Going to attempt the daily commute by bike

Rob_l

Im a complete novice at the cycling but decided rather than waste more money on beer I'd buy a bike. Im hoping that it will both lessen my commuting time and give my fitness levels a boost.
So to that a took with me a friend of mine is a cycling enthusiast and bought myself a starter road bike in the shape of a Giant Scr 4.0.

I will be cycling about 9km in each direction and was hoping to maybe do three days a week at the start to just both get used to the bike and also to build my fitness levels.


Have i opened myself up to a whole new world of pain and torment?

Glowing

Rob_l wrote: »

Have i opened myself up to a whole new world of pain and torment?

No! But you will get addicted - and wonder why you wasted your life in a car sitting in traffic! Get yourself some high-vis gear before you even think about putting your backside in the saddle!

For 9kms, you should adjust fairly easily, I'd imagine it'd be easier just to start cycling and stay cycling. Just take it handy for the first week or so.

davidsatelle100

Just do it and take it handy, just make sure you have some rain gear and as said high vis gear and lights.

Just take your time to start with and within a week or two you will be hooked.

Rob_l

davidsatelle100 wrote: »

Just do it and take it handy, just make sure you have some rain gear and as said high vis gear and lights.

Just take your time to start with and within a week or two you will be hooked.

Yeah I have the buddy getting me some breathable rain gear which he highly recommended as essential

Bicyclegadabout

OK, 9k on a bike is a million times easier than 9k in a car/bus/tram/train/camel/aeroplane. So don’t worry about that.

If you start doing 3 days, I think what you’ll find is that the other 2 days will be really annoying and you’ll wish you’d taken the bike.

Get hi-viz, get lights. There’s a million things you could buy (to the point where your clothes and accessories cost more than your bike), I would only consider gloves and a helmet essential. A lot of people wouldn’t consider a helmet essential, that’s up to you. I don’t think rain gear is essential, but I don’t mind the wet.

Best of luck!

kenmc

Good for you. On the very odd day I don't cycle to work I feel like there's something wrong all day.
Oh, you're going to find yourself much hungrier every morning - take an extra banana or something to get you through to lunch (don't be tempted by chocolate - you'll have burnt off some excess fat by cycling, no point in undoing the good work and regaining it)

DaDa

What's your route like?
Do you have any shower facilities in work?

Rob_l

DaDa wrote: »

What's your route like?
Do you have any shower facilities in work?

The route is fine i'll be cycling from knocklyon to the city centre and have shower facilities(so will be bringing fresh clothes for the working day), as well as somewhere secure for the bike so Im covered on all those fronts it will be just the fatigue muscle tension I will be worried about for the main part, have not been particularly healthy since leaving my last gym and thought the bike would kill two birds with the one stone.

i will also get plenty of time with the bike now that my friend knows I have it he wll be intent on dragging me out for extended cycles at the weekend

Hot Dog

Rob_l wrote: »

The route is fine i'll be cycling from knocklyon to the city centre and have shower facilities(so will be bringing fresh clothes for the working day), as well as somewhere secure for the bike so Im covered on all those fronts it will be just the fatigue muscle tension I will be worried about for the main part, have not been particularly healthy since leaving my last gym and thought the bike would kill two birds with the one stone.

i will also get plenty of time with the bike now that my friend knows I have it he wll be intent on dragging me out for extended cycles at the weekend

I cycle from Knocklyon to ringsend - i do it in less than a half hour, should be no bother to you. The 15 bus takes what, 1 hour and 5 minutes?

DaDa

Good Stuff.

Only other tip that I can think of is: I bring in clothes/shoes on the days I'm not biking to change into on the mornings I have biked... saves a bit of weight on the back pack. But if you get to biking 5 days a week then this becomes obsolete :-)

Best of luck with it!

Raam

You won't regret commuting by bike. As for high-vis, it's not necessary, and certainly not in the day time. It really bugs me seeing so many people with it. It gives off the wrong impression about cycling, not to mention looking completely awful. You need good lights and maybe "some" reflective piping on your kit. Any good jersey has some, racing kit excluded. A builders high-vis jacket is not required, assuming that is what people were referring to. Better than high-vis is good road sense, awareness, anticipation and road positioning.

I'm dreading the day when absolutely everybody is adorned in one of those yellow high-vis jackets. They smack too much of the "safety brigade" in my opinion. That's my opinion on it, as conflicting as it may be with others.

Itsfixed

Raam wrote: »

You won't regret commuting by bike. As for high-vis, it's not necessary, and certainly not in the day time. It really bugs me seeing so many people with it. It gives off the wrong impression about cycling, not to mention looking completely awful. You need good lights and maybe "some" reflective piping on your kit. Any good jersey has some, racing kit excluded. A builders high-vis jacket is not required, assuming that is what people were referring to. Better than high-vis is good road sense, awareness, anticipation and road positioning.

I'm dreading the day when absolutely everybody is adorned in one of those yellow high-vis jackets. They smack too much of the "safety brigade" in my opinion. That's my opinion on it, as conflicting as it may be with others.

