radger said:
* to lock the bike safely (i.e. indoors) and have access to changing facilities and showers will cost more per month than the bus, which itself is horribly expensive
Your company charges for locking your bike indoors?
That's a bit harsh. Grass them up to Ken.
radger said:
* to lock the bike to a sheffield stand and change in the toilet will mean I smell all day
a) stale sweat smells, fresh sweat doesn't
won't smell anyway if you get changed and towel off
c) you can use deodorant
d) but you also said:
radger said:
* it's uphill all the way home
so it presumably transpires then that it's downhill all the way there.
You can just freewheel most of the way there then and it won't take hardly any effort and you won't even build up a sweat.
radger said:
and my bike will be nicked (this is probably paranoia, I've locked my bike many times without it being nicked)
make sure you follow the 10% rule, i.e. lock must be at least 10% of value of bike, but:
a) don't use a particularly expensive bike anyway and it won't look that attractive to thieves
don't leave it in the same place all the time (that's how i had a bike nicked)
c) use a D-lock, short one if possible
d) get it insured so if the worst does happen you're covered and you won't worry about it
radger said:
* I will be slow (Bristol's all hills) and I hate being slow and don't like looking slow
If you're that bothered about looks, get a fixie, then you've got an excuse.
radger said:
* the standard of driving here is ghastly, and the traffic's not all jammed up like in London
A lot of people don't drive perfectly, but not many are actually dangerous. Remember people don't WANT to knock cyclists over, and if you ride confidently they'll susprisingly enough make quite a bit of effort not to.
radger said:
* it's uphill all the way home
So? It's downhill all the way there.
radger said:
* my front brake is dodgy
Fix it. If you're put off by the cost, calculate how many bus journeys that would equate to.
