Love cycling, hate commuting!

The other day a gardener’s truck passed me about two miles into my commute. Eight miles later, they turned out a side road just ahead of me, before pulling in at their destination, having taken a different route to me to get there.

Driving to work must be balls achingly slow.

For the last 18 years I've been lucky enough to live a mere 8km from my office, so I've cycled nearly all that time, year round, through some terrible weather (crazy hot, freezing cold, wet and windy) but I nearly always get home with a feeling of satisfation, that:

a) I've helped improve my fitness (if only slightly)

b) I've saved money, compared to driving / public transport

c) I've not polluted the environment

d) I've felt better from the fresh air and exercise and therefore been more productive at work

e) I've probably got to / from work quicker than I would in the car, stuck in traffic!

The only time it's not gone so well is the (very few) occasions when I've had a spill, like last winter when I hit a pot hole in the dark / wet and ended up in the road with a hole in my knee. Even then, as I limped through the front door with blood down my leg, it felt strangely good, the gasps from my other half and the fussing around asking if I was OK!

Sadly, from next year my office relocates some 50km away and alas I will be forced to use the tin box. Even then I still plan to cycle in the summer when I can, allowing 2.5 hrs each way....see how it goes.

What amazes me is how few people do commute by bike when they could. I read some statistic that shocked me recently. Something like <5% of people who lived within 5 miles of where they worked cycled to work. I live in UK btw, not somewhere like Holland, obviously!

What Stratman said about building up your fitness is bang on - been commuting for the last 6 years (approx 50000 miles + a lot of climbing) and when I started (and for a long time) could only really handle 3 days a week max but over time that changes.

I find having a commuter bike with mudguards etc is the way to go BUT I've also got a lightweight race bike for when the weather is fine - means I get to mix it up. 

Also got HR and power meter - riding to zones/intervals and treating the commute as training all means that again I'm mixing it up.

I went through a phase of hunting strava segments (and occasionally still do) .. to mix it up. Ditto strava challenges.

So yeah look to find ways to make it interesting\different and keep at it as it gets easier, which then means you have more options.

Loads of good, practical advice above., all of which I would, agree with.  I’ve a choice of routes, from c22miles to c26 without adding detours, tonight’s was 37 as I did detour to get a 100k day, I regularly mix them up a bit.  

I started about 6 years ago, and set a goal of commuting a couple of times a month.  This rapidly became c once a week, and then daily inside a year.  For the last five years or so only high winds or ice have kept me off the bike.

I remember that when I started, three days in a row was hard, but as I did more I got fitter and it became easier. I also accept that I have fast and slow days, and the wind is the biggest factor.

I also have a second breakfast when I get in, and sometimes elevenses, and always a cereal bar before I set off, eating enough is important, and it’s completely changed how I think about food.

 Facilities are pretty good, although I don’t use a shower, just a good wash.  I do keep suit and shirts at work and only bring socks and underwear (I can get shirts laundered there).   I use panniers and rack, or a bike packing bag if I don’t need to transport a laptop.  I’ve also got good gear for all weathers.  I’m a castelli fan, and have one of most things!  

I always carry spare socks and gloves - when they get wet it can be miserable - and use waterproof shoe covers and goretex MTB shoes most of the time.

I’ve just got dynamo lights, which will ease a bit of battery life anxiety, but exposure Sirius and flare have served me well.

I’m lucky in that I don’t really have a 9 to 5 job, so as long as I’m in at a reasonable time, no one cares. I also find that the commute time is more consistent than driving, and so if I have to get in for a given time. I know when to set off, and it’s not much earlier than if I drive.

My job is mainly about thinking, so I find the time on the bike quite productive, and I think that it helps the time pass on the commute.  I also listened to music, although I’ve recently stopped (for no particular reason)

So all of this says, I think, get the right gear, and stick with it as it will get easier.  It takes time to build a habit, and the necessary fitness (although I started at a lower level than you).  Now I can’t imagine going back, and I still enjoy riding past the traffic queues in Derby

My commute is the only time I ride: I've never been given a pass "to just go for a ride" at any other time. My commuter bike is the only bike that I own.

I love commuting. It's the best part of a work day. Miss it when I work at home. I do it every working day of the year, rain or shine, unless I have to get a train wearing a suit.

Just get your bike set up right - i.e. just the same geometry as your 'best' bike - so it feels completely normal when you're on the bike, have the right rainproof gear in your bag, and go. I don't mostly wear rain gear unless its raining, but carry a very light jacket and very light overshoes in case it starts raining later in the day.

Uphill on the way home is a bonus, means it's downhill in the morning so not too sweaty, and think of all the hardening and conditioning you're getting coming home, when you can really give it some welly. Turn it into the training session you never miss! It will do wonders for your bike handling, hardening up and putting down the watts. The only problem is you can get so used to your commuter bike that it feels better than the 'best' bike!

Having a slow grind home isn't great, is there any way you can find a steeper route to get it out the way? I had the option of lumpy versus 5 miles on a fast B-road at 2% and I usually took the lumpy route. I hate straights, it's like swimming lengths.

