Does Anyone Cycle - Commuting?

motch

Take a look on ebay for 2nd hand bikes, perhaps search locally, get a mate who knows what's what with bikes and who knows a good deal.
Lots of flash/decent bikes come on after a little use.
Lots of people buy new and then give up after a few months or a year.

Arg

thelawnet wrote: »

Front suspension is pretty much useless.

Until you get to roads that look like they've suffered from machine gun fire.

spratley

Dare I say electric bike?!

TheMiner

Have you asked your employer about the bike to work scheme? I got a Boardman Hybrid for a third off and was able to pay in installments through salary sacrifice - well worth considering.

As for the commute, I have done 20-24 mile round trips for the past six years now so have built up a bit of experience (and equipment). I'm not sure I like the hybrid as I am a bit of a roadie, but it only takes about 2-3 minutes extra over a half hour trip which is nothing really. A few more things I have learnt

1. Showers at work are very nice (only recently moved to an office with them)
2. Going slowly (about 2mph off your average) only adds on a couple of mins to your commute depending on your speed, and means you are fresher for the next day
3. Someone mentioned Schwalbe marathon plus tyres earlier. I cannot recommend these highly enough - two years and no puncture yet on the rear
4. Get a helmet
5. Ride on the road (not the path) - apart from being legal I believe it is safer as the traffic has more chance of seeing you and also will get used to you
6. A basic bike mechanics course is advisable, as is getting to know Sheldon Brown's website
7. A high vis top/gillet is a good idea

If I think of more I will post. Once you are used to it, ten miles will not seem like a long ride, your fitness levels will become amazing and you may just live a bit longer. Winter is not as bad as it seems (think i cycled more in Jan than june this year)

Good luck with it if you choose to cycle. The £4 I save in petrol every day is always nice too

Mr_Thrifty

Cycling to work is all very well if you don't mind being known as "the office smelly"

benjus

Mr_Thrifty wrote: »

Cycling to work is all very well if you don't mind being known as "the office smelly"

Over the last couple of years the offices I work in (two buildings with a lots of people working in them) have upgraded from 7 individual shower cubicles in one of the buildings to large male and female changing and showering areas in each building. So some companies are investing in these things, although obviously it's unlikely that small firms will be able to offer such facilities.

Mr_Thrifty

benjus wrote: »

Over the last couple of years the offices I work in (two buildings with a lots of people working in them) have upgraded from 7 individual shower cubicles in one of the buildings to large male and female changing and showering areas in each building. So some companies are investing in these things, although obviously it's unlikely that small firms will be able to offer such facilities.

Most companies in London don't even have canteens. More often than not, you're expected to buy a sandwich from Pret and eat it while standing on the pavement in a less busy side-road.

benjus

Mr_Thrifty wrote: »

Most companies in London don't even have canteens. More often than not, you're expected to buy a sandwich from Pret and eat it while standing on the pavement in a less busy side-road.

This is in London... and we do have a canteen. However, it's not particularly good or particularly cheap, and it's on the top floor of the other building, so I rarely use it.

financialbliss

Wood.Justin wrote: »

Hi Folks,

I'm ditching my run around car to cash in and going to get myself a bike for the commute to/from my place of work via my company under salary sacrifice.

I'm not planning on just jumping on the bike, probably will build it up over a few weeks/months and then go for it.

Am I mad?!

As a public transport turned cycle commuter, I have managed the transition with little difficulty.

I used to commute by bus and decided this year I wanted to: save money, get fitter and loose weight.

After a few practice runs, I've now done 75 daily commutes and over 1,000 commuting miles. I started daily cycling in late March and have never looked back. I'm saving £4.20 a day on public transport.

But, here's the rub. I'm using a 10+ year old mountain bike right now. Out of curiosity, I've just had my best attempt to weigh it and got a massive 46 1/2 pounds or about 21kg :eek:

As per Justin, I'm also looking for a modern bike - probably a hybrid.

At a risk of hijacking this thread, I spotted these two bikes while in a Halfords store the other day (not actually looking for bikes at the time):

Carrera subway @ 299.99
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_810737_langId_-1_categoryId_165534

VooDoo Marasa @ 349.99
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_786861_langId_-1_categoryId_165534

I'm doing about 14 miles a day and if I average about 40+ weeks a year, that's roughly 3,000 + commuting miles alone.

Above bikes any good? Can you get better for the price? Should I look to be spending more based on commuting miles, wear and tear etc?

I know pretty much nothing about bikes as it's years since I've purchased one and they have moved on so much!

Any advice appreciated - will probably help Justin too!

FB.

Mr_Thrifty

I'd love to ride my bike around London, but:

1. The drivers here are nutters and I would, eventually, get knocked off by some illegal immigrant with no insurance (not that the insurance would help me much in that eventuality anyway)

2. I need to arrive at work and/or client sites in a suit, looking smart. That's not compatible with riding a bike, let alone in the dreadful weather this country usually has.

Basically, unless you work in a print shop and can turn up in jeans and a t-shirt, or unless you do a 9-5 for some government agency that has a rolls-royce of a staff changing room, I can't see how it's really a viable option.