"16.4 miles commute? Are u nuts?"
Comments
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I'll be starting very soon: 13 miles, in London.
If anyone asks me if I'm nuts I fully intend to reply "£180/month to TfL? Are you nuts?"Scott Sportster P45 2008 | Cannondale CAAD8 Tiagra 20120 -
Gizmo_ wrote:I'll be starting very soon: 13 miles, in London.
If anyone asks me if I'm nuts I fully intend to reply "£180/month to TfL? Are you nuts?"
haha excellent. well i cnat wait to see the faces on my colleagues once they find out i'm cycling in. bikes in for a service...this saturday morning i'll be doing a 14 mile round trip. i'll update then.
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The issue with commutes further than 8-10 miles is not necessarily the distance but the time needed.
With a 16.4 mile commute you're looking at anything between 70-100 minutes travelling time (working on a 14mph average). So twice a day, plus changing time you're looking at using about three hours a day cycling - which is quite a large time commitment.
Regards
Bob0 -
^^^ What he says. In the morning its not too bad but can eat into your evenings. It's what would be the limiting factor for me .. I know understand that it would never be the distance covered but always the time it takes.0
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Clearly you havent used what is described as a PT in london town!
my 15 mile commute (including shower) takes about 10-15 minutes more than using public transport."If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills0 -
I said that time was the limiting factor but not how long that time was
Personally 1hr and 30 minutes is pushing it for me .. any more and I'd reconsider my choices. I'm sure other people have different limits and circumstances.
Also it depends on how you ride during that time .. for me it's pretty full on most days. Doing this can have consequences such as requiring more sleep and being a total washout at the weekend - not ideal when you have other people in your life. Sure I could start reigning myself in but that would mean taking even longer to get home (and I think I may have issues with taking it too easy :twisted: ).0 -
Don't wait start now!
My advice would be ride in the whole way and back one day/week. Then two days etc.
Don't faff about with halfway journeys because it will be pretty hard to get your bike in the car, take the car half way, getting bike out of the car, and then mess about getting kitted up for your bike. Best laid plans go to waste and all that.
Get up earlier than you need to, get dressed, eat some thing, get on your bike.
No one says you have to cycle hard the whole way, just plod for the first few rides. You will naturally want to go at your fastest possible 'plod pace' anyway. Your undercarriage might be sore for a couple of days but it will soon toughen up.
Seriously tho, just do it. Good luck.0 -
LockStock666 wrote:Don't wait start now!
My advice would be ride in the whole way and back one day/week. Then two days etc.
Don't faff about with halfway journeys because it will be pretty hard to get your bike in the car, take the car half way, getting bike out of the car, and then mess about getting kitted up for your bike. Best laid plans go to waste and all that.
Get up earlier than you need to, get dressed, eat some thing, get on your bike.
No one says you have to cycle hard the whole way, just plod for the first few rides. You will naturally want to go at your fastest possible 'plod pace' anyway. Your undercarriage might be sore for a couple of days but it will soon toughen up.
Seriously tho, just do it. Good luck.
Hello mate. believe me. all i can think about is riding to work on my bike. but at the moment my fitness aint great. well...i did 20 miles a few times, recreationally, with my brother before xmas but since i moved house etc just not had time to get on a bike. i know what you mean about the plod pace. if i wake up early enough, i dont have to rush. if i average something like 10moph which i can easily do then i should be ok. hmm...u have me thinking now. i really do want to try the route on the weekend by cycling halfway and back. i doont want to do 32 miles rountrip straightaway but if i ride halfway which gives me roughly a 14 mile round trip then i will definitly start riding to work everyday.
i know with some of the comments above about it taking up a lot of time before work and after work but, again, when i think of the financial benefits as well as the health benefits then it motivates me.
i will give it a go. i think plodding on at the pace i'm comfortable with then i should be ok with that. i suppose i could always come off the bike and walk/run up the hill if i have trouble with it. thanks for your support people. 0 -
Could you get picked up at the end or dropped off at the start of the test run?