I'd say 9 miles is about the limit of a commute on a hybrid, even with bar ends you may find you don't have enough positions, and there's nowhere to go if it's windy. I did that for a while and hated it, which is how I ended up with my first road bike. 

My commute has taught me to love cycling in the rain.

If it is raining I know that it doesn't matter as I will get to work, have a warm shower and get changed in to dry clothes. Once I realised that I'm not going to be sitting in wet clothes at the end of the journey (unlike on a cafe stop on a leisure ride) I REALLY started to love cycling in the rain. It also gives me some smug satisfaction that my colleagues who drive or get the train however will be sitting at their desk in wet clothes from the walk from the car park/train station.

Of course the journey home can be miserable if your kit has not dried out by the end of the working day, that is why I keep an old (would otherwise have been binned so not missed from the kit rotation) kit at work for those few occasions.

I think one's love of cycle commuting can depend on what your other options are.

I have a ten-mile each way commute through some fairly grotty bits of London, on some awful roads.  My other options are a lengthy bus/tube combo, or half an hour on a packed commuter train.  I'd take the bike any day - and I do.  The only thing that will see me joining the sardines on the train is ice on the roads.

If I lived somewhere more rural, and the alternative was a 10-mile blast through empty country lanes in my "weekend" car, I probably wouldn't commute by bike.

I see that your other options are a lift or the bus.  Whenever you're not enjoying the bike, just picture yourself sitting on that bus, taking all that time to get to work, getting less fit and costing yourself more money.

Commuting isn't always fun and energising, so I'd recommend getting into a routine and just cycle out of habit. That way, you won't be second-guessing yourself as to whether you want to cycle or not - you just cycle as a matter of course. Once it's a habit, you'll probably find yourself enjoying it more as your expectations will be lower (i.e. it's just a ride to/from work rather than being a fun cycle).

The mind is an interesting one.  My old commute used to have really nice bits - riding through Richmond Park at night when it's closed to traffic and there's a full moon to see by is rather special.  The new one is just wretched by comparison.  If CS7 has any redeeming features I've yet to find them.

To add insult to injury, I live on the far side of Epsom Downs from London, so most of the ride home is uphill and that does get wearing.  Plan B is therefore to drive some of the way which takes the sting out of the final long grind (invariably into the wind) and cuts the distance down from 20 to 13 miles each way.  Drive/ride takes the same amount of time in the morning and it's 10 minutes faster on the way home - but it feels like a huge cheat in the evening and makes a colossal difference if the weather is crap or it's been a long week. 

If I can, I'll try and do a luggage free day and ride a proper road bike in for a change.  I'll also go the scenic route via Richmond Park and the other London Parks for a change (24 or so miles) which is even better if it's a luggage free day.  If there's a grim head wind I'll also try and go as light and aero as possible, but I'll enjoy the tail wind-asssisted blast in the morning first.

Chasing Strava segments is entertaining for a while, but you'll eventually get to a point where every PB was wind assisted and you're buggered.  Then just chase the fastest of the day, which is actually quite fun because you know people have had much the same conditions as you (bar the bloke who managed to draft a fire engine with its blue lights on and got all the lights on green).

Revel in your entitlement to hoover up all office cakes, and to consume lots of forbidden fruit during the course of the day - Waitrose 2 for £1 Belgian buns are my fuel of choice mid-afternoon :o)

Remember Velominati Rules 5 and 9 - essentially harden the f up and bad weather does not matter; lift your chin, step out into the dark and get stuck in. 

Some of the issue may be fantasy meeting reality. As pointed out by others, leisure rides are not the same as commutes, so if you were expecting it to be then you are going to be dissapointed (Imagine the difference in a car journey on a commute vs the car journey at the weekend to go out to a country pub for lunch). That is not to say it isn't as good, it is just very different. Once you get over this comparison though and just get into the flow of the commute it can be an absolute joy so don't throw in the towl just yet.

Most of the suggestions here though have been around the practicalities of the commute, which can be useful to reduce the stress involved which can also lessen the enjoyment.

A major factor of stress and loss of enjoyment for me can be the post ride facilities at work. Do you have adequate bike storage, showers, dying room, clothes storage, cafe/kitchen etc. at work?

Try as best you can to appreciate your surroundings. 

If you aren't enjoying it, imagine commuting by train for example, crammed in, no seat, massive expense, delays etc! 

Actually I find the really hot weather more wearing on the bike than when its cooler... you may find you enjoy it more when this hot spell ends.

9x2 miles is really nothing in terms of distance.  You mention busy B road.  Have you tried leaving a bit earlier to see if there is less traffic?  

alternativley trying different routes.  It will take you a few weeks to adapt to consistent 18 miles per day, but once you're adapted it will be a doddle, less than 30 mins, even taking it easy.

I have two huge highlights of every working day: getting there and getting back. It’s London (SE15 to NW1) and 10 mostly chilled miles that could be 8.5 of madness if I took the satnav route...

If there is one, find the chilled route. I’d gladly ride another 5 miles of some sections of mine.

Why aren't you enjoying it?

