How do you feel about your commute ride?

[dantheman]

Well, I'm now only 2 miles from work, and as I'm not a morning person/lazy I don't leave early and make it longer.. its a chore if it's heavy rain as it takes longer to get waterproofs on than the actual ride ( probably not literally). I'm grumpy and looking for stuff when I still have misty eyes has caused me to have to apologise to my wife many times, though this says more about me than the commute I'm afraid..

What I will say is that it's nice time to think and helps separate work time and home time. Now that it's so short I find I more look forward to times I can get out at the weekend, and I feel down when I can't get out.. whereas when I was commuting further (still only like 9 miles each way) I rarely bothered to do recreational rides at the weekend ( well actually I worked a lot of them and had the commute then also).

So, to sum things up, I prefer to ride recreationally, but see no better way to get to work (unless it's really bad weather (like the rain is so heavy it hurts when it hits you or snowing))

 

[al78]

I don't commute as much by bike as I used too. It has become more tedious, the traffic seems to be getting worse every year, possibly due to the thousands of new homes that are built. My commute is rural so the issue is not traffic congestion, but the first two miles are on the main road to Guildford, and it is never fun to have convoys coming past at 40 mph, me constantly on edge worrying if the last one in the convoy is going to do the must-get-past kamikaze overtake into the oncoming convoy. Even the country lanes are marred with traffic, Susses and Surrey seems to be home to the tiny road club, where people seem to love driving on the little unclassified roads rather than the parallel running main roads. This is because the little roads act as convenient rat runs to bypass bottlenecks on the main roads (e.g. Bramley).

 

[doginabag]

Commuting is the only riding I do, only a couple of miles from my house tot he station and the same distance again from London Liverpool Street to my office.

The ride on my home side of the journey I find tedious and boring, where as riding through London has just the right amount of fear of death or injury to keep the boredom at bay.

 

[ukoldschool]

I'm, a bit like the above, I only ride to and from the station.. home to 'Snorbans = 2.7km tooting to work = 1.3km, so I don't really feel like a 'real' cyclist... do I enjoy it? yeah sort of, its hilly on the home leg, so I feel like I'm getting a bit of a (short) workout which is nice. The reason I do it the other end and not leave a bike at the station (given that its only just over half a mile) is that the train gets in at 8.50, so if I walked it I would be late/bang on time and I prefer to be 5 mins early . I have to say the journey in the morning is a bit frantic, I have kids to help with at home so I always seem to be in a panic leaving and needing to make up time so I don't miss the train (they are every half hour to tooting), but the journey home is much more sedate and much more enjoyable.

I have felt more like a real cyclist now that I've given in to the wife's demand and bought a brain protector though (yes.. I know...)

The funniest thing about my commute though is the little brompton club on the train... there's 3 of them that meet on the platform and get on together before they go off their separate ways....
I have no evidence to support this theory other than paranoia, but I think I am excluded from this partly because I don't wear spandex shorts, I have no helmet cam, or a Rapha top... and I have absolutely zero high vis either on my body or on my clown bike

 

[Simontm]

Used to commute through Richmond Park in all weathers to Central London, 15 Miles e/W then contracts ended. I spent nearly a year home working literally spending my ‘lunch hour’ jumping on the bike to get out of the house.

At the moment I have a contract the other side of Epsom Downs. It’s only 9 Miles e/w, at this time of year low sun and (as some on here will remember, I’m a big lump who doesn’t appreciate hills as some of you thin bas... people do )I have to climb around 600 ft every morning...Then in the evening joys such as the Reigate Road where drivers will try and overtake you in the blind bend at 40 mph because..hey you’re on a bike and cannot possibly be going that fast.

But I love it.

 

[Bazzer]

For the times I travel, a car would generally be quicker. Although with the M62 being 50 mph for the next 18 months and major road works near the Mancunian Way for the same period, the time gap is reduced. But when I have to travel by car because of picking up papers for meetings, I miss the "zingy" feeling of endorphines.
I also much prefer the morning commute to the afternoon one. Far fewer cars and from the middle of September, enveloping darkness.

 

[ianrauk]

I also much prefer the morning commute to the afternoon one. .

Same for me. I would rather leave earlier in the morning and get some extra miles in then in the evening.