How did you start your Bicycle Commuting Adventure?

medoramas

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it? Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice? Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you? Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing? Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

Please give me honest answers... I'm trying to use them in another uni assignment - if I'm ever rich thanks to that, I'll buy you a beer

craker

£6 a day for a car to cross the Severn Bridge. No brainer really.

iPete

I was fed up with running and had recently started the odd trail centre mtb trip so slapped some slicks on and did a few trips to work before getting the Allez on free finance. Then a new job in central, £12 rail fair and aspiring to ride unsupported to Rome meant I opted to ride.

The train is now £14 and aspiring to finish an Ironman I'm hooked.

edit: seen its for an assignment, more structured answers:
was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it?
Yes, very much so, I kind of fell into cycling going from the odd mtb trip to 100+miles per week! Infact I jumped in almost too quickly; after a month of abuse I checked into hospital for breathing difficulties and anxiety! My body soon MTFU.

It's really opened up new avenues, riding unsupported to Rome thanks to commuting and Triathlon with Ironman coming up soon. Again all thanks to taking up commuting.

Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?
Had a good look around myself, didn't know any other riders at the time.

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?
Trial and error. I was the classic guy on a roadie with toe straps in running gear and as I'd started going into Winter I really suffered at times!

Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?
Hooked pretty quickly, largely out of stubbornness to pay for the train, took a while to get hooked onto wiggle but once I realised better gear meant less suffering in winter there was no looking back.

pigeontoes

I started as a mate at work who I go mountain biking with started doing it. He was tons fitter than me so I used to just tuck in behind him the whole way (15 miles each way). We used to do it a couple of times a week, for the 1st few weeks I could hardly climb the stairs up to my office. As I got fitter we began to race all the way. We then started to make technical improvements to speed up, I got slicks and then he did. He then got a road bike and I was back to tucking him behind and being completely shagged at the end of the ride. Unfortunately we both changed roles and our commuting schedules don't match up.
I saved up and got a road bike in the sales and now commute between 1 and 3 times a week, depending on whether I need the car to travel whilst I'm at work. I've temporarily given up commuting twice, once because I moved buildings and the cycle parking was really insecure and recently for 5 months because of a knee injury. Last Friday was my first commute since October, felt brilliant even though I got drenched. I'm cycling in again tomorrow and can't wait.

jonny_trousers

medoramas wrote:

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it? Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice?

I was doing my usual daily commute by car, getting just as frustrated as always by the stop-start traffic, when I noticed that no matter how many times I passed one particular cyclist, he would glide past me again at the next hold up. It was then that I thought, I could do that! so I did. Over two years on I'm still doing that and I absolutely love it.

Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?

I researched things myself and took the advice of my brother who cycles (mostly bad advice in the end, but never mind);

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?

I used the few weeks between deciding I was going to do it and committing to buying a bike to observe cycle commuters, to see which ones stood out and for what reasons.

Did it take you long to get hooked up?

I think it was probably around three or four weeks before I went for it.

Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

Not sure what that is, but if you mean a I-don't-want-to-do-it-anymore moment then no. Not even after I was knocked off.

godders1

Initially it was only about 3 miles each way (albeit up a pretty big hill on the way in); it beat walking or paying £4 a day for the bus.

Then my job relocated 16 miles away and given there's a cycle path that goes pretty much the whole way, the bike just seemed massively more attractive than any of the alternatives.

corshamjim

We were fed up with spending up to an hour in the car each way up the A350 so we moved house closer to where we both worked. The house was a more expensive mortgage, so we got rid of one of our two cars. I'd commuted before in the late 1990s so knew I would enjoy it, but remembered how I used to chicken out and take a taxi whenever it rained! This time I was determined not to let weather beat me so put some more effort in to getting good waterproofs and bought a bicycle with hub gears and drum brakes so it will survive almost anything. I haven't looked back since. In the last three years I think I've accepted a lift in a car maybe only three or four times.

Technology has certainly moved on since I was commuting by bicycle in the '90s. Just about everything has improved, but especially lighting. Modern LED lights have really transformed the experience of rural commuting in the winter. There are some really fantastic tyres available now too which almost never puncture. My commuting bike which has been used nearly every working day 8-mile round trip in the last three years has had zero punctures, firstly on Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres and now on Panaracer RiBiMo.

davis

Stolen from iPete's reorganization:


was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it?
Yes, it was a totally impulsive decision. I have the option of a very nice easy countryside drive to work, but I decided I needed to do more than no exercise.

Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?

I started with advice from a mate who's a long time MTBer, and ended up getting a cheap MTB from an LBS. I since learned a hell of a lot more by myself, mostly by making my own mistakes.

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?

I just jumped on and rode. I ended up at work . I eventually worked out that things like a patch kit, spare tubes and a pump were probably a good idea too. As well as a bike that's made for the road.

Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

Hooked fairly quickly in the nice weather. I'm going through a fairly persistent "not sure any more" moment post-crash, but I still do it. I now find it very easy to wuss out now if it's raining or blowing a gale.

Agent57

medoramas wrote:

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it? Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice? Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you? Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing? Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

I'm 43, and I've been cycling since I was about 4. Passed my cycling proficiency test at school when I was 8, and I've been using my bike for transport as well as recreation ever since. When I've lived really close to work, I've walked (e.g. less than a 15 minute walk). When it's been in another town, I've usually driven. When I worked at home, I had no commute.

For everything else, the bicycle is my default mode of transport. It's the obvious choice for me. Walking 2 or 5 miles would take too long. The car would cost more, and I'd have to pay for parking. Besides, if I was driving into or through Lancaster, the bicycle is faster. I could do the 5 miles to work at the Uni in about 25 minutes - it'd take my wife more than that to drive 1.5 miles into town (this video shows you why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTYon5kitUw).

Because I've been cycling on the roads for about 35 years, when it came to commuting I had no questions, and didn't need any advice etc. The only check I made in advance was to ensure there would be somewhere to leave my bike once I got to work (and so far, I've always been able to take my bike into the building where I work, or have had secure storage rather than just outside Sheffield stands).

I would always us the bicycle, up to maybe 15 miles. Beyond that, I'd revert to something else (motorcycle perhaps). At the moment, I commute 60 miles to Salford and I use the train. But there's a 2 mile cycle from home to the station, and about 3 miles at the other end, so I still use the bike as part of a longer commute.

shouldbeinbed

Cycled to school - cycled to college - cycled to work

I got my confidence up on nice quiet 1970s Cambridgeshire roads so was pretty relaxed & adaptable moving first to Newcastle & later Manchester, neither of which were/are particularly cycle friendly.

desweller

medoramas wrote:

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it? Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice?

I'd been bowling around quite a bit on a hand-me-down MTB, but when I drowned my Alfa 156 in the floods in Jul 2007 (I live in Gloucestershire) I opted not to buy another car for a bit and see if I could manage the ride to work. 5 years later and I have spent thousands on kit, built my own bikes, gone on week-long tours, crashed many times (you get used to it after a while), got very wet, got sunburnt, covered in grease, covered in that black road muck that comes off your tyres and done lots of little rides to and from work.

medoramas wrote:

Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?

A bit of both; I had a mate who I could call on if something was very confusing. This forum has provided me with a few answers when I've been truly stuck though.

medoramas wrote:

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?

Knew I could do the distance easily so just jumped on. Didn't have any kit (i.e. puncture repair, pump, spare tube) with me in those days; I soon learned from experience though!

medoramas wrote:

Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

Didn't take long to get used to it. Had a minor blip when I got left hooked by a car in Jan 2008, which totalled the bike (I was OK though, apart from a very sore hip). Had to run around the bike shops that weekend for a new bike as I had absolutely no way of getting to work. I suppose that's how I started down the slippery upgrade slope; that bike was rubbish (I've still got some of it though).

Initialised

I swapped a bunch of computer parts for a bike and started riding it to work. Started spending money upgrading it instead of my computer. Eventually got rid of the car so don't really have a fall back option.

Also it timed quite well as my eldest was getting to the point where he was faster on the bike than I was on foot.

Next step is to get a proper road bike as I haven't ridden on drops since my teens.

roger_merriman

medoramas wrote:

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it?

I moved from Brecon Beacons to edge of london, the bike is a quicker form of transport, now.

medoramas wrote:

Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice?

been riding bikes for a few decades!

medoramas wrote:

Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?

Didn't require any information.

medoramas wrote:

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?

no need to prepare, I already had a urban bike.

medoramas wrote:

Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

no I just rode to work!

