Tell us about your new improved government regulations compliant cycle part II

magicbastarder

breezy out there this evening.

Interested Observer

I'm a novice cyclist, got a bike back around Xmas to do my 8km commute through the city. Worked great, was much faster than driving or public transport, was enjoying cycling and really took to it.

Have had to move house and I'm now 20km away from work. Appreciate this is little or nothing to the seasoned cyclists on here but it's a lot for me, there and back every day. I've been trying to stick with it but my god finding it tough, particularly at times this morning with the wind I felt like I was going walking pace. And we're heading into winter now...

magicbastarder

i find commuting 20km on the bike is noticeably harder than doing 20km out on the open road - much easier to get into a rhythm and stick with it on the open road.

rollingscone

Interested Observer wrote: »

I'm a novice cyclist, got a bike back around Xmas to do my 8km commute through the city. Worked great, was much faster than driving or public transport, was enjoying cycling and really took to it.

Have had to move house and I'm now 20km away from work. Appreciate this is little or nothing to the seasoned cyclists on here but it's a lot for me, there and back every day. I've been trying to stick with it but my god finding it tough, particularly at times this morning with the wind I felt like I was going walking pace. And we're heading into winter now...

A lot of it depends on your commute. A 20km blast in on quiet roads would be joyous for me but a slog in heavy traffic could be soul sapping

plodder

Interested Observer wrote: »

I'm a novice cyclist, got a bike back around Xmas to do my 8km commute through the city. Worked great, was much faster than driving or public transport, was enjoying cycling and really took to it.

Have had to move house and I'm now 20km away from work. Appreciate this is little or nothing to the seasoned cyclists on here but it's a lot for me, there and back every day. I've been trying to stick with it but my god finding it tough, particularly at times this morning with the wind I felt like I was going walking pace. And we're heading into winter now...

My commute is 25km but I've only been cycling a couple of times a week. Not sure I'd be capable of (or really would enjoy) doing it every day. Having said that, Tuesday was my first experience of driving this Autumn and it was slower than the bike would have been. That's probably going to get worse when the weather gets worse. So, I may end up sucking it up, getting better organised, keeping dry cycling gear at both ends etc and doing it more on the bike.

What kind of a bike do you have? I think you'd need a lightweight road bike for that kind of distance.

Also, it takes time to get used to upping the distance. The first few times I did mine, I was in bits at the end of each leg (never mind the end of the day).

Seaswimmer

Interested Observer wrote: »

I'm a novice cyclist, got a bike back around Xmas to do my 8km commute through the city. Worked great, was much faster than driving or public transport, was enjoying cycling and really took to it.

Have had to move house and I'm now 20km away from work. Appreciate this is little or nothing to the seasoned cyclists on here but it's a lot for me, there and back every day. I've been trying to stick with it but my god finding it tough, particularly at times this morning with the wind I felt like I was going walking pace. And we're heading into winter now...

Probably things you may be able to do to reduce the effort.

Carry less, look at your bike setup, slick tyres ect.

But fair play. stick with it. There are often far worse days during the rest of the year than during the winter. Feb to May this year was lovely and very dry. Entire winter was very mild.

brocbrocach

Seaswimmer wrote: »

Probably things you may be able to do to reduce the effort.

Carry less, look at your bike setup, slick tyres ect.

But fair play. stick with it. There are often far worse days during the rest of the year than during the winter. Feb to May this year was lovely and very dry. Entire winter was very mild.

I've got rained on more this last month than all winter on my commute.

Annie get your Run

Interested Observer wrote: »

I'm a novice cyclist, got a bike back around Xmas to do my 8km commute through the city. Worked great, was much faster than driving or public transport, was enjoying cycling and really took to it.

Have had to move house and I'm now 20km away from work. Appreciate this is little or nothing to the seasoned cyclists on here but it's a lot for me, there and back every day. I've been trying to stick with it but my god finding it tough, particularly at times this morning with the wind I felt like I was going walking pace. And we're heading into winter now...

20km each way is my commute too. I built up to it starting with 1 or 2 days a week then building to 5. It can take a lot out of you so if I'm feeling tired I might get the bus one day a week or I might drive part of the commute and cycle the rest of it. You can mix it up a little and as someone else said try and lighten the load you're carrying. It's been (IMO) extremely windy the last few months, I actually found it easier over winter than over the last few months!

Fair play for giving it a shot, stick with it

Interested Observer

Thanks for the replies all. My initial idea was to get the bus a couple of days but I did it on Tuesday and honest to god I nearly lost my mind the journey was so long, nearly 90 mins to get home. I got the first bus in the morning and ended up late to the office.

I think this is definitely something I will look into:

I might drive part of the commute and cycle the rest of it.

I would need to get a bike rack for the car but yeah it would soften the blow quite a lot, there's a couple of spots I could park about half way to the office and I'd cycle through the worst of the traffic in the city.

To be honest if I was doing it again I would get a different bike, the one I have is very heavy, but just didn't know what I was looking for at the time and it's too late now.

Classyrider

Hi there, I noticed a Garda reprimanding a cyclist for breaking a red light on Capel Street bridge at 8.30 am this morning (07/09/2017) on my commute.
The mornings and evenings are less bright, it is getting darker.

Wishbone Ash

Interested Observer wrote: »

....I would need to get a bike rack for the car...

