Cycle commuting is the best

ChrisLS
ChrisLS Posts: 2,749
edited December 2007 in Commuting chat
...I know we have lot's of moans, but sometimes I think is worth remembering how absolutely brilliant cycle commuting is...so come on let's celebrate the best way to travel :D 8) :lol:
...all the way...'til the wheels fall off and burn...

Comments

  • el_presidente
    el_presidente Posts: 1,963
    ChrisLS wrote:
    ...I know we have lot's of moans, but sometimes I think is worth remembering how absolutely brilliant cycle commuting is...so come on let's celebrate the best way to travel :D 8) :lol:

    I had to get the tube this morning. It is grim. I will be cycling home.
    <a>road</a>
  • IsledeBlanc
    IsledeBlanc Posts: 90
    ChrisLS wrote:
    ...I know we have lot's of moans, but sometimes I think is worth remembering how absolutely brilliant cycle commuting is...so come on let's celebrate the best way to travel :D 8) :lol:


    The helicopter's in for a service and the chauffeur's bunions are playing up, so I cycled in today, and it was great. I agree, let's celebrate the third best way to travel.
  • Gussio
    Gussio Posts: 2,452
    http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_informatio ... ealth.html

    "Cycling reduces the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and the most common form of diabetes. One rough calculation suggests that new cyclists covering short distances can reduce their risk of death (mainly due to the reduction of heart disease) by as much as 22 per cent."

    Three cheers for us all living longer and becoming a burden on our children :)
  • BentMikey
    BentMikey Posts: 4,895
    The joy of passing all those vehicles stuck in queues, all the way from Southwark to Catford last Friday evening. Something like 8km's worth.
  • redjedi
    redjedi Posts: 44
    :cry: I had to get the bus in today, as I'm going out after work. It was very depressing and a journey that takes 25 mins on my bike took over an hour this morning.

    I'm actually looking foward to Monday so I can cycling in again.
  • Adamskii
    Adamskii Posts: 267
    It certainly is the best. I had a fall a few weeks back and ended up in A&E, it hurt... a lot. Most of my friends and family we're asking if it had put me off. No I said I can't wait to get back on the bike. It's very difficult to explain to a non-cyclist just how addictive it can be.
    It's all good.
  • Belv
    Belv Posts: 866
    I had to drive in yesterday because of a Dr's appt. The last mile and a half of my cycle route home took me just over 30mins in the car. :roll: It made standing by the roadside fixing punctures seem like a fun way of spending time*.

    It was a reminder (not needed) why i never got a car for commuting and never used the motorbike i had for that purpose. Cycling is the only way i enjoy the journey. Pleasure that will only increase when i buy my first pair of spd shoes and pedals next week! :D



    * in my pre-Marathon Plus days. I worship at the alter of Schwalbe!
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    edited November 2007
    I've just pased a year now where the only way I've got into work and back is on a bicycle :D

    Last time I got the bus in because my bike was in the LBS (and I only had one bike then) was November 22 2006.

    I absolutely love it. There had been a car accident that was blocking one of the roads I usually use this morning, as I know my route so well now I didn't skip a beat and the detour hardly cost me any time at all.
  • MilitantGraham
    MilitantGraham Posts: 220
    My direct route is 10km. I normally take a "long cut" to avoid roads as much as possible, which puts it up to 12km.
    Yesterday I did 19km on the way to work and 21km on the way home.
    Does anyone who drives to work deliberately take a longer route just for the fun of it ? :P
    I am a mountain biking god.
    Unfortunately, my bike's an atheist.
  • woodgob
    woodgob Posts: 96
    Love it! Wakes me up in the morning, keeps me fit and strong, enables me to work out job frustrations on ride home (grrrr!) and I get to grin to myself as I pass all those chumps sitting in the traffic queues in their cars, lol! Best of all though is the strong tailwind I sometimes get on the way home which gets me to higher speeds. That rush really does put a smile on my face! WOOHOO!!!!
  • Brian224
    Brian224 Posts: 209
    I miss my bike!

    I've been stuck in my wheelchair for the last month, and too weak to cycle for two months before that. Not only have I been missing out on 25 miles cycling a day, but my wife has had to drive 50 to get me to work and back.

    I hope to get back on the bike at the weekend, and if I'm able I will start commuting by bike again next week. Annoying thing is that this seems to be a recurring pattern with my illness, so I only get to cycle through the winter in the dark and rain, and miss out on summer. Even so, cycling in the rain is better than being a passenger in the car, so I am looking forward to it, providing I haven't put on to much weight to get my tights on.

