Commuting by bike is a healthy, cost-effective alternative to driving or public transport, saving you time and stress by spending less time sitting in traffic or trying to find a parking space.
It also gives you a bit of exercise each day — no bad thing for body and mind — and is better for the environment, as well as saving you money in the long run. However, there are some common mistakes that can make your ride less enjoyable or even unsafe.
As a team we’ve racked up thousands of miles to the office over the years and, consequently, we’ve also made our fair share of commuting mistakes. As generous as ever, we’re here to pass on our knowledge of the bad times to hopefully help you avoid them.
1. Not carrying spares or tools for roadside repairs
> How to keep your bike running smoothly
Compared to your weekend miles and club runs the commute can lull you into a false sense of security when it comes to mechanicals and the tools you’ll need to fix them. Even if it is just a few miles or you can bail out onto a bus or train if something goes wrong, it’s always better to be prepared and have everything you need to get back on the road quickly.
First on our list is to carry at least one spare tube, tyre levers, and a mini pump or CO2 canister to handle punctures — even if you’re riding tubeless. Punctures are an unfortunate reality of cycling, and it’s important to be prepared for them, especially during your daily commutes if you have a meeting to get to at 9am. Hopefully, you won’t need them, but you’ll be glad to have them if you do.
A multi-tool is also a must-have for handling a range of issues that might come up during your commute. Minor mechanical failures don’t need to be disastrous — they can often be fixed on the spot.
> A beginner’s guide to building your first bike tool set
When choosing a multi-tool, make sure it has all the functions you need for your bike, including any sneaky Torx heads. It’s also a good idea to familiarise yourself with some basic repair skills to stay prepared. Semi-regular bike maintenance will help you catch signs of wear or damage early, reducing the chances of problems occurring in the first place. A deeper service either side of winter is also well worth the time and gives you the opportunity to fit/remove mudguards, change to grippier tyres and make any other season-dependent choices.
Carrying these essentials doesn’t need to take up a lot of room, especially with compact and lightweight options like TPU inner tubes available. Simply put them in your backpack, saddlebag or pannier and leave them there for whenever you need them. It’s a good idea to store your spare tools and inner tube in a smaller bag to prevent them from rattling around in your rucksack or panniers and damaging the tube before you even need it.
As someone pointed out in the comments on an earlier version of this article, make sure you don’t puncture your spare tube in the process of packing it and getting it to and from work every day. You really will kick yourself for that one. A quick link will barely take up any room in your bag, can be packed and forgotten about for months too, but might just get you out of a pickle one day.
2. Poor route planning
The route that you take to work will very much depend on where you live and where you’re heading but it’s worth considering the traffic volume, terrain and cycle infrastructure when planning your route to make it as stress-free as possible.
The shortest route or most direct route you’d take by car isn’t always the best choice as it may include the busiest sections or the most elevation. By selecting the bike icon on Google Maps, you can find more cycle-friendly routes between your house and the office. Other platforms like Strava, Komoot and Cycle Streets also offer useful mapping tools. Some GPS devices, such as Garmin, even provide popularity routing, using data from online activities to recommend the most popular and cyclist-friendly routes between two points.
Strava’s heatmaps will give you a decent idea of which routes people near you prefer, the after dark one showing which routes are most used once the sun’s gone down too, a handy safety feature for UK-based readers who might not see much daylight riding to work during those deepest winter months.
It’s worth familiarising yourself with your planned route, perhaps by riding it at the weekend before your first commute. You can also vary your route from day to day to keep things interesting and find your preferred way. It’s also a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and get some training in. Add a little loop to turn your half hour commute into an hour’s training, or just ride straight home, that’s the beauty and freedom of cycle commuting, it’s completely up to you.
3. Getting your lock wrong
Maybe you’re lucky enough to have an employer who lets you bring your bike into the safety of inside. If not you’ll probably need a lock. Even if your workplace has a designated bike storage area, and even if that’s inside the premises, it’s probably best to bring one.
You might be tempted to buy a cheap lock but it can be a false economy especially if you turn up at the end of the working day to find that your bike is no longer where you left it.
Don’t be afraid to invest — no matter how much you spend, it’ll always be less than the cost of replacing a stolen bike and the hassle of working out how you’re then going to get home. We put some of the best on the market through their paces against the office angle grinder, check out the results here…
> Cheap vs expensive bike locks
It’s somewhat inevitable that a sturdy lock can be quite weighty so, if possible, leave it at work rather than lugging it back and forth every day. Also, if your lock uses keys, don’t lose them and keep a spare somewhere safe at home.
4. Letting your lights run out of charge
Uh oh, it’s 5:30pm in the middle of winter, you get on your bike to ride home and you find that your bike lights are out of juice. It happens!
You could consider investing in dynamo lights, which generate power as you cycle so your lights will never go out. For rechargeable lights, get into a very strict charging routine — keep a charger at work so you can recharge your lights during the day so they’re ready for your ride home.
As a backup, carry a couple of emergency lights in your bag; they’re small and lightweight so you’ll barely notice them. Alternatively, use multiple lights on your bike, making sure they are at different charge levels to reduce the risk of both running out at the same time.
Less important, but the same goes for your phone, cycling computer (if you use one) and anything else more fancy that needs charging.
5. Forgetting a change of clothes
One of the worst things to happen is forgetting a piece of clothing. While forgetting your underwear may happen at least once and might be manageable for a day, forgetting your trousers is a much bigger issue. Our top tip is to keep a set of clothes at the office — either leave a spare set in a bag or bring some in on Monday and take it home on Friday to wash.
