Motorist Ditching the car and hoping to Cycle to work 16 miles round Journey

ronan45

Hi Everyone. I am going to attempt to start cycling to work. 8 miles there and 8 miles back. I attempted the return journey one way (8 miles) 2 years ago took me about 2 hours. Not the fittest fella to be honest.
I have a standard mountain bike and lights and helmut. Clothes wise do I need a cyclists outfit. I remember last time I was very uncomfortable and sweating my jeans felt all clamby. Any tips on how to make my new exercise regime more bearable and comfortable. Cheers

tomasrojo

In general, you wouldn't need special clothing for 8 miles/13km. In fact, I wear my usual clothes for all bike trips, which includes the odd trip up to 30km, but I'm probably not typical of this forum in that regard.

If you found yourself very sweaty wearing jeans, try wearing lighter trousers, or shorts.

A leisurely cycle would be about 10km/h, so your one-way trip shouldn't take much more than an hour. It sounds as if you're going about the speed of a brisk-ish walk, so you should be able to go a bit faster than that.

Maybe you could do some weekend cycling to get your fitness up a little before starting commuting? Or could you cycle to work and get public transport home, then the next day get public transport in and cycle home, leaving your bike in work overnight. If your fitness is a little low, as you say, better not to push yourself too much early on. But once you're reasonably fit, 26km per day is a very manageable cycle.

ronan45

Cheers I had considered an Electric Bike , just to give me that extra hand but dont have a spare 1000 euro! lol

smacl

Maybe get your local bike shop to service your mountain bike, or look up some youtube videos on doing it yourself. Cleaning the chain and gears can make the bike easier to cycle. If the bike has knobbly tires, a change to slick tires such as these make a mountain bike quite a bit faster on the roads.

Main thing is to keep at it, and you'll get faster quite quickly. I'd tend to go with comfy shorts for your commute and leave a change in work. Apart from being more comfortable, you're inevitably going to get lashed on at some point, and cycling in wet jeans is no fun.

droidus

Get some cycling shorts and wear them under a pair of shorts or loose fitting pants. It'll cushion the sensitive areas somewhat.

ronan45

Standard Everyday Wet Gear for the rain?

Riskymove

ronan45 wrote: »

Hi Everyone. I am going to attempt to start cycling to work. 8 miles there and 8 miles back. I attempted the return journey one way (8 miles) 2 years ago took me about 2 hours. Not the fittest fella to be honest.

distance is not everything?

uphill/downhill? makes a big difference

dont try for the first time into a strong wind etc

smacl

ronan45 wrote: »

Standard Everyday Wet Gear for the rain?

For the summer, I go with shorts and t-shirt, and bring a change of clothes. Reason being, I sweat like a pig, so waterproofs are self defeating in warm weather. If it rains, I get changed at the far end. In the winter, or colder weather, light rain gear.

Dermot Illogical

+1 for shorts.
Service & tyre change are well worth looking at too.

I started from a similar position to you and found that shorts/t-shirt/running socks & runners were comfortable. Everything I needed at work I could just throw into a rucksack. I'd usually keep a spare t-shirt & socks in the bag in case I got drenched on the way in.
Keep it up and you'll soon find yourself getting in and out much faster. As you get fitter it becomes much more enjoyable.

petethedrummer

You could get MTB baggy shorts if you don't want to be seen in Lycra.

I wouldn't cycle that distance to work in regular clothes as I am always late. The other thing is that if you sweat even a little bit and sit in sweaty clothes all day you can get "jock itch". It happened me once when I was cycling to a job with no proper washing facilities and I hadn't figured a way to do a bit of a rub down in the mornings. And if it rains you don't want to sit in soggy clothes all day. Also cotton is rubbish for cycling in.

Lumen

I commute a similar distance (15km round trip), takes about 35-40 mins each way. I wash and change at my workplace, only takes a couple of minutes.

I wear lycra because it's comfortable, takes up almost no space in the wash and dries quickly.

I don't like cyling slowly and I'm always late. :pac:

coolbeans

I'd ditch the mountain bike to be honest. You'll stick at the cycling if you enjoy it and it's not very enjoyable commuting on a MTB. If you're not inclined to change the bike at least put some slick tyres on it.

Jawgap

If you think you are going to stick with this for the rest of the summer and do occasional trips in the autumn and winter, ditch the MTB - if you are in "suck-it-and-see" mode, modify the MTB.

If you've decided to stick with it see about something a bit faster - can you access the Cycle to Work Scheme?

