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How am I Supposed to motivate myself?
Over the past three months, I've cycled maybe once per week, maybe two weeks out of each month. My job allows me to work from home pretty much whenever I wish, and I've been abusing that privilege.
The issue is exacerbated by my wife's hours. If I cycle in, I'm out of bed at five and on the road by 05:15, and so usually back home by 4 PM, whereas she doesn't even finish work until about seven. The time she gets to the station, home by train and I drive to pick her up, we're usually both home by about 8:30 PM, and by nine, I'm usually in bed. So if I want to spend any time with her, I'll hang on until about 11 before going to bed, which effectually f**ks my chances of getting up at five the next morning. I could cycle in later, but London drivers are insane enough at 5:30 in the morning. At seven or eight, it's downright impossible. Plus, the later in the morning, the more cycle commuters there are, many of whom have as much an idea of 'road sense' as I do of quantum physics.
Let me just throw in an edit here to say that I'm not blaming my wife. I'm the lazy one, not her.
So I'm sitting in front of the Mac at home now, 'working' from home but of course am on Facebook. My boss doesn't really care, as despite everything, I do get the job done. But this is having a detrimental effect on my mental health.
How do I force myself to get up and out in the mornings?
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Once you've got one side of the tyre on the rim, inner tube inside just slightly inflated to give a little shape. Next step is to start levering other bead on taking care not to nip inner tube. The last bit is always awkward, but made much easier, by going all the way round the rim and pinching the beads together. What this does is, it places the tyre on the smallest diameter of the wheel. Allowing the last 6" inches of tyre to be levered into place. Keep pressing tyre regularly together for the last bit. It makes all the difference. Infact you don't even need levers if you can keep tyre centered most of the time. Bit of thumb strength
Found the blighter:
https://ibb.co/7N8d3Sb
https://ibb.co/qBjTQsW
I'm pretty disappointed that the tyre didn't stand up to that, but anyway, the new tube is in (and I scanned the rest of the tyre from a distance of about two inches to see if there were any other little ba5tards that were going to surprise me). Of course, there was the standard twenty minutes of heaving and straining to get the rim back on (and I have one of those 'wishbone' type levers, can't remember what it's called), along with the obligatory blood bruise on the heel of my right hand. Ah, well. Now's to pump it up and hope that I've not pinched the bloody tube.
Just a slight caution from experience that being convinced you've found the source of a recurrent puncture doesn't always have the ending you expect! Give it a couple of rides before claiming victory!
Probably lots of us have pinched new tubes with tyre levers... I've found that kneading the tyre down into the well of the rim, all the way around, helps things hugely. It basically reduces the size of the circle it has to stretch around. I almost never need levers to fit a tyre now.
Can't claim credit for this technique - I think someone send me a Spa Cycles video of someone fitting a Marathon Plus tyre (famously hard-to-fit when new). There'll be others.
Everyone tells me it's easy. The very nice bloke at my LBS once, after I'd brought him a wheel on which it was utterly impossible to get the tyre back on, I asked him to show me how he did.
'Sure,' he said.
Pop .. pop .. pop.
Job done. Five seconds, tops.
Thing is, I can do it. I can use brute force to get the tyre onto the rim, but way back in the day, I destroyed a rim and a tyre doing that.
Anyway .. pumped up to about 3 bars. The missus and I are off to the country this weekend, so the bike will stay in the living room, and when we get back, I'll use my track pump to get the correct pressure, and then try for a hat trick on Monday.
Very much appreciating the support here, fellas.
Right. Am I going to grab this rear wheel off now, or what?
Wish me luck.....
The puncture fairy can be a cruel mistress indeed.
One thing to check with a puncture is whether it was caused by a mis-placed rim tape i.e. the puncture will be on the inside of the inner tube rather than the outside. If the rim tape is not quite covering a spoke hole, then a bump can be enough to rupture the tube from the exposed edge.
Yeah, I thought of that. The bike is sitting barely ten feet from me as I write these words (from home, of course!), leaning against my wife's piano. I'm going to get the wheel off today and see what's what. Not going to let this get me down. Although I did get pretty pissed last night, so am nursing a hangover.
Let us know what you find.
I always get suspicious when I get multiple punctures over a short period of time, so it's worthwhile identifying if there's anything still stuck in the tyre etc.
