The Tyne and Wear Commuter Thread

Initialised

jongooligan wrote:

Initialised wrote:

Anyone else get snowed on on the way home?

No. Using the car at the mo as I've got a stinking cold, which I am more than happy to share with my workmates.

Takes more than a cold to stop me, sell the car, lose the option of bottling out.

Looks like the snow/ice will have cleared for the morning run.

Gutted, as I need to test ride the new rear wheel on my MTB.

jongooligan

Initialised wrote:

jongooligan wrote:

Initialised wrote:

Anyone else get snowed on on the way home?

No. Using the car at the mo as I've got a stinking cold, which I am more than happy to share with my workmates.

Takes more than a cold to stop me, sell the car, lose the option of bottling out.

Looks like the snow/ice will have cleared for the morning run.

Gutted, as I need to test ride the new rear wheel on my MTB.

Yeah, I'm a wuss. You got your wish - it's snowing like billyo. Stay safe.

bucklb

Initialised wrote:

Anyone else get snowed on on the way home?

Not sure if I got snow or sleet. Probably a mix. Bad enough that I had to stop a couple of times to clear my glasses, which I can't recall having to do before.

Given the forecast winds for tonight I'm starting to wonder if cycling in this morning was wise. We'll see

Captain Slackbladder

Was pretty bad in places this morning, got off and walked on a couple of icy spots. Managed to get into work safe and sound...

Could be a wet and breezy one going home though...

bucklb

Captain Slackbladder wrote:

Could be a wet and breezy one going home though...

Wet & breezy seems to be the default setting at the minute and I'm mostly used to it (could be famous last words though). Icy & breezy ups the ante somewhat

anthdci

looks like it's going to be a wet one going home, waterproofs on.

Initialised

Yep, got up, saw the ice in the back street, I'm not riding that on 23s. Out comes the MTB, I frantically fitted the Snow Studs, seat post and MudHuggers.

Hopes that we'd get more were dashed by torrential rain through the after noon. I did wuss out of a bit of mud plugging (was going to go up Tanfield Railway and down the Kibblesworth Staircase) at lunchtime when the unholy trinity or wintry showers, high winds and heavy rain hit.

Last couple of days has all been Rule#9 riding!

deffler

now then, after two and a half years out of the game (due to getting a new job 5 min walk from home) im now back on it. My company have kindly tupe'd me to another company and my place of work is now 10 miles away. this means I will now be commuting from Houghton to peterlee everyday, to say im pissed off with the tupe is an understatement however the prospect of cycling to work again has got me excited.

the route i'll be taking is upto snippersgate garage, right onto haswell road, all the way to shotton then to bracken hill. dreading that its all uphill the way there and haswell rd is unlit but the downhill commute home should be a joy. theres a shower at work but no bike shelter, crap security, no lockers & no hanging clothes facilities.

finally ive purchased a boardman hybrid pro 12/13 and fitted 32 marathon plus tyres, the pro was purchased for £700 8)

anyone else commute along that route?

Madproforg

deffler - If your desperate for showers, and can afford the membership, there are a couple of gyms on that industrial estate that might be worth a look at.

deffler

Madproforg wrote:

deffler - If your desperate for showers, and can afford the membership, there are a couple of gyms on that industrial estate that might be worth a look at.

cheers but showers aint an issue, decent bike storage, zero lockers and nowhere to hang stuff to dry are though.

first commute is on Monday, I wonder how far I get into the week before I realise ive forgot something?

forzavelo

deffler wrote:

...and fitted 32 marathon plus tyres...

Sensible choice, just replaced mine after 4 years of use, I was particularly lazy and did not check for glass, at first it was not an issue then got my first puncture in 3 1/2 years as the rubber started to disintegrate, food for thought, takes 5 mins, good luck on the commute.

YIMan

deffler wrote:

Madproforg wrote:

deffler - If your desperate for showers, and can afford the membership, there are a couple of gyms on that industrial estate that might be worth a look at.

cheers but showers aint an issue, decent bike storage, zero lockers and nowhere to hang stuff to dry are though.

first commute is on Monday, I wonder how far I get into the week before I realise ive forgot something?

Not sure if it's an option for you but I drive my van to work and use it as a bike garage/changing room/drying room. I.e. my commute return trip is from my van at work to home and then back again the next morning, rather than from home to work.

deffler

YIMan wrote:

deffler wrote:

Madproforg wrote:

deffler - If your desperate for showers, and can afford the membership, there are a couple of gyms on that industrial estate that might be worth a look at.

cheers but showers aint an issue, decent bike storage, zero lockers and nowhere to hang stuff to dry are though.

first commute is on Monday, I wonder how far I get into the week before I realise ive forgot something?

Not sure if it's an option for you but I drive my van to work and use it as a bike garage/changing room/drying room. I.e. my commute return trip is from my van at work to home and then back again the next morning, rather than from home to work.

haha, no mate that kind of thing is not an option

deffler

forzavelo wrote:

deffler wrote:

...and fitted 32 marathon plus tyres...

