is on my wish list

SmellTheGlove

Nice ride in prospect there but expect traffic!
I'm thinking Whitton Ave, Wembley, Harrow Road, cross A406 then Willesden, Cricklewood, Golders and on to whatever part of the Heath you're aiming for.
As for kit, I personally now swear by the dhb Momentum jacket from wiggle, but that might be too heavy later in spring.
+10 for padded inner shorts and half-SPD/half flat pedals for those moments when you don't want the clips, should you go that way. They won't look great on the Cannondale but there's always a price to pay.
Tyres - I have clocked up 5000-plus p/less miles on Schwalbe Marathons. I promise they are first-rate for London streets.
Definitely do a recce and hang back from the HGVs - there are so many of them round IKEA/Wembley/North Circ and feeder roads but you'll find a way to negotiate them. Please always carry lights at night. When it gets really dark, switch them on.
And enjoy the ride - not long on scenery but it's yours!

Oddjob62

Don't expect a nice flat commute

littleprawn

All, many thanks for your kind advice....regarding the route I was looking on various maps and was thinking about taking this one as a starter...

-Take the route along the Western Avenue, towards Hanger Lane -Alongside side roads on A406 towards Stonebridge Park. -Towards Willesden Green past Dollis Hill heading towards Kilburn -Finally across West Hampstead/ Finchley Road towards Hampstead

Will def take up the advice from SmellTheGlove ...

SmellTheGlove wrote:

Nice ride in prospect there but expect traffic!
I'm thinking Whitton Ave, Wembley, Harrow Road, cross A406 then Willesden, Cricklewood, Golders and on to whatever part of the Heath you're aiming for.
As for kit, I personally now swear by the dhb Momentum jacket from wiggle, but that might be too heavy later in spring.
+10 for padded inner shorts and half-SPD/half flat pedals for those moments when you don't want the clips, should you go that way. They won't look great on the Cannondale but there's always a price to pay.
Tyres - I have clocked up 5000-plus p/less miles on Schwalbe Marathons. I promise they are first-rate for London streets.
Definitely do a recce and hang back from the HGVs - there are so many of them round IKEA/Wembley/North Circ and feeder roads but you'll find a way to negotiate them. Please always carry lights at night. When it gets really dark, switch them on.
And enjoy the ride - not long on scenery but it's yours!

And for clothing...

nich wrote:

Gloves - just wear yours till they wear out I'd say - if they are comfy, that's all you need. None of my gloves have lasted...so I don't really know which brand would be best.

As far clothes, it completely depends on what you're comfortable with. I overheat in anything more than a long sleeve top after 2 mins on the bike, so i only wear something like an Altura jacket in winter or if it's pi$$ing down (mines a Montane Atomic D2). I don't like the feel of trousers either, so shorts for me. I wear my Endura Humvee's all year round now - bit expensive but really nice.

Regardless of whether you wear shorts or trousers, you probably want some under-shorts, i.e. padding. Something like this - make sure they have rubber grippers on the leg, else they can ride up and get really uncomfortable.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalo ... CHMQ8wIwAQ

Merino wool base layers are popular, but I just wear a couple of old running tops and wash them once or twice a week

For pedals you could go the MTB style route like many people do:

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop ... PDM520.htm

Plus some half decent shoes for £30 or so..

Thanks for the advice...was looking on Evans and was drawn towards the Gore long sleeve which looks nice...http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gor ... y-ec020035

£35.99, seems quite a good steal...or get the Altura Windchill jacket ....maybe I need to get both (this cycling lark is not cheap!

Will look into pedals and saw a Pearl Izumi which look quite enticing....http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pea ... e-ec027188 but not cheap! Not on the list of priorities at this moment and wondering if anyone can point to othe retailers which have cheaper stock ...happy to go £30 up to £60 initially.


Finally...hope I can go out this weekend...been missing the cycling for a week and the Cannondale is a good bike, I was fortunate to get my hands last year on a 54cm frame....

littleprawn

I did the commute today .

Last weekend I did a trial run of the route from home up to Stonebridge Park and back home (through Sudbury and Wembley).

This morning I took the Met line (tube) up to Wembley Park and cycled towards Dollis Hill/ Willesden Green/ Kilburn then West Hampstead towards Hampstead. It was chillier and windier than I expected but a copy of base layers (vest, t-shirt) and my new Gore long sleeve got me to work albeit any mishaps. I rode in earlier than expected and got from Wembley Park station to work in ~35 mins - distance of 7 ish miles.

After finishing off I made my journey home, taking just over an hour with a distance of ~13 miles. Was nice to see other 'commuters' on route and slightly tired and a good sense of achievement! Will now aim to commute by bike once a week initially (weather permitting) and may do it twice a week as it warms up.

Thanks for all the tips guys....still need to get my spare gloves, spds and shoes etc.....

Enjoy the Easter break!

EKE_38BPM

Well done!

Things like SPDs are nice to have and do make the commute easier, but are not necessary, so don't try to use not having them as an excuse, right!

If you keep it up, you'll get faster and it will be easier to do it more often. You've got the right idea with using the correct clothing, again, this makes things easier and your wardrobe will gradually increase to include winter gear so that you can become a year round cycle commuter and you'll hate driving or using PT.

Keep it up.

Initialised

+1 on good tyres. No punctures since I switched to armoured tyres (Schwalbe Snow Studs (kevlar) for winter, Conti Gatorskins for when there's not snow).

SPDs: didn't bother until I was finding flats limiting, not a necessity, nice extra, make you feel more pro.

Gloves: Summer mits, the one time I didn't wear them I came off and skinned my knuckles. Winter Aldi gloves are OK, deep cold (-10C ish) add an extra layer.

Get overshoes for when it's wet. I've used ProRace (£20) and Planet-X (£10) ProRace are dryer in heavy rain and keep your feet warm at -10C and lower.