Also, get yourself to Lidl on Thursday, they're doing some cycling kit - it's generally ok stuff and offers decent value for money:-

Jacket - http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_ie/hs.xsl/index_12508.htm

Troosers - http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_ie/hs.xsl/index_12515.htm

Go faster vest - http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_ie/hs.xsl/index_12504.htm

they also have leggings - I'd suggest not getting the 3/4 length ones - they look ridiculous.

Good luck

ronan45

coolbeans wrote: »

I'd ditch the mountain bike to be honest. You'll stick at the cycling if you enjoy it and it's not very enjoyable commuting on a MTB. If you're not inclined to change the bike at least put some slick tyres on it.

Hi Coolbeans. Is there a big difference between a mountain bike and road bike, My work colleague said you can go a hell of a lot faster on a road bike than a mountainbike. 60% of my journey will be along a canal bank, so maybe a mountain bike is more suitable
The main difference is speed? Comfort?

Lumen

ronan45 wrote: »

Hi Coolbeans. Is there a big difference between a mountain bike and road bike, My work colleague said you can go a hell of a lot faster on a road bike than a mountainbike. 60% of my journey will be along a canal bank, so maybe a mountain bike is more suitable
The main difference is speed? Comfort?

The roadie response to this is: "get off the canal bank on to the road, then you'll be faster, on a road bike". :pac:

ronan45

Thats great thanks for all the helpfull replies. Ill hit lidl this week and kit up!:D

monument

ronan45 wrote: »

Hi Coolbeans. Is there a big difference between a mountain bike and road bike, My work colleague said you can go a hell of a lot faster on a road bike than a mountainbike. 60% of my journey will be along a canal bank, so maybe a mountain bike is more suitable
The main difference is speed? Comfort?

Depends on which canal bank it is.

Keep_Her_Lit

coolbeans wrote: »

I'd ditch the mountain bike to be honest. You'll stick at the cycling if you enjoy it and it's not very enjoyable commuting on a MTB. If you're not inclined to change the bike at least put some slick tyres on it.

I've been commuting on a MTB for many years and enjoy it lots.

OP, your fitness is by far the biggest determinant in your progress and that's where your attention should be focused for now. By this, I don't mean embarking on a serious training program but simply getting out on your bike regularly and giving your body the chance to adapt to this new form of stress/stimulus. A 16 mile round trip is absolutely doable and, health permitting, you will definitely be able for it if you stick with it. Allow for recovery during this initial phase - if you feel stiff, sore, fatigued then give it a break for a day or two - you will feel much fresher upon your return. Stretching after each journey (or at least after your return journey) helps your recovery too.

As for your bike, I would agree with coolbeans' 2nd and less drastic suggestion of swapping off-road tyres for slicks - this is a very cost effective way to get "more bang for your buck". If you don't go for the narrowest MTB slicks, they will be fine along canal towpaths.

Additionally, make sure that your saddle and handlebars are adjusted correctly, as this makes a big difference to your efficiency and comfort on the bike. There are several other things you could do to improve the performance of your MTB (relative to a road bike) but sorting the tyres and riding position will get you off to a good start. When you're fitness has improved, that would be a good time to re-assess your choice of bike.

Regarding rain gear, it tends to be sweaty unless the weather is pretty cold. So when it rains, you are usually going to get wet, one way or the other. I would rather let warm rain fall on me than put on my rain gear (this morning was a good example of that). Really, I carry it to stay warm rather than dry.

Rain or shine, cycling specific clothing certainly has advantages. Padded lycra shorts are more comfortable and offer less resistance to movement than jeans. Properly fitted cycling tops don't flap about in the wind and they wick the sweat away from your skin better than other garments. The rear pockets also come in handy. Maybe you're not ready for all that just yet - if so, try wearing tracksuit bottoms instead of tighter fitting jeans/trousers. T-shirts will do for now if you're on a tight budget - just bring a spare.

Stick with it and you'll have no regrets!

tomasrojo

I'd definitely go with the suggestions here that require the minimum outlay and see how you get on. If you really like it, look at investing more money.

The change of t-shirt is a good idea, if you want to wear t-shirts, and I always do that myself. You can also wipe yourself down with the dry parts of the t-shirt you've just worn and put it in a plastic bag to bring home.

As for rain gear, I think blorg recommended this years ago and I bought it:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Reviews.aspx?ModelID=11426

It's perfect for me, in that it takes up very little room, keeps you somewhat warm when you get wet, dries very quickly, and it does keep you dry in light rain. I actually use it in the winter as well, but I don't really feel the cold.

doozerie

In terms of clothing, as someone who sweats a lot I can say that jeans are a poor choice for me - particularly around the thick waistband they soak up sweat and then take a long time to dry out and feel uncomfortable while they do so. Wearing them without a belt helps, but for me they are a poor choice generally and not just because of sweat but also because the thick seams of jeans can get uncomfortable while on the bike too. Plus when they get rained on they feel horrible too. My preference for commuting trousers is something synthetic and relatively light (but windproof if possible) - I've yet to find exactly what I'm looking for mind you but I get by for now with light combats, which are cotton, so far from ideal, but the extra pockets are handy.

