[Closed] Transport dilemma

From the information you've given, if an e-bike would be suitable for the journey (I can't see why it wouldn't be if you can cope with 15mph) then that seems the cheapest option to avoid being exhausted.

Get a bit fitter and continue to cycle? You haven't said how long you've been doing this, it takes a bit of getting used to IME. But once you get there, it's an excellent way of keeping fit.

Little scoot sounds a great plan.

TBF, you may as well sell the van, if it's £1600 this year it's not going to drop to £300 next year... it's still going to be £1500

I've been cycling this route on and off and being weather selective for 13years, been full time since November last year.
The 16 miles wouldn't be a problem if I was a typical STW IT supremo it's the 10k steps round site and general engineering stuff that is pushing things a bit far.

I'd sell the van and look to do the CBT if I were you. That or an ebike.

Get a hoverboard for work.

Got rid of my daily driver and bought a van that doesn't do 30mpg and is too big to park at the shops on a regular basis etc (7.2m long)

Built an e cargo bike. Cracking thing for all daily chores and travel I need to do.

Get the bus to work?

Could Mrs Rusty cycle some days to give you a break?

Sell the van, you hate it. Get this and look well weapon

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Assuming there's no public transport option that's viable I think I'm going to make myself unpopular and say think about an older small engined, very basic, small sized hatchback or saloon.

Something like a fabia saloon or a Peugeot 106 with a 1.0 or 1.2 engine. Should be simple mechanically and I'm guessing not outrageous to tax and insure.

It gives you a weather proof box which if you're doing 10000 steps a day in all weathers (and presumably outdoors?) .

Of course if you live in the south you will also spend your life being part of a traffic jam as a result.

If it's a large enough company can you not become one of those employees who just turns up an does nothing all day,well not actually nothing maybe book a weekend trip or buy a few bike bits and just brew up and chill until the commute home

Get a Honda c90, you won't loose any money on it, cheap to run, probably never kill it and they are a hoot

Sounds like a job for a Honda C90!

[url= http://metro.co.uk/2014/07/01/engineer-travels-60000-miles-across-the-world-on-150-1984-honda-moped-4783386/ ]60000-miles-across-the-world-on-150-1984-honda-moped-[/url]

Buy an ebike on R2W but ride everywhere at 15mph

All of your alternative solutions will still cost you 1600 quid.
Can you, or Mrs, bus or train a couple of days per week? Then the other can take Volvo?
If the Transit is hateful, it needs to go!

Can you get someone from work to pop round and pick you up then drop you off home after work, shouldn't cost you anything 😉

Get a Honda C90.

In the far east Honda EX5 110 is the workhorse.

Cheaper than your public transport.

Buy a proper road bike, as long as you'd cope with a low stretched out position. Allow space for mudguards if necessary. Fit fast tyres particularly at that price where it may well come with OE rubber.

You'll go noticeably faster and/or lower effort than on the gravel bike. If you can't cope with being more stretched out, buy some properly fast tyres for it - I geek out at a certain rolling resistance related website far too much but it's been worthwhile for the difference the tyres make to the effort needed.

If you've been doing it since November last year, you will still be adapting to it, speaking from experience (if someone had to told me after I'd been riding my current commute for 6 months that I was still adapting, I don't think I would've believed them, but I'm definitely more comfortable with it now).

Also, eat well and sleep well (as far as possible). The walking etc. on site will hopefully be doing you some good and stopping you turning into the typical stuck in the foetal position aged cyclist.

Edit - hilly does make it a lot harder, don't know how hilly but again you will still be adapting. And "STW supremo" lol, thanks.

I converted my Kaffenback to an ebike when I had knee surgery a couple of years ago, kit is now sat in the garage waiting for me to be bothered to sell it!
It's only had about 3 charge cycles and covered around 100 miles, wheel takes a 10spd cassette and rim or disc brakes - email in profile if you're interested in a cheap way to convert your gravel bike 🙂

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I left the weeds and untidy garage to detract from the wrongness of the bike!!

Ride a bit slower each way. It's not a race. Get some more suitable tyres.
Take steps to recover. Sit down whenever you can at work. Don't carry shit everywhere (all tool boxes at our place are on rollers, carry limit is 8 kilos i think). Rationalize the kit you ride with (leave stuff at work rather than carrying it). Eat properly. (Really properly, proper food.) Sleep properly.