Yukirin

medoramas wrote:

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it? Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice? Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you? Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing? Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

Please give me honest answers... I'm trying to use them in another uni assignment - if I'm ever rich thanks to that, I'll buy you a beer

the train is hell. I figured I could bike it in (11 miles each way) and save some money, time and get fitter.
I used to live in the sticks and since a teen i have got on my bike to get into town which was about 4-5 miles.
I dont generally listen to other people, especially when it comes to must-have fads. I borrowed a twin suspension mtb and just got on with it. Jogging bottoms, tshirt and hoodie. Winter came and i just added more layers.
Learning by failing? Like i said, i just got on with it. I'm still happy to ride out without Lycra now if its all in the wash. Yes, the transition to a hybrid bike and then a road bike is not something I would reverse, but if I had no choice I'd do it.
Learning to take spare tubes and a pump has been the main lesson.
Was hooked at the end of the month when I had an extra £80 in my pocket! And with all the extra exercise I could eat more food without getting fat. Result!
Never had a 'I dont want to do this anymore' moment, was back on my bike a week after being knocked off with a fractured rib, but currently not in a job that requires travel to/from work so for the past month cycling has taken the hobby seat.

domgears

I grew up in the Lake District and got my first road bike when I was about 12, so grew up cycling all over the Lakes.

Once I grew out of the bike and moved away I stopped cycling apart from occasional spouts on a MTB.

About 10+ years ago I was involved in a motorbike accident and my right knee is screwed up, almost no PCL and gouged out most of my cartilage so now have chronic osteo arthritis, I am only 37.

Few years ago I decided I was getting too fat and my legs too weak (important for stability in my knee) so decided to start cycling to work (9+ miles each way in sunny Singapore), I bought a cheap hybrid, which only served to reignite my cycling passion, within weeks I was not happy with the crappy steed so upgraded to a carbon road bike.

I didn't need to get advice, I researched online, read reviews etc. etc. soon my fitness was improving massively and strength and pain relief in my knee increasing massively. Unfortunately due to a change in personal circumstances I had to sell my bike 3 years ago.

Once again I got fat and weak, combined with the hatred of public transport, cramped, smelly and inconsiderate people, I decided to buy another carbon road bike, 9.5 miles each way commute, I was prepared but unfit, within a couple of weeks my fitness has improved significantly, my knee feels stronger and less painful and after just 6 weeks I have dropped from over 106kg down to 99.5kg, life changing indeed, I still have another 14.5kg to go and am loving every minute of it, oh and of course saving the $80 SGD per month on travel expenses.

Never had any thought or feeling of quiting, only the occasional bonk where I felt like I was going to pass out (over exerted to early).

I see for most people it is a lifestyle change for the better, less stress of traveling on public transport, supposedly cheaper but you know boys and toys, healthier and brings out that healthy competitive nature.

It can be dangerous, however if you expect the worst of every driver then there will be no surprises and you feel gratitude for those drivers that are curtious, this is the only preparation anybody should need, your life depends on it.

bushu

Work wanted me to use my personal car to go touring the UK to clients, without a fair sum - so it's "broken"

Started commuting on my mtb but after the winter deicided to stick at it and buy a ss commuter to make life a bit easier

Was healthy before so can't say its for that reason, only regret now i do so much cycling im too knackered for the martial arts training

richVSrich

- Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it?

I wouldn't say an impulse - i started cycling to work almost 2 years ago - SW london to Cental-East london (a new project - before that i was almost 35miles away)..i knew people who did cycle a bit, and did do some research before hand...it had been a long long time since i last cycled ..

- Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice?

Nope...see above

- Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?

I got my bike on the cycle2work scheme - some collegues had done it the year before so it was good to have some people to ask..but still did a lot of reading up on it, and looking at bikes, working out how much id be saving, monthly payments etc...(and approximate travel cost savings)

- Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?

did the route to work on a sunday afternoon to figure it out.. but thats pretty much the only prep i did before commuting...

- Did it take you long to get hooked up?

No! at first i rode every other day (3 days a week) ..this soon turned into every day, then added weekend rides, and extra bits after work some days...when im not on my bike, i miss it...if i have multiple work days off the bike i get withdrawal symptoms... i did my first 100km last autumn...and this has led to my first Tri in 3 weeks (not a long one, but i've never been a runner, so it was adding a different dimension to it..)

- Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

eh, say what? :P
well i did have a couple of close calls...i've had one incident with a pedestrian, one mechanical failure ..both put my heart in my mouth..and resulted in trips to the lbs... but so far so good, i think im a pretty safe cyclist, and can generally hold my own against most roadies

twist83

Stolen from iPete

was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it?
Yes and no. My commute is only 4 miles each way so not tough by any means. The other half uses a car at work for getting around to viewings, so we decided to sell both cars and buy something newer for her and I thought I may as well cycle in. I started using my Santa Cruz full sus as we are both keen with MTB, today was my first day using the Boardman Hybrid and wow what a difference. It has saved me money and given me a new drive to do some events.

Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?
I had an 'idea' as I have rode DH and XC on/off over the years however only dipped my toes in once with a road bike which lasted about 2 rides. So bit of internet research really. I have made the classis mistake of going for a Hybrid when I should have got a road bike though. But the Boardman was only £500 and the other half is keen on it, so I may let her use/have it and purchase a road bike as she was looking at getting one.

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?
Just jumped on the Santa Cruz and rode in. I already had most of the kit from MTB. Although it made me take the plunge for Spuds. Wouldnt look back now both on and off road.

Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?
Not at all and it surprised me!!! As above I used to ride DH before an accident and had the I hate hills and road bikes approach when I was young, I then rekindled my passion for riding about a year and a half ago after a split with my long term partner (she didnt really like cycling). I met someone else who tried it and loved it. However even riding the heavy old MTB on the road I loved it, I then borrowed a friends Allez and WOW how much easier was that to ride on the road than a winter tyre shod full susser and I have been hooked.

I havent had any moments however I have fallen off and damaged myself numerous times off road including a knee injury 10 years ago that nearly meant I couldnt get back on a bike. You just shrug it off and crack on. Sometimes I cannot be bothered however once out that evaporates. I am also a weirdo and love riding in the rain be it off or on road.

Kieran_Burns

medoramas wrote:

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it? Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice? Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you? Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing? Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

Please give me honest answers... I'm trying to use them in another uni assignment - if I'm ever rich thanks to that, I'll buy you a beer

Impulse? No. I'd thought about it for some time. I'd cycled off and on for decades but really stopped for a long time when I started work and the commute was too far (plus I'd got my first car..)
I started cycling again because I was basically unfit and remembered how much fun it was, so got myself a flat-bar road bike. I started out doing 10 mile loops and near killing myself. I'd even have to stop at the top of a road bridge!

I added cycling to work because my (now ex-) wife showed me a bridleway that allowed me to get into Derby without cycling up a suicidally busy stretch of A road / dual carriageway. If there's a moment that started my cycle commuting that was it. I now knew I *could* so I did.

Most of my advice came from here I read and listened and learned. I started cycling home from work after catching the train in and then cycled in as well (14 miles each way)

For me it really came down to using the time to do something I enjoy. It's not really about cycling TO work, it's just about cycling.

rick_chasey

I needed to get to school, and mum wouldn't take me.

A bus would have taken 50 minutes each way. The bike 20.

In reality, it was never an option not to cycle. It was what you did.

gtvlusso

Rick Chasey wrote:

I needed to get to school, and mum wouldn't take me.

A bus would have taken 50 minutes each way. The bike 20.

In reality, it was never an option not to cycle. It was what you did.

Same - always cycled to work or wherever, when possible. Only break was when I got a motorbike licence, favoured motorbikes for a year or so, and then when I got a car licence and started to have to drive long distances for work.

bigmat

For me it was something I had been meaning to do for ages - always cycled as a kid, then as a teenager / student enjoyed the occasional MTB trip and did a lot of short commuting by bike. When I moved to London in 2000 I left the bike up North, had been meaning to bring it down for a few years when I went on a track day at Newport and blitzed it (relative to my mates - its all relative!) - we then had the 7/7 bombs in London and I suddenly had a compelling reason to get on my bike and off the tube. Picked up a road bike the following spring - weird thing is I have always been a massive fan of road cycling, avidly following the Tour etc and reading Cycling Weekly, following the domestic riders abroad and all that. Only relatively recently that I have actually participated. One of life's regrets, although I'm sure these things happen for a reason. Have found cycling ever more important since diagnosed type 1 diabetic in my late 20's - I find the regular exercise hugely beneficial in keeping bllod sugars down and keeping myself in trim generally. In the last few years I have ridden the etape and the Marmotte, competed in road races and time trials, cycled in Argentina, Bolivia, Vietnam, India and Laos and generally had some great times on a bike.

