millhouses24 Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 I think I'm going to become a cyclist over the next few months and I can't wait I almost had a ride on someone's on Sunday but in the state I'm in at the moment walking twenty metres is bloody hard work and I didn't want to get off to a flying start by collapsing. I am slightly worried about someone nicking my bike as I suspect the one I get will probably be the most expensive thing I own, but that's what insurance is for I guess . (oh, and for the record Tony the Copenhagen girls definitely do it in skirts, heels, and in a very laid-back manner. Not a piece of Lycra in sight. The blog does not lie. And the bikes they have are absolutely bloody stunning.....). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 2, 2010 Author Share Posted March 2, 2010 (oh, and for the record Tony the Copenhagen girls definitely do it in skirts, heels, and in a very laid-back manner. Not a piece of Lycra in sight. The blog does not lie. And the bikes they have are absolutely bloody stunning.....). Absolutely, the CH blog is a very cool thing. what kind of super special bike are we on about here where u dont get tired/wet when it rains etc etc?? You're missing the point of the thread. Obviously if you're bone idle diabetic in training or have skin that melts on contact with water then a bike might not be for you but the average person will get fitter and dryer. As per the OP, they might like a shower in case they get wet before work. Over to you. Put your brain in bottom gear and let us have your thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobydotcom Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Absolutely, the CH blog is a very cool thing. You're missing the point of the thread. Obviously if you're bone idle diabetic in training or have skin that melts on contact with water then a bike might not be for you but the average person will get fitter and dryer. As per the OP, they might like a shower in case they get wet before work. Over to you. Put your brain in bottom gear and let us have your thoughts. you responded to post #27 and said "So if you could solve all those issues would you use a bike?" did you not? so i was being a tad sarcastic but was hoping you'd realise that all these are unavoidable if your on a biycle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number Six Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 If .... the city was flat. I'd think nothing of cycling 30 miles to work on flat ground; it would only take about an hour anyway. 30mph average? That's impressive. I used to cycle 5 miles in to Manchester every day for about six weeks, and never managed a 20mph average - nearly burst my lungs trying, but only ever got 19.8 average. Too many traffic lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InTheUK Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Hello. I commute to work fairly regularly by bike between Sheffield to Chesterfield - a round trip of just under 20 miles. This is on a road bike on potholed roads and in (at one time or another) just about all weather conditions from ice & snow to the best of british summer. The most important facilities, which a couple of posters have already noted, are showers at the workplace and secure bike parking. I have the first and sort of the second! I suspect that a lot of the posters to this thread wouldn't seriously consider commuting by bike even if their complaints were resolved - not that a lot of the excuses given so far are much good! Potholes - Potholes don't affect bikes in the same way as cars. The lower speed of the bike makes it easier to navigate around the worst ones - which aren't generally in the way in the first place as they tend to be caused by the passage of motor vehicle tyres, further out into the road than the cyclist. Any mountain bike tyre (or sturdy road / hybrid tyre) should be able to cope fine with the rougher surfaces found around sheffield. Too Far - Well this is in the eye of the beholder but I would say any singe journey 5 to 10 miles is quite acceptable - once the initial unfitness is overcome, it takes this length of ride to get the feeling of having exercised. Too Hilly - They are, after all, just hills! They have tops and downhills as well as the climb - makes it all worth it, plus see above regarding feeling of exercise. Weather - It's no fun getting soaking wet, especially if it's a cold / and or windy as well. But the number of rainy days, pessimistically, would be about a third rather than 90% (!) and even on those days, a lot of the time it wouldn't be raining. For those times when it IS raining I'd recommend these and a good jacket. too much traffic - The traffic is one thing that's not going to go away - at least at rush hour. There are ways to make it less of an issue though - route planning to avoid busy roads, training to know how to better deal with it, riding at quieter times. Being visible. Anyway, if anyone's looking for an easy ride later on this week (that hopefully avoids an excess of the above), can I recommend this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave650 Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 ahem . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 2, 2010 Author Share Posted March 2, 2010 Let's try to keep on topic eh? There are plenty of other silly threads about that particular subject. One of the nice things about using a bike to get around town is that you can claim 10p a mile if you're using it for business. Obviously that doesn't cover the commute but if you happen to have a job that involves nipping around town it can be a handy incentive. For those who have a long commute as mentioned above would you consider taking your bike on the train, using the bike for the journey to and from the station? What facilities would you need to do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InTheUK Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 claim 10p a mile Doesn't this depend on your employer??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Vader Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 If they installed something similar to a ski lift but for bikes at the bottom of big hills. If they gave out free gas masks to filter out fumes. If there were public toilets en route. If I felt secure that cycling through certain areas there wasn't a good chance that I was going to have a bottle thrown at me, or someone try and get me off the bike in order to claim it for themselves, or just for their amusement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobyjug Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 If .... the city was flat. I'd think nothing of cycling 30 miles to work on flat ground; it would only take about an hour anyway. If you can cover 30 miles in an hour you would either be riding down a very long hill, or be good enough to race in the Tour de France! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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