First commute done

[4F]

No hard accelerations from traffic lights, and low power up all the hills.

So are you suggesting they hold off the commuter racing for a while ?

 

[Twizit]

Surely an equal mpg motorbike vs car you will be saving? Specially on smaller engines, running costs and all that? Cars with high MPG tend to attract a premium.

You'd be surprised...

I have one of those BMW 800's and even through London it does 57 MPG and will top 70 on a long run. However, with most bikes you have to factor in a) they're not very streamline so generally have worse economy for a similarly size engine car, b) they're usually geared for speed rather than economy (even my "frugal" BM will easily do 0-60 in less than 5 seconds if you are so inclined and heavy of the right hand) and c) servicing costs tend to be up there with those for a car, and generally come around more often (6,000 miles for me). Add in the additional price of decent kit and it's not necessarily as cheap as you might think. That said, you can make it a lot cheaper if you want (smaller, older bike, cheaper kit etc etc). For me, I moved onto the motorbike 5 years ago as I had a rubbish commute via public transport and it was still a lot cheaper and much quicker than an annual season ticket....

Thanks for all the other comments. I'll be sure to report in on progress every now and then

 

[Twizit]

So are you suggesting they hold off the commuter racing for a while ?

Oh but it was soooo tempting at times this morning

Stupidly competitive by nature, but I know I'll suffer on the way home and whilst I'm reasonably fit for an ex-rugby playing fat lad.... I'm still north of 15 stone and there are enough young whippets out there on the roads who will make me look stupid

 

[Mad at urage]

30 mile a day will get you fit enough to compete with most of the whippets most of the time, I used to commute Tooting to Hounslow (sometimes through the Park) and usually could blow away the club training rides I came across (of course there were always those who could blow me away, mostly these seemed to be the ones who slowed for a chat when they passed, then zoomed off into the distance, whereas the ones I could catch and leave behind were those who ignored a commuter with full mudguards ). It's an enjoyable distance and yours were exactly the reasons I started doing it. Best wishes.

 

[cyberknight]

Well done !
15 miles each way is very do able especially if its a flatter commute , you will soon be relishing the ride as the best part of your day

 

[Chilternrides]

Good on you Twizit.
By the way, don't be afraid to take the odd day off the bike while you are still building up your cycling stamina; I'm sure you already know from your rugby / gym days that a rest days are an important part of any exercise routine.

If you feel knackered, you probably are; take the rest day and come back stronger. Most of all, enjoy it (The better weather shouldn't be too far away, and that means that the pretty girls will be out on their bikes soon too ).

 

[S_t_e_v_e]

Well done for your commute!! I'm sure you'll be looking for the scenic detours by the time summer gets here.

 

[Twizit]

Second day done, this time via Barnes, Hammersmith bridge and Kensington High Street. Better than Kings Road was last week, but still too many flippin red lights.

I need a traffic light counter so I can plot the "cleanest" route!

Forget painting lots of blue on the roads, I reckon the best thing Boris could do to improve cycling in London would be to do away with half the addition lights good 'ol Ken put in.... *






* apologies to our non-London based commuters

 

[Beebo]

I agree about the traffic lights!!

It's strange but when I'm driving, red lights don't bother me as much as they do when I'm on my bike.

I think it's because on a bike you are invariably at the front of the queue looking concentrating on the red light, where as in a car you could be 10 or 15 cars back and less aware of the red light phasing etc.

 

[3narf]

Go flat out everywhere, all the time. Don't bother trying to pace yourself. You soon get used to it!

I've commuted in central London and central Manchester; I just don't feel safe unless I'm riding full pelt and at the front at every junction...

 

[Twizit]

I like the approach

 

[BentMikey]

Go flat out everywhere, all the time. Don't bother trying to pace yourself. You soon get used to it!

I've commuted in central London and central Manchester; I just don't feel safe unless I'm riding full pelt and at the front at every junction...

How long is your commute? You'll be a lot fitter than me and a lot quicker at recovery if you can do my commute and my job flat out 5 days a week.

 

[Jambon]

mate i was doing the same distance through Jan 5 days a week, had Feb off and been on and off through march until today. It was really hard at first and the only way i could get through it was thinking about the weight loss and imporved fitness. It does get easier but i found it best not to think about the ride, i used it as a way of planning for work that way i wasnt thinking about how far i had to go.

You need to make sure you get a full 8 hours minimum to manage it though.

 

[Mad at urage]

Traffic lights are Good Things for cycle training : Just think of it as interval training session and practice sprinting away from them !

 

[Adasta]

Traffic lights are Good Things for cycle training : Just think of it as interval training session and practice sprinting away from them !

Traffic lights allow me to slow down shamelessly