UndercoverElephant

medoramas wrote:

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it? Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice?

It was the day before "Earth Day" in 2008: I work for an American firm, and they make a big thing of it. I'd had one of the sanctimonious cyclists in the office going on and on about how bad commuting by car was for the environment, blah, blah, blah and how great it would be if we all came to work by bus just for one day.

I thought to myself, well, he only rides 8 miles each way, I reckon I could shut him up, perhaps just for one day, if I rode to work. Bloody cycle bores. Mrs. Elephant wasn't keen, thinking I would die a horrible death, but I did it anyway. I dug my old BSO out of the garage (cost £40 new from Aldi a good few years back), pumped up the tyres and set off. The 12.5 miles took me about an hour and 15 minutes. The weather was fantastic that day, a beautiful spring morning. I was amazed how nice it was: I could hear the birds singing and actually spoke to people as I passed.

medoramas wrote:

Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?

I found this forum after discovering SCR, it was nice to have a place to speak about the unspoken game.

medoramas wrote:

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?

First day, I brought nothing much at all. Had to phone upstairs to get someone to let me into the bike shed and to borrow a lock. Never done much falling, thankfully.

medoramas wrote:

Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

The saddle on the BSO was dreadful, the worst thing ever. After a couple of rides in the same week, my undercarriage was close to quitting for me. EBayed a reasonable replacement and that bike lasted me for a good 600 miles before I bought something decent.

rjsterry

medoramas wrote:

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it? Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice?

Started cycling regularly in 6th form, and at college. Bit of a gap at uni due to space in halls, then picked it up again, but as a leisure thing more than transport. Moved up to London, having got a job in Islington, but lived in Sheen (10 years ago now), and to start with assumed cycling in London was for nutters (a fellow student had worked as a cycle courier and described it as scarier than parachute jumping). Also we didn't have any facilities at work (storage or showers) to start with, but I did try it out the odd time. I still cycled a fair bit at the weekends, but after a few years, I was starting to fill out a bit and PT was getting progressively more expensive and crowded, so I started riding in more regularly. Moving out to Carshalton a couple of years ago meant that having a monthly travelcard for whenever I didn't feel like riding was a bit of an extravagance, so it then became more of a necessity than a choice.

Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?

Looked at a map to work out a route - probably should have asked on here as for years I went in through South Ken, HPK, Piccadilly and Clerkenwell :shock: - otherwise, no. Just got on and rode.

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?

No.

Did it take you long to get hooked up?

Dunno, it was quite a gradual thing, so I couldn't say at what point I became 'hooked'.

Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

I have days when it seems like a bit of a chore, but they are few and far between.n Probably as I don't get out at weekends now.

reformedfatty

~2006. After 3 years out of uni and the active life I had there I was fatttt. Bought a gt avalanche 1.0 to try and get some fitness back. Didn't really work, was still fat but less unfit. Tried commuting on it, but only did it once or twice - 12 miles of lethal roads on knobblies for a fatty was not to be.

~2008 Moved closer to work. 2 miles commute... job done. Started getting fit.
~2009 Decided to explore the somerset levels right by my house. Road bike purchased.
~2010 Fit. Changed jobs. About 9 miles straight up the side of the mendips. Savage but good - 3 / 4 times a week. No competition on that route.
early 2012 made redundant. New job in bristol.. 7 miles or so, All the competition goes the other way to me (I head out of the centre to fishponds, they head in).

One day I hope to be able to have a proper go at the game. Passing nodders on BSOs is not satisfying.

Jay dubbleU

Stolen from iPete

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it?
Always had a bike since about 12 years old - started cycling to work on my old 8 speed Raleigh when I changed jobs - before I had a weekly commute to Chatham and back. Upgraded to a new Giant on C2W and never looked back.

Did you have to search for the information and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?
No did it all myself - C2W was pretty easy even though I had to get the bike through Halfords - local shop is pretty good as most of the guys a into MTB - bike delivery time and build were good

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?
Already riding my old bike - just upgraded

Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

No - already had gear etc
Did have my Voodoo mtb nicked which made me wonder if I wanted to carry on but it was insured so bought a new bike when the money came through
Don't do it any more as I have retired - still cycling now have 3 bikes - Galaxy tourer which gets ridden every day and sometimes for Audax, folder which gets ridden round town and Charge CX ridden at weekends and for MTB events

jonginge

In homage to 1980's text adventures:

You are in a dark place.
To the left is the tube. To the right is a car.
In front of you is a bicycle.

davis

JonGinge wrote:

In homage to 1980's text adventures:

You are in a dark place.
To the left is the tube. To the right is a car.
In front of you is a bicycle.