Sensible choice, just replaced mine after 4 years of use, I was particularly lazy and did not check for glass, at first it was not an issue then got my first puncture in 3 1/2 years as the rubber started to disintegrate, food for thought, takes 5 mins, good luck on the commute.

I hope so

Madproforg

The company is consolidation things up in Cobalt, so my commute by bike is jumping from a round trip of 26miles to 60miles . Think I'll be using the bike far less.

Initialised

Madproforg wrote:

The company is consolidation things up in Cobalt, so my commute by bike is jumping from a round trip of 26miles to 60miles . Think I'll be using the bike far less.

Ferryhill to Silverlink is quite a hike!

markhewitt1978

Ouch indeed, although during the summer you could do it once or twice a week, realistically 30 miles each way is too much for a commute

Madproforg

That's along the lines I was thinking. If the weather is reasonable it should make for nice ride home.
It's possible to cut it down to 20 each way, but that involves using the train from Durham to Newcastle, I just begrude paying the fare..
Ah well, just to have to see how it goes.

markhewitt1978

You can probably get it down to around 25-28 miles if you use the Tyne cycle tunnel* and the likes of the Bowes railway path, I think the distance itself is doable, it's just there aren't enough hours in the day to be doing 50-60 miles cycling, and a full working day, and family life, and sleep!

*Due to reopen in August but there is a van transport that goes through the road tunnel.

Madproforg

How is the Bowes path these days, the info on Cycle Gateshead says only passable by mountain bikes after strom damage in 2012

markhewitt1978

That's mostly the part down the hill through Birtley into Team Valley, when I last looked at it (which was in fact late 2012) it was badly rutted and even MTB would have issues with it.

The big over Eighton Banks is muddy and rocky, however if you follow the part I've shown here: http://goo.gl/maps/8dE4l then it's very much passable on a road bike without any problems - I've done it a few times, albeit in summer. The southern part is reasonable compacted gravel and the bit after Monkton Stadium is tarmac.

Madproforg

Thanks for that, it seems like the route I've planned missed out the more awkward bits, while still keeping the good bits in.
Compacted gravel isn't an issue, Cyclocross bike with Challenge Eroica tyres nearly sees that type of surface as tarmac

Only thing now is wait for the move and try to get the avg speed up.

markhewitt1978

CX would be ideal for that route, in fact my road bike with 23mm slicks didn't have an issue either, my bike got a bit dirty that was all

There's a guy on my Strava feed who rides to Team Valley and does 30 miles in 1hr30, so I would expect you to get to that sort of speed

Initialised

Madproforg wrote:

How is the Bowes path these days, the info on Cycle Gateshead says only passable by mountain bikes after strom damage in 2012

The Kibblesworth Staircase (part of the Bowes path) is still as rutted as it was a back when this thread was just 17. It's a blast on a mountain bike so that's likely the stretch they are talking about being MTB only territory. In the dry it's rideable on 23s for all but maybe 10-20 metres at the top of the lower staircase. If anything it's a bit better now, as the sides have become hard packed mud and the lines through the jumps and ruts are a bit more obvious.

I'm not familiar with that path on the other side of the A1/A167. But if the surface is as bad as it is from Greenford to Birtley then it's not much fun on 28s.

markhewitt1978

I've raised the matter several times on the Gateshead cycling forum - http://www.gatesheadcycling.org.uk/ but gotten short shrift from Neil, who's response is always along the lines of we're never going to do anything, ever.

Initialised

TBH I don't really want them to, it's great to have a decent descent like that within reach on the days I go mud-plugging on the MTB (wish I had today, was getting blown across the road on Fatima Whitbred)

You two should check out the Extreme Commuters thread I reckon anything over 30 miles on a bike is worthy.

markhewitt1978

Initialised wrote:

TBH I don't really want them to, it's great to have a decent descent like that within reach on the days I go mud-plugging on the MTB (wish I had today, was getting blown across the road on Fatima Whitbred)

The argument that I, and others, make is that this type of path should be for everyone, passable on 'ordinary' bikes - whatever that means these days.

You two should check out the Extreme Commuters thread I reckon anything over 30 miles on a bike is worthy.

Couldn't do that like, too much time.

Initialised

I see what you mean but the bit that's really bad is either side of a road crossing where you have to slow/stop anyway and the sides are safe to ride on 23mm tyres in the dry or 28mm semis/CX when muddy. I think this is reasonable for an off road path, anything smaller than 28mm is really designed for tarmac use only.

Long_Time_Lurker

Afternoon all...
Does anyone use or recommend a mobile bike mechanic up here in the North-East?
(My old person seems to have given up - or at least has scaled down operations.)

Captain Slackbladder

Long Time Lurker wrote:

Afternoon all...
Does anyone use or recommend a mobile bike mechanic up here in the North-East?
(My old person seems to have given up - or at least has scaled down operations.)

I used a guy who lived near me on Hadrian Park, he's apparently moved and is no longer living close enough. I'm in the same boat and will be looking for a a recommended mechanic in North Tyneside.