Then at least you've done the full distance, best do it the harder way so you know what you're letting your self in for also use a free smartphone app to track it so you can see where you're fast, slow etc...
Bear in mind the route you have in your head/maps etc... will change over time as you find more efficient routes, bits of off road tracks that don't show up on the map and cheeky short cuts. Sometimes the shortest route is more lumpy than a different route and there fore quicker.
Since restarting cycling a few years back I've lost ~4 stone and I think now I've sold the second car I'm saving £3k per year. My resting heart rate is down into the 50s.
At first the slightest incline had me dismounting but as your legs get stronger it gets easier to drop a gear and carry on.I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.0 -
If you can keep some spare kit at work eg gloves, socks and shorts in case your ride in ones get wet. Maybe keep a bag in the car if you drive part-way (and driving part way is a good idea as you start out) with a towel, water, some fruit and some disposable gloves and a sheet to keep you and the car clean. Also keep a couple of spare inner tubes at work (£1.99 at Planet X). practice in your garage or kitchen at hanging a tyre. An hour at home is better than an hour in the wet and/or cold struggling to get your tyre on/off the rim. Invest in a quality bike pump eg Topeak,Park,Lezyne. Check your kit regularly.M.Rushton0
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Threads like this are great - they allow mileage junkies (count me in!) to display our manly appetite for distance. Luckily it also allows us to pass on our wisdom.
Here's my thoughts, for what they're worth. First off, don't focus too much on where you are now fitness wise. Whatever your level is now in a few months you'll look back and laugh at how you were when you started. And it might work for some but this idea of driving halfway and riding the rest, I wouldn't bother. It swallows up any savings you might make on fuel and you have to park somewhere for 9 hours. There aren't many places that I'd feel comfortable leaving the car unattended for the day, and it's just so artificial, driving somewhere in all your kit so that you can save most of the effort and ride the last handful of miles. 16 miles is doable; you may as well do it.
Here's the way it'll probably pan out:
First try: desperately hard work, arrive at work shagged out spent of all energy. Spend the day eating tons to build up the energy needed to get back home and making sure the drinks bottles are full for the return leg. Arr home feeling as of you've just finished the Tour de France.
2nd, 3rd, 4th: Set off full of trepidation but find it marginally easier. Still eating too much but starting to cope. Drinks bottles still full of energy drinks both ways.
Next few times: Trepidation starting to lessen, ride becoming enjoyable, food intake reducing as the realisation that it's actually pretty easy hits home. Drinks bottles reduced to one, squash now enough for the job.
After a while: Cycling in that far is now a routine event. No special prep needed, half a drinks bottle more than enough, food intake no higher than days when you drive in. Recovery period down to the time it takes to make a coffee on arrival.
Rest of your time in that job: Look forward to the days when you cycle in, look at ways of extending the commute home on those balmy summer evenings. Do it 5 days per week sometimes just for the fun of it. Wonder what the fuss was about.
I reckon after a bit you'll be like the rest of us; mileage is just a number that happens to take a bit longer to hit. Effort wise it'll hardly be on your radar. We very soon become accustomed to additional effort, and when we are it makes us look silly for putting it off in the first place, knowing now how easy it's become. Give it a go, and keep the thought in your head that the first time is the hardest; once that's out of the way it only gets easier.
Forgot to brag I mean add - I do 21 miles e/w. 1h 10 to knock it out, done. Easier than you'd possibly imagine. Late 40s, a bit too much round the girth, but it's easy.0 -
all great advice on this thread - the aldi sale was today, if you can get to one and there is still stuff left, buy a load of the padded shorts, they are fine for commuting and you can wash rotate regularly without worry
also, if you don't feel great or just not right on the odd occasion, don't be afraid to have a rest day and take the car or bus. Recovery helps physically and you appreciate the riding all over again after sitting in a traffic queue :-)"I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, how good is that"
--Jens Voight0 -
Yep, I've had that comment thrown at me before! I love the independence that commuting by bike gives, distance isn't a major obstacle in itself. The hassle factor for me was changing clothes at work and having to wear lycra kit back in the 80's (thank God for modern bike wear!). With some planning any reason not to do it will disappear quickly and on the days you don't use the bike you will end up wishing you had. Lots of great advice on this thread, good luck to you!0
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Just add my 2p in.
