cycle, scooter or banger?

rev_henry

lordFSA wrote: »

thanks for all the replies. come to think of it, when i took the long winded bus route there and back, i noticed lots of trucks on those roads and not a single cyclist....even the place of work doesnt have many cycle racks, so i guess its not a popular option. Shower and changing facilities are available, so that wouldnt be a problem. Ive already got a decent pushbike with all the trimmings, so no investment needed there.......bar a life insurance scheme.

If i were to use a <125cc with L plates after doing the CBT, it would only be valid for 2 years, right? Not necessarily any safer with all those truckers. Ive got a month or so while all the CRB clearances come through for the job....so i could do an intensive driving course and get a banger, although the insurance quotes on a <1500cc car for a new driver are about £900 per year....

Maybe I should just find work closer to home!

Yes, once every 2 years. I'd say it is safer than a bicycle because you can go faster than trucks on a 125, and won't get people doing stupid overtakes because you will be keeping up with the motorised traffic.

darich

rev_henry wrote: »

Yes, once every 2 years. I'd say it is safer than a bicycle because you can go faster than trucks on a 125, and won't get people doing stupid overtakes because you will be keeping up with the motorised traffic.

Agreed
Also because
you wear more protective gear on a motorcycle than a pushbike
noisier so more likely to be noticed
headlamp would be on so more conspicuous too.

victor2

darich wrote: »

Agreed
Also because
you wear more protective gear on a motorcycle than a pushbike
noisier so more likely to be noticed
headlamp would be on so more conspicuous too.

But when somebody pulls out in front of you because they didn't see you, your bike, your headlamp or your day-glo jacket, it hurts a bit more.
Not that I'm against bikes, had many happy years on them and actually did more damage to myself in a car accident than I did in any of my bike "mishaps."

missile

"commuting 12 miles along a narrow winding A + B roads with lots of trucks"

Why there are no cyclists? Maybe they realised just how dangerous that would be and found another mode of transport ..... or they are brown bread.

BillScarab

victor2 wrote: »

Also appreciate that you almost certainly will come off a scooter or motorbike, especially as a new rider.
Assuming you survive, you will have to replace most or all of the protective gear you bought. Helmets in particular are only good for one impact, no matter what they cost. It's just that a more expensive one is likely to protect your head better than a cheap one.

That's nonsense, have a look at the sharp website and you'll find several cheap helmets that have a 4 or 5 star rating and lots of expensive ones that are only 2 or 3.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testhelmetlist?order=field_price_value&sort=asc&sharp-make=All&sharp-model=&sharp-type=All&sharp-rating=5&discontinued=1

victor2

BillScarab wrote: »

That's nonsense, have a look at the sharp website and you'll find several cheap helmets that have a 4 or 5 star rating and lots of expensive ones that are only 2 or 3.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testhelmetlist?order=field_price_value&sort=asc&sharp-make=All&sharp-model=&sharp-type=All&sharp-rating=5&discontinued=1

It's just that a more expensive one is likely to protect your head better than a cheap one.

You get what you pay for, but there are good deals to be had.

lordFSA

Thanks a lot to everyone for your advice....I did the trip there today for the final interview...thankfully I got the job. Theres 2 miles up a bloody hill I didnt take into account, 5 on a dual carriageway and then 5 on those narrow winding roads. About 70 minutes each way. No near misses, truckers gave me as much way as they could. Doing that route at night will be a different matter though....but ill leave that for another time.

I think i need to get some slicker tyres though...ive got the default knobblies the trek 6700 came with and its really absorbing a lot of the energy.

no_more_cards_for_me

I'd go with the cycle and try to find a route that avoids the dual carriageway. Over the past 15 years i've commuted by car, motorcycle and pushbike. Pushbike is the most enjoyable and keeps me fit. Motorbike was fun but i averaged one accident every year over the 3 years I rode to work and it will trash yor kit. Given the choice I would rather go by pushbike as it costs practically nothing.

If your trying to save money then cars and motorbikes have running costs such as insurance, road tax and petrol. I cycle 11 miles to work every day on windy roads and town traffic. Yes, some cars and trucks pass too close but most of the time it is ok. For foul weather then skin is waterproof and you have changing facilities including a shower. As you already have the bike then running costs are minimal, batteries for lights, some lube for the chain and maybe some new tyres.

Try and find out if there are any bridlepaths on your route to shorted the journey or avoid the dual carriageway. I'm lucky that i can take the roadbike or my mountain bike, the journey is about the same but much more fun through trails, bridelpaths and woods. have a look at an ordance survey map and see if you can find bridlepaths, backroads, cut throughs and canal paths - all make the journey easier and might shorten the distance.

For tyres then you could try specialized armadillo nimbus or specialized fatboys. The nimbus is a combination tyre with tread but you can't really use it off road. The fatboys are pure slicks 26 x 1.25 and fast. Not as fast as a roadbike but certainly much easier than knobblies. For off road I'm on mud tryes and they really do take a lot of effort

It can be a lot of fun, but good lights and kit are essential. Spend some of the money you save on decent lights, preferrably bar and helmet mounted. Most cars don't know what you are then on a windy road and will tend to stop

For snow you can get studded tyres or try and do off road all the way. It will take longer but is great fun.

Be aware that eventually you might want to upgrade to a roadbike, which if your fit (you will be) will be much faster Doing 25mph plus on a bike means you keep up with the traffic pretty well and for the sunny weather its guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Funkygibbon

I would go with cycling as well! You say it takes you 70 mins at the moment. Give it a couple of weeks/ a month and you'll have it down to less than 50 mins. Cycling is really enjoyable in the summer and is ok in the cold as long as you have all the gear.
I only travel about 7 1/2 miles into work and am nearly getting quicker than driving in! (Thanks to the traffic jams!)
The benifits of getting fitter and saving money really do add up! Work out how much it will cost you in petrol a day then if you need to buy new stuff for your bike work out how many days you need to bike into work before it's paid for itself! Good bit of motivation I find!!

lordFSA

With all the feedback Im going to stick with the cycling for now. Itll just take some routine maintenance over the weekend to make sure everything is in order as per Sheldon Brown's advice. In the meantime Ill save up for driving lessons...passed the theory bit last week. Im still considering a car for the days when Im too knackered...as its not a desk job and involves 12 hour shifts. Plus when winter comes along, it would be useful to have an alternative option just in case.

I know its all down to a super-mini hatchback with a 1l engine to keep insurance costs down until I can build up a NCD. Im lead to believe Japanese cars are more reliable, but then I read somewhere that since their parts are harder to acquire their premiums are higher. Which car would fall in the B-D excise category, be fuel efficient and cheap to insure (not to forget, cheap to buy 2nd hand in the first place)?

From all the time ive spent on the net, the suzuki alto seems to be the best choice....got an insurance quote for 1100 per annum, tax is around 30 and really fuel efficient. Anyone have any ideas on how to beat that?

Is it advisable to look at trade or private sellers? Ive been looking around on ebay to get an idea.....or is that not really that safe? I know to avoid trade sellers masking as private and to make sure theres a full service history on offer etc.