Well I agree 100% Raam, well said!

petethedrummer

Rob_l wrote: »

Im a complete novice at the cycling but decided rather than waste more money on beer I'd buy a bike.

As you get fitter you'll notice your hangovers getting less intense. This may encourage more drinking

Rob_l

Hot Dog wrote: »

I cycle from Knocklyon to ringsend - i do it in less than a half hour, should be no bother to you. The 15 bus takes what, 1 hour and 5 minutes?

yeah the bus takes somewhere between one hour and two weeks to get into town and there is also the problem of you being lucky enough for it to stop in the evening due to it being full:D

High&Low

OP if you take it relatively easily the first couple of weeks and gradually build up your speed you won't have any trouble with muscle fatigue, no matter how unfit you are. You may have a sore ass when you sit in the saddle for the first week or so but it goes pretty quickly.

Glowing

Raam wrote: »

Better than high-vis is good road sense, awareness, anticipation and road positioning.

Agreed. But what harm is something that makes you even more visable to drivers who are not always looking where they should, or not paying attention?

I'd rather look like a builder, than end up with an SUV embedded in my side.

Raam

Glowing wrote: »

Agreed. But what harm is something that makes you even more visable to drivers who are not always looking where they should, or not paying attention?

My own personal vanity

Glowing wrote: »

I'd rather look like a builder, than end up with an SUV embedded in my side.

Seriously though, there is nothing to say that it will or will not happen when not looking like a builder or when you do look like a builder. If you run afoul of a bad driver who didn't look your way, then no amount of high-vis will get you out of that fix. It is much better to be equipped with the skills that don't put you there in the first place.

I can appreciate why some people choose to wear high-vis.

lukester

Nice one, it beats the hell out of being stuck in a car, and sounds like you have a decent bike for the job. I used to do an 11k commute on a mountain bike with knobblies and suspension, the last few km were on a slight uphill gradient- if there was any wind I'd be totally f*cked by the time I got home. Kept me fit though!

You'll be grand, just ease yourself into it. (Takes an opener to the can of worms...) I have to agree on the high-vis thing, I don't know if it's necessary. There are all sorts of debates about it vis-a-vis risk compensation, i.e. if you think everyone can see you you aren't as cautious as otherwise. Good road sense and awareness is more important in my opinion. I ride a motorbike as well, and never wear high-vis on either bicycle or motorbike. I do try to read the road ahead and be as aware of what's going on around me, and ride defensively.

Raam wrote: »

Seriously though, there is nothing to say that it will or will not happen when not looking like a builder or when you do look like a builder. If you run afoul of a bad driver who didn't look your way, then no amount of high-vis will get you out of that fix. It is much better to be equipped with the skills that don't put you there in the first place.

I knew of a biker who was riding a white Pan European (very big Honda tourer), wearing full dayglo jacket, headlights on dipped beam, who was hit by a car in full daylight. The driver said he didn't see him.

I understand why people wear high-vis, and I respect their choice, but don't assume it's going to make anyone see you. Safest of all, don't assume anything

Raam

To get this back on topic, OP, high-vis or no high-vis, cycling is a great way to stay fit. You will love it, I hope.

Good cycling gear, while not required is definitely worth it. I've spent a fortune on the stuff at this stage. If you are in Dublin, then it doesn't rain half as much as you might think. Perceived bad weather will become just another thing and you won't really care about it anymore, apart from the mess it makes of your bike. When it does rain, I throw on a rain coat and maybe some overshoes, but I don't bother about the legs. They will get wet from the road anyway.

I always carry a spare tube and pump and a small multi-tool on my commutes. I've only had to use them twice in about 5 years, but it sure beat a 6km walk home/to work.

Keep your bike drive-train clean by regularly wiping it down with a clean and dry cloth to get the grime off. Then lubricate with a proper lube (not wd-40) and leave for 10 minutes, then wipe off the excess. This will keep it running smoothly and make your cycling experience more pleasurable.

Best of luck with it

P

Hot Dog

as a matter of relevance, does anyone know any good websites explaining how to tune and maintain gears? The are always the most finicky part.

daymobrew

Hot Dog wrote: »

as a matter of relevance, does anyone know any good websites explaining how to tune and maintain gears? The are always the most finicky part.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/
What issues are you having?

seamus

I'm coming down from Ballycullen to the city centre, which is probably about 1.5km longer than the trip from Knocklyon, and it's easy enough.

When you're coming home, go via Camden St, Rathmines Road and Rathgar, then down the Templeogue road. It's flattest route I've found. The traffic is always pretty heavy (both bicycle and vehicular) but the roads are wide enough to get around people.

As someone else has said, you'll find that the days that you don't cycle become the days that you dread, but never underestimate the importance of your rest days - they'll make the commute easier more quickly, which means you can push it to four and five days a week even faster.
There's nothing nicer than a cycle in on a cool morning, before a hot shower and sitting at your desk, refreshed and awake (and early).

