Commuter race

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classic33

Leg End Member
Have you ever been on the Tube at rush hour on a hot summer's morning? Stuffed into a hot metal box with lots of other hot sweaty passengers for a good half hour or more. Public transport isn't the cool non-stinky option. Come to think of it, many workplaces don't have AC - the last place I worked at didn't, and it was an oven in the summer. It wasn't the ride to work in the morning that was the hot and sweaty bit! You can take it easy on the way in - it is after all going to be less effort than going flat out!
Newer Northern rolling stock was available, for which she was grateful. The older stock at peak periods do tend to get a little "clammy" when packed.
 

skudupnorth

Cycling Skoda lover
My work colleagues don’t mind a smelly cyclists in the mix 😆😆😆😆
Mind you, even after my 11 mile commute, I seem to stay a reasonable temperature and don’t oooz too much even in summer when we have one
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BigMeatball

Senior Member
Have you ever been on the Tube at rush hour on a hot summer's morning? Stuffed into a hot metal box with lots of other hot sweaty passengers for a good half hour or more. Public transport isn't the cool non-stinky option. Come to think of it, many workplaces don't have AC - the last place I worked at didn't, and it was an oven in the summer. It wasn't the ride to work in the morning that was the hot and sweaty bit! You can take it easy on the way in - it is after all going to be less effort than going flat out!

Have you ever been in an office for 8 hours with a colleague (or more than one) that first is stinky and sweaty and then is just stinky?

If I had to choose between a miserable 30-60 minutes on a hot bus and a miserable 8 hour day sitting beside a stinky colleague, I'd choose the first option. Every goddam time.

As I said already, if someone tends to sweat while cycling and there is no shower facilities at work, they shouldn't cycle to work. Maybe you're tolerant towards these disrespectful behaviours. I'm not.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Have you ever been in an office for 8 hours with a colleague (or more than one) that first is stinky and sweaty and then is just stinky?

If I had to choose between a miserable 30-60 minutes on a hot bus and a miserable 8 hour day sitting beside a stinky colleague, I'd choose the first option. Every goddam time.

As I said already, if someone tends to sweat while cycling and there is no shower facilities at work, they shouldn't cycle to work. Maybe you're tolerant towards these disrespectful behaviours. I'm not.
Flannel + deodorant + clean clothes, job done. When I have cycle commuted (longest around 75 minutes), I have showered before leaving home to wake me up, I've never showered at the office and I've never been stinky.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
When i ride on days the ride home im maybe 10 mins quicker in the car on route that takes me through 2 villages and country lanes, its the getting out of work onto the roundabout along with however many others leaving that kills it, it can 20 mins to do just that then another 15 mins or so to drive home.
On nights if i drive i can get home in under 20 mins in the car as the rounabout is clear( i drive friday nights as i CBA to ride home at 3 am
Bike home takes me 35-50 mins so on days the only difference if getting changed and getting bike out , in fact the cycle route is 1.5 miles further as i take a diversion to avoid that roundabout along a cycle path i can acces irectly from work pedestrian gate
 

boydj

Legendary Member
Location
Paisley
Have you ever been in an office for 8 hours with a colleague (or more than one) that first is stinky and sweaty and then is just stinky?

If I had to choose between a miserable 30-60 minutes on a hot bus and a miserable 8 hour day sitting beside a stinky colleague, I'd choose the first option. Every goddam time.

As I said already, if someone tends to sweat while cycling and there is no shower facilities at work, they shouldn't cycle to work. Maybe you're tolerant towards these disrespectful behaviours. I'm not.

When I first commuted by bike, I had 9 miles into central Glasgow. I could do this consistently in 40 minutes or so and be at my desk, showered, in under an hour. By bus and train, I could spend the money and do it quicker if the gods were smiling in terms of wait times for public transport - but more often than not the journey was over an hour. When we changed offices, there were no showers, so I took the shorter journey a bit more slowly and had a good wash-down in the toilets when I got changed. I never had a problem being sweaty or stinky in the office. And I was more alert and productive than most of the folks who used public transport.

You make a good argument for employers providing changing facilities to encourage active travel among their employees.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
Have you ever been in an office for 8 hours with a colleague (or more than one) that first is stinky and sweaty and then is just stinky?

If I had to choose between a miserable 30-60 minutes on a hot bus and a miserable 8 hour day sitting beside a stinky colleague, I'd choose the first option. Every goddam time.