The same applies to not having dry kit for the ride home, as there’s nothing worse than putting soggy kit back on. If your cycle clothing gets wet on the way to work, you’ll need to dry it out during the day or have a spare set ready for the journey back. Since there’s no trusting the UK weather forecast, it’s definitely worth keeping some spare kit tucked away at work for when you’re in dire need.
If your workplace has a shower, remember a towel. If possible, like the lock, leave it at work as it’s quite a bulky thing to stuff into your bag every journey, but remember to take it home to wash at the weekend.
6. Riding without mudguards
You can’t always choose the time of day you ride to and from work, so encountering rain and wet roads is sometimes unavoidable. If you’re riding in cycling clothing you might not be too bothered if you get wet, but if you’re riding in clothes you’re going to wear for the rest of the day, it can be quite inconvenient.
Mudguards make a huge difference during your ride. They prevent spray from your tyres from soaking you, your bike, and any items you might be carrying.
7. Hugging the kerb
Sitting in the gutter and not riding defensively can increase your risk of incidents and reduce your ability to respond effectively to potentially dangerous situations.
There are many reasons not to hug the kerb. Generally, roads camber off to the kerb so it’s where everything collects which can increase the risk of punctures. It’s also where slippery drain covers are positioned, it’s where pedestrians step out and it can also make you less visible and tempt motorists to squeeze past when there’s not enough room for them to do it safely.
Riding too close to parked cars can also be dangerous because those car doors sometimes open…
For these reasons, take up the primary position in the centre of your lane when you feel that’s the best option. You’re fully entitled to do so and it’s often the safest choice. As the Highway Code suggests:
When riding on the roads, there are two basic road positions you should adopt, depending on the situation.
1) Ride in the centre of your lane, to make yourself as clearly visible as possible, in the following situations:
- On quiet roads or streets – if a faster vehicle comes up behind you, move to the left to enable them to overtake, if you can do so safely
- In slower-moving traffic – when the traffic around you starts to flow more freely, move over to the left if you can do so safely so that faster vehicles behind you can overtake
- At the approach to junctions or road narrowings where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake you
2) When riding on busy roads, with vehicles moving faster than you, allow them to overtake where it is safe to do so whilst keeping at least 0.5 metres away, and further where it is safer, from the kerb edge.
8. Poor clothing choices
There’s no right or wrong when it comes to what you should wear while commuting by bike — ultimately, you should choose what works best for you. However, some clothing options can make your ride more comfortable, especially for longer commutes.
If you wear jeans at work and have ever attempted to ride to work in them, you might have noticed how uncomfortable they can become over a longer distance, which can detract from the enjoyment of your ride.
While Lycra cycling shorts will provide plenty of comfort for longer rides, they might be excessive for your daily commute. Fortunately, there are plenty of cycle-specific jeans, trousers and shorts out there that are designed for both on and off the bike, so there’s no need to change when you get to work.
9. Racing!
Many of us have found ourselves unexpectedly caught in a race with a stranger, chasing an imaginary finish line for reasons we can’t quite explain. While the thrill of competition is tempting, it can risk your safety and leave you hot and sweaty — certainly not ideal if you plan to wear the same clothes for the rest of the day.
If you’re a Strava user, it’s best to avoid getting too caught up in chasing KOM or QOM segments during your daily commute and save the racing and segment hunting for the weekends.
10. Trusting the weather forecast
Weather forecasts can provide a general idea of what to expect, but they’re not always accurate, and conditions — especially in the UK — can change quickly. To avoid being caught off guard, it’s a good idea to carry a small, packable waterproof jacket at all times.
Consider investing in cycling-specific clothing designed to handle various weather conditions. Items like windproof and waterproof jackets, waterproof trousers and thermal jerseys can make a big difference. `
With the right gear, you’ll stay dry and comfortable on your commute, no matter what the weather brings.
What are your commuting mishap stories? Let us know in the comments section below.
94 thoughts on “Common bike commuting mistakes and how to avoid them — our top tips for hassle-free rides to and from work”
You forgot not having a
You forgot not having a decent comeback for work colleagues who come up with crap like “who are dressed like, Lance Armstrong?” As if you’ve never heard it before. Oh how I laugh.
It’s always Armstrong though, never Wiggins or Froome. Always Armstrong.
Rick_Rude wrote:
Time to stop wearing that US Postal kit.
Rick_Rude wrote:
Well if you will insist on wearing that USPS kit…
The idea that you have to
The idea that you have to gear up for your commute as if you were tackling the Alpe seems decidedly British. Recommending to wear lycra for a commute does cycling a major disservice. Google “Utrecht Cycling” and look at the videos: the whole town cycles to work, but there’s not a single person in Lycra. They just wear their everyday plain clothes. If you want to normalize cycling and bridge the gap between cyclists and non-cyclists, then start by normalizing the gear. No one needs to look like Lance (@Rick_Rude) to cycle to work.
CJSH wrote:
Surely it depends on the distance of your commute. If you’ve got a ten minute ride, then lycra is going to be overkill, but if you’re cycling for an hour or more, then it’s going to be a lot more comfortable than cycling in a 3-piece suit.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Search google images for “London cycling commuters” and compare it to “Amsterdam cycling commuters”. A quick count of the top 10 images tells me that 80% of London commuters are clad in Lycra*; not a single Amsterdam commuter can be seen wearing Spandex. Surely you cannot explain this by the differences in commute distances, or by London’s hors catégorie hills.
*Oh irony: Boris Johnson is one of the few to spoil the stats.
CJSH wrote:
I have doubts about your statistical analysis, but one explanation could be that London is significantly bigger than Amsterdam and thus commuting distances would be greater. Also, living in central London is a lot more expensive than living in the outskirts, so unless you’re a banker your commute will be much longer than a typical Amsterdam based commute. From what I can remember of spending a weekend in Amsterdam, you can quite easily walk from one side to another and the city is quite compact.