    Brian
    To answer all the questions I might be willing to answer, 24 miles round trip, 3-5 days a week in a helmet, balance in a car, overweight, over 40 and over Bluebell Hill.
  • delcol
    delcol Posts: 2,848
    i love my 6 mile commute i work perm nights 10-6 so traffic aint usually an issue but i like that feeling of escapeism its for those 20 minutes its just me and my bike zipping along happily i love it when i see another cyclist im one of those who just has to over take..

    it depresses me when i have to take the car to work,..

    i enjoy the fresh air the excercise and arriving at work all sweaty. why have people surcome to the combustion engine so much,...

    i mean yeah use the car for weekly asda tesco shopping trip.. trying to ride home with several bags of shopping that would be fun,...
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  • surfgurl
    surfgurl Posts: 23
    I enjoy getting to work so I can see the look of amazement on the faces of the kids ( I work in a school.)
    "DId you cycle today Miss?"
    "Er, yes." Says me covered in mud, sweating slightly and wearing high viz and a helmet.
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    Yep it's great - I've lost 13kgs in 4 months, back to where I should be, fitness levels are up to my old race level, my resting HR's are an all time low......and I have to think to ensure I eat enough...... yum yum...

    And I can guarantee the time I arrive into / from work by about 2 minutes....not used the car for work for months, and only public transport once as we had a booze up after work.

    :D:D:D:D:D:D
  • mikeitup
    mikeitup Posts: 99
    'tis cracking!

    I'm lucky I have a 2 mile each way commute and am at work in 8-10mins depending on traffic.
    Road was chocca t'other day but I overtook every car that was bumper to bumper and as I hit the ASL (which was empty for a change!) the lights changed to green. :)
    <a><img></a>
  • el_presidente
    el_presidente Posts: 1,963
    I had to get the tube again this morning. It was horrendous. "Failed train at Oxford Circus" kicked off the bakerloo line at Padders - onto the Circle line where I was literally so squashed in I could not move my arms, this for about 6 stops. A girl next to me seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack, let's hope this was due to conditions in general and not my proximity :)

    Lovely sunny day too, stupid tube, bring back my bike.
    <a>road</a>
  • NFMC
    NFMC Posts: 232
    I have a dilemma...I'm leaving my job and am being interviewed next week for a job that will either be 12 or 38 miles away. The 12-miler is doable (probably quicker) but the further one is just too far.

    It's a cracking job but I really worry about having to drive every day (never mind the cost).

    What to do, what to do???
  • el_presidente
    el_presidente Posts: 1,963
    NFMC wrote:
    I have a dilemma...I'm leaving my job and am being interviewed next week for a job that will either be 12 or 38 miles away. The 12-miler is doable (probably quicker) but the further one is just too far.

    It's a cracking job but I really worry about having to drive every day (never mind the cost).

    What to do, what to do???

    drive half way then cycle the rest

    or do half & half i.e. drive in / cycle hom cycle in/drive home

    or make up spurious excuses to "work from home" all the time and go riding anyway
    <a>road</a>
  • El Capitano
    El Capitano Posts: 6,401
    I drove in today. Mainly because I had to drop my daughter at school and had some works papers to drop back at the office.

    Similarly, can't ride tomorrow as I'm in a meeting 45 miles away. Yes, I could quite easily ride to the meeting, but it would mean leaving my house at stupid o'clock in the morning and only getting 4p a mile travel claim as opposed to 40p (which as my expenses go into a 'different' bank account make the trip worthwhile for future stealth bike related purchases).

    Wednesday is looking good though... :D
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  • snooks
    snooks Posts: 1,521
    It's great, the mornings are the best, I enjoy dodging traffic, beating ques and having hot shower thnn a nice warm bowl of porridge at work...it really does set me up for the week...

    Only one problem though, I've been looking out of the window all day and there's a big black cloud outside at the moment...just hope it doesn't let rip on the way home

    Fingers Xed eh?
    .
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  • dirk_van_gently
    dirk_van_gently Posts: 826
    First commute this morning since friday, and did no riding over the weekend, was I in need of my FIX?
    And like all junkies :-) having withdrawal symptoms makes the fix all the sweeter. Passed about a mile and half of stationary traffic, straight to the front of the queue, some muppet toots his horn, frustrated at being locked in his cage, and I smile.

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  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    It's great, I hate having to get the train and then walking the other side seeing all the other cyclists....

    I'll always try and cycle home first and then go out of an evening if I can
    Purveyor of sonic doom

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  • Bassjunkieuk
    Bassjunkieuk Posts: 4,232
    I can still remember the first day I commuted in by bike, I was riding from South Norwood to Westminster City Council, near Victoria Train Station.

    Being my first attempt I felt all warm and fuzzy with a sense of achievement as I crossed Vauxhall Bridge! I also mis-judged just how little time it would take me, I was 30 minutes early!

    Since then the only times I haven't cycled to work are when I've been based outside of London or during the "lost months" for 8 weeks this time last year after a rather nasty accident meant I couldn't use my hand during that time or even consider cycling for 3 months! It was then I discovered the "joys" of public transport - the only good thing was finally getting a chance to read The Hobbit!

    I can't quite put my finger on why I love cyclng so much, maybe because I hate wasting time, maybe because it makes me feel like a little kid again - I used to ride about 10 miles a day during the 6 weeks school holiday when I was about 11 or 12 :-) - or maybe it's just the satisfying feeling of actually knowing when I'll be home or get to work regardless of how bad the traffic is and the great pleasure I take in filtering through the dozens of cars on Brixton High Road on each journey :-D
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