For my upper body layer I've been using a long-sleeved merino jersey for a few months now and I find it very practical. It is warm enough on its own in temperatures down to about 12C, but also bearable in temperatures up to about 19C (not had the opportunity to try hotter temperatures yet but it'll likely be too heavy to be comfortable for anything above that). On wet or cold days I just wear a light waterproof layer on top. So far its advantages have been that it dries quickly (sweat or rain), it doesn't show sweat spots (it's black, which helps), it doesn't smell even after using for a few days without washing (I change when I get to work and leave it hanging up to dry/air until the journey home). Merino tops are not cheap though, although I got this one in a bundle with 3 others for about 80euro (at the time) from the Planet-X site so there are bargains to be had and not just online either as generic merino clothing is available in stores like Patagonia, Great Outdoors, etc.

In terms of bike, I find that commuting on an MTB is fine. I used mine most of the winter with snow tyres on it but I put slicks back on for the summer months. I'd recommend a set of bar ends to give you a great variety of hand positions which adds comfort. I also have a road bike, converted to single speed, which I use for commuting - I find the road bike a bit quicker than the MTB for a commute which is slightly shorter than yours but there's not much in it at all. Basically, an MTB is a perfectly reasonable choice for commuting in my view, though it helps to adjust your bike position/fit to get the most out of it. Having a narrower ranges of gears more suited to road riding helps too, but is certainly not essential.

HivemindXX

doozerie wrote: »

My preference for commuting trousers is something synthetic and relatively light (but windproof if possible) - I've yet to find exactly what I'm looking for mind you but I get by for now with light combats, which are cotton, so far from ideal, but the extra pockets are handy.

Head to one of the camping/outdoors shops and see what they have. The hiking/walking trousers are designed to dry quickly which makes them a lot better than cotton trousers (especially jeans) when they get wet.

The manufacturers and shops do seem obsessed with zip off sections though which are bad for chafing and hurt any chance of looking like you are wearing work clothes. Make sure you aren't getting a 'convertible' before you buy.

Tonyandthewhale

As keep_her_lit said, make sure your bike is properly adjusted for you. Your saddle should be high enough so that your leg is almost (but not quite) fully extended when the pedal is at its lower-most point in the revolution. Incorrect saddle height is a major problem with noobies who often set them too low and a small difference in saddle height can make a big difference in comfort/injury avoidance. You should also make sure your saddle is level although some people like a slight tilt either forwards or backwards depending on riding style.

A road bike (as in a racing bike) would be significantly faster and probably more comfortable but for distances like that a mountain bike should be ok provided it isn't one of those y-frame god-awful dual suspension monstrosities.

tomasrojo

HivemindXX wrote: »

Head to one of the camping/outdoors shops and see what they have. The hiking/walking trousers are designed to dry quickly which makes them a lot better than cotton trousers (especially jeans) when they get wet.

I bought a pair of craghopper trousers recently because I was short of trousers and happened to have a gift card for Great Outdoors. They seem to be quite good trousers, and weren't that expensive.

tomasrojo

Coincidentally, bikesnobnyc has something about Levi's cycling trousers.

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2011/07/bsnyc-friday-fun-quiz-now-reinforced.html

As for Levi's putting their imprimatur on cycling pants, I suppose if you already wear Levi's and you also ride your bike a lot then Levi's offering a more bikey alternative isn't a bad thing. As it happens, someone recently sent me a pair of these bikey Levi's, and here they are with a grand total of three (3) disembodied feet:

Anyway, the pants are pretty comfy, but I have no idea what they cost. They also have a loop on the waist to hang your u-lock from, because for some reason urban cyclists love to hang a bunch of crap off their pants even though they also love gigantic expensive bags, and presumably Levi's needs to keep up with the times by making it easy for them to hang their baubles.

Khannie

I know the slick tyres have been mentioned. Adjusting your saddle height and keeping your tyres pumped hard and your chain clean and lubricated makes a flippin' massive difference too though. I had been using my brother in laws ancient road bike which had obviously never had its chain cleaned. A bike-ey friend of mine said I should invest the time in cleaning and lubing it. My god I'll never forget how much easier the next days cycle was.

Stick with it. 8 miles will get easy fairly quickly.

Good luck!