Also, you need to consider than in the UK, cyclists are nearly always demonised by the media, so it behooves them to show cyclists in different clothing as that makes it easier to identify cyclists as some freakish out-group.
CJSH wrote:
That ratio is not reflected in real life as anyone who has been to London and actually looked at the cyclists could tell you. Here’s a random photo I took in London. Not many in lycra.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Lots of dutch cycle for more than ten minutes. That’s a short cycle to school for most teens. Some kids are cycling over 10km to school, and then back in the afternoon. All in normal clothes.
Paul J wrote:
I was going to say drop them on UK roads and I guarantee they’d swap to sportier clothes,all clothes are ‘normal’ imo,but then I realised actually drop them on UK roads and they’d end up not riding a bike at all, and that’s the point.
To feel safe on most urban routes commuting in the UK,you have to be able to ride at speeds & sprint to those speeds quickly enough,that are physically demanding enough you’ll break into a sweat easily, you may want to spend your whole day at work in sweaty clothes, I prefer to ride in cycling kit and freshen up & change at my destination.
When the UK builds Dutch levels of cycling infrastructure,do let us know.
Awavey wrote:
I’m not sure about that. I do six miles to work then nine miles home (different route). Includes city road cycling, as well as some off-road paths. I wear a plaid shirt and jeans (at the moment – it’s not quite warm enough for shorts, IMO). I have never knowingly worn lycra. But, as they say, YMMV
and as for those joggers who
and as for those joggers who wear running shoes to get to and from work. When I was a lad we wore hobnail boots, flat caps and tweed trousers.
Don’t know if you’ve ever been to Utrecht, but it’s pretty small. A 10km cycle ride in each direction would take you from one side of the city to the other so I very much doubt that many school children are doing that every day. The average cycle commute in the Netherlands is just over 4km round trip – you’re comparing apples and oranges.
a4th wrote:
You wore hobnailed boots? There’s posh – we were given boots, a hammer, and a bag of short nails… 😉
CJSH wrote:
It’s a chicken / egg situation though because wearing ‘sporty’ cycle wear is the current normal because the mentality is that cyclists should be maintaining pace with motorised traffic or “they are holding up traffic and shouldnt be on the roads“.
To normalise everyday wear for cycling, you need to get a critical mass where people feel unhurried with making their journeys and to get that critical mass you need to have infrastructure that minimises the conflict between different modes of transport as well as makes active transport the more convenient choice.
CJSH wrote:
Surely everyone knows the reasons for this? It’s partly that UK cycling conditions demand (at least the capacity for) high speeds, owing to the need to cope with traffic that can be hitting 60mph, and partly it’s just selection-effects – that those who are prepared to cycle in those conditions are disproportionately those who like to see it as a sport?
It’s a bit unfair to blame it on the personal preferences of the minority who actually cycle. The issue is not that those guys wear lycra, its that those who would be the non-lycra-wearers, aren’t cycling at all.
CJSH wrote:
Depends on how long your commute is. Mine is 56km to 72km one way, depending on the route I fancy and I will definetely not cycle that in Jeans and T-shirt. (-; .
Sub5orange wrote:
I think if my commute was that distance, you’d even get *me* wearing a chamois and shorts
brooksby wrote:
if my commute was that distance I’d get a job closer to home.
(Or I’d take the train.
)
@CJSH
@CJSH
If you cycle far enough to need a shower and change of clothes when you get to work, then you may as well wear the most suitable clothes for riding a bike – i.e. lycra.
There’s no way I’m making my commute less comfortable for the sake of a few bigots.
poppa wrote:
The problem is not that Lycra is esthetically offensive, but that it puts off others by making cycling look like an extreme and expensive sport for a few select individuals.
CJSH wrote:
But you make no allowance for the type of commuting. Your post(s) seem to relate to ‘urban’ commuting. I realise that this probably makes up the (large) majority of cycle commute miles, but there are some of us who commute rurally, and more that just a handful of miles. My commute is 23 miles (by the most direct route) and there’s no way I’m doing this in any other gear than the best gear for the job. If that puts anyone else off cycling to work, well, I’ll have to live with that.
I also think that if someone really wants to cycle to work, then what other people wear wouldn’t put them off. Whereas if they are looking for an excuse not to…
11. Leaving the car at home
11. Leaving the car at home
If you’re more than an hour’s ride from work, don’t let that stop you from commuting by bike. Drive part of the way, and commute the rest by bike. The beauty of this approach is variety – of distance and of route. You can even look at the wind direction and plan your route accordingly.
Some of us treat the commute
Some of us treat the commute as exercise, not just as transport.
When I go swimming I wear swimming trunks; when I go running I wear running kit; when I play squash i wear squash kit; when I go dancing I wear a tutu.
If I cycle a few hundred metres to the shops I don’t bother changing into cycling kit, but any distance that counts as exercise then I wear Lycra.
I don’t really give a shit what people do in Amsterdam.
ConcordeCX wrote:
Exactly. I have only a short commute but I ride as fast as conditions permit to get the exercise. I sweat a lot and shower and change when I get to work.
I did start commuting in office clothes but it was horrible. A suit jacket rides up your wrists and bunches under your armpits and across your shoulders. Suit trousers drag on your knees when pedalling. Suit material does not breathe well, so you get more sweaty. Cycle clips are useless, so you get an oily trouser leg. When it rains, the whole experience is even more horrible.
Cycling in a decent suit is a quick way to ruin it. Far better to buy some cheap cycling clothing for commuting (I’ve got some Dhb stuff). Makes cycling far more pleasant. It dries out during the day if the weather is wet and you can simply bung it in a washing machine at 40 with some sports wash at the weekend. Far cheaper than dry cleaning.
