advice from long distance commuter's please

[welshwheels]

Hi all I have been cycling for the past 12 years I have not been commuting since I changed my job in november although I still do 40 /50 mile rides on weekend and do go out in the evenings for a couple of hours twice a week .The catalytic converter on my car decided to fall off yesterday !! this unfortunately for me is a very expensive part and to top it all I am skint . So yhe only option I have is to cycle : do you see me having any problems riding the 40 mile round trip I have all the kit and my bike is a surly cross check any advce will be great. thanks in advance

 

[Kies]

I do the same mileage on my commute,but only 3 times a week with Tuesday/Thursday being my rest days (fair weather commuter)
If you plan to do it every day,make sure your bike is suitable and your tyres are for road use.
Something that needs to be built up over time,but you do a lot of base miles so it won't take long.
Any chance of taking public transport (with bike) for part of the journey?
I used to leave my bike at my parents house when i first started .... Took 6 miles of my 22 each way

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I'm forty and a couple of stone overweight and I do it five days a week on my hybrid. I do have an escape though as I only work 5 miles away! I am also lucky that I have a shower at work.
I've no idea what a Surly Cross Check is, but I would be tempted to put Marathon pluses on it, getting a puncture on a commute is a right royal pain in the arse. Plenty of sleep and a cup of tea before you set off and you will be fine.

You may find that you won't be doing the long weekend rides, but you will be getting 200 miles a week in commuting

 

[BSRU]

You should be alright, just take it easier than you normally would and allow yourself to become fitter hence you'll go faster.
Make sure you eat properly, hydrated and sleep well.

 

[Maz]

Bad luck about the catalytic converter.
Very unfortunate chap at work had his catalytic converter stolen from his car...cut off with an angle-grinder. Twice. In the space of a week.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning

I went from something like your level of fitness to 17 miles each way, Mon-Fri without any problem. I too was skint and there wasn't any public transport.

Wednesdays were the worst, my legs started to ache abit and there was the rest of the week to do, Fridays and Mondays were great and Tues and Thurs were just a bit of routine.

Time is a really big issue, you will easily be spending 90 minutes each way, possibly longer, this eats into the day. I used to drive 127 miles each way to another job and everybody sad that I was mad, this was nearly all motorway, and time wise your trip will be close to this.

I did the sums once and found that at these mileages it is relatively easy to bonk on a Friday, especially if you carry on with the weekend rides. It is very easy to be short of 100-150 calories a day and by the time of the trip home on Friday, all the glycogen is gone.

Bye

Ian

 

[Cocheese]

http://www.cats2u.co.uk/?gclid=CKiRn8GcgbYCFcrHtAodn3cAzg

Give these guys a try. Also are there any auto breakers yards (scrap yards) around where you live ? If there are try getting one from these guys if money is an issue. It will obviously be second hand but this may tide you over and if you ask nicely and throw in a fiver/tenner they may even fit it for you.

 

[Moodyman]

It's physically do-able but will wear you down when it's windy and or you've got a cold. So have a back up plan ie train or access to a lift.

You will eat through your components regularly and will have to do a lot of fine tuning regularly to keep her smooth and quiet. So brush up on your maintenance skills.

Between Oct and April you will almost always be riding in cold, damp conditions. So whilst you may have clothing for 40/50 mile rides you will need spares for when their wet / dirty. 2 or 3 of each item should see you fine.

Food - eats lots, but proper stuff. No junk.

Sleep - 8-9 hours for me, before cycling commuting got by on 6-7 hours.

Better if you got shower at work cause you'll sweat buckets and itch if no shower.

Ps - see the 'essential guide to commuting' sticky

 

[welshwheels]

thanks for all the advice i do have showers at work i do have the option of a train on the return leg so I could use that later in the week if I am knackered

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Good luck with the longer commute. What Moodyman said: spare clothes, good food and plenty of sleep. Nutrition-wise, I can generally manage with a glass of water before the commute each way, but I've been doing this commuting distance (about 38mi round trip) for about 3 years now, so my body's used to it. You'll find you eat more than you usually do just to keep going, but after a while (many months, probably), your appetite will return to normal.

Oh, and treat your bike well, and it will keep going: with these distances, parts tend to wear out a lot faster.

 

[Crankarm]

Agree with all the above. Higher mileages mean greater wear and tear on you, your bike, clothing and other accessories. I ride around 35 miles a day sometimes 40 or even 60 miles if I don't drive half way. It is fairly flat, but you are in Wales so may have a more hilly ride which may well mean the physical demands of you would be considerably more. Although cycling into a freezing strong Fen ENE wind straight from Scandinavia or Siberia shows disturbing masochim or madness and is therefore as hard as climbing any steep hill in the UK or hors category mountain pass.

Nevertheless you need to be single minded and have good stamina and planning. It might cost you a fair bit at first to kit yourself out properly but you will need it in the long run. Maybe take a spare clean and dry set of kit to ride home in as putting on wet/damp gear when it's freezing is not pleasant or wise as you will end up catching pneumonia. Also you need to eat loads (not crap food), drink lots and lots to remain hydrated and preprare for large electricity and water bills as you will be constantly washing your kit ready for the next day. A lot of kit in winter and 2 sets - one for each way. Also you will need to keep your bike in tip top fettle to make it last, for if you let it deteriorate thinking I CBA to do it now or on my day off, I'm kcackered, for instance clean and lube the transmission then you will have to use so much more energy trying to maintain same speed and it will sound awful like riding a cement mixer/sowing machine. So you will need to reguarly clean (wheel rims and pads, clean and lube your bike's transmission especially during winter and when following rides where it has rained the whole journey). The weather last year was generally the crap. So far this year it's off to a bad start. Cleaning and re-lubing is monotonous to say the least. You need to be disciplined. Also be very organised in leaving house for work as you need to factor in some extra time SHOULD something go wrong as you are riding a longer commute eg puncture. Make good tyre choices and carry several spare tubes and a good pump, Park tyre levers and nitrile gloves. Also you will need good lights and join BCF for 3rd party insurance.

Maybe you should try cycling only 2 or 3 days a week at first and take the train the other days.

Good luck as you will need it.

Here's a pic of your bike just to help everyone. Has your bike got mudguards fitted? If not it would be a good idea to fit them. Also a rear rack and panniers.

 

[jonny jeez]

Hmmm.. I know its not "on mission" but for what you'll pay to maintain a decent bike to do that mileage each and every day, you could buy a 50cc scooter, with no bike licence and do it on that.

Perhaps split the cost and buy a cheaper Ebay bike and a scooter to share the load.

I use both the Bike (20 miles commute 40 round trip) 2 or three days a week and then the motorbike for the others, occasionally I use the car (like one day a month...except last week), but its very very rare.

Sometimes I'll do a week or two non stop on the pushbike, but every day would be a grind and would potentially remove the enjoyment of being on a bike.

Many on here will diasagree

 

[jonny jeez]

FYI, My allez elite has done probably half the mileage you are suggesting in its first year of ownership (same commute but not every day) and so far in that one one year I've gotten through about £200 worth of tyres, £30 of tubes, £200 worth of drive system (chain, block, hubs, cables...all needed replacement) plus the unavoidable accumulation of cycle gear, rucksacks, extra gloves, extra overshoes, extra shirts.

I've probably spent around £600 in the year...perhaps more

Its by no means as costly as a car but it does stack up, so its worth going into it with your eyes open.

 

[DWiggy]

also if you can leave cloths at work saves carrying them to work!

 

[Crankarm]

also if you can leave cloths at work saves carrying them to work!

You have to get them there.