Whats your actual job? Because to be quite honest, 16 miles on a bike and 5 miles of walking [i]on its own[/i] shouldn't be enough to tire you out. Unless you are doing an actual manual job in the middle of it all. I mean, i do "general engineering stuff" all day. And it's not particularly tiring, but then, i haven't wielded an actual spanner at work since about 2001......... Makes my head hurt sometimes.

Ebike makes a lot of sense, doing 15mph up every hill will save a load of time and energy, and if things change and you no longer need/want it you can get a good chunk of your money back.

No cbt (that will need renewing in 2 years) or insurance to worry about either.

Get a bit fitter and continue to cycle? ...it takes a bit of getting used to IME. But once you get there, it's an excellent way of keeping fit.

to be quite honest, 16 miles on a bike and 5 miles of walking on its own shouldn't be enough to tire you out

Strongly disagree with these two posts. I've cycled to work for nearly all of the last 11 years and have a definite limit on how many days I can do. On the 12 mile return journey I could do 3 or 4 days per week, on the 25 mile return I could do 3 days. Any more than that wiped me out. And that was with a sedentary job.

I'm not particularly fit, but equally no slouch in MTB terms. Happily done stuff like the WHW in a day and the Fred, EdD etc, but a 5 day cycle commute kills me.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that 5 days isn't possible for anyone, I'm saying it isn't possible for everyone.

"[i]Buy a 50cc moped (Honda Zoomer) and get laughed at (I'm 6'6")
Do my CBT and buy a 125cc[/i]"

I'm only 6'4", but when I hired a 125cc for a day in between doing my CBT & doing my DAS, it was hateful. Being tall you present a pretty big target for the wind and a weeny 125cc doesn't have the power to go uphill into a headwind at a decent speed. If you're going for a bike, go for at least 500-600cc.

Anyway, realistically, I'd say ditch the Transit and buy a little hatchback. Ride a couple of days, drive a couple of days.

different types of bikes make no difference! I've had a high end Cannondale road bike and a heavy slow panniered/racked/mudguard equipped steel Kona, I feel I output the same power but go at the speed dictated by the bike. The Cannondale was super fast and reduced the journey time but I was still as knackered as when riding the far slower Kona.

The gravel bike is a good compromise of tarmac speed and being able to use traffic free back lanes/railway lines.

An annual bus pass for the route is £750 (for comparisons sake), and although they are frequent and have stops close by - I've never been a fan of public transport for some reason.

My diet is generally good - but I struggle with sleep, very light sleeper and often wake early which doesnt help.

I'd have thought e-bike or small hatchback would be the way to go so long as you can afford the up-front costs.

If he can get an e-bike on c2w, then no upfront costs - I still think that seems the cheapest way to solve the problem. I know we don't like e-bikes around here, and personally I'm not convinced of the merits for the otherwise able bodied for leisure use, but this sounds like exactly the sort of situation they're perfect for.

Your answer:

they could have found some areas with less overhead obstructions for the first flight in that ^^ 😯

Frequent bus service and close stops, surely means catch the bus?

Leaves you free to listen to some audiobooks. Commute driving is dull. Winter on a scooter is tiresome.

I find it takes a year+ to get accustomed to the fatigue of a 2 x 30mins+ commute each day plus a normal life outside of work. (ie biking and doing stuff in free time, not lying in bed!)

Keep at it. Leave earlier. Ride slower. Take nicer, lower traffic routes. Invest in full mudguards and a rack and tough, wide tyres. Eat massive lunches. Plan for weather, especially wind.

Biking to work is brilliant. Healthy, cheap, life enriching.
Driving is an expensive luxury!

ps, biking a good distance every day will sort out your sleep problems!

TL:DR

Could you use the bike 2 or 3 days, then take the bus for the rest of the week?
I went on a bus last week and didn't contract any diseases (that I'm aware of) and I'm not dead yet. (The pink and purple upholstery was hideous though)

Get a cheapish 125. Should be on the road for less than a grand. Plenty fast enough for a commute (esp if you can cycle it in 30 mins) so ignore the bit above about needing a 600cc which will need more money chucked at the bike. More money on a DAS.

But an e bike probably wouldnt be much further behind an ride to work is cheap monthly.

Advantage of moto's is not having to shower after riding in thus saving even more time. And as its probably only 15 mins on a moto you don't need to kit up for the arctic.

I quit cycling to work more than once a week. Hatefully boring route and too much faff with showering etc. Cyclings my hobby at the end of the day and don't want my enthusiasm to wane from that by riding rubbish journeys every day.