Get on bike.

woodnut

medoramas wrote:

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it? Or you had been riding for a long time before and it was an obvious choice?

I bought a cheap mountainbike after about 10 years of not riding. I was very overweight and useless at dieting so I thought if I did a little off road work it would help. Really enjoyed riding round the local woods and trails and decided then that "at some point" I'd start riding to work. I quickly realized I "needed" a better bike, so, to convince myself I'd get my moneys worth, started riding my lovely new proper mountain bike the 20 mile round trip.

Did you have to search for the informations and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?

I used this site quite a lot...though I did take a lot of the advice with a big pinch of salt (wrongly in most cases). No one else rode to my place of work at the time I started

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?

I did one ride halfway to work, just so I'd have an idea how long it would take. I didn't buy any proper gear, just tracky bottoms, cagoule and trainers. To be honest I thought all the advice about, "you need proper clothes, it's worth investing in GOOD lights and GOOD tyres was a load of BS, but I was wrong. You don't need to spend a fortune at Rapha or whatever, but you do need to invest a bit.

Did it take you long to get hooked up?

Not really, the first few commutes were agony as it is quite hilly. But even when I was puffing and blowing, I was enjoying myself.

Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?

Well, I did get T boned on a roundabout and it took me a few weeks not to be nervous, and almost a year to go on that particular roundabout... but I don't recall ever seriously thinking "no more"

aclivity

Was it an impulse and you changed your life by adding a cycling to work to it?
I had been thinking of cycling to work (12 miles each way) for years, and never done anything about it, then I was made redundant. I looked for work in Manchester; previously Used to drive to work, now it's 2.5 miles to the station, I could get the bus but I fancied cycling. Used to cycle everywhere up to the age of 19, but at 42 was out of practice!

Did you have to search for the information and advices on your own, or you had a friend who introduced it all to you?
Pretty much on my own, I wanted a folder to give me flexibility to take on the train, and I just went to the nearest Brompton dealer and got on.

Did you take time to prepare, or did you just simply jumped on the bike and started learning by failing?
Prepare? I bought a bike, but other than that, no. I only cycle 2.5 miles each way, so it's not really much of a commute by some standards, but it's 20 miles a week more than I had done for many years. Learned by failing? Yep:
* first really cold day - bought a hat to go under helmet.
* First day I realised it was dark on the way home - bought some lights. Then bought some more when the cheap ones broke.
* First time I fell off on the ice - realised I shouldn't be so complacent, just because roads are gritted doesn't mean canal towpath will be safe.

Did it take you long to get hooked up? Did you have a "I don't do it any more" moment?
First couple of weeks were brilliant, I started in August last year so it was still warm (ish). Was determined not to back out over the winter, even though some mornings the temptation to leave the bike and get the bus was really strong. After my fall on the ice in December, I was tempted to take some time off, but I worked through the fear and came out OK. Last week when a truck nearly killed me in Manchester city centre I was a bit shaken up, but again, worked through it. I was losing heart over the cold and wet winter, but one day the ticket inspector at Wigan said - without any prompting - "we're all really proud of you keeping going on your bike when it's so awful out there". It was a complete surprise, and really lifted my spirits. Thinking back on that, and also whatever rule says "MTFU" or whatever it is, is a good mental spur.

As this is pretty much my first post on BR, I guess I should say that I am now a little bit hooked on it. N+1 applies, also have made regular map searches to look into how I can extend the cycle part of my commute and reduce my train part. I would like to do the whole trip into the office (22 miles) one day, possibly over the summer I may try for one day per week. I've gone from never riding a bike to trying to ride every day, even at weekends, even if I am only going out with the kids for an hour!

mudcow007

i started cycling when i was a nipper (in junior school - i dunno how old you are when you go there though) as we only had one car an my dad would drive to work. walking was bad for my chest so i rode instead

since then i have always rode bikes from street trials (hoping up/ down stairs etc) to commuting

it was this website that made me become a roadie though peer pressure dagnammit