The two biggest dangers in Dublin traffic are pedestrians and cars coming out from side roads. Pedestrians mostly just cross without looking and are also very fond of walking out from behind busses and trucks. Car drivers in their frustration, tend to just pull out from side roads without even looking as soon as they have a gap.

Plan_D

seamus wrote: »

I'm coming down from Ballycullen to the city centre, which is probably about 1.5km longer than the trip from Knocklyon, and it's easy enough.

When you're coming home, go via Camden St, Rathmines Road and Rathgar, then down the Templeogue road. It's flattest route I've found. The traffic is always pretty heavy (both bicycle and vehicular) but the roads are wide enough to get around people.

As someone else has said, you'll find that the days that you don't cycle become the days that you dread, but never underestimate the importance of your rest days - they'll make the commute easier more quickly, which means you can push it to four and five days a week even faster.
There's nothing nicer than a cycle in on a cool morning, before a hot shower and sitting at your desk, refreshed and awake (and early).

The two biggest dangers in Dublin traffic are pedestrians and cars coming out from side roads. Pedestrians mostly just cross without looking and are also very fond of walking out from behind busses and trucks. Car drivers in their frustration, tend to just pull out from side roads without even looking as soon as they have a gap.

I didn't know we were practically neighbours
I knew when they started building that Hunterwoods and beyond, post Woodstown era, that the traffic was goint to become a Joke.

Explains why I am reading this forum..... Some great advice in this thread. Cheers people! I hope to be doing Ballycullen to Kylemore soon.

blorg

Raam wrote: »

If you run afoul of a bad driver who didn't look your way, then no amount of high-vis will get you out of that fix.

They will however try to screw you when it comes to the insurance claim though... I don't wear a builder's waistcoat, but when choosing any cycling jacket I do go for the one in bright yellow with reflective stuff. This is particularly relevant at dusk when it does make a difference to your visibility. Colour of my jacket makes no difference to comfort after all (I reduce my risk compensation from the jacket by not wearing a helmet ;-)

Hot Dog

daymobrew wrote: »

http://www.parktool.com/repair/
What issues are you having?

My gears seem to have gone totally out whack, both front and back. I have no idea how to tune them!

niceonetom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkzvfCaIbyQ

^^^ gears adjustment ^^^

seamus

Gears are actually simple enough once you get your head around them. Well, mountain bike gears are - I've not a whole pile of experience with road ones.

Basically, the shifter at the front is connected to the mechanism at the back by a cable.
The shifter at the front pulls or releases a certain amount of cable. The mechanism at the back moves left or right, depending on how tense the cable is. So when cable is released by the shifter, the mechanism moves right, when the cable is pulled in by the shifter, the mechanism moves left.
Obviously, the mechanism lines the chain up with the teeth in each cog. So when the mechanism moves out of alignment with one cog, into alignment with the next, the chain moves with it.

On mountain bikes, the shifter at the front has a certain amount of preset positions - exactly the same number of positions as there are cogs at the back. In most cases, once you have the cable tension correct for one position, it will be correct for all other positions. That is, if the shifter says you're at position "2", and the chain is on cog number 2 and everything is all lined up and smooth, then chances are when you shift up or down a gear, it will shift smoothly and correctly.

It's easy to type, but getting it right requires practice. It also tends to occur that it works fine for almost all of the gears, but one or two are iffy so you have to use tiny adjustments. The position of the front gears (which work in almost the exact same way) can also affect the smoothness of the rear gears.
See whatever guides and videos have been posted above. You'll get the hang of it eventually.

kenmc

blorg wrote: »

They will however try to screw you when it comes to the insurance claim though... I don't wear a builder's waistcoat, but when choosing any cycling jacket I do go for the one in bright yellow with reflective stuff. This is particularly relevant at dusk when it does make a difference to your visibility. Colour of my jacket makes no difference to comfort after all (I reduce my risk compensation from the jacket by not wearing a helmet ;-)

Agreed I am of the opinion that you can never be "too visible". it might be just enough to give yourself an extra half a second to get through a junction without getting creamed. Of course it might not help at all, but you need clothes anyway, so they might as well be bright as dark, you may just tip the balance of fortune in your favour.
Of course you should ride expecting not to be seen by anyone, but hoping that you are seen by everyone.

Gavin

As with any of these issues, the only way to know if the safety equipment is of any use, is through proper research.

From a brief google,
http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/14/1/11

After adjustment for potential confounders and exposure (kilometers cycled per year), the rate of days off work from bicycle crash injury was substantially lower among riders who reported always wearing fluorescent colors (multivariate incidence rate ratio 0.23, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.59).

Conclusions: Low cyclist conspicuity may increase the risk of crash-related injury and subsequent time off work. Increased use of high-visibility clothing is a simple intervention that may have a large impact on the safety of cycling."

Personally I think hi-vis is an excellent idea which obviously aids drivers, pedestrians and other cyclists to see cyclists on the road. I find it of more use during the day than nighttime.

Vanity arguments are just that.. vain.

Raam

Verb wrote: »

Vanity arguments are just that.. vain.

You say it like it's a bad thing.

Chips Lovell

It's possible to be both stylish and visible.