As for looking ridiculous, many people look ridiculous these days and the great thing about getting older is that you don’t give a toss what other people think.
Most people I encounter on my
Most people I encounter on my daily commute (Brussels area, 10 miles each way, hilly) wear lycra. If you have to ride more than a couple of miles and want to go at a decent clipit’s really the only game in town. I suspect that in Amsterdam most commuters that you see in the center don’t ride a longer distance than 2 or 3 km, the long distance guys will be on the outskirts and I’m pretty sure they won’t wear their suits when cycling to the office. But hey, whatever floats your boat…..
The one thing I never carry when commuting is a repair kit, I prefer using a more sturdy set of tyres, mounted tubeless and -touch wood- no flats so far. When disaster strikes I’ll either have to hoof it home or to the office or wait for my bike repair guy to show up (have an insurance package that deal with this sort of thing but I think it might mean a long wait in lousy weather). I do keep stuff in the office and at home to deal with most issues.
Xenophon2 wrote:
Really? I wouldn’t leave the house without one…
I carry a “quick” patch kit
I carry a “quick” patch kit with me (and a spare tube and mini pump) and have a “slow” kit at work (another spare tube as well) as well as my lezyne mini floor pump, just in case. Extra spare workshop tools at work too, the ones I have upgraded for home use. You never know. And others may welcome your preparedness and knowledge.
Not a user of lycra me, prefer the baggy mountain biker look, but most of it is cycle specific, have to deal with the sweat, the rain and the filth. Fair bit of hi-viz too. And are there any “normal” helmets that I can attach my lights to as well?
My work jeans and trainers live at work, plus a T shirt, just in case I forget to pack one in the bag. (And spare pants and socks if it rains heavily and unexpectedly, if I predict proper rain I put some in my bag too.) Jumper and coat live at work, my cycle stuff is not really warm in off the bike.
Oh, and leave at least one lock at work too, saves weight on the bike, and you might forget the carry around one.
Rack + waterproof panniers.
Rack + waterproof panniers.
You can easily fit a laptop, U-lock, tools, change of clothes+shoes and arrive at work without a sweaty back. Add some reflective tape to the panniers – make yourself more visible at night.
IMO stay off the towpaths.
IMO stay off the towpaths. They aren’t there for speedy cycle commuting. If you cycling on a towpth you should be keeping to a moderate pace unless there are absolutely no pedestrians about.
Towpaths (clue in the name) where for barges being towed
“towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge.”
nicmason wrote:
Most towpaths are not bridleways (horses were not ridden along them), and there’s no right to cycle on them. British Waterways — which manage many of them — are very understanding and many of them are permissive access for cyclists, but it should be remembered that they are mainly footpaths not bridleways.
rkemb wrote:
No, they’re basically open for all use by walkers, horse riders and cyclists. There’s a section of wide tarmac towpath near me that actually forms a driveway to a house so it’s not uncommon to see a vehicle being driven (slowly!) down it.
British Waterways doesn’t exist anymore (except in Scotland where it trades under the name Scottish Canals) – hasn’t done since 2012 so everything you’ve posted there is quite out of date! It’s the Canal & River Trust now and the advice on their website is simply about sharing the space responsibly.
@nicmason
@nicmason
I agree that towpaths should be ridden at considerate speeds, but does anyone actually tow barges any more? I thought the internal combustion engine put the dampeners on that.
poppa wrote:
yes but its what they where built for. On the whole they are narrow and if you are walking along one its quite difficult to have bell dinging cyclists whizzing up in fornt and behind you every few seconds exapecting you to get out of the way.
I cycle 13 miles into London every day and tried a tow path once. Not for me.
nicmason wrote:
Yeah, I’ve only used one once (in London) and decided never to bother in future. Slow and annoying and I _felt_ anti-social just being there.
Plus I kept getting irritated at the existence of boatists. Who are these people? Why do they have all this space allocated to them? What is the purpose of their boating?
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:
Why don’t they use the boating lanes, pay tax, wear helmets and hi-viz and they’re always jumping red locks…
I commute every day without
I commute every day without any tools or spares whatsoever and have had to walk home once in 19 years -and that was because the chain broke due to aaulty manufacture . Riding a sensible bike and maintaining it properly at home – including making sure the tyre pressures are always OK – goes a long long way to having a dependable bike.
Not sure I’ve been that
Not sure I’ve been that lucky, but 3 punctures in 10 years, and a folding bike means for city commuting flagging down a taxi after a puncture is often less hassle. Especially if you are aiming for a specific train.
Canal towpaths were not built
Canal towpaths were not built as dog toilets or for having a walk either.
There has been a lot of active travel money from local authorities put into the waterways.
And for that matter the canals themselves were not built for leisure.
Some additions…
Some additions…
This article makes bicycling
This article makes bicycling much more complicated than it need be.
Some perspective.
On average a Dutchie will cycle apprx 300 trips per year for 1000km = 3.4km/trip. That’s an average though. Many trips are much less and many much more. Almost any trip of less than about 12km round-trip will be taken on a bicycle (or walking + transit) and many people routinely ride much greater distances. Probably 99% of these are in regular street clothes, no helmet or gloves, on basic Dutch Omafiets & Opafiets.
I’ve often ridden over 50km in jeans & button down shirt. Jeans are completely comfortable on a good upright bicycle. A friend rides from Assen to Gronnengin several days per week – in jeans. School children riding 10km or more is not at all unusual.
Some Dutch do occasionally ride to work in lycra (and I have done so myself) but this is almost always because they want to get in more of a workout.