I started commuting last month around 17 miles one way. Its mostly on a canal path so relatively flat. I have done it for about 2 days per week and want to get it up to 3 days per week.
Just to manage your expectations it takes me around 1.5hr (and this varies slightly depending on wind etc). I would love to it closer to an hour, but maybe that will come.
I am still at the trepidation phase, and sometimes I find it hard, especially when its wet, but am looking forward to being fitter for summer.
I will add though good clothing and a decent saddle is a must. I struggled with a bad saddle and changed it, which helped. I also have padded shorts, waterproof jacket and a couple of good sets of gloves.
I spent months wondering if I could ever do this commute and when the clocks changed just did it (although I did do about 2 weekends of coming halfway and back).
So in conclusion, just do it, wear good clothes and have rest days. Also remember to hydrate and take a small bar of chocolate and treat yourself half way - it helps.
I remember when I first did the trip to Paddington, it felt to me like winning the Tour De France. Exhausted but elated
Good luck0 -
great posts above. especially CiB. realyl appreciate how you've broken it down for me. so can i just confirm.....no moatter what my fitness level is right not, i should just go for it, use up all my energy to get there and use the time at work (office work) to recover and then do it again after work??
i am gonna go on the weekend half way and back, as i've mentioned earlier and i'm sure once i can do that then i'll start doing it from next week maybe the week after. 0 -
Ah. Mine was a light-hearted reflection of how I started, not an instruction sheet.Azhar wrote:great posts above. especially CiB. realyl appreciate how you've broken it down for me. so can i just confirm.....no moatter what my fitness level is right not, i should just go for it, use up all my energy to get there and use the time at work (office work) to recover and then do it again after work??
i am gonna go on the weekend half way and back, as i've mentioned earlier and i'm sure once i can do that then i'll start doing it from next week maybe the week after.
The first few times it'll do you in and you'll want to eat like a horse; I used to go to Tesco on car days to stock up on fruit, energy bars and energy drinks for the 3 days that I cycled in, and had a bag of muesli stuff in my cupboard to eat when I rolled in. After a while I realised I didn't need it and was eating it for the sake of it so just dropped all the extra stuff. Same with the drinks. I have a couple of swigs on the way in and maybe on the way home but it's only an hour or so, yours will be the same sort of time, no big shakes once you're used to it.
But to answer your question, yeah just go for it. You can plot & plan all you like but you still need to face the first proper commute, and it'll be a bit tougher than you'd like it to be probably. After that it gets easier, like I described. But to be honest, 16 miles isn't the ends of the earth. It's what regular cyclists do without batting an eyelid at - that's not to belittle you, it's to put into context what 16, 20 or whatever mils you do is once you're into it. 100 is hard. You should quickly get to a state where 16 is a pootle.
Ignore colleagues' comments - there are plenty of people on here who do more than you, more than me, who just do it. And if you want a minor additional incentive, add yourself to the SC Stats mileage board (link below). No prizes, just a bit of fun. I'd give you two months before you start planning extended commutes personally. 0 -
Hi,
I was 18 stone last year when I started my 16.5 mile commute. Although it's Essex I do cycle from Sea Level over Danbury (highest point) it's not a lot of climbing by any means, about 700 feet over the distance but challenging especially at that weight.
As I type this I am down to 15 stone and able to comfortably ride 4 days a week. If I ride 3 days in a row, the ride home on day 3 can be tough in that my legs feel tired.
It is absolutely doable, my advice would be to allow plenty of time and ride at a steady pace. Once you have ridden a few times you will be aware of how you feel, which parts you can push on think about riding faster.
If losing weight is your aim then I wouldn't worry about restricting your diet to start with, again once you have done the commute a few times you will have a better idea of the energy requirements. Fruit is your friend if you eat it, bananas, pineapple etc. Make sure you eat something as soon as you can once you have got to work.