At the risk of teaching granny to suck eggs etc, inspect the tyre really carefully. I had a similar spate of repeated punctures, to find in the end a bit of flint that couldn't be felt or seen in a usual check of the inside of the tyre, which only stuck out when under pressure from the outside (i.e when riding over a bump).
Before taking the tube out, mark with chalk the orientation and position of the tube relative to the tyre so that when you find the puncture you can go back to the wheel and tyre to see wot did it.
Might be worth leaving a more permanent on the spot on both the wheel and tyre so you can compare locations if it happens again in a couple of days, etc.
I did feel for you after reading your previous post. Had the same thought as HawkinsPeter re. the possibility of the rim causing it. Durano Plus are damn good tyres IME. Check whereabouts on the tube the hole is. I had a similar hard-to-diagnose issue with my son's cheapie, a sharp edge on the valve hole was wrecked 2 tubes before I got a file onto it.
Remember things like this are not personal, it's just one of those things that happens to everyone. Shit happens, it's how you deal with it that makes the difference. Hope you get rolling again soon.
So, after my last post, I made the most of the Christmas period to veg out at home. Near the end of the hols, I brought the bike in, swapped the rear tube out.
Monday morning, up at five AM and on the road to London. Every bump in the road, I was convinced that the tyre was flat, but whenever I got a chance to stop, I'd force my thumb onto both tyres, and they were both rock solid (insofar as my thumb has the strength to push into the rubber).
But my God, am I out of condition! No chest pain or nuffink, so I wasn't worried, but the last three miles into the office were bloody hard. The ride home was worse, but I made it (walked up a couple of hills, though).
I worked from home Tuesday as we had deliveries, and then this morning, back on the bike. To my utter shame, that was the first time I had done two cycle commutes in the one week, since the first week of August last year.
This afternoon, knocked off and headed home. Halfway into the ride, I go over a bump and feel a definite 'crunch' from the back. Yep. Another puncture.
It can't be something in the tyre because then surely, it would have given up the ghost before today?
Anyway, I give up. I f*****g well give up. My belovèd was at work in central London so couldn't come to get me. I called a taxi, tossed the bike into the back and twenty minutes later, was £25 poorer, but at least I'm home.
I don't get it. When I got the bike, it was running really fast, supple tyres and I was averaging about two punctures every three weeks. So I swapped them out for Schwalbe Durano Plus. And the tyres on the bike are no more than a year old.
Well pissed off.
I'm having a beer.
Why not change your turbo to one that doesn't have spinning rear wheel so a bit more cat friendly. A wahoo kickr opens up a whole spectrum of training, zwift or trainer road.
I would suggest going for a lunch time ride. Better light and temperatures, and people are in a hurry to get to work in the morning while half asleep - so it is likely safer at mid day.
I also found having a big event/sportive to train for helps with motivation. You know that if you don't keep up the training the event is going to REALY hurt, but if you keep at it the ride will be a good experience
This is one of the reasons that the turbo trainer becomes important to me during Winter. As a teacher, this term is by far the busiest and most pressurised, with parents evenings, options evenings, mock exam prep etc. I am in school for 11-12 hours most days, so cycling in at 6:30 in the dark and cold comes second behind trying (and usually failing) to get a good night's sleep ready for the next day.
Being able to hop on Zwift for an hour late in the evening is a godsend. It's not getting me out in the fresh air, but it is getting the pedals turning and cutting the time needed to get the same level of workout.
Do small workouts in the week and one long ride on the weekend?
Wife comes first. Then your goals.
There are a few red flags which look to be contributing to your mood and self proclaimed lethargy. One of which you can't affect, winter. Never underestimate SAD as a condition as it can in extreme cases cripple those who suffer from depression. A SAD lamp or a sunrise/ sunset lamp can help alleviate symptoms.
What else can you effect though?
Getting up early and going to bed late. I would say that you need to sit down and try to work on a solution to this with your wife. Sleep is a very powerful tool, it is where you process the information that has entered your brain during the day, the body repairs itself and prepares for the next days activity. Someone has already suggested a half day at work and half day at home with a potential nap in the afternoon. There is a great book called 'Sleep' by Nick Littlehales which is well worth a read.
