guess who's back…

[alecstilleyedye]

Which way will you ride? Via Alderley Edge?

yep, down past the wizard, through wilmslow and out via the tunnels under the airport runways. there's a great stretch of cycle path there, although it ends at a tricky filter to a roundabout that also serves the m56…
once past that, through hale barns and into alty itself. i'm still looking at better ways to do the last few km…

 

[Hacienda71]

I'll wave if i see you going the other way. If you want a quieter slightly longer alternative to Wilmslow go down Oak Road through Mottram St Andrew. just watch the mud near the first farm after the sharp lefthand bend. One of your club mates cycles towards Wilmslow come rain or shine. Always gives a wave.

 

[tadpole]

Does your new company belong to anykind of cycle to work scheme? if so go for that new roadie, and a back pack. Panniers are for Dutch tourists, and camping holidays

 

[Maz]

Well done on getting the new job!
Any chance you can leave 'stuff' at work to lighten the commuting load?

 

[HLaB]

Congrats Alec! I've finally got a permanent job too but my commute is only 1.7-2miles (shorter if I use the farcilities, longer if I stay on road, time-wise the same!). I'm doing my commute on a cheap heavy (13kg+) SS but its great fun and leaves me time to go out on a wee ride.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

well i've decided to go with the tatty mountain bike, as all the repairs needed can be done as and when, once the money comes in from the job. i took her out on a 20 mile ride along a local trail at speed, to see if anything would break, but it all seems fine.
i've lent her a brooks saddle (will mean i can use the fairly crap shorts that did a five mile commute before), some look delta pedals and given her the rack and lidl panniers. i'll probably add proper mudguards to the shopping list.

will have to go in by car for the first day, better to sus out parking (for the bike) and where to get changed etc before i ride in. once the spring comes, i might switch to the steel road bike for commuting…

 

[Shut Up Legs]

My commute is 17 miles to work and 21 from work. I use a Vivente World Randonneur tourer, and find it quite suitable, because it handles all conditions. As the round-trip commute is hilly (about 3300 feet of climbing), I find I wear out the brake pads, tyres and rims in record time, so checking these regularly is important. I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700x28C tyres for their puncture-resistance.

And +1 to what another said about leaving some things at work to lighten the load. Also avoid using a backpack if you can. I use a seatpost-mounted Topeak Dynapack to carry all the essentials, but never a backpack.

 

[StuartG]

Lose the panniers and/or rucksack. Pretend they are banned. There is always a way around the problem. It just may not be obvious.

So you need to carry a couple of spare tubes, some Park Patches, multitool and an ultra thin rain/windproof top. They will all fit comfortable in a small wedge under the saddle. A wallet and a mobile phone in your pocket.

Everything else is a luxury. If its clothing then find a way to keep sets at or near your work. If its IT then don't carry a laptop, netbook or tablet. Just a memory stick.

Every pound you lose in weight is worth an extra mph and an extra mile inyour legs (ymmv). Hills disappear and the commute becomes a ride in the park rather than a slog. It also means you can do it on a roadie or audax type bike which will further increase speed and pleasure.

A rack is useful for the days when there is a strong tailwind and you can rotate the clothing gear. But no more please. It really amazes me when I see so many commuters who would better fit on a cargo bike

 

[defy-one]

^^^^^^ Some of us don't work at a fixed address or desk. We have to carry our laptop and daily commuting stuff with us

 

[alecstilleyedye]

found some of those spoke reflectives in my bits box, so the front wheel should catch the eye in low light, plus some funny little red led lights that can swing around of the back of the pannier. you can't be too visible, especially when there's a right-hand lane crossing to a motorway roundabout that happens under an underpass (approaching the hale roundabout)…

 

[Hacienda71]

Have you thought of going through Mobberley to Ashley and that way into Altrincham? Lovely ride and misses all the sheeite around the M56, couple of my mates do that way to Alty.

 

[fossyant]

Have you thought of going through Mobberley to Ashley and that way into Altrincham? Lovely ride and misses all the sheeite around the M56, couple of my mates do that way to Alty.

This was my thought too. Nice route

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

 

[alecstilleyedye]

will certainly consider it. i'll need my gps with me though, i got hopelessly lost in tel aviv hale last time i rode that route (not for a commute)...