This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Coming along the A6178 between J34 of the M1 and Rotherham this morning I was being tailed by a huge flatbed artic which is a little intimidating. Held the primary through a string of pinch points (ineffectual traffic calming) and then as I drifted left where the road widened I gave the driver an elbow flick for him to come past. Driver overtook nice and wide so I gave him a wave as he cleared me and got a flash of the lights in return.

Momentarily felt awesome but the cheeky fucker didn't give us a draft after I did all that work leading him out.

Disappoint!

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mE2YPaGX4t8/T_347n3gBaI/AAAAAAAABaQ/8muHQTi910U/s1600/Breaking-away-dennis-christopher-cinzano-truck.jpg

Whats the maximum doable daily commute?
Looking to move next year and have only done 10 miles each way in the past.
Just wondered about your experience?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mE2YPaGX4t8/T_347n3gBaI/AAAAAAAABaQ/8muHQTi910U/s1600/Breaking-away-dennis-christopher-cinzano-truck.jpg

Obviously I would have tried harder if the vehicle was carrying booze. A medium sized industrial turbine just didn't give me the hunger.

No product placement on your commute then?

Whats the maximum doable daily commute?
Looking to move next year and have only done 10 miles each way in the past.
Just wondered about your experience?

When I was working in Chesterfield the door to door commute was 15 miles and took about an hour each way. Good days are better and bad days are worse with the greater distance.
I wouldn't do more but I know of people who do 30 each way. Depends on how you prefer to spend your own time and what you're prepared to ride through in winter.
In conjunction with the time I started and finished work that commute got a bit too much and I now set the cap at around 10 with an optimum of 7. Less than 5 is a bit too short.

I've just jumped up to 12.5 miles and it does take a toll, particularly as it's all stop-start London traffic and I have to slog over the Crystal Palace hill on the way. I think it depends on your job - I do quite long hours which makes it harder. If you had a in-at-9-out-at-5-with-an-hour's-lunch type job then it'd be no bother.

Whats the maximum doable daily commute?
Looking to move next year and have only done 10 miles each way in the past.
Just wondered about your experience?

Interesting question. My wife is always banging on about moving to somewhere we could afford a bigger house.
My stock response is and always will be 'If I can't cycle in and back everyday from there then we aren't moving there'.
I currently do about 9 miles each way I think. I would be happy maybe doing 12 e/w but that would have to be my max. Where she wants to go it would be more like 25!

Mine is 18 miles each way and I've found that I'm just taking the train instead. I've got quite a few evening commitments during the week, I never get out of work at bang on 17:00, and it just takes too long. HTFU I know, but there's so many traffic lights, so many junctions, and so many pricks that even with my slightly better route I found recently, it's just too stop-start. It's a bitch waking up at 06:15 too. I just can't get into a routine.

10-12 miles would be bliss, although tbh, if I wiped out my evening commitments and started work at 10:00 I would do the 18 miles each way every day.

I've moved from about 10 miles through London to less than 3 and no longer bother cycling as much because there doesn't seem much point at such a small distance!

I think 8 - 10 is a nice distance, but can grate a little in the stop / start of the City... (I also only ended up averaging about 3-4 times a week with evening commitments and impromptu drinks etc)

Up until recently I've had a 16-19mile (one way) commute, daily.
I really miss it. So much so that because my housemate still has it, I try and do his commute and back to my new work 3 times a week. Its not the same though, much to easy to just go to work.

This has meant 5:47 is my alarm clock at the moment. Which is a little early, tbh.
But then we don't have London-style traffic and sometimes my route is absurdly beautiful.

This morning though, he had the day off and I couldn't see anything on the unlit roads, so I went to work early.

Of course- this all depends on whether you have a shower at work, and adequate drying space for clothes.

Didn't Tricity do about 40 miles each way at one point?

A guy I used to work with did 50 miles from Watford to motspur park when he worked in the office, but he also spend half the year on a boat so he he had some pent up energy!

Personally the longest I've done is 35 a day (not including polo and extra miles to go to compass drinks) and i felt noticeably more tired on the way home on Friday than doing 20 or so... admittedly the reason I know Tricity did a massive commute is because after some nights out I'd be heading home around the same time she was heading past my place... This may have contributed to my Friday tiredness.

But then we don't have London-style traffic and sometimes my route is absurdly beautiful.

Fucking this.

My commute is outside London, so I always go against the rush hour, and it was bliss (and quick).

Can emphasised with NurseHolliday as 13 miles in London would be slow, tiring and shit, whether 13 miles outside London is quick, easy, and bliss.

Didn't Tricity do about 40 miles each way at one point?

I think it's to Guildford, once you get out of London (after Kingston), it become easier, quicker and quieter.

On that note, its about to get icy/ snowy apparently, so what road bike tyres should I be fitting?
Ideally 23s, because I've got no clearance left with the mudguards on the Cannondale.

I honestly don't think there's much you can do with the ice.

Fat bike it.

I found my Brompton with Schwalbe Marathons on was really good in the snow. I was overtaking all the cars on and felt nice and planted.

So on that I'd say 25 ish.

Interesting question. My wife is always banging on about moving to somewhere we could afford a bigger house.
My stock response is and always will be 'If I can't cycle in and back everyday from there then we aren't moving there'.
I currently do about 9 miles each way I think. I would be happy maybe doing 12 e/w but that would have to be my max. Where she wants to go it would be more like 25!

I've recently moved and I stipulated the closest we could move was within 15 miles of my work. She found a gaff exactly 15.2 miles. Fridays are a slog home.

I found my Brompton with Schwalbe Marathons on was really good in the snow. I was overtaking all the cars on and felt nice and planted.

So on that I'd say 25 ish.

I'd say that was more the brompton's wheel base and center of balance than the tyres.

Up until recently I've had a 16-19mile (one way) commute, daily.
I really miss it. So much so that because my housemate still has it, I try and do his commute and back to my new work 3 times a week. Its not the same though, much to easy to just go to work.

This has meant 5:47 is my alarm clock at the moment. Which is a little early, tbh.
But then we don't have London-style traffic and sometimes my route is absurdly beautiful.

This morning though, he had the day off and I couldn't see anything on the unlit roads, so I went to work early.

Very much this.

I've just gone from a very hilly yet picturesque 16 mile commute one way, to a 2 mile commute. I miss he 16 mile one it so much. Although not so the 6am start. Real sense of achievemnet when i got to work.

Now I just feel like a fraud in my lycra get up, to essentially just nip across town to work.

Unicycle

i have the flu so i've been on the tube, which is interesting sometimes as since i've become a bicycle owner i very rarely go underground and forget what people are like down there

today sat opposite a woman who was cradling a fat chihuahua with an erect penis
both were totally nonchalant about the whole thing

Which one had the erect penis?

After blankets of snow all weekend and stable freezing temps.........14+C this morning!

So half asleep I pass the studded snowbike, and grab my fixie for a change. Taking a shortcut away from the busy road I desend into an area of 1/2 foot thick melting ice. Manage to stay upright for ages, before attempting to turn, which resulted in a massive tumble.

It is still not 20mm veloflex weather it seems.

i have the flu so i've been on the tube

for when you absolutely positively need to spread your illness to as many people as possible.