As I said already, if someone tends to sweat while cycling and there is no shower facilities at work, they shouldn't cycle to work. Maybe you're tolerant towards these disrespectful behaviours. I'm not.
Yes, and they had all arrived on public transport.

No showers doesn't mean you can't get yourself clean/washed after arriving at work.
 

BigMeatball

Senior Member
I would love to reply to each and every one of you but I already got one of my posts removed.

I clearly must have struck a nerve and someone must have reported the post.

Enjoy this discussion :hello:
 

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
Disagree on this point - I used to commute much further and had a shower when I reached the office - given that I would have had a shower regardless I don't see this as being needed to be taken into account. Otherwise you are needing to add in the time for a shower/bath to all the other modes of transportation and that way lies madness.

All of the participants set off at the same time, so unless you allow the cyclist to set off 20 minutes earlier to compensate, the assumption in the test is that the changing / showering time must be part of the commute. Most of the people that cycle to my work change clothes once they get there. Not everyone showers - that will depend on distance / sweatiness / urgency of requirement to get to meeting / desk etc. But they still take more time than the people going in the front door. Based on this very strong anecdotal evidence it is therefore reasonable to include the extra things that a runner / cyclist has to do when compared to someone taking the car / bus / train.

So all we learn from this test is that no method of getting from point A to point B is particularly the fastest. The bus is definitely slowest. Cycling is probably best for health outcomes, but that isn't a consequence of the test, other than to say that it likely won't take you longer than driving.
 
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roley poley

Über Member
Location
leeds
Car vs bus, train and bicycle. Horsforth to Leeds city centre.

Spoiler alert, cycling is fastest. Duh. :becool:

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co...ke-we-test-whats-fastest-commute-city-1357412

I used to car commute this route (near enough) almost a decade ago, I wasn't into cycling then, clearly the roads have got busier since then, and back then it was still pretty horrible at times.
well strait along the traffic free tow path national cycle route 66 time to look about no traffic lights bound to win good call
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
That said, the commute time for the cyclist should really also include the time taken to wash / change, as the other travelers will walk into the office ready to start work immediately, whilst the cyclist has to lock up the bike and get changed / showered as appropriate.

Not really. It’s 6 miles, perfectly fine to wear work appropriate clothes, and cycle slightly slower. Even at 10 mph he’d only take 36 minutes. There’s a break even point between faster cycling and shower or take it easy and no shower. Six miles is around that break even point. The further the commute the more time you can create for the shower and stay comfortable.
 

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
Well unless everyone lives next to the train station of course walking is involved. Perfectly valid that it also involves a walk.

Given that the journey involved 19 minutes of walking vs 15 minutes of actually being on a train, I would submit that it's hardly the train being tested. Equally the time for the train route is miscalculated as all of the participants leave Stanhope Avenue at 8am, which means that the train traveller has 15 minutes of standing around before the train arrives. The train passenger therefore would have taken 34 minutes if they had set off at a time consistent with the train timetable and had a season ticket.

So train and walking is 9 minutes slower than the bike. The cyclist only wins in terms of the commute if they cycle in their work clothes. The man pictured in the article is not in work clothes. He will therefore need time to lock the bike, walk to a changing room and put on his office clothes. I therefore call a draw for bike / train in terms of journey time in the context of this test. Car and Bus are clearly the losers.

Unless of course the office supports flexible working. Simply by starting work earlier or later than the morning rush, the car could actually be fastest provided that there is a designated parking spot. 8am is the worst time to depart on that route for a car. 7.30am is probably the latest that you would want to set off, or you would want to delay until 9.30 for a 10:00am start.

This is a good example of how a test can be set up to provide the result you want, rather than to test the optimum journey time for each mode of transport for the task required.
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Given that the journey involved 19 minutes of walking vs 15 minutes of actually being on a train,

How many people live less than 19 minutes from the train station? Of course it's valid. No the cyclist wasn't in work clothes because they like to show "hey look a cyclist" in the photos. Of course the cyclist wins even with changing. Plus what happens to the train person if they are 5 or 10 minutes late, leaving or arriving at the office? They end up taking 30 mins maybe even 1 hour longer after waiting for the next train. Don't know why you think train is better than cycliing for such a short journey? It's madness not to cycle when it's only 6 miles. You'll have people getting a taxi instead of a 2 mile walk next.
 
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