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For the time being, I'm able to commute to work on my bike 3 days per week. Today was my first go.....here are my takeaways:
1. It's just a little colder coming home at 6:45pm than it is when you set out at 10:45am.
2. It'll take slightly longer than you think, especially when your 4 rides in to returning to cycling after over 5 and a half years away.
3. Road riding in the dark isn't particularly fun.....and it's cold!!!
4. A Belgian beer once ome after you've thawed out is bliss.
5. Did I mention the cold!!!
6 - Being cold just means you've got the wrong kit - time for some shopping!
Nah just poor planning. Got winter gloves and winter base layers aplenty.....I've spent a decent amount of time at -30 in the Himalayas and on ski trips.....
Today I wore summer fingerless mitts, a summer base layer, some old Altura attack shorts, and a Patagonia torrentshell. Tbf, with winter gloves and a buff I'd have probably been okay. Feet, arms were a bit chilly too mind!
Clothing choices are always difficult. Early mornings in summer it might be 6C, then 36C on the way home. And as you've found in spring commuting around dusk always feels cold. Some days you just need to accept that there isn't going to be one comfortable option.
You missed out on lights too, consider investing in some STVZO approved lights. 250 lumens on the road is better than 750 lumens into oncoming traffic and 250 on the road.
3. Road riding in the dark isn’t particularly fun
Depends on what you mean by road biking, pre covid I used to have a regular night ride with the roadie club once a week. Even on skinny tyres you just learn which roads are dodgy in the dark due to potholes/mud/debris and avoid them. We thought it was great as it tends to mean a completely different set of routes as A-roads are typically deserted after dinnertime (and the lanes we'd ride in summer are typically covered in gravel and potholes).
If you just mean dealing with traffic, do have a read of some of the bikeability/cyclecraft literature. Yes you know how to ride a bike, and did cycling proficiency when you were 8 ish. But it's a whole lot less stressful and dangerous once you figure out how to grow a pair and ride right out in the middle of the lane with the cars 90% of the time, not in some invisible bike lane 30cm form the kerb (which is fine for "letting" other vehicles past, but an absolutely terrifying place to actually ride a bike generally, and especially in the dark).
I'd got a decent set of lights on. I took a country lane home as the A road (that we live on) is currently undergoing major roadworks so didn't fancy getting stuck in that....probably would've been okay tbf. As you say though, gravel, pot holes and puddles are fairly hard to see still! I'm okay with not riding in the gutter etc (used to do a few 1000kms per year on road) I found oncoming cars on the very narrow unlit country road fairly unpleasant though. Could've been that they were all just ****s....it felt like they were all running me off the road!
1. Never be too proud to use mudguards
2. Always use a rear light and use a headlamp as well as a fron so that drivers know you are looking at them.
3. Taxis will try and kill you
4. A derailleur and cassette can freeze when you are in the middle of a commute if it’s -20 out
5. Always wear glasses
Mudguards +1
Yeah glasses is another one. Need to dig out the clear lenses! Typically the mudguards that I ordered don't fit ffs.....I really wish manufacturer's would chill the **** out with standards and labelling them in ever differing ways.....2 million different standards and 1 million different names for each of them is just too much!
Adaptable clothing is key this time of year.
Knee/legs warmers
Arm warmers
Gilets that you can roll into you back pocket
2 pairs of gloves of different weights, one to carry, one to wear
Jerseys you can zip the sleeves off
That kind of thing.
I returned to cycling commuting about ten years ago - my first ride in, in shorts ("hey, once I get going, I'll be plenty warm!"), I had to stop in the shadow of Edgehill at, like, 6 in a frosty February morning for a truck to turn in the road (only time it EVER happened) and when I looked down, my leg hairs were rhimed in frost. Might have been the coldest I've ever been...
I’ve had to pull socks out of my panniers and pull them over my trainers in the past cos I was freezing.
On my 2nd puncture on a commute home I realised the electrical tape I was using as a rim strip had perished and the rim holes were causing the flats.
The bodge I arrived at was to get my pants out the bag and use the elastic waist band rims strip. No knife on me so ended up using the tiny Phillips on my mini tool. Felt a bit daft shredding by pants at the trail side but pleased with my bodge once I got going again.
Haha! It's only a short 15 minute commute, so walkable in case of mechanical!
. Felt a bit daft shredding by pants at the trail side but pleased with my bodge once I got going again.
And did the jury believe this defence?
I'm not sure that your cycling times are any better than mine, but for me leaving home at 7am and then leaving work at 5pm means having to make space in my rucksack for the morning 'winter gear' on the ride home as there can be a 10 degree difference in temperature between rides.
Take a few spare pairs of pants and socks in as you will forget one or the other.
Im still learning
so far i've confirmed:
It's much nicer to ride packless
Always Tubeless
You can never have enough light or visibility, day glo body warmer, backup front and rear lights
Its pain in the ass having to have a change of clothes at work
Have access to extra clothing (considering a frame bag to stuff waterproofs in)
a) always remember to take the socks you need to wear for work (I work in an office)
b) if you also carry work shoes, make sure you take a left AND a right shoe, and preferably from the same pair too.
my biggest learning was not to ride on un-gritted lanes with runoff from fields in sub-zero temperatures. A solid slam on the floor with no notice due to black ice isn't the best way to start your day
my biggest learning was not to ride on un-gritted lanes with runoff from fields in sub-zero temperatures. A solid slam on the floor with no notice due to black ice isn’t the best way to start your day
Ahh reckon it’s the anniversary of my last attempt at that last year, just when the nights were getting lighter and getting excited that it was nearly going with no lights time 🙂
Then it all went a bit worldwide Pete tong.
Take a few spare pairs of pants and socks in as you will forget one or the other.
Very much this ^^^
Panniers for the win.
