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vonhelmet.
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July 11, 2018 at 1:26 pm #28712
alansmurphy
On moving house I thought that the additional commute into work would be awesome! I love cycling as a weekend warrior, sportive sensation and Wednesday wobbler (avec biere) and who wouldn’t want an extra couple of k per year on their Strava. Moved from a mile each way (pootling) to an undulating 9 miles each way with a variety of route options; hilly and quiet, faster but busier b-road and some in between. Why don’t I like it?
Trouble is, I only started a couple of weeks ago, weather has been glorious! If it’s annoying me now, October through February isn’t going to be pleasant… Any top tips on enjoying the commute?
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I generally ride 60-100 miles
I generally ride 60-100 miles on the weekend, 20-40 on a Wednesday ride and the smaller old commute to work. It’s not legs by any stretch (probably) but I do understand that it’s again the every day element potentially after a rough night or long day in work. Again an adjustment I’ll perhaps have to make.
I also found after last weeks mad Wednesday ride 48 miles at 15mph with 2,300 ft of up that the spin in downhill loosened the legs nicely; the climb home was horrible. All lessons to learn 🙂
Thanks all, some great advice
Thanks all, some great advice.
Equipment wise, the pannier rack is on, the lights are all ready to go and I’m very much a believer in the “don’t give them an excuse” theory of being lit up like a Christmas tree. Work facilities are good so no issues there and I will very much consider the weeks clothes being part of the Monday/Friday routine. The bike may be a bit of an issue, it’s good don’t get me wrong but rather fallen out of love with it – Specialized Diverge Gravel bike, thinking I may look to swap for a hybrid which may in turn help change the mindset. I’ve also got a Livall helmet with the speakers so maybe some podcasts may make time fly…
The routes, the b-road isn’t a huge issue, it’s perhaps the constant 2% incline home that’s a little annoying. The other routes are good which means I can mix it up, find a little protection from wind and even make the odd ride longer and a bit more of my weekend warrior plans. It also means it’s downhill on the way in which again is a good thing to meet deadlines J The b road is also likely to be gritted in the winter so will probably become the primary route then.
I think a couple of responses have picked up on the mind, and I think it is partly that. I don’t drive and the bus route would probably be 3 times the time on the bike. I suppose it is the sense of having to do it rather than wanting to do it. There are a couple of colleagues that drive from the same direction so maybe once a week I tap into that offering. It may also be that I set myself up for a fall by deciding I would enjoy it and I’m just below that at the moment. Also, I’ve enjoyed bits, smashed it home up the big hill one day and gained that sense of satisfaction and sometimes just rolled down the hill nice and relaxed with the sun shining. Perhaps I’m overthinking it, over thinking is rare for me!
crazy-legs
CXR94Di2 wrote:9×2 miles is really nothing in terms of distance.It is if you’re coming off 1×2 miles a day!
It’s going from 10 miles of pootling split into 10 x 1 mile blocks to being 90 miles of proper riding, split into 10 x 9 mile blocks. It’ll take a few weeks to adapt to it properly.
Kendalred
PRSboy wrote: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.
This.
My only alternative is to drive, as public transport to work just doesn’t exist (I live on the south coast of Cumbria and work in Ambleside in the middle of the Lake District) which is 23 miles each way, and not flat by any stretch. I find I can’t really do it more than three times a week (especially if those three days are consecutive), so will take the car once or twice a week, depending on work patterns, but hate driving to work, especially in the summer due to the roads being clogged by tourists who don’t know the roads. So although the cycle commute can be tough, I just tend to look upon the alternative as much less desirable. I’ve been lucky lately as I can pick and choose my days to cycle due to the constant dry and warm weather, but even during the cold and dark months UI have usually cycled 3 out of 5 days – an MTB with ice-spike tyres helped with that.
Another advantage (for me) is that the distance replicates a standard triathlon bike section, or a 25 TT, so it’s good to blast it home sometimes with the tri-bars on!
ClubSmed
Some of the issue may be
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?
PRSboy
Try as best you can to
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.
CXR94Di2
9×2 miles is really nothing
9×2 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.
Beecho
I have two huge highlights of
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?
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.
Anonymous
Recently I was doing an
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.
kil0ran
Winter commuting is great.
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
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.
Dnnnnnn
I’ve found with commutes that
I’ve found with commutes that there are phases:
- the early stages are fun and invigorating, including trying different routes
- there’s a middle phase where the high wears off and it becomes routine and irritating
- 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.
ClubSmed
Are you finding that you do
Are you finding that you do not enjoy the commute in either direction or just on the way to work?
Simon E
Only you can answer why you
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.
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