—-
I have ridden all over London (lived in South Kennsington) – in jeans. It is not a problem. Having also begun training rides in London wearing lycra I can say that drivers give much more consideration to me when I’m wearing jeans than when I’m wearing lycra. Lycra & jersey in London seems almost a target for some motorists.
Cycling in London is far more harrowing than anywhere in NL, Scandinavia, Germany or many other countries. London needs better infrastructure.
—–
This over complicating thing seems an english speaking thing. The only people who do it are Brits, Americans and OZies. Why is this?
More thoughts…
More thoughts…
Dutch (and most others outside of english speaking countries) don’t have to worry about charging lights because the lights are powered by a dynamo. They’re always on the bike and always (cough) work. New LED lights seem 100% reliable. Bulbs in older lights would burn out or come loose and if someone only rode in a well lit city then they’d often never fix it.
People sweat much less (usually not at all) when riding an upright bike. Not sure why but it seems known by most people. I don’t think it’s speed. I tried a hybrid for a while. It wasn’t as comfortable, no faster and I sweated more.
Maintenance is not a thing as the drivetrain is fully enclosed. Occasionaly airing tyres is all that is needed. People probably should clean and oil things once every year or two but nobody does.
Some info on bikes & sweating:
https://streets.mn/2018/07/02/dont-sweat-it/
https://www.treehugger.com/bikes/why-upright-right-when-you-are-riding-bike.html
http://localmile.org/city-bikes/
QDubs wrote:
People sweat less when they ride slower
People ride slower where the road environment isn’t hostile to this
People ride upright bikes in countries where the environment is more tolerant of casual cycling.
If I try riding at an easy pace on the road I will be passed by considerably more vehicles and some of those will be very uncomfortable. If I ride flat out, I tend not to have this problem. If I had a segregated route I could ride a more upright bike at an easy pace and not sweat. I don’t mind the sewat though as I can shower when I get to work instead of before leaving home, so it makes no difference to me. If anything it probably saves me money on hot water.
Forgetting first and foremost
Forgetting first and foremost that cycling is supposed to be fun and pleasurable (good exercise, social etc) as opposed to hammering between home and work in all weathers, obsessing about reducing the commute time (route, bike weight) and seeing every motorist as a homicidal maniac that wants to kill you (which is pretty true at commuting times), consequently spending money on video cams to gather evidence if they manage to get you.
Shades wrote:
“cycling is supposed to be” whatever anybody wants it to be.
You don’t get to decide on my behalf what it’s supposed to be, or how I cycle; in return I don’t get to decide on your behalf.
1. Only when the tyre
1. Only when the tyre sidewall decides to split. Las time it happened I rode the last mile on a flat tyre and got a new tyre brought into work and left the bike ready to fit the new tyre at some point during the shift which was done in 10 minutes.
2. No, rarely see anybody else commuting to work when I do
3. Only when the ride to work was a mile and half and with flat pedal cause of workboots.
4. No, I’m not that stupid.
5. Again a no, shortest route home isn’t the fastest. I can go faster by going further and the 2.5 mile shorter route is only 7 minutes quicker.
6. No, they stay on year round.
7. Work clothes stay in work and only come home when I take clean in, never the other way round. Been caught out with underwear once or twice but have a bag in my locker with spares in along with a pair of socks, just in case.
8. Lock stays in work, far too heavy to be hauling that to/from work on a daily basis.
9. It has happened but my kit gets hung up when I change before work and wet kit is hung but spread around more to allow air to circulate and dry it. There have been times when kit has felt damp to touch before I put it on but after a few minutes of wearing it it soon feels OK.
10. Been there but I do ride with extra lights so if one goes the other still has charge and I try and keep them on different charge states so one is 100% and the other is 50%.
I commute 25 km a day. Only
I commute 25 km a day. Only sensible ride – a reasonable entry level road bike. Far faster on the flattish route I’ve got than a 25 kg electric upright monster. With tough, mediocre tyres one puncture per year. So much fun I get up early to do extra miles in summer (and winter). Clothes? Lycra, what else? Stop in a cul de sac a few hundred metres before work and pull on a pair of trousers and a shirt. Finish changing inside. If this is problematic, sort out your problems. Works great for me.
Geoff Ingram wrote:
Spend enough money, and you can get an 8.5kg electric road bike 🙂
https://road.cc/content/tech-news/hps-launch-lightest-e-bike-world-280881
But even at more reasonable prices, there are electric bikes that aren’t 25kg monsters, with more than enough range for commuting. (I don’t have one, but I’m tempted.)
Can’t see the point myself, but if your problem is a workplace you can’t just turn up in in cycling kit, and it sorts that for you, good for you.
Personally I’ve had commutes short enough it wasn’t worth changing at all (variously from a house in town, a park and ride car park, or a rail station), with a gentle cycle not working up a sweat still faster than congested cars, or long enough that I wanted to cool down and shower before changing, not half change by the side of the road. (Every cul-de-sac within hundreds of metres of my office is a car park.)
(At the moment it’s rather academic, because our office is closed and we’re all working from home.)
My commute is 21 km, i try to
My commute is 21 km, i try to do an average of 5 out of 10 trips by bike each week (the rest by car) – i cycle a Brompton, the advantage being that if i puncture/mechanical , i can fold her and get on the bus ( route i travel has plentiful bus supply) – occasionally with a very stiff wind in my face I’ll cheat with 10 km of bus use. The cycle commute is great for fitness, obviously, but so good for mental health too, especially during the pandemic – final note, i always thought my commute distance would be too long in practical terms to use the Brompton, however, my fitness has increased and now I don’t think twice about using it.
If you don’t mind, I am
If you don’t mind, I am curious how you find the brompton on that sort of distance?