A lot of the advice up there ^^ is very good but most of it is about logistics, kit, preparation etc rather than "enjoyment". That said, only you can really say why you don't like it. Too tough? Boring / repetitive? Worng bike? Too stressful?

Wrong bike is a definite pain - trying to do 15 miles on smooth roads on an MTB for example will be awful. Facilities at work make a big difference so if they are inadequate is there any way you can lobby for better ones or strike a deal with a local gym to use their showers / lockers?

The boring one I definitely get. I have several options, same as you and the only way to stay sane is to mix them up, vary the routes a bit. The other problem is that by the time the weekend comes round you're so tired form all the riding and so bored of cycling that you no longer look forward to "proper" riding! To be honest I'd say that's where you're at right now. The extra mileage is probably making itself felt now so at a guess you're probably a bit tired, hungry, maybe irritable? Perhaps bored with the constant washing of kit?

Might be worth knocking it back a bit, maybe do 3 days a week or possibly a ride in, train home (if that's an option?) or drive in (with bike), ride home, ride in, drive home maybe? Use the car or train as a way of taking in clothing etc that you can then leave at work meaning that you shouldn't need to carry as much on the bike. 5 days of 9 miles each way is a big jump from 1 mile of pootling and I reckon the sudden extra mileage is just taking time to adapt to.

Recently I was doing an enforced commute when my car's steering rack died and it took two weeks to get the bloody parts and a bit more time to actually fix it with what little time I have. 

It quickly became a grind when I knew there just wasn't another option (not on any bus route) and it was going to cycling day in, day out. If the car had been working and I'd just chosen not to use it for that period it would have felt different. 

First thing I did when i fixed it was take a day off riding and throttle it to work. Felt good just to reset. Can't imagine i'd enjoy an enforced commute, I'd feel like Sisyphus.

Winter commuting is great. Get dyno lights, panniers, and decent kit and bask in the glory of being seen as even more of a weirdo/badass than usual. Summer commutes I didn't enjoy quite so much, particularly the way the weather has been at the moment. April/May & Sept/Oct are the best months down south.

I was fortunate I had good facilities at work and a variety of routes/distances as my commute was always a part-drive/part-cycle (I lived 22 miles away)

I'd have a day off only if I got all three of the unholy trinity (cold, wet, windy) and even then would ride sometimes.

Why, because commuting isn't the same as leisure riding.

Yes they have similarities (knob head drivers for one) but you actually have to be somewhere for a specific time for a specific reason. You cannot, or should not be late. So you have to take more time thinking about preparation, stuff you don't need to think about so much for leisure rides, then there's more motons to deal with plus extra traffic lights plus extra pedestrians and even other cyclists of varying degrees of competency 9though obvs you'll get that on sportives anyways)

If you like your job this also makes cycling in easier mentally, if you don't like your job that much, meh. How easy it is to lock your bike up, how secure it is, how easy it is to get changed or freshen up all makes a difference in the mental aspect of cycling in. On leisure rides it's a different kettle of fish in all those respects IMHO.

My first commuting for work was back in 1990, 7 miles each way, it was mostly back country roads and then a dual carriageway for 2.5 miles within the city, it used to be 60mph back then or maybe even 70 but it did twist in places. They lowered the speed to 40mph some 20 years ago. I had to completely change into a uniform that was always at work, we also had showers and was working in a hot environment anyway so it really didn't matter if I got to work like a sweaty oik and I could shower straight after work in any case. Similarly I had a job around '99/00 that was a back road and I could cut through the old rectory road that was unused due to stopping up the road for motors going back into the town, meaning I could avoid most of the traffic and swing in through the houses and rejoin the dual only 800m from work. again showers on site and my work clothes already on site and washed/cleaned for me so just needed my cycling togs.

Change of job and had to wear a shirt n trousers (fuck the tie!), no shower, site a bit of a pain re locking bike up, shorter journey but more lights, more motons to deal with and it was, uuugggh, I hate this crap.

I've found with commutes that there are phases:

1. the early stages are fun and invigorating, including trying different routes
2. there's a middle phase where the high wears off and it becomes routine and irritating
3. a third phase where you stop thinking about it so much and just relax and get on with it.

Might only be me - anyone else been through that cycle (pun slightly intended)?

There might be little incentives you can build in to keep it interesting - have a Strava segment you go for on the way home, try a pub or cafe of visit something/someone maybe once a week. Depends on the time you have available and the specifics of the area, of course.

As a previous poster said - if you have other modal options, use them occasionally. Nothing turns you against something as feeling forced to do it when you can't be arsed. I quite enjoyed taking the much slower bus occasionally (time to read, gaze out the window, etc.) and felt refreshed when I went back to the bike.

Are you finding that you do not enjoy the commute in either direction or just on the way to work?

Only you can answer why you don't like it.

Why think about winter now? I started commuting in June, I thought that I'd not bother through winter but when the time came I couldn't face going back to driving. It isn't as much fun but it's still rewarding, there is more of a sense of effort and putting yourself out ('suffering' is the wrong word). I feel so much more alert arriving at work and it helps keep the weight off.