Try and get as much stuff prepared the night before so when you get up in the morning all you need to do is get dressed in your gear, eat breakfast and go. The last thing you want to do is be faffing about trying to find your cycle top!
To summarise, eat well, plan ahead & go for it. Once you have a better idea of what you have taken on, adjust your diet and work on lowering the ride time.
Good luck & enjoy!0 -
how did you get on Azhar?"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills0 -
rubertoe wrote:how did you get on Azhar?
well....i did the 6/7 miles and back to give me a 13/14 mile round trip and, unofrtunately, i did stop a few times to get my energy levels back after a hill. some of the hills i could suprisinlgy do only because they were only 20/30 metres of it and could see the top of the summit.i kept thinking to myself that once i;ve done this hill there is a downhill i can use to relax. once i reached the point where i was going to turn back i took another rest but felt absolutely brilliant that i did it. i did it under my own steam. not petrol or nandrolone. it was all me. again, the hills on the way back were hard but find it surprisingly easier this time, i'm not sure if it was because i was on my way home or i had loads of blood pumping through my thigs. also found that the burning feeling in the legs on hills i could last just a little longer. i could cope with the burning sensation for a little longer before i went down to spin my way but again it did get to the point where i had to stop and take a breather.
i did learn one thing though, i didnt take enough water. but luckily i i was about 4 miles from home when i ran out. i cant wait to do it again,but again the only thing that concerns me is the more monstrous hills past the half way journey i need to tackle and also the pressure of making sure i get to work within 2 hours. i'm sure i'll do it but i need to do the whole route.
plus..my ars* hurts well bad. i noticed that under my weight the tyres on the back were a little deflated but it didnt stop the very fast descents when i got in to them. shoulders and the neck hurt a bit. and i had this excellent sensation of what can only described as my metabolism working. its like when i took a deep breath, almost like a sigh, i could feel my lung and hearts working really well. i hope you know what i mean. but i know one thing. all what i mentioned and discussed in this post is more of a psychological barrier than a fitness one. having the right mentally really helped me becuase i went in to the ride taking my time, no pressure at all and i feel like i did really well.
may start commuting sooner rather than later. 0 -
Sounds good to me. I picked up my new bike on Thursday: first ride out today. Did 30km fairly flat, just one or two hills that were hard work.
My commute is 21km. It's going to be... Not easy, but REALLY doable.Scott Sportster P45 2008 | Cannondale CAAD8 Tiagra 20120 -
As the saying goes
"it never gets any easier, you just get quicker"
Well done mate - you'll be spinning up those hills soon enough."If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills0 -
Looks like I'm a little late to the party but glad you're enjoying the commute. I normally get the road bike out two to three times a week for the commute into work. It's 17 miles each way with one killer hill on the return journey.
I'm quite fortunate that I have a shower at the office I work in on the colder mornings it's always a welcome comfort once I arrive in. Despite the odd looks and the occasional comment when I walk through the office in my shorts and jersey I enjoy it, it's a great way to start the day.
I think the best comment I got was from some fat guy smoking outside as I walked past the smoking area who said to me what do you look like? I simply replied fitter than you tar lungs
Stick with it mate, it's worth it2016 Cube Agree C:62 SLT DISC
2013 Cayo Evo 3
2013 Zesty 414
2002 Avalanche 0.0
2018 Vitus Substance v2 105 Gravel0 -
Just thought I'd check back in here and see what happened.
Congratulations for getting on your bike and riding 13/14 miles first attempt! I am sure I would of ended up stopping to recover too on my first ever attempt at that distance.
It's a long way to just do straight off and it has helped you plan your commute.
Give yourself 2-3 days rest and get back on the bike. You will find it similarly hard but your muscles will have already begun to make the adaptations they need to for your cycling journey. Your body will adapt to whatever you throw at it. you just have to keep throwing stuff at it so to speak!