With it looking more likely we will retain hybrid working with 2 days in the office and possibly only 1 for some time, I am considering cycling more of my commute to avoid busy public transport.
Currently I ride 5 miles to catch a train from a better station with more options, but I am considering swapping to catch the train beyond my awful local roads and ride the rest of the way. I can take my regular bike on the train a few stops in the morning, but the return less so should there be any problem. Hence I have started to think about a brompton which can be folded and taken on train/underground. The route I am looking at would be between 20-25 miles by bike.
If you can, leave a decent
If you can, leave a decent [insurance approved if applicable] lock at work; if there’s not many of you, leave it locked to the bike stand.
Clothes… my morning commute is around 11 miles with a train ride breaking it up. I’m a somewhat *portly* fellow, so I tend to wear MTB shorts over my bibs.
Winter boots are an absolute godsend if you are commuting in winter … and waterproof socks are a must.
Few things worse than wet, cold feet.
I use a pannier through choice as it’s more comfortable to let the frame take the weight of the laptop.
I also use an ebike … but that’s because I’m disabled and can’t walk very far.
Tip … aluminium extendable walking stick may fit in the mini-pump holder.
I have a couple attached to the platform on my rack, so my stick is secure and out the way.
Another tip… if you only have the one bike and want to use panniers, but are worried about damaging mounting threads (like I did), check out Ortleib Quick Mount rack – takes 5 seconds to take it off, 15 seconds to put it on, and after initial assembly, it’s totally tool-less.
Is this you on the ‘polar
Is this you on the ‘polar express’ ?!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68241768
I’m normally on the Edinburgh
I’m normally on the Edinburgh > Glasgow train.
The morning I did my -7deg commute, the heating in the train was broken.
I was the warmest on the train as I carry a second pannier in winter with a couple of jackets and a body warmer …
I got those galibier gloves
I got those galibier gloves you suggested but it’s never been cold enough since they arrived to use them down in the soft south ! I’ll have to wait for December!
Oldfatgit wrote:
????
????
Funnily enough… that’s the same look people get when ever I say “-7 deg commute” …
… well, their eyes roll back and they have the look of an extra in a George Romero film ??
Oldfatgit wrote:
I fell down a squirrel-hole after finding that Jack Nicholson image and ended up watching an interesting YouTube essay on The Shining: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr6PgWFs0Pw
I’d watched all the usual Room 237 conspiracy theories about The Shining and can spot a re-used clip in Blade Runner, but had never realised all the Jack Nicholson glances straight at the camera. It has to be intentional as he’s the only character that does it and Kubrick isn’t known for a lack of attention to detail. It’s quite unnerving and is almost like Jack Torrance is spotting the audience out of the corner of his eye.
(Also watched a theory that the hotel is re-incarnating the murderers which explains discrepancies between character names and historical facts such as the Grady sisters/twins. Also explains the photo at the end with what appears to be Torrance in the Baphomet posture of one arm up and one arm down)
The link in the text under 5
The link in the text under 5 is wrong – it goes to waterproof trousers, rather than cycling jeans/trousers.
I think the problem not an
I think the problem not an incorrect link; it’s that road.cc don’t have a “Buyer’s Guide” for cycling trousers, other than the one for waterproof trousers linked. (Although not all of the trousers on the “waterproof” trousers guide a full on waterproofs – some are relatively normal cycling trousers with just a DWR treatment).
OnYerBike wrote:
I was pretty sure they’d done one in the past, but I may be misremembering.
Don’t just sling an inner
Don’t just sling an inner tube in the bottom of your bag with the multitool and tyre levers without first placing it in a stout protective bag/box else when you need it you will almost certainly find rattling tools have already puncture it.
Geoff Ingram wrote:
Voice of experience?
I have to commute a long way
I have to commute a long way so I carry a puncture repair kit, mini pump, tyre levers, multi tool and fast chain links. All have come in handy over the years either fixing mine or other commuter’s bicycles.
Half of commuting is route
Half of commuting is route planning. Find a nice quiet route with few cars and it is pure joy.
I’d add … try to keep your
I’d add … try to keep your right turns to a minimum – unless they are light controlled or have a refuge.
Few things more vulnerable at rush hour than a cyclist trying to turn right on a narrow road.
Also attempt to minimise
Also attempt to minimise riding into a low sun.
11. Being Invisible.
11. Being Invisible.
The photo with item 10 shows a cyclist wearing all black clothes, black backpack, drab green/black helmet, black handlebars. One low mounted front light, presumably similar rear light. When riding into a shadowy area like that behind him in the picture or between a dark area and a car approaching from behind or in front, for the driver he is difficult or nearly impossible to see.
The car driver immediately in front of or behind him can see his lights but the drivers following those two vehicles very often can’t.
Wearing a white or light coloured helmet or a hi-vis vest (£5 or less) makes riders MUCH easier to see – wearing both is even better.
You can only be seen by
You can only be seen by people who are looking and looking for cyclists, m/cs. The image does not take account of contrast or “I was blinded by the sun reflecting off his hi-viz”.
Hirsute wrote:
This is the truth of the matter.
You can try to maximise your visibility but it’s almost never going to be relevant. Observant drivers will be able to see you and inattentive drivers won’t see you no matter what you wear. It’s almost unheard of for cyclists to be hit by observant drivers, even if they’re wearing the most camouflaged outfit possible as the driver would still spot the bike.
The focus on cyclist clothing is just a diversionary tactic to avoid discussing poor driving standards.
I was expecting that picture
I was expecting that picture to contain a squirrel, but I couldn’t see it. I assume it wasn’t wearing hi-vis?
