Commuting to work - how far is too far

arthur_scrimshaw

Rhodrich wrote:

14 miles for me each way - 17 if I'm working at my City offices, on a steel framed road bike in the Summer (with clip on mudguards), and a steel framed touring bike for the winter (fatter tyres, full length mudguards, and dynamo lights)

Every day is a rucksack free day for me. As soon as I bought a Carradice, I never looked back! I guess it is a bit silly shipping a pair of shoes back and forth, but with a saddlebag, you barely notice it's there. The beauty of the 'Bagman' that I have is that it makes the saddlebag quick release, and can be moved over from bike to bike with little more than a twiddle of an Allen key.

I'd advise getting a High Pressure frame pump instead of CO2 cannisters. Far more reliable.
I'd also advise getting some dynamo lights. No need to have 2 pairs then, and no need for faffing about with batteries/chargers etc.

+1 for the bagman qr - I have two carradice bags both with the qr fitting, the normal audax bag is ok for clean shirts and underwear, shipping out washing etc plus the camper longflap for the kitchen sink days.

run4marmite

Oh wow thanks for all the really really useful replies esp DaddyO.

I'm going to give it a shot with 2-3 days in the new year. I'm sure I will be back with loads of questions about what road bike to get!

I'm hoping it doesn't drain me too much as I used to run 10k most mornings and then hop on my bike for my 9mile commute and I was fine but I do need my brain to be firing off all cylinders and able to number crunch so I will have to be careful. I will def have to pace myself - not always my strong point when I get involved in commuter racing.

We have secure bike parking where I work and showers which is brill. A clear desk policy makes things a bit tricky but I have a locker and there are few places where I can leave clothes etc without it been a problem (hopefully).

cruff

Ah - the 'Clear Desk Policy'.

Dreamed up by utter f*ckholes who think the ceo gives a monkey's toss whether or not your desk is clear.

If I was in charge of a company and I walked round & saw a bunch of clear desks I'd wonder what the hell I was paying everyone to do.

ex-pat scot

I usually do the 20 miles each way each day, depending on where clients are based.

Key points:
1. spare bike(s). If you have the space, have a few ready to ride at any time.
2. USB rechargeable lights are great (Lezyne) - to charge at the office and easy to switch between bikes
3. at least one spare f&r light, if not more.
4. try a few different routes. Have a bad weather / icy weather route as well (my normal commute tends to black ice, so I have a couple of main-road-rides when it's dangerous)
5. drop bar bikes are my preference
6. have a couple of winter bikes if possible, with clearance for wider tyres and 'guards. SS is great for maintenance /simplicity / cost when the weather is foul and road grime is too bad
7 weekly cleaning is ideal, but rarely happens. A clean chain and clean brakes will go a long way to making your life simple
8. you can get a decent tool pack to carry between bikes. I have everything I need in a bottle pack (shaped like a water bottle and quickly fits into any bottle cage). I also have another in a Lezyne pouch, which does the same job.
9. know your tools. Make sure you have a 15mm spanner if you have nuts (FG/SS). Check your spare tubes (2 off) to ensure stem length is sufficiently long for all your bikes
10. micro pump in the bag
11. work locker: keep a proper set of allen keys, repair kit, cheap track pump, folding tyre.
12. don't transport shoes if at all possible. Keep a couple of pairs under your desk if you can.
13. keep a spare pair of shorts & socks in your locker in case you get absolutely soaked on the way in. Otherwise you will spend the whole day knowing you have cold wet kit waiting for you for the ride home.
14. lock your bike, even if it is in a secure area. Leave lock at work.
15. keep the security team sweet. Chocs at Christmas. Make sure they keep an eye on your bike, even if it's a commuter.
16 use your nice bike when you can, and take advantage of the secure parking
17 keep a tally of how much you are saving. It makes the running costs seem very reasonable and justifies the occasional "upgrade".
18 remember company C2W schemes - you can get decent all year bikes for £1000 and it is a cost effective way of n+1 if you are wearing kit out from high mileage commuting
19 showers, towel drying and kit drying are three contentious items in many offices. If it is proving difficult, then remind office management about Community & Social Responsibility policies they will have about sustainable transport, energy efficiency, staff travel etc and try and get some basic facilities to store and dry your kit.
20 take it steady. Not every ride is a high intensity one.
21 try and find others with similar commutes - even if it is partial - there's great motivation in arranging to meet and ride with others.
22. mudguards. It keeps the bike clear of the mucky stuff and reduces wear & tear on your bike. By all means keep your summer bike 'guards-free and use it on dry days.
23. remember 2 bikes will wear out half as fast as one, for the same mileage, and will cost the same overall throughout your commuting life, but will give you greater flexibility in case of theft, breakage, accident, p#nct#re etc
24. luggage. Carradice do great bags that will expand, take laptop etc. They also have QR mounts. Otherwise consider rack packs or panniers. I would suggest that panniers be overkill for daily commute, as you should be carrying minimal kit each day. Maybe panniers for a weekly top up of shirts & undies perhaps, but shouldn't be necessary every day.

okgo

For some odd reason I have still not done the 5 shirts thing.

It would be so easy for me as I often wear t shirts at work, and leave jeans and trainers at work all the time anyway. Why do I take a bag each day just to carry a shirt and pants/socks/wallet/phone etc. I may try the one day thing in Jan.

asprilla

okgo wrote:

For some odd reason I have still not done the 5 shirts thing.

