So how long have you been commuting?

[ianrauk]

Moved house in 2006. It's a mile and half from the local train station. I know I thought, get a bike and cycle to the station and back. I used to cycle a lot up to my mid 20's. It was easy then so would be easy for an overweight 40 year old now. Yeah right! Mile and half damn near killed me, especially on the way back. Had to lie down for half hour after a 15 minute cycle ride. But kept it up.
My brand new bike was nicked from the station after 10 days

. But good wife bought me a new one. After a year, decided to commute to a station 5 miles away. Did that for a year. Then decided to cycle all the way to work (12 miles each way) have been doing that since. Only ever missed a few commutes due to the snow.

 

[NickM]

Since 1985. For 11 years it was 5 days a week. Then I got fed up with the same old, same old (and with most of my cycling being utility mileage).

Now I cycle on 3 days most weeks, and have 3 different routes, each of about 18 miles return trip. But I also "commute" home on foot at least one day most weeks

 

[crumpetman]

Only four months. Wish I had started years ago. To anyone out there considering it just give it a go it's not as hard as you think!

 

[ChrisKH]

Had major surgery in 2002 and was sitting there literally contemplating my navel (which had several hundred stitches in it) thinking how f***** up my body was and trying to work out how to get fit and also get over major steroid dependance (corticosteroids not weight lifty ones). At the time I had a job in the West End which required me to be on the tube for half an hour (albeit I was off sick for four months after surgery). Cue Evangelical moment of revelation; bike is the answer. Used to be a bit handy on bike as a youngster, not too stressful on knees (which had suffered enough already), researched policy for bikes on trains and bit the bullet. Wife returned from shopping to find me in garage servicing the bike. Bought Brompton six months later and have been commuting by bike ever since. I don't even need to use the bike anymore as my work location is so close to the station, but wife has insisted I continue as I get a male form of PMT if I don't.

 

[benb]

3 months. Hopefully I'll arrive soon, my legs are getting tired!

Wish I'd done it years ago.

 

[goo_mason]

Since April 2006, when I decided that getting a bike and cycling to work was feasible and it would be a good way to get fit and lose some weight.

I'd been separated since 2002 and was quite a heavy smoker (too many roll-ups a day to count). Being miserable post-separation, I'd just been sittting eating too much junk and smoking too much. I gave up the fags in Jan 2004 and put more weight on as a result, though I didn't really notice it until and one day when I stepped on some scales for the first time in around 10 years and got the fright of my life!

Not fancying mixing it at the gym at work with all of the "look-at-me" body worshippers, I saw the C2W people at work one day and realised a bike would be just the thing. Borrowed a cycling map, saw that the route was mainly off-road and only around 10 miles, and that was that. Signed up to our first ever use of C2W as a benefit and haven't stopped cycling to work since.

 

[magnatom]

My first child was born in 2005, and rather than buy a second car to get me to work, I decided to buy a bike instead. Initially it was 4.5 miles each way on my tank (Rideback Cyclone). However, I know have two road bikes (the Ridgeback is retired, thank goodness) and the commute is now normally 11.8miles each way (min 10 miles, max 13 miles each way). Oh and I now have 3 kids!

So just over 5 years for me. And yes they have been eventful years. Absolutely love the cycle commuting though!

 

[Downward]

2 years when I hit the big old 3 0

Had planned to do it in 2005 and wanted a Saracen Hybrid cause they looked the best !!

Even joined C+ !

 

[HLaB]

I started to commute on an off in about 2002-2003 when I lived in Dublin but that route was completely flat and less than 3/4 of a mile. I gradually got more serious about commuting over the next few years and started to cycle all year round come 2004 and started to do longer hillier rides around that time too. I moved back to Scotland in 2005 and was pretty constant up to October last year. I'm taking a year out and doing a MSc at the moment and things are a bit more erratic, I can't wait to get back to some serious cycle commuting again

 

[Wobblers]

Just over a year. I used to walk into the university, but decided to move somewhere further away so that I'd have to cycle. My house has a garage, so plenty of room for n + several expansion , which sealed the deal. There's a couple of nice if hilly routes that I go home by when I'm feeling up to it. I still walk into work very occasionally so as to remind myself just how much pedestrians are held in contempt by just about everyone (horrible junctions to cross, acres of railings, crossings conveniently placed well out the way, pavements that are more like obstacle courses - and the cretins in charge still can't understand why the roads are clogged with cars whilst no one gets any exercise any more!!)

 

[- Baz -]

Only a couple of months for me. 14 miles round trip and haven't missed a day except for a couple of days hol. I started to save money and time and now have an extra hour a day, but spent so much on bike, kit and bits and bobs for the bike (tools, track pump, computer, etc etc) that I expect to show a profit around this time in 2012...

I've gained lots of confidence, but I still find it a bit stressful as my route is along a main drag into Manchester, but reading Cyclecraft and visiting here twice a day has really helped.

The Good
Getting on the bike - love it more than I expected. Improved fitness, feeling of well-being and shorter recovery times. I get more of my life back. CycleChat. Secure underground bike parking at work.

The Bad
Vulnerability. WVM and the extent of scary driving. Nerves of steel sometimes required. Rain - dirties the bike! Having to overtake another cyclist (never like doing this - don't know why)

The Ugly
Potholes, raised or sunken manhole covers/drain covers and the state of roads is p*ss poor on the whole.

 

[Downward]

Just over a year. I used to walk into the university, but decided to move somewhere further away so that I'd have to cycle. My house has a garage, so plenty of room for n + several expansion , which sealed the deal. There's a couple of nice if hilly routes that I go home by when I'm feeling up to it. I still walk into work very occasionally so as to remind myself just how much pedestrians are held in contempt by just about everyone (horrible junctions to cross, acres of railings, crossings conveniently placed well out the way, pavements that are more like obstacle courses - and the cretins in charge still can't understand why the roads are clogged with cars whilst no one gets any exercise any more!!)

I had you down as longer than that. How many miles have you done in a year then ?

 

[Downward]

Since 1981...Cycled Barkingside to Hainult....then Barkingside to Chadwell Heath....Stratford to Seven Kings in 1982 till 1984..
Stratford to Chingford in 1985 then was based in Stratford between 1986 and July 1988 (still commuting but it used to take about 15 minutes)...Stratford to Seven Kings in 1988 for a second stint (and training)...Transferred to Waterloo in Feb 1989 and have been commuting there ever since.

It is just over a year ago when I suffered a slump in my cycling performance (which went on for over two years) I was forever run down...although I didn't know what was wrong my fitness was very poor and I thought my cycling career was over...Cut the booze right out and haven't touched a drop in five months (although I started this when I became ill after a long stint in Dec 2008)...My cycling fitness has improved dramatically...I was actually blaming my poor fitness on other things.I also eat more all bran.My cycling is just that important to me.

So now I just drink when I go away on holiday or for the odd special occasions.

Since Jan 1994 from Leyton - Waterloo...almost 20 miles round trip.

How many bikes have you gone through ?

 

[gaz]

Just over a year for me. It hasn't been much longer as i only left uni a few years ago.

 

[hackbike 666]

How many bikes have you gone through ?

Don't know but it's plenty...well over twenty at a guess...probably at least 40...had two nicked but only one when it was being used for work....29/12/1990 (Waterloo)....Strange I have records...the other one was 11/10/1988 (Tottenham)Most bikes suffered some sort of frame fracture...A few sold or given away...some scrapped...