Contrast of colours, between
Contrast of colours, between the green or orange of a hi-vis vest and it’s reflective straight-edged strips, and whatever is to be seen behind or beyond the person wearing it, is part of my reasoning, which is based on what I see around me – I cycle when I can and drive a small car when I have to.
Contrasting colours can help
Contrasting colours can help but unless the motorist is proactively watching the road you are stuffed. Currently I’m driving to work with early starts. I’ve no problem picking out people cycling. There’s one fella I pass san lights and no reflective kit and I see him 30m out on a reasonably lit road. Personally it makes little odds what is worn as long as decent lights pedal reflectors are being used. Cyclists get hit regardless of what they’re wearing because far too many drivers are distracted, inattentive, daydreaming and lazy rather than observant. I loose track daily of seeing drivers staring blankly ahead with no movement of their heads. It’s this that needs to change.
Agree giff77 – perhaps it’s
Agree giff77 – perhaps it’s useful to add some specifics for newer road cyclists. (It should be in there for those driving but until then…) Call it Highway Code plus. Specifically around junctions:
a) always check for vehicles wherever they ought to be, but also where they’re not (cutting corners, wrong side of road, driving through red lights).
b) If you can’t see their eyes they haven’t seen you – but if you can it doesn’t mean that they have seen you.
a) Constant bearing, decreasing range – as you approach a junction it’s possible for a vehicle approaching on a joining or crossing road to be hidden by something until the last second because of junction geometry. Or for you to be hidden by the side pillar of a car. Also for some junctions this may mean you need to look *behind you* along the joining road.
It’s not the contrast of
It’s not the contrast of colours you might wear but the contrast to the background.
What has hi Viz got to do with your image ?
I note you don’t address looking and I will point out this thread is to educate people. Failing to address the issue that drivers do not look does not help people inexperienced in commuting, it gives them a false sense of security.
I noticed the riders were all
I noticed the riders were all wearing dark clothing as well, not good, at the least put on a cheap home improvement safety vest in a bright neon green or orange if there is a lot of greenery around where you live, and make sure the vest has wide reflective bands.
Lights need to be doubled up on, you have your main 700 plus lumen light that is bright enough to see the road if you ride after dark, and a small but bright strobing light added to the helmet, and you should have a very bright 300 lumen plus taillight fastened somewhere on the bike, and a smaller one on the helmet. Doing this allows the lights to be seen better. Different countries have different lighting laws, but in the States, I can have my main front and rear lights on steady, and the others on the helmet flashing. Then I also wear reflective ankle bands that hold the pant legs against my leg so they don’t get chewed up by gears or crank arms.
I read people complaining in the comments about how useless hi-vis is, I strongly disagree, if I hi-vis was useless then why do road crews wear them? Road crews wear them because, after many years of study, they found that hi-vis is safer for the crews, plain and simple, and a fact that is well known universally across the globe. Is hi-vis guaranteed to keep cyclists or road crews safe? no, just as airbags and seatbelts don’t guarantee you’ll survive an accident either; but they do increase your survival chances, and it is the same with hi-vis clothing.
I’ll take the shortest route to work whenever possible, and try to stay on bike paths and lanes whenever possible, but coming home, I usually take a self-prescribed detour that takes me into a 20 to 30-mile ride. I was lucky in the 45 years I commuted to work by bike, all the places I lived were within 5 miles of work.
Your first line of defense against flats is the tire, most jobs are not going to be happy with you if you keep showing up late due to flats, it’s not an excuse, once a year is fine, but not all the time because someone wants to ride on racing tires. Find a robust set of tires, and to be extra safe go to a second line of defense and use a flat liner like the Clear Motion Rhinodillo liners, these work a heck of a lot better against flats than the Mr Tuffy liner, and they are lighter in weight, plus they have a soft edge that goes against the tube which prevents the liner for chaffing the tube. Today’s tires are a lot better against flat than they were even just 15 years ago, I experienced the changes that tires went through, and all the changes have been good. Don’t bother with thorn-resistant tubes, they don’t work, and they are extremely heavy more than some tires weigh! Today’s thorn-proof tubes are all junk, the valves are the crappiest of the worse and have a high failure rate, and there are problems with seams separating, so you end up with more flats than you would have had using a good quality regular tube. Sealant is another weight issue, unless you’re using tubeless tires there is no need to use sealant in tubes.
Some of you have been commuting for years but here is a safety website you all should at least read to see if something in it makes you think, just google: “Bicycle Safety: How to Not Get Hit by Cars”
There is a tragic video you all need to see, this is about a big truck that kills a promising doctor, both were at fault but the doctor more so because she was inexperienced in knowing what to do in high traffic areas, and knowing what to do around big vehicles, the driver should have been paying more attention, but it is possible that the driver thought she went into the designated bike lane and since big trucks have huge blind spots he never saw her, so he should have stopped and cleared his mirrors first. Once the truck runs over her traffic moves enough for you to see the fact that she was not in the designated bike lane as is outlined with a picture of a bike on the pavement, she was in fact in a designated bus pickup lane. She also failed to see that the truck had its turn signals on for 8 seconds before turning, that is quite a ways but she came up alongside the right side of the truck anyway. The people who put this video out for all to see were from a cycling activists organization, they make it sound like it was all the truckers fault because he had her in view for 16 seconds, not true, she was in his blind spot, watch the video carefully understanding what I said about what she did wrong and you’ll see it wasn’t mostly the trucker’s fault; yes the driver continued on, but a big truck isn’t going to feel much of anything running over a bicycle, and if he did feel something he probably thought he ran over the curb which he did clip. They also argued that the driver made an unexpected wide turn, again not true, he had to swing wide to miss the light pole next to the curb, and flatbed trailers do not turn as well as a box trailer. So google: “Anita Kurmann Video – Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (massbike.org)”
This case was resolved and it turned out after extensive investigation by both sides of the complaint that the doctor was mostly at fault. The city of Boston due to this accident has made some important changes on their city streets in a bid to try to make cyclists safer, but at the end of the day, our safety is in our hands, not other drivers, and not on the city.