I know exactly what you mean about the burning sensation in your lungs, the ache in the legs and how it actually feels great!
Well done once again.0 -
Building up slowly is the way to go.
Here's my story... bought a folding bike Feb 2011 to get from home to the train station (2 miles) and then from the station to work at the other end (5 miles). Quickly realised I enjoyed cycling more than sitting on the train, so gradually cut down distance by train and increased distance by bike.
After doing this for 6 months I just decided to ride the whole way home one day. 30 miles on a folding bike wasn't too comfortable, but I got such a sense of achievement from it, I decided to make it a habit bought a £600 road bike.
Now I cycle all the way to work (60 mile round trip) twice a week and I'm moving up to make that three times a week. The road bike has paid for itself twice over in saved train fares and I feel great!0 -
Do it! I currently live outside of Bristol, a pretty hilly area if anyone on here knows it. And my commute is 12 miles, on average it takes me about 45minutes on a road bike. Give or take 10mins in the rain or conditions are great.
Now if i were to drive the same route it takes me nearly 30minutes on a traffic free day! When theres traffic as there usually is at rush hour it takes me 1.5 hours easily.
Fitness is always an upside of cycling, 2 hours exercise on your way to and from work. Well you won't feel quite so guilty about giving the gym a miss in the evenings and putting those legs up for a rest!
Give it a few weeks and you will be in tip top shape in no time to start beating your own time!
Most importantly, i find it relaxing. I finish a days work and get stressed out stuck in traffic in my car. And when im on my bike i have a big fat grin on my face and i literally think about nothing but me and my bike. So when i get home i have forgotten all about works stresses!
A few tips by the way, if your work hasn't got shower facilities, baby wipes for your back underarms and chest work miracles for a quick clean without smelling like a cyclist
Also something i found out the harder way, rather than splashing out an extra £100 on that slightly fancier bike, make sure you have some cycling shorts (Lycra or baggy, get some with a chamois). I thought they were the gayest thing in the world, which they still are. But your ASS will thank you so much!
PACE yourself, and use your gears up those hills. If you find yourself arriving at work thinking that was easier than expected on the return journey push it a little bit.
I heard the same phrase you have mentioned and i can honestly say it's never as bad as what everyone tells you.
Have fun, and you won't look back!
Oh and congratulations on your first trip, in a few weeks you will feel so lively you won't stop!0 -
andyeb wrote:Building up slowly is the way to go.
Here's my story... bought a folding bike Feb 2011 to get from home to the train station (2 miles) and then from the station to work at the other end (5 miles). Quickly realised I enjoyed cycling more than sitting on the train, so gradually cut down distance by train and increased distance by bike.
After doing this for 6 months I just decided to ride the whole way home one day. 30 miles on a folding bike wasn't too comfortable, but I got such a sense of achievement from it, I decided to make it a habit bought a £600 road bike.
Now I cycle all the way to work (60 mile round trip) twice a week and I'm moving up to make that three times a week. The road bike has paid for itself twice over in saved train fares and I feel great!
well done mate. thats really inspirational. i went for another ride today but had to turn back (wife harrassing me where i;d gone) around at about 5 miles, so all in all i did 10 miles round trip. i thouroughly enjoyed it though. i'm quite thankful that theres a stteep hill that i have to tackle within 5 minutes of my commute which is well hard but gets the blood pumping. so any opther hills after that found it relatively...well not easy but doable. but main thing were that i really had some fun,. waved at cyclists coming in thhe opposite direction. but only gripe this time were some of the cars were getting a little too close. a little scary but thankful nothing serious.0 -
Cookie91 wrote:Do it! I currently live outside of Bristol, a pretty hilly area if anyone on here knows it. And my commute is 12 miles, on average it takes me about 45minutes on a road bike. Give or take 10mins in the rain or conditions are great.
Now if i were to drive the same route it takes me nearly 30minutes on a traffic free day! When theres traffic as there usually is at rush hour it takes me 1.5 hours easily.
