Riding a bike as day to day transport

[Drago]

YukonBoy is correct. The greater efficiency of a cyclists lungs offsets the intake of fumes somewhar. As a result, lazy fatsos in cars suffer more detriment from traffic fumes than cyclists do,

 

[bladesman73]

Think a lot of folk haven't cycled since they were kids themselves and then only went round the block or half a mile to the park etc on old rusting choppers or grifters with the tyres half pumped up. If they rode a 500 quid bike for example these days they may be surprised just how effortless it can be and enjoyable.

Correct. Got my missus to ride my other road bike last year and she couldnt believe how nice it was to ride. Only bikes she had ridden before were cheap heavy mountain bikes. Its a pity that its only cheap crap that is accessible to many, heavy and hard to ride and put people off cycling. If decent bikes were not so ridiculously espensive then more people would stick with cycling.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Its a pity that its only cheap crap that is accessible to many, heavy and hard to ride and put people off cycling. If decent bikes were not so ridiculously espensive then more people would stick with cycling.

Decent lightweight machines have always been expensive to buy new, that is no different. Good quality heavyweight bikes never used to be throwaway cheap either. What's happened in recent years is the really low end stuff has got both much cheaper in real terms, and is of shoddier quality. Cycling is more financially accessible at the bottom end than ever before. The quality of the product may not be to your liking, but large numbers of riders, in fact I'd say the majority, are doing their cycling riding "cheap crap" bikes.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I'm new to forum so apologies if this covered somewhere. I've ridden bikes for years as daily transport, I've had cars but always had bikes. I am still amazed at work colleagues reactions when I rock up in all weather. They all live less than five miles from work and drive in. They all think I'm nuts that I ride for fun, shopping, commuting and holidays. I never wear special clothing, helmets which baffles them as well. Many have health conditions linked to lack of any meaningful exercise but don't appear to link exercise to health! I am older than the majority as well. Not a zealot about cycling its just the most practical way to get about and notice your community and the world in general.

Pretty much my situation, although I never owned a car. When I was on day release at technical college I had a ride of about 12k through beautiful countryside. I was never late, but the people who came by car would come in consistently 5 min after the lesson began, complaining about traffic lights.
They all thought I was strange too, whereas I spent the whole day looking forward to the ride back...

 

[Lovacott]

I suppose I'm what you might call a "binge cycle commuter".

I've had periods of many years cycle commuting and many years of doing practically nothing for my fitness.

It's all depended on how far away from work I lived and whether or not cycling was an option. I had a job back in the 80's which was based from home with a van supplied. My next job was five miles away with no car supplied so I rode a bike.

Each time I have started to cycle commute, I've seen my fitness level increase beyond my imagination and my body shape has gone back in time 20 years.

Each time I've started to cycle commute, I've sworn blind to myself that I would never again return to driving a car to work.

Each time, I have failed in my promise to myself.

I'm now in the midst of a cycle to work binge and once again, I have told myself that I will always cycle commute.

I plan to keep it up.

 

[Lovacott]

What's happened in recent years is the really low end stuff has got both much cheaper in real terms, and is of shoddier quality.

I commute on a 6 year old Halfords Apollo MTB which had done (at the most) about 50 miles in total since I'd bought it new six year ago.

Within a few weeks of starting my 20 mile round trip daily commute, I was getting problems. Chain slip, front brake failure, bottom bracket bearing failure, rear wheel bearing failure.

A bike which had travelled less than 200 miles in its life was falling apart.

It looked very pretty when I bought it in Halfords for £120 six years ago, but I have since spent three times that amount replacing the entire groupset, bearings, cables, gear selectors, brake levers, brake discs and brake mechanisms. I've upgraded everything by shifting to the second cheapest Shimano or Clarkes alternative to what was on the bike originally.

Buying a cheap bike six years ago has turned out to be a massive pain in the arse.