Be safe out there everyone.
“I read people complaining in
“I read people complaining in the comments about how useless hi-vis is”
Then you didn’t read what people wrote.
“I noticed the riders…
“I noticed the riders…
[long victim blaming rant, finishing on an incantation:]
Be safe out there everyone.”
froze wrote:
Studies are now showing that the brain is tuning out fluro yellow as everyone and their granny is wearing it. Even now in the U.K. there is signage at roadworks highlighting that there are workers in the carriageway and to be cautious.
Bottom line is that a lot of motorists simply don’t pay attention. They slip into autopilot as they travel from A to B and are caught up in all the things that are happening in their lives.
Adaption and learning taking
Adaption and learning taking place!
While I don’t doubt there are studies which showed this was safer a) when was that? b) we should be cautious about taking industrial principles and applying them to normal public space. (Presumably road crews are also at risk from their own heavy plant?) c) Once something is held to be “safer” it tends to then be required. Bigger firms can be somewhat risk-averse when it comes to e.g. compensation claims. Better just to mandate PPE for all workers.
My wife worked at a port.
My wife worked at a port. When she got the tour, they gave her a hard hat.
“It won’t do anything for you but it will ensure the insurance claim goes through.”
Edit: a friend was on a building site and disagreed with the manager about the level of h&s. Manger was a bit lapse on this. He finished the conversation and promptly hit his unprotected head on a scaffold pole.
The majority of ‘Road crews”
The majority of ‘Road crews” are protected by signage, cones, barriers and their vehicles.in the UK we have the Red Book which tells organisations that need access to the roadway how to set up their access point.
The workforce should always work in front of their parked vehicles, so their vehicles are hit first.
Individual hi-viz is very low down on the protection scale.
It is difficult to purchase
It is difficult to purchase hi visibily cycling pants. I buy fluorescent yoga pants and convert them with crotch pads.
What’s your superhero name?
What’s your superhero name?
timtak wrote:
Flouromam
[That was meant to reply to Chris]
Steve K wrote:
Wouldn’t Flouromam have superpowers related to baking and motherhood? Disabling bad guys with bicarb and sound advice.
I can see you were raised
I can see you were raised properly! A well-bred fellow, “a pleasant chap at tea-time” wrote he…
“Flouroman, help me! I have
“Flouroman, help me! I have tooth decay!!!”
“Sorry, I think you want Fluroman”
Quick, patent your design. ?
Quick, patent your design. ?
Seat Post
Seat Post
Having commuted on a bike in London for 25 years, I would recommend removing your seat post, when you secure your bike, always an effective deterrant.
Facial Recognition
Humans are conditioned from an early age to recognise a human face (At one time the Queens face was enlarged on the bank notes to reduce counterfeiting). It would be interesting to do some research, where the actual sized image of a face is displayed on a bike/helmet/jacket, to see if other road users identify them more quickly than a cyclist pedalling with their head down. I always try to give other road users a good stare in the hope that they will identify me more quickly. Still cycling…
Perhaps a bit like Valentino
Perhaps a bit like Valentino Rossi’s motorcycling helmet.
Overall: sadly in the UK
Overall: sadly in the UK cyclists need to do more than other road users to keep themselves safe. Society (including planners, the law etc.) essentially considers you’re choosing to take additional risks and it’s on you to keep safe, not others.
This shouldn’t put anyone off cycling though. Overall you can expect better health outcomes (and happiness!) if you cycle than if you don’t.
In my experience the few bad experiences I’ve had have almost all been
a) punctures (occur more often in the wet! Plus your tyres / wheels will be grimy…)
b) other simple mechanical failures (mostly cables parting)
c) bike theft.
The first two can be made (almost) non-dramas through some very easily-learned skills and carrying a few tools and spares. Even better is if you undertake basic, semi-regular maintenance on your bike. That makes issues less likely to happen (you can spot wear / damage) and you’ll be confident and practiced at basic fixes if you do so.
Theft – you can mitigate against that somewhat. Somewhat sadly in my experience it seems to involve not leaving a new / shiny / moderately expensive bike outside your house / secure workplace. (“Secure” bike storage? Might just be a secure place for cutting locks in overnight…)
Of course you may have the odd unpleasant encounter on the road, depending on where you ride. And for a few unlucky folks bad health outcomes – because our safety isn’t fully under our control.
Roll on a radically different approach to safe, convenient and social travel. Until then Mark Twain’s comic review still applies: “Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live.”
Touchwood in over 175,000
Touchwood in over 175,000 miles I’ve not experienced c) including when I was cycling daily St Ives to Cambridge for two years and the bike shed was roofed only (open). I did invest in a cheaper Triban 500 for that commute though and a lot of my mileage is leisure. I’ve had p’tures and mechanicals but I cant say I’ve had any excessive amount. One big revelation was switching to Wax Lube, cutting down on the grime. You have to degrease the chain before you start or you tend to get surface rust after a wet ride.
Your honor, my client admits
Your honor, my client admits to a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit and being under the influence of cocaine but the cyclist was not wearing hi-vis so we move the case be dismissed.
So ordered!
I once had someone observe that no-one had an excuse for not seeing me. I replied “That’s what my widow will tell the judge”.
I jad a taxi driver pull up
I jad a taxi driver pull up beside me at a traffic light to comment on how visible I was.
Thaks, I replied, why didn’t you stop at the first white line instead of joining me in the bike box?