Fitness is always an upside of cycling, 2 hours exercise on your way to and from work. Well you won't feel quite so guilty about giving the gym a miss in the evenings and putting those legs up for a rest!
Give it a few weeks and you will be in tip top shape in no time to start beating your own time!
Most importantly, i find it relaxing. I finish a days work and get stressed out stuck in traffic in my car. And when im on my bike i have a big fat grin on my face and i literally think about nothing but me and my bike. So when i get home i have forgotten all about works stresses!
A few tips by the way, if your work hasn't got shower facilities, baby wipes for your back underarms and chest work miracles for a quick clean without smelling like a cyclist
Also something i found out the harder way, rather than splashing out an extra £100 on that slightly fancier bike, make sure you have some cycling shorts (Lycra or baggy, get some with a chamois). I thought they were the gayest thing in the world, which they still are. But your ASS will thank you so much!
PACE yourself, and use your gears up those hills. If you find yourself arriving at work thinking that was easier than expected on the return journey push it a little bit.
I heard the same phrase you have mentioned and i can honestly say it's never as bad as what everyone tells you.
Have fun, and you won't look back!
Oh and congratulations on your first trip, in a few weeks you will feel so lively you won't stop!
you got me thinking about what you said about "traffic free day". i suppose i havent given this much thought until now but i finish work at 1600-1615. and the roads are very very busy,. i'm jst concerned about upholding traffic when i'm going uphill and struggling that sort of thing. does that sort of thing put u slightly off??0 -
Have you looked at alternative routes that avoid the busiest roads? I find on my commute, even in Central London, that there are 'parallel routes' that are far less busy at different times of the day so its worth experimenting.Azhar wrote:...i finish work at 1600-1615. and the roads are very very busy,. i'm jst concerned about upholding traffic when i'm going uphill and struggling that sort of thing. does that sort of thing put u slightly off??
Its always a bit worrying when you're going uphill and cars want to get past... don't be intimidated, hold your line. If you're struggling up hills it might be you need to look at your technique. Firstly get into a lower gear (assuming you're not already in the lowest you can go) and spin faster before you get to the hill, don't wait until you're on the hill before changing down; its the biggest mistake beginners usually make - grinding up the hills in too high a gear at a very low cadence (pedal speed). If you still find you're struggling, consider upgrading your cassette (thats the cogs on the back) to give you a little extra... you can always change them back later once you've improved (just ask if you need more info).
I had a quick scan through the thread and you haven't said what you are riding or where you are commuting from/to... I'm sure there's lot more help/motivation we can give if we knew more.
For the record, my commute is 25miles/day with about 300m of climbing, though I was doing 34miles until we moved offices and though I commute 5 days a week I still get out for a 70mile ride most weekends - because its just so much fun and saves so much money and gets rid of so much work-related stress... I started doing it just about 10y ago and never looked back...Invacare Spectra Plus electric wheelchair, max speed 4mph
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One other quick tip - when you are thinking of upping the miles to the next level, it's a good idea pay close attention to the weather forecast, more specifically wind speed, direction and gust strength, in order to pick your day wisely. It can be demotivating to feel completely spent after doing 1/3 of the distance because of gusty headwind. Conversely a steady tailwind can be an enormous confidence boost getting to work, but keep in mind it will likely turn into a headwind on the way home.
I usually get this information from http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weat ... ab=fiveDay which is the only forecast I've found which includes wind gust strength and % chance of rain. Their accuracy track record for 1 day ahead is good and for 12 hours ahead it's near perfect - so it pays to do a last minute check before setting off.0 -
+1 on the 'do it part way in the car and the rest by bike'. That's how I started and I still mostly do that. I have drop points at 8, 13 and 16 miles (I live 23 miles from work). I started with a 10 mile each way, mostly flat commute (I don't go that way anymore) 2-3 times a week and built up. I often do the full commute in and get someone to collect me at one of my drop points. I'm quite capable of doing the full commute back but it would mean not getting home until about 7 which wouldn't go down well on a regular basis.
So I'd say start small, 3 miles maybe, then build up. Then you could start sooner 0