It would be so easy for me as I often wear t shirts at work, and leave jeans and trainers at work all the time anyway. Why do I take a bag each day just to carry a shirt and pants/socks/wallet/phone etc. I may try the one day thing in Jan.

Me too. At offices where t-shirts are de rigour I usually leave a few in the office and then commute with a small carradice role under my saddle.

I carry too much crap that I could just leave in the office (headphones, charging cables for phones and lights, USB sticks as dropbox is blocked at work, etc). In reality the only things I need to bring each day are underwear, two phones and my glasses.

Levi_501

Lots of good stuff here. Likewise I think the mentality changes somewhere in the 10-15 miles range.

I would also say where you commute makes a difference. In a built up city like London there is a lot more stop start and IMHO you have to concentrate in a different way, more road users etc.

Once you start doing over the 10/15 miles each way you really start to need much better kit and much better rest.

pastryboy

Doesn't matter how fit you are if you can get the motivation together or just don't have enough hours in the day. Journey time counts not distance.

Personally I couldn't stick to anything much over an hour when conditions are bad.

ex-pat scot

pastryboy wrote:

Doesn't matter how fit you are if you can get the motivation together or just don't have enough hours in the day. Journey time counts not distance.

Personally I couldn't stick to anything much over an hour when conditions are bad.

It really comes down to whether you have an alternative choice or not. In my case, the nearest bus stop to home is about 10 miles away.

daddy0

Levi_501 wrote:

Lots of good stuff here. Likewise I think the mentality changes somewhere in the 10-15 miles range.

This.

Although I'd put it at around the 15-20 mile distance.

pastryboy wrote:

Personally I couldn't stick to anything much over an hour when conditions are bad.

And this.

Basically, if each journey is under an hour then you have no worries. Once you start spending more than an hour you have to really want to do it, especially when the weather is bad. Sometimes I have to remind myself that riding is my hobby, that I enjoy it, and if I drive my journey will take longer. At lease when I am getting out of bed and getting ready to set off. Once I am on my way I love it.

iPete

I was doing 40 miles a day, 5 days a week for a few years (and some weeks entirely on a fixed bike) but more recently, with my other half near the office, it's reduced.

A lot will depend on how start/stop the ride is, my average ride time is around 1hr15. I don't think I've paid for a train ticket this year for getting to work and all the train money has gone into really nice kit and different bikes that keep the ride interesting.

Being efficient with kit has helped too (my ride went from 17 to 20 miles), don't use panniers anymore, no flappy clothing, have blinged out on power meters that help with pacing out the week (they are more for training but a nice addition).

samsbike

bendertherobot wrote:

I do 20 miles each way every day. All you need is to build up to it, have good kit and, crucially, good mental strength.

If you can't leave the house when it's grim then no amount of fitness helps.

Dont underestimate the mental strength bit. I have a scooter and consequentially have chickened out riding this so far this winter. Its not the going in the morning that is a problem, its the coming home that takes me about 1hr 45 min (18 miles) and the stop-start of the Euston Road and the hard pain with the peds and cars on the Uxbridge road.

My spirit is willing but the body is weak and I only aimed for 2 days a week!

andrewc3142

My commute is exactly 50km each way. I don't do it every day, due to working at clients, early/late meetings, etc.

In summer I aim to do it 2 to 3 times per week one way (train back) plus one round trip. In the winter I try for 3 to 4 times per week and I tend to train it back almost all the time - mornings are OK, the evenings are worse, when it's cold, dark, the prevailing wind is against me and, most importantly, I want to see the kids before they go to bed and ideally have time to read a story or two.

Into London from Woking so flat and use the fixed now all the time.

If I'm honest, with a club ride on Sundays and evening TTs in the summer, at age 55 that's about my limit anyway. Maybe your limit's higher.

It keeps you sane, keeps you fit, means you can have a chocolate brownie with your lunch and saves tons of cash (which gets spent on cycling stuff, so who am I kidding?).

Lucky to have showers at work and I can leave suit/shoes in the office so just take in shirt and smalls.

When I don't ride all the way I use the Brompton and can swap suits, etc.

alansd1980

From experience a lot of how much riding is managable depends on what else is going on in the rest of your life.
I used to manage 40 miles rt 4 times a week. New more stressful job with a new child meant 3 days a week at 35 miles was the right balance. Now child number 2 has arrived and another new job means that 2 or 3 times of a 30 mile round trip wil be the right balance.

Echoing whats probably already been said
1. Pack your bag the night before to make getting out the house on a wet morning a bit easier.
2. Buy cheap buy twice. When i started i flinched at the price of decent kit but when you are racking up the miles it makes all the difference.
3. Try having a spare bike or really keep on top of maintanance. Nothing worse thsn motivating yourself to get out the door to discover you have a flat.
4. Set a goal. I try to go for a minimum 100 miles a week and use strava to keep an eye on it.

Once you get organised things run a lot smoother.

best of luck!

macleod113

I can manage between 15-30 miles each way depending on how tired i am or how much i need to do with the kids before i leave the h0me but regularly average at least 40 miles a day commuting. i've been going a bit further when i can to hit 10k miles this year and will be easing off the gas next year but still hope to do 30 miles a day as its about 13 each way minimum.