First commute done

[Twizit]

He he, if there's one thing ex-rugby thighs are good for it's the power to get away quickly from the lights

Felt it in my legs today though - ride in and out yesterday was fine and the plan was to give myself at least a day away from the bike whilst I'm building up my miles - but am out this evening so cycled in and leaving bike here at work. Means I can cycle home tomorrow night so splitting up the miles a bit.

Definitely not fresh legs this morning though and wouldn't want to be cycling home again just now....

 

[jefmcg]

Dammit! I've started doing a 17m commute occasionally and justified to myself that it's taking me much longer than others I've read about in other forums because I am cycling through London with it's lights, traffic and other cyclists. But if you can do 15mi in an hour then I've got to own my 1 1/2 hour++ as my fault :-)

If I could hit your speed it would be much faster than my multimode (with folidng bike) or TFL only commute.

If you are still experimenting routes, I'm finding coming through Chiswick roundabout/Chiswick High Road/Kensington/Hyde Park is pretty good, though Piccadilly Circus is pretty bad after about 8am - no room to filter, though lots of cyclists do - and Hammersmith Gyratory is challenging west bound. It does give me Syon House and Hyde Park twice a day, which is nice. Alternatively, if you are going through Richmond park, have you tried exiting through Roehampton gate, then through Putney Heath and using the A3 to join the "superhighway" near Clapham Common.

Also, try tfl cycling site which gives some decent routes.

 

[Twizit]

Hey jefmcg

Sorry about the speed

- surprised myself last night by getting home door to door in 56 minutes, including stops for lights etc. Mind you, I'd left the bike at work the night before so legs were fresh from no morning cycle and it was one of those runs where all lights seemed to be in my favour.

Cheers for the suggested routes. I'm near Oxford Circus so tend to favour routes that use Hyde Park and avoid going too far South and East such as around Clapham Common. I also try to arrive around 8am, so traffic not too bad.

Best route I've found so far:

Cut through Kingston, up Kingston hill on the road then cut into Richmond Park at Robin Hood gate (I prefer the long drag of the hill by road rather than the short sharp one in the park).
Exit at Roehampton gate, down Priory Lane then head through Barnes and over Hammersmith Bridge.
Negotiate the Gyratory then along Hammersmith Road, Kensington High Street, Hyde Park and round to work

Seems to be quite a free flowing route and a lot less stop start than (say) Putney Bridge then Kings Road.

I've not had a problem with the Gyratory at Hammersmith. First time tried on cycle lanes, but they're more of a pain I found. As the traffic tends not to move too quickly, I find it easier to just stick with the roads right round. Felt pretty safe this way and the bus lanes leading up to and from it do help too.

 

[BentMikey]

You guys come right past where I work - look for a chap on speedskates wearing lycra by the Albert Memorial and say hello!

 

[3narf]

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.

17.5 miles, Peak district - Manchester Airport.

I usually use the car every 3rd or 4th day, though, to give my legs a rest (singlespeed, see!).

And, I must admit, I have the cushiest job ever. At the moment.

 

[jefmcg]

Thanks Twizit. Ah, so you're stopping west of the city? Then I can blame the traffic through the city for the difference in our commute. Done.

I'm heading from St Margarets to Canary Wharf, and the best route I've found includes Piccadilly Circus, Holborn and Bank. I probably won't try Hammersmith Bridge, as that would involve A316, which is not that appealing. You're right, Hammersmith Gyratory is not too bad: just stick to the centre. Hyde Park Corner I've resorted to using the pedestrian lights on occasions when the traffic is bad.

If you're interested in trying my route, I've dotted it out in gmap pedometer http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4372362

BentMikey: have to wait until at least next week, unless you teach in the dark. But did I see you there last summer, maybe?

 

[Twizit]

BentMikey - just checked where you work - I did indeed go past there last night, and am pretty sure I saw two people on skates around 5.45pm - that you?!

 

[BentMikey]

BentMikey - just checked where you work - I did indeed go past there last night, and am pretty sure I saw two people on skates around 5.45pm - that you?!

Not me this week, I'll be there Tuesday next week, weather permitting.

 

[BentMikey]

17.5 miles, Peak district - Manchester Airport.

I usually use the car every 3rd or 4th day, though, to give my legs a rest (singlespeed, see!).

And, I must admit, I have the cushiest job ever. At the moment.

OK, so not really going full tilt every ride then. If you always push to the max over a long 4 or 5 day a week commute, you'll end up doing a sort of permanent medium speed, surely?

 

[Twizit]

Not me this week, I'll be there Tuesday next week, weather permitting.

I'll wave next week then

 

[3narf]

OK, so not really going full tilt every ride then. If you always push to the max over a long 4 or 5 day a week commute, you'll end up doing a sort of permanent medium speed, surely?

You lost me!

No, I go flat out every ride, to the best of my ability.

 

[BentMikey]

If you were to ride 3 slow and easy days, and then 1 or 2 fast days a week, you'll get two effects. One is that your fast days will become much faster, and two is that your overall power and speed will increase much more than if you try to go all out all the time. The caveat is that you want to have a lot of base mileage in your legs before doing this, so it's perhaps not the best idea for the OP to be hammering it when he's just starting to acclimatise to a new and relatively long commute. OK, that's a vast oversimplification, but still correct.

Trying to go flat out all the time will mean that you'll never end up as fast as you could otherwise be, hence the medium speed all the time comment. Although it might not feel like medium speed, it will be compared to your potential.

 

[3narf]

I'll give that a go!

I never feel safe, though, unless I'm going as fast as I can...

 

[BentMikey]

LOL, I so understand that feeling!! When I'm taking it easy, there are a few short sections on my commute where I'll still give it at least some welly to reduce conflict. Most of my commute is fine for chilling out, luckily.

It took me ages to learn that the cagers don't actually know how much effort I'm putting in, so a bit of acting can make them come over all grateful. Like changing down a gear before an uphill approach through a pinch point so it looks like I'm making an effort for them, then a thumbs up and an apparent rest by briefly stopping pedalling as soon as I'm through often gets a hazards flash from drivers.

 

[jefmcg]

Not me this week, I'll be there Tuesday next week, weather permitting.

Crashed my bike on monday, so missed you.

Sorry!

(About to set off on my first full commute since then.)

joan