Do the rear seats fold down? If so, you may not need to get a bike rack as most hatchbacks and many saloon cars will take a bike (assuming you don't have rear seat passengers).

LollipopJimmy

Lahinch to Galway today around the Wild Atlantic Way. Lovely scenery and not too much wind.

Galway to Dublin tomorrow

Weepsie

Wind is with you today. Should make it a hell of a lot more enjoyable. I did similar recently on a day with barely any wind and it was great.

plodder

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Do the rear seats fold down? If so, you may not need to get a bike rack as most hatchbacks and many saloon cars will take a bike (assuming you don't have rear seat passengers).

and a quick release front wheel makes that even easier.

Alanstrainor

Up until one month ago I had never been stung by a wasp. As of this morning I have now been stung twice! Cycling through Contarf in the cycle lane travelling at ~25km/h I look down to find a wasp on the back of my leg stinging the bejaysis out of me. Yelped and swatted him away. Ffs, what the hell!

Chuchote

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Up until one month ago I had never been stung by a wasp. As of this morning I have now been stung twice! Cycling through Contarf in the cycle lane travelling at ~25km/h I look down to find a wasp on the back of my leg stinging the bejaysis out of me. Yelped and swatted him away. Ffs, what the hell!

Time of year. Poor creatures are dying now. It makes them crazy.

Interested Observer

plodder wrote: »

and a quick release front wheel makes that even easier.

I have a quick release front wheel. I'll see if I can fit it in easily/quickly. My car is pretty small.

LollipopJimmy

Dublin to Galway done. 236kms all in from Eyre Square to Dublin City Centre and back to the house.

Shagged now, bed.

dom_1000

Cycled the complete Royal canal from Drumcondra to Cloondara in Longford on a CX bike with a couple of mates. Then cycled to longford to get the evening train back. 158km into a headwind. took 10 hours. tired.

magicbastarder

50km around ncd this morning. Started raining as soon as I set out and stopped just as I finished up. Bloody breezy out there.

Borderfox

100km today, cycled over to Leixlip to the start of the pieta house 100km and got to the halfway point and changed route to the hill of Tara then home. Organisation on the route was a joke as was the food stop

Weepsie

100 km NCD and surrounds. Took on Snowtown 3 times from its various directions before heading for home and taking a few detours to try and make the 100 km

Legs were screaming at me the last 20 km as the wind went against me. I went in Santry park beside where I live to do a slow, steady loop to make the 100 k and came off as a dog did what dogs do. My fault, but stupid after 99.5 pleasant km on the road.

Edit: Right around the point my legs were starting to tire. The Garmin gradient marker was going nuts. It was up to 90% on a pan flat road just off the N2


https://www.strava.com/activities/1177196544

Deep Thought

Borderfox wrote: »

100km today, cycled over to Leixlip to the start of the pieta house 100km and got to the halfway point and changed route to the hill of Tara then home. Organisation on the route was a joke as was the food stop

Only did the 50KM myself, thought it was ok, Marshals on each intersection, Tea and bar was welcome in The Hatchet and had sausage roll in the Amenities after.

But am new to this game...Its for a good cause

magicbastarder

Weepsie wrote: »

100 km NCD and surrounds. Took on Snowtown 3 times from its various directions

looks like we missed each other by a few minutes.

Weepsie

magicbastarder wrote: »

looks like we missed each other by a few minutes.

Think I see you on the fly bys. Also noticed Derek from Humphries was right behind me for a little bit. I wonder if he heard me thinking that I need to drop this bike in this week.

Alanstrainor

Windy this morning. I actually was expecting worse this morning, it ended up not being too bad for my commute from Portmarnock to the city centre. I had high hopes that we would have some good September weather, but it feels like Autumn is determined to come through!

markcahill1985

Close call yesterday, went out for a short 30KM cycle around Passage/Monkstown/Carrigaline area of Cork, came over a small climb and descended down into Monkstown, man in his 70's or so was crossing the road took a look at me coming at approx 30km an hour and decided to still cross the road, jammed on the breaks and barely swerved out of his way. Would have done him and probably myself some serious damage. First close call since I started, pretty annoyed after it as he clearly saw me, couldn't enjoy the rest of the cycle.

Just saw the post re: wasps above. Got done myself last week haven't been stung since I was a kid. I was stopped at the lights left foot on the kerb and went to scratch the back of my neck. Sudden pain and shock of it keeled me over on to the grass as I tried to wrench my right foot out.

Fair play to the lad beside me in the van who got out to help me up and offer me some antiseptic wipes.

By all accounts the bastards are drunk this time of year due to the alcohol in over ripe fruit. At least that was what the van driver told me. Made a bit of sense now I think about it.

Chuchote

markcahill1985 wrote: »

Close call yesterday, went out for a short 30KM cycle around Passage/Monkstown/Carrigaline area of Cork, came over a small climb and descended down into Monkstown, man in his 70's or so was crossing the road took a look at me coming at approx 30km an hour and decided to still cross the road

Sounds like he may not have seen you.

One of the things about getting older is that your ability to judge how far away things are goes all screwy.

neris

Got a short hour long 18km in this evening around howth and sutton. Pain in the backside trying too decide what to wear. Sweltering in rain jacket going up hill and nice and snug on way down. Managed to avoid the rain the aswell