Commuting post lockdown

Some of the comments here
Some of the comments here make cycling sound boring!! Try an oversized saddle bag to put your tool saddle bag in, laptop in (13″ and less fits in a laptop sleeve), clothes, recovery drink, lunch. Make the loop to work 10 miles each way and go fast.

Get a good bike not some crap 2nd hand old thing. You want the bike to feel nice, spend £1k minimum. Get a good saddle (this will take 20 attempts). Good mudguards. Racing tubeless tyres. Good overshoes. SPD double sized pedals and carbon spd soles for fast walk ability.

Have fun!!

Tbh my commute is on some
Tbh my commute is on some awful roads/cycle paths, and mudguards will be the first thing that need adjusting after a couple weeks, less if I hit a big pothole (maybe). As with so many things, its route and rider dependant ?

I’ve seen an article that’s
I’ve seen an article that’s says the opposite ?

The main thing about mudguards is they need fettling to fit properly, often rattle and need maintenance.

They are a must have for the commute and winter bike…otherwise they are truly awful things. I swear by them for wet rides, I hate the noise and fettling you need to do with them (proper fixed as well as clip ons – I’d always advise however getting a bike with fixed guards for the moot, they are much better)

You don’t have to cycle

You don’t have to cycle commute every day or throughout the year. I try to make the most of the 7 months of the year where the daylight hours match my working hours then accept that from November through to March I might drive, take the motorbike, or catch the train some days. Anything is better than nothing.

For a relatively short commute of 6 miles each way it should be possible to do it without having to commit to a large financial outlay at the beginning, especially at this time of the year where the weather is far more agreeable.

Personally, I take a weeks worth of clothing into the office at the weekend if I’m heading into Derby for shopping etc and then all I need to carry on the bike on a daily basis is my laptop, phone and cycling specific spares. I then use a laptop specific backpack with an extra padded sleeve to ensure my ‘puter stays safe and dry.

Considering I commute far, far further than you, sometimes as much as 25 miles each way, this seems to work really well for me.

Panniers and mudguards will
Panniers and mudguards will add weight but may not be a massive issue depending on the sort of rider you are and the routes you take (the faster you like to go and the hillier routes you take the more this sort of thing will affect you. If you’re a cruiser then you are less likely to notice/care about these things)

Tyres will have the biggest impact. Forget marathon plus – evil things for longer rides. Unless you have a spare wheelset then you’ll need a middleweight tyre – something inbetween a race tyre and the more heavyweight options. Conti 4season and the like are your best all round option.

Try the commute for a few weeks then decide if you want to continue. If so a dedicated bike will be the way forward…and depending on your route a road bike may be overkill – a hybrid may suffice (with normal clothes maybe?)

A lot of good comments
A lot of good comments already, but I’ll add a small one.

6 miles each way is doable in normal clothes and shoes if you drop your speed and it’s not raining/really hot, and you have your laptop / spares in panniers rather than a rucksack.

Leave as much as you can in work – including spares in case you forget something or you get caught out in the rain etc.

For 6 miles each way marathon plus would be good (I’m a long distance commuter ie 40 mile round trip and hate them for that distance, but for slower speeds and smaller distances they are great) they are a nightmare to get on and off the rim though…and there may be a time when you have to fix a puncture at the side of the road…I’d say try to fit them yourself rather than getting a shop to do it, then you’ll know if it’s possible and you can plan what to do if you do get a puncture – walk home or find a nearby shop.

So much of this is a learning process, as long as you take the normal spares with you (tubes/multitool and so on) the best advice would just be to start and see how you get on, don’t overthink it. I started off a 36 mile round trip commute on a hybrid in normal clothes (changed at work) and after much initial resistance (from me) I ended up in full lycra on a road bike. Much more practical for me, but you won’t take the same journey unless you add miles to your moot

Now is a good time to start,

Now is a good time to start, the weather is mostly nice and the days are long.

As the year continues, start accumulating stuff.  Unfortunately there will be occaional days when the weather and conditions will get you, and you will wonder why you put yourself through it, but if you just think of it as experiencing the world, being part of it and the environment rather than being sealed off from it, it might make it more palateable.  Then maybe not.

As your experience and quantities of clothing and equipment increase it will become easier.

I shower first thing when I get up, part of my essential wake up, use a clean cycling top/baselayer and then put on a fresh T shirt when I get to work.  I hope it’s enough for my fellow workers. I also like the huge courier bag method for carrying huge amounts of stuff.  Each to their own.  Find out what works for you.

Though i would reccomned leaving shoes and (for me) jeans at work, less to carry, and a pair of socks and pants for the rare occasion when the weather is too much.  And a spare T shirt for when you forget the one for the bag too.  

You may make a few missteps, we are all different and NO ONE gets everything right all of the time.

I love it, I have never driven and have cycle commuted for almost 35 years, my ride commute is mostly off road currently and comprises the majority of my riding, and obsession.  Enjoy.

wet, dark and really cold are

wet, dark and really cold are your three environmental enemies: I took the view that I could cope with any two of them, but not all three.
What facilities have you got at the other end – showers/changing, security? Sadly, pilfering of things like removable lights is a problem in a lot of places. 

for winter consider Scwalbe Marathon Plus, Gator skin tyres, etc 

consider a dynohub (not cheap) for winter, and Northwave boots are ace!