People who cycle to work

£2.80 each way on the tube
around 45mins faster!
I get to sit down the whole way as opposed to standing half the journey on the tube

If I didn't cycle to work I couldn't afford to go to work

I get a thrill from walking into the office wearing lycra.

In all fairness, it hard to beat the tube if you're doing over 10 miles, Northern Line from South Wimbledon to King's Cross only take 35-40 minutes, whether on the bike it's about 60 minutes.

I get a thrill from walking into the office wearing lycra.

Everybody else in the office gets a thrill, too, Clive.

In all fairness, it hard to beat the tube if you're doing over 10 miles, Northern Line from South Wimbledon to King's Cross only take 35-40 minutes, whether on the bike it's about 60 minutes.

An hour? It's only 10 miles.

When I lived in Wimbledon it took the same amount of time to commute door to door by train or bike.

Ed you need to HTFU!

Public transport:
Smelly / Overcrowded / Overpriced / Unreliable

Cycling:
Love / Light / Peace

When I lived in Wimbledon it took the same amount of time to commute door to door by train or bike.

Ed you need to HTFU!

Hurry TFU?

Public transport:
Smelly / Overcrowded / Overpriced / Unreliable

Cycling:
Love / Light / Peace

Well, my primary choice is cycling, of course, but on the very infrequent occasions when I need to take public transport, usually a bus (I haven't used the Underground for about ten years, I think), I find it un-smelly, not very crowded, clean, and reliable. But this is because I usually travel to and from the train station at odd hours and definitely never in the peak hour. What I find really challenging is using public transport routinely. That's definitely when the lack of capacity of public transport is revealed, and the over-centralisation of London becomes apparent as a real problem.

Agree completely about cycling. :)

i hate the tube. i hate buses. i hate people.

An hour? It's only 10 miles.

commuting, not racing! I prefer to take it easy frankly.

Public transport:
Smelly / Overcrowded / Overpriced / Unreliable

Cycling:
Love / Light / Peace

I doubt it's that unreliable, sure it's not as reliable as the Swiss, but reliable as reliable does.

that excluding the mainline of course.

I was out of action for a while after an operation and so was using a variety of public transport. I missed being on my bike like hell. I would actually sit on the bus fantasising about cycling the same route as the bus.

London's public transport is great, but when you're stuck, you're stuck good and proper. Rush hour, as everyone knows, is glacial.

I had ridden a geared bike - claude butler - before the op, but my brother convinced me about fixed wheels and I have to say, having been back on the roads for about three weeks now, it is an absolute delight. My ride takes me from Stoke Newington to Isleworth, about 15 miles, and often very early in the morning, about 5.30. No traffic, no stopping, just silent smooth pedalling through the streets. Every morning I'm grateful for my journey - it's absolutely wonderful. It's also been pretty decent weather recently, which helps of course, but even so, I've had snow and rain as well.

Returning, rush hour is a different matter of course. I'm afraid I'm not like others on this board, and hate the traffic with a passion, and don't get any joy out of cycling through it at all. But even so I would not swap it for the world. It's also half an hour quicker than public transport.

The only thing I really miss is not reading as much - and also sometimes having a coffee and a paper on a not so crowded bus or train is quite pleasant. But whenever I decide to have a day off cycling I always regret it.

My kit smells like a fvcking FARM though.

When I lived in Wimbledon it took the same amount of time to commute door to door by train or bike.

Ed you need to HTFU!

Ed's a hipster, he can only be found cycling around London's famous east London very slowly catching his reflection in tarck boutique windows or emitting BikeNaziE1™ bile from his BikeNaziPutah™ in his TopSecretBikeNaziLairE1™... You've changed, Ed... ;]

In all fairness, it hard to beat the tube if you're doing over 10 miles, Northern Line from South Wimbledon to King's Cross only take 35-40 minutes, whether on the bike it's about 60 minutes.

Ed, that is pretty poor, i reckon you could beat the tube.

I have to go on the tube today, really not looking forward to it... :/

An hour? It's only 10 miles.

commuting, not racing! I prefer to take it easy frankly.

Racing would be 30min, or 20-25 without traffic.

south wimbledon to kings X is around 20 stops. i doubt it would take 35mns, more like 55!

I like to ride, I like to go fast, riding to work gives me the opportunity to do this more, its a win win situation.

Ed, that is pretty poor, i reckon you could beat the tube.

depends where you are going. when i have to get to park royal studios (think it's harlesden tube) i have to get a bus to wimbledon or go in the wrong direction to victoria and then go back across town and change at queens park as the trains never go direct through. takes 1hr 15-20min about 50min to cycle and i stop at lights.

i cycle to parsons green in less than 20min I would have to get bus to wimbledon to get on the district line or go via victoria taking a lot longer.

Lived in tooting bec and commuted to oxford street daily when I still lived over there. Had my bike stolen at one point and was forced to use the tube for 2 weeks before I got my new bike set and absolutely hated it. You are so much more free with your bike. Took me about 40 minutes and I didn't have a shower at the other end unforutanely. I just had to master controlling the amount I sweat :P

I cycle to work so I don't feel guilty about taking the lift at work.

Ed, that is pretty poor, i reckon you could beat the tube.

can you do it quicker without even breaking a sweat?

Bike = guaranteed good mood at destination
Public transport = utter misery unless you're in no hurry and get a window seat and have a book and/or MP3 player

Sometimes I've got off a bus quite a few stops early because it's unbearable. I don't mind the tube much but rarely use it, only really if I'm with non-cycling friends.

Anyway this thread is a bit of a no-brainer but nice to talk about the obvious sometimes.