It sounds like you are tight for space in your home. This can blur the lines between work and private life if you work from your residance. If you can, allocate a 'work space' which is somewhere that you go exclusively to work. It may also be useful to set yourself aside some work clothing. Garments to wear when you are working and you change out of when you clock off. Having designated space and clothing help to trigger your mind and to section off focus time and relaxation time.
If you do work from home then still complete your commute, just a loop from home to home in order to kick start your day. You say that you feel energised when riding to work. Who says that your ride to work can only take place when going from home to the office?
Finally, you have self identified that you may have a problem. That is the first step. Don't try to change everything at once as it may be overwhelming and could push you further down your spiral. Nobody wants that. Try to identify complex issues that will need long term continued focus and small changes that could be considered quick wins. A good book to help harness the power of the mind is 'The Chimp Paradox' from Dr Steve Peters (British Cycling, Team Sky and professional sports fame).
Finally, finally. Never be afraid to talk about your mood. You will be surprised how many people have experienced what you are going through in some context and are more than happy to offer support.
Good Luck
Thank you for that, the advice is much appreciated. I'm going to order the Steve Peters book today. Maybe on Kindle, if that format is available.
Over the weekend, I cleaned my bike, got it ready for the commute, and charged all my lights. Yesterday morning, up at 5 AM, and out for the ride into London. I had done about three miles, when I felt the rear start to fishtail. A flat. I always carry two tubes and everything needed to change them, but couldn't be bothered so just pumped the rear tyre up and it seemed to hold. A slow puncture, I thought. I can get to work on that!
Removed the pump from the tube, and WHOOOSH! The explosive sound of air escaping told me that I'd torn the valve out.
Fuck this, I thought. I called my wife, and she came to get me. I spent the rest of the day at home, and am there now. I could go out and get the bik and change the rear tube, but I was none too gentle in putting it back into the shed yesterday morning, so I wouldn't be surprised if I've bent the rear mech.
Shit happens. Try not to let incidents like this get to you. Look at the positives.
You could buy a pump with a hose, it means you don't put the same sideways force on the valve.
In time it may help you to understand what's behind the 'bike toss' and where that frustration comes from. I've been prone to taking my anger out on inanimate objects in the past. At least I think it's in the past... it's certainly very common.
Nowadays I always try to use a pump with a hose fitting as I've got a tendency to be heavy-handed and sometimes have a little rage tantrum at inanimate objects. I try to (afterwards) laugh about it and not take myself so seriously next time, but yes, misbehaving valves deserve everything they get.
Remember that cycling is about having fun, so if you're not enjoying it have a break for a while (and don't feel guilty about it).
I do sympathise - you make loads of effort and a stupid puncture knocks you back.
Get a work life balance, move out of London. Breath some less polluted countryside air.
Just wanted to say what a great supportive tone in this thread. Best wishes to our London Commuter
Agree 100%, having a goal is a good motivator! Whether that's a 10k run, doing your favourite loop at a certain pace or just not getting dropped by mates on a 100mile sportif, whatever it is, setting a goal helps motivate.
Yep fully agree and my current problem. I've no goal at the moment.
when I was young and raced it wasn't difficult to go out for a ride or do a turbo session.
Now, to really get my motivation going, I have to have a foreign trip planned. Didn't have any issue preparing for this year's trip to the Pyrenees.
Although I think riding to work would help my mood, as it'd be a doddle, I certainly suffer from low mood from not cycling, and not exercising, despite my work being physically demanding sometimes.
I might even break out Wii Sports if I can't get out
if you want/ need external motivation, sign up for one of the spring classics sportives- RVV, Amstel Gold, LBL all good.
A job where you can work from home whenever and 3 hour pub trips. You'd be very depressed and demotivated in most other people's jobs.
Work from home and have 3 hour bike ride?
I'm not sure you understand depression.
Do, or do not, there is no try.
Broken leg?
Walk or don't walk, there is no try.
Depression?
Understand or don't understand, there is no try.
Sorry but my motivation comes from my wallet. This morning out by 06:15am so up at 05:45. Not back until 19:45. Some weeks I'm leaving half an hour earlier. Yes the weather does not encourage nor the fact that it's dark at both ends. But my wallet is definately healthier for it as is me. Yes I'm a London commuter too.
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