Take a few spare pairs of pants and socks in as you will forget one or the other.
Came back to say that after remembering a past experience.
My own lessons from several mixed years of variable commuting:
1- Prepare as much as possible the night before, pack everything you can remember to, have your kit laid out ready, lights ready (charged if necessary), minimise the faff you're going to have to do in the morning, get into the routine of being prepared.
2- If possible have a bike specifically setup for commuting if you can i.e. with guards on year round, robust tyres, reliable gears and brakes, with a pump/tube/multi-tool mounted and ready at all times and a means of carrying luggage, it doesn't need to be a new or fancy machine (better if it's not in many ways).
2(b)- Maintain your commuter bike, don't put off changing worn tyres, cables, chains or brake pads, an hour spent every other weekend will head off a nightmare mid-week failure...
3- Minimise what you carry where possible, if you can leave clothing, showering, food and other kit at work do so, less to remember in the morning and less to lug...
4- Flexible clothing (and check forecasts):
It rains less than you think in the UK, but temperatures can vary quite a lot inside of a single day. Therefore I find having Arm/knee/leg warmers, Gillets, Buffs, different types/thicknesses of glove, overshoes, SS base and a packable water proof generally more useful, year round, than relying on one fancy jacket.
I was warm enough setting off this morning at ~3*C with half of the above items on (stopped after 4 miles to take off the Buff as I was actually getting warmer) and I know full well that when I head home later it will be ~10*C and I'll be able to adjust my clothing accordingly (probably leave out the Base layer and Arm warmers. you often see an "Altura-Man" in his one boil-in-the-bag cycling jacket sweating his bollox off unable to shed any clothing to moderate his body temperature, a warm jacket is only really any use for about 2-3 months out of 12...
5- Ride don't race, there's no point letting the red-mist descend and attempting to chase down everyone who just breezes past you on a carbon ego-chariot on a Wednesday evening. They're probably out for a cheeky post work spin, you've got 2 more laden round trips to do this week. Meter out your effort over the week. Don't go charting your journey times or treating it like "training", you're traveling to work and back you need to be able to function day to day and not be exhausted by Thursday lunchtime...
6- Know your route options, The "best" route might not be the most direct one, or the one, where you can take the route that balances traffic/quieter roads and/or fatigue from hills or rough surfaces. Some Fridays you'll just want the least effort route home, other weeks you might appreciate an extra couple of scenic miles...
A road (that we live on) is currently undergoing major roadworks ... I found oncoming cars on the very narrow unlit country road fairly unpleasant though.
Traffic doing the same as you? Rat-running vehicles do seem to be especially impatient and unpleasant.
My normal road riding loop currently includes the unofficial diversion for a closed bridge, and I've had more grief from cars in the last 2 weeks than in the previous 8 years riding this loop. It's not just that there are more cars on the tiny single track road, but more of them are driving like prats.
Panniers for the win.
Shudders....I used to just chuck a weeks worth of pants and shirts in a backpacking front bar bag,rock up work Monday with it and then take it off for the rest of the week as used pants/shirts are pocketablelish..
TBH I used to also mix it up and also use a small evoc commuter backpack which was great.
My ride was about an hour each way , slightly longer if I went off piste along the fields by the river.
Cookeaa clearly knows his stuff
I agree with everything cookeaa apart from the not racing bit, that's clearly the ramblings of a madman
Spare towel as well as spare underwear. It takes a long time to dry yourself with a sock if you don't have a towel.
Stash of food like dehydrated noodles, some cereal etc. in case you need a boost or forget your lunch etc.
Consider taking a slightly longer route if it means you avoid dangerous roads.
Keep bulky things like your shoes at work.
Nip out during the day to squidge your tyres and make sure you don't have a puncture.
Not all commutes are equal.
The 5 mile ride through town to the station for a London meeting with in station bike parking, and the 21 mile ride to my normal office with bike parking by the security guys are both commutes.
One favours a nice gravel bike with 32mm road tyres. The other a 1990s rigid mtb.
Trust me.
Don't forget your office keys on the day you're the only one in.
#I_did
Oh. Or the office (police linked) burglar alarm token
I can only manage my 40 mile round trip commute a couple of times a week, so shoes trousers and shirts etc stay at work.
Fancy B&M light (awesome bit of kit) plus flasher on front. Tracr rear and link on lid so back ups if anything fails.
The biggee for me is headphones, having the radio on in the morning and perhaps a podcast fo home helps you forget how hard it is, and I can still hear traffic etc.
A fifteen minute ride is difficult as I guess you barely warm up by the time you get there.
I commuted in and out of London for about 5 years. I spent quite a lot of times on the train between my two rides writing about it. You may find this selection mildly amusing, but they are certainly NSFW due to frequent use of swear words 😉
I'll spare you the 5 or 6 I wrote having been knocked off the bike, or nearly getting into a fight with drivers trying to knock me off the bike. Re-reading a few of these, I can't say I miss it.
Cookeaa clearly knows his stuff
Does he bollox!
He just types too much...
Commute day #2....forgot my lights. Excellent. Luckily the LBS is good and a 2 minute walk away...so bought some more!
They'd got an 11k ebike in stock....WTAF!!!
Panniers for the win.
Not for me. Most days I ride my gravel bike - 40 minutes in, and maybe an hour home depending on which way I fancy going. I've got a lot of off road stuff or back lanes I can choose, which brings me to the main point..
I pass the bottom of a lot of MTB trails on my normal route and it would be a shame not to ride them a few times a week, weather and light dependant. That's what I'm doing this evening. (I have a small backpack, 12l I think, which is just big enough to carry the clothes I need for the day and my lunch, plus a few odds and ends. I leave shoes and warmer clothing in the office, along with towels, spare contact lens fluids and emergency snackage.