On the plus side, I've learned a hell of a lot about bike mechanics and I've also learned to appreciate the concept of quality over quantity.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

As I said, the quality at the very low end has deteriorated in recent years along with the real terms prices of new bikes. My Apollo MTB is at least 25 years old, and I've put hundreds and hundreds of miles on it with only a front tyre change. The back tyre was quite new. How many miles it has done in previous ownership is anyone's guess. It doesn't get molly coddled either, it's maintained minimally but to a safe/reliable standard. That means lubrication, air in tyres and the occasional cable adjustment.
The biggest failing I see in the cheap stuff is insufficient grease in bearings, and bearings adjusted too tight out of the factory. If I bought a brand new Apollo or similar very cheap bike the first thing I would do on getting it home is completely strip it down and reassemble it properly with generous amounts of lubrication and not over-tighten the bearings.

 

[Lovacott]

My Apollo MTB is at least 25 years old, and I've put hundreds and hundreds of miles on it with only a front tyre change. The back tyre was quite new.

I've bought a spare tyre just in case, but the Kenda tyres which came with the bike are still looking like new after nearly 2000 miles of country lanes.

The main problems I had with the bike seemed to be with poor production line assembly.

No grease when the freewheel was put on, totally dry rear wheel bearing.

The front disc brakes only had a pad on one side and there was no lock screw in the rear brake housing.

Cable ends were partially frayed and one of the bottom bracket bearing cages had been installed arse about face .

Apart from that, it was a top quality bike.

 

[bladesman73]

Decent lightweight machines have always been expensive to buy new, that is no different. Good quality heavyweight bikes never used to be throwaway cheap either. What's happened in recent years is the really low end stuff has got both much cheaper in real terms, and is of shoddier quality. Cycling is more financially accessible at the bottom end than ever before. The quality of the product may not be to your liking, but large numbers of riders, in fact I'd say the majority, are doing their cycling riding "cheap crap" bikes.

What do you mean quality 'may not be to your liking'? Cheap crap is cheap crap and i dont care if bikes that dont fall apart after a few months and are like cycling a jcb have always been expensive. The fact is they shouldnt be so expensive as most are mass produced cheaply in the far east. A lot of these low end bikes shouldnt even be sold imo, i have tried a few and they fall apart within months if used daily, costs more to maintain them than the price they cost.

 

[MichaelW2]

I love normal cycling in normal clothes for everyday reasons. Today I hitched up the trailer and cycled 20 mins to the car boot sales to pick up the stuff I needed.
The cycling industry seems set on portraying extreme athletic cycling so it is great that iconic figures such as Chris Boardman make a point of doing normal cycling.

 

[weareHKR]

Hi all,
I only discovered cycling back in 2018 & can't believe what I've been missing tbh.
We have way too many cars on the roads in our city & at last, the local council are starting to tackle the situation by investing in better & safer cycling infrastructure.
Been a small city I can cycle around most of it there & back within an hour, it's taught me it's quicker by bike than a car, 10 minutes into the city centre, it's just not worth going by car, just hope the council start providing more secure cycle parking facilities.
I do wish more people would just try it & I'm sure some would change their minds.
Great topic by the way...

 

[Notafettler]

Today I will be cycling in waterproof jacket trousers and wellies as I will have to take the dog for a decent walk after I hide my bike in a woods. The nettles are waste high. I will bring boxes for blackberries sloes and hopefully mushrooms (dire year so far). I may do it on the electric bike with a chainsaw and trailer. I will probably use my £3600 new but £1200 secondhand travelmaster with 4 large carradice super c which I will fill with wood i have already cut up and hidden. (and the 2 boxes of fruit). A more or less typical day. I am addicted to collecting firewood. Doctor refuses to send me to a physiatrist or supply me with another woodstore.

 

[Notafettler]

What do you mean quality 'may not be to your liking'? Cheap crap is cheap crap and i dont care if bikes that dont fall apart after a few months and are like cycling a jcb have always been expensive. The fact is they shouldnt be so expensive as most are mass produced cheaply in the far east. A lot of these low end bikes shouldnt even be sold imo, i have tried a few and they fall apart within months if used daily, costs more to maintain them than the price they cost.

Rohloff well worth the extra on a secondhand bike.

 

[Drago]

The cycling industry do so, because top end bikes and clobber yield top end profits.

Promoting cycling should be the business of government, not industry.

 

[Lovacott]

Cheap crap is cheap crap. A lot of these low end bikes shouldn't even be sold imo.

Dry wheel bearings and missing brake pads can actually kill people. The low end bikes on the market are built for an annual summer ride down the local bike path and that's about it.