Cycling to Work any tips / stuff to buy

Generali

SapKnight wrote: »

Hi thanks for all your helpful replies! Some good ideas - mudguards + 2 cycle locks
Trip will be - 2miles to station, then about 30min train ride then another 2miles to work. Secure cycle shed in work.
We have showers in work so will be using those. I will be dropping off 1 weeks worth of clothes in work so can get changed/showered there.

Will get some new tyres and a set of inner tubes, don't fancy fixing a puncture with everyone watching lol.

I dont want clip in shoes, but can someone recommend any good shoes that will be waterproof?

its about a 30mile cycle ride home so might try that once every few weeks lol if I'm feeling fit!!

\

You can get MTB shoes that have a hard sole but don't have to be clipped in that are a good compromise.

I have found Continental Gator Skins to be excellent, puncture proof tyres. You may be able to get MTB equivalents. They have a strip of kevlar running through them which really stops punctures. If you get decent tyres (which is the first purchase I'd make) get a tbue of super glue. If you get some glass in the tyre you'll need to superglue the split in the tyre back together to stop it 'de-laminating' when it gets wet.

2 miles and 2 miles should be pretty simple to do unless you are very unfit. 30 miles is a more challenging distance but as long as you take plenty of food and some water then it should be doable unless you are old or sick with some practice.

TBH, 4 miles each way shouldn't require special clothing or anything like that. Be seen and get something to stop punctures and you'll be fine. You won't need to be a lycra road warrior or anything.

sickparrot

Strider590 wrote: »

Never ever had a split tyre, i've "pinched" a few by running low tyre pressure's..... Always make sure your tyre's are ok before setting off.

I've had a few, usually the main failure mechanism of old tyres is a sidewall split around the rim where the suffer the most flexing. It's never been catastrophic, the string bracing is usually enough to keep the innertube in, you know it's happening because you feel the wheel start to 'bump' and it gradually gets worse. I've always been able to limp home on a split tyre. A rim blowout, that's another thing...

Hope we're not putting you off SapKnight:D

chorlton

As said above - you really don't need to spend a fortune and can pick up stuff as and when you work out what will make you more happy/comfortable!

eg - when i started i bought waterproof overtrousers and soon discovered that they made me feel sooo uncomfortably clammy it was worse than the rain! Now I wear shorts in summer and winter cycling tights when its cold - they stay warm and comfortable even when you get wet. Altura stuff is good and reasonable - i have an Altura night vision jacket for winter that has lasted years, is not too hot and is totally waterproof

keeping feet warm is definitely an issue - waterproof overshoes seem to be the best solution (i just suffer the cold!).

Puncture resistant tyres really do work - i use continental gatorskins and have literally had 1 puncture in 3 years ( i do usually carry pump and spare tube just in case - of course i didn't have it with me the day i got a puncture and was late to collect my kids from afterschool!)

Best buy i made is a track pump - about a tenner from decathlon. Keeping tyres at max pressure really makes pedalling easier and reduces punctures, you can get a softer saddle if it is too uncomfortable!

Get rechargeable batteries for your lights, and get the brightest you can afford - everywhere i go is streetlit and i use a cateye EL530, amazingly bright for being seen by other road users but not the best at illuminating the ground in front if you go through dark places.

hope that helps!

House_Hunter

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

Anyone reading this thread hoping to start cycling would be excused for being frightened to death. In truth, you need a half-decent bike, a spare inner tube and pump, a couple of items of cycle clothing, and some lights. Add a bottle of oil left at home, and the rest is just overkill, especially for a 2-mile ride each way. The rest you'll discover along the way.

How very true...my commute is 25miles round trip.

I started with an old mountain bike and builders vest and overtime upgraded to road bike, fancy lycra...better lights, clip on's, overshoes, aero bars etc etc...

I'm an all year rider nowadays (to my pain last winter! ice=ouch!)

All you need to get started on a relatively short commute is a bike that works and some high viz stuff....I personally ride with rucksack with the high Viz "hump-back" cover....

If you are planning on cycling through winter, gloves are a must (I prefer sailing gloves) and my favorite a head band that covers your ears!

gadgetmind

I've got a commute of five miles each way, and it's all on-road though Headingley and Leeds centre. I wear shorts in the summer (they are actually Montane running shorts rather than cycling ones) and some stiff soled cycling shoes. The latter are made by Lake and are less than £25. I also wear padded gloves (three pairs depending on season!) as our roads are rough and the vibration was getting to me. I also have a Montane Featherlight Velo jacket, which folds down to the size of an apple and is great if there is a sudden downpour. I use a thicker jacket for the winter rain and snow but don't like to wrap up too much.

Other than that, I just wear my work shirt etc. and just change out of my shorts at the office. We have showers at work but I've never used them. If your body and clothes are clean when you set off then you don't need them as cycling isn't really a sweaty activity.

I use VERY good lights. These are currently LED+battery ones, but I have a new Brompton arriving tomorrow that has a Son dynohub. These are great. I also have some "Backupz", which are teeny USB rechargeable lights for emergency use.

BTW, Brompton folders are excellent. They are great on PT and fast and effortless on the roads. I pass 95% of other cyclists and have done 100 miles in a day on the Brompton and then hopped on it again the next day to come to work.

I've been commuting by bike for about a decade and NO WAY could I go back to driving: it would drive me mad trundling along nose to tail and getting nowhere.

Ian

ventureuk

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

Chain cleaners remove the lubricant from the rollers, increasing wear and shortening the life of the entire drivetrain. They are a waste of money and do much more harm than good. The best way to clean a chain is with a diesel-soaked rag, just pull it through, and once done re-oil it.

What utter rubbish.

If you do this all that happens is you polish the visible exterior of the chain whilst adding more oil/lubricant to the links. The oil between links collects grit and dust becoming a grinding paste, in winter on salted roads the salt particles are added and it gets worse.

I never realised the importance of looking after a chain until one broke on me miles from anywhere with no phone and no splitter.

Get a cheap Bardieri Chain Cleaner, it costs less than £10 and will reach the places a diesel soaked rag never will.

Strider590

ventureuk wrote: »

What utter rubbish.

If you do this all that happens is you polish the visible exterior of the chain whilst adding more oil/lubricant to the links. The oil between links collects grit and dust becoming a grinding paste, in winter on salted roads the salt particles are added and it gets worse.

Actually, ^^ only happen's if you have used something like WD40 on your chain, as this is an aggressive degreaser and liquifies the pre-installed grease from between the links while the spray (and natural spreading) action pushes in any dirt/grit that was on the outside of the chain.

Once you've removed that grease, you open the links and rollers to the environment, your chain will never be the same again and it'll grind like a b*itch every time it gets wet.

Chains are best with a healthy application of light/medium dust resistant chain oil.