This morning's commute and other commuting stories

upper wolburn road towards euston, fresh tarmac, so lovely

First commute back on the bike today after three weeks on the train due to a hellish study regime. I have never been so happy to ride in drizzle. Bit of a shock going from dry, light commutes to dark, wet ones without transition though. I'd forgotten how deadly wet ironwork was.

I've always done fasted commutes.
I get out of bed.
Piss.
Clean me teeth.
Get dressed and get on the bike.

Didn't even realise "fasted commutes" were a thing until recently.

Aside from the recommendations given, I mostly commute in Specialized Sport MTB (spd). Walking absolutely no problem. I have not noticed them making me slower than the full kit wankers in race shoes that I pass on the way to work.

I also use A530 pedals, so I can ride with normal shoes when I want to. Takes a little more care and is not a good idea in the wet.

I commute in either Spesh Sport MTB or some old Adidas Minrett SPDs. Both are fine for walking around in as the cleats are quite recessed.

The commuting bike has Shimano M424 pedals as I often ride it in normal shoes, the SPD bindings on the M424's are designed to be pushed down and out of the way by normal shoes.

After using double sided pedals (M520/M530 and M424) I'd never ever go back to single sided pedals (especially for commuting). For me, the larger pedal platform makes no difference on commute type distances and, anyway, I avoid "hotfoot" on long rides by using a stiffer soled shoe as the choice of pedal made little difference.

(Shimano need to do a version of the M424 with reflectors. Like the new T780XT but double-sided.)

(Shimano need to do a version of the M424 with reflectors. Like the new T780XT but double-sided.)

Ooh, in the new Shimano Click'r range (http://cycle.shimano-eu.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/nl/index/footwear/Shimano_Click_r.html) there's the PD-T400 and PD-T700 that look quite like what I want although they don't look like they'll have much grip when wearing normal shoes. Might have to find somewhere that stocks them and have a closer look.

Sod it, for £24 odd quid I'll give the PD-T400's a gamble. I'm sure I can make them grippier for normal shoes with some Sugru or vandalise them with a soldering iron.

Didn't even realise "fasted commutes" were a thing until recently.

They're all over strava recently, did Bikeradar do an article? It's a bit self aggrandising isn't it?

Why the fuck are people getting light in October anyway? I'm putting down a layer of pizza between myself and nature for when it gets cold.

/rant

Didn't even realise "fasted commutes" were a thing until recently

I didn't realise until now. I always called it 'running a bit late' (ie. most days)

I called it 'prefer an extra ten minutes in bed'. Glad to know that I am no longer lazy and am instead optimising my cycling.

"fasted commutes" Meh.

I rarely ate anything before an Audax. Either it was too early (6am) that my stomach didn't face eating anything, or there was nothing available (staying at a Travelodge with no proper breakfast) and I hadn't bothered planning for this. At a steady pace (25kph) it's easy to get through to the first control (50km-80km) on an empty stomach. Once you get used to this, and your fat metabolism improves, you can push it further and further. I've done a 200km Audax starting with an empty stomach and just a 450kcal sandwich at the 100km point. (I was hungry by the end...)

I'm still at the training wheels stage as far as fat metabolism is concerned. From this years' limited experience I seem to need something in my stomach at the start to get up to speed, and a few mouthfuls every 50k or so to avoid my metabolism serving a pre-bonk notice. I'm sure this will improve, though

I have 2 fig rolls each morning before I leave which I have done for nearly 2 years now. I find I am faster in the morning than on my way home when I am fully loaded with pasta planet and carb overload.

I'm going back to clipless after the next payday - my trainers have been wet since last Wednesday! I wear the same trainers to cycle in every day then change into shoes at work anyway so I don't know why I haven't gone back before now.

Those new Specialized spd trainers are looking very tempting.

"Fasted commutes" sounds like the 5:2 diet for mamils, I'll be quite sad if that's actually become a thing. Eating breakfast, pissing & reading the paper are all things that should be done once you've logged in at work.

Did the rain just fucking start?

I do faster commutes.

It's gonna piss down tonight bitches

The Mail reckon it's a SUPER STORM THAT STRETCHES ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

(but then yesterday they said "Ex-punk Johnny Rotten, famous for claiming to be the anti-christ."

What, like John Lennon claimed to be a walrus? Cocks)

Phone fell out of my open pocket (lame mistake) as I was steaming up the OKR overpass, obviously I ran it the fuck over with the rear just to make sure it was really pissed.

Thanks to the saint cyclist who alerted me to what just happened and actually did a u-turn to grab the phone for me. If you're on here thanks again, much appreciated, you're a top bloak.

Totally beat the rain on the way home.
Dead pleased.

Faster commute?

Managed to get home pretty dry too, shoes slightly damp but beat the rain home too.

Got soaked, almost got doored, got stuck behind a stationary bus at the top of rye lane only to find he'd stopped in the middle of the road to have a chat with another bus driver through their windows. Couldn't wait to be home.

Mad skids though.

Got home dry but was so happy I pissed myself.

#fml

Not with the headwind. But not soaked, so a good outcome.

I missed most of the rain and ended up drenched by my boil in the bag race cape.