The daily commute - whats yours ?

"boooma" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi All,

Another lurker comes out into the sunshine !.

Just a heads up to the group to find out what peoples daily commute

involves

Quoted message said:

i.e. time,distance,travel terrain,obstacles etc..

I will start the ball rolling:-

From:- Woy Woy NSW
To:-Gosford NSW
Distance:- approx 14 k's one way
Terrain:- 80% footpath/shared cyclepath 20% road
Traffic:- Light on footpaths (mostly power walkers,dog walkers etc) Car
traffic heavy
Bike:- Old Specialised Hardrock fitted with slicks
Frequency:- 2-3 times a week (I know it should be more !)
Time taken:- 30-40 mins
Highlights:- Light traffic,beautiful scenery,clears the head ready for the
day
Lowlights:- General road debris's (glass,nails etc)
General comments:-
Once did the ride on a 40 degree day only to have a puncture halfway with

no

Quoted message said:

spare tube (ahh learning experience !).Since the council have the path
nearly all the way to Gosford have started to see a lot more people

riding.

Quoted message said:

Ride on !

From: West Footscray (Melb)
To: East Kew
Distance: ~18km each way
Terrain: Road, mostly main
Traffic: depends on what shift I work. Sometimes almost non-existant,
sometimes extremely heavy (stalled bumper to bumper)
Bike: Usually Giant OCR3. I have an old Malvern Star that I've just
converted to fixed gear and this may come out for the commute from time to
time once I set it up with a more sane ratio.
Frequency: usually 4-5 times/week
Time taken:~50 mins. I have to improve this
Highlights: Riding at dawn when the world is fresh and quiet, making better
time than motorised traffic from Kew Junction to Footscray shops,
luxuriating under the shower at work (I'm the only one that uses it.)
General comments- It's amazing how much more I actually SEE when I ride
compared to driving. I need to guard against the ride becoming easier rather
than faster.
Lowlights: Coughing and hacking from exhaust.

hippy said:

boooma said:

From:- Woy Woy NSW
To:-Gosford NSW
Distance:- approx 14 k's one way
Terrain:- 80% footpath/shared cyclepath 20% road
Traffic:- Light on footpaths (mostly power walkers,dog walkers etc) Car
traffic heavy
Bike:- Old Specialised Hardrock fitted with slicks
Frequency:- 2-3 times a week (I know it should be more !)
Time taken:- 30-40 mins
Highlights:- Light traffic,beautiful scenery,clears the head ready for
the
day
Lowlights:- General road debris's (glass,nails etc)
General comments:-
Once did the ride on a 40 degree day only to have a puncture halfway
with no
spare tube (ahh learning experience !).Since the council have the path
nearly all the way to Gosford have started to see a lot more people
riding.

From: Glen Iris, VIC
To: Hawthorn, VIC
Distance:7 km, one-way
Terrain: Road and bike pathbaby!
Traffic: Heavy traffic
Bike: TCR,
Frequency: 4-5 days/week, depending on training schedule
Time taken: 14 min - 1:20
HighlightsFar quicker than a car in peak hour and I beat a GF in a car
home at 7pm the other day. :P
Lowlights: [censored] in cars trying to kill me
General comments: So many clean 4wds in Hawthorn.

hippy

"boooma" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi All,

Another lurker comes out into the sunshine !.

Just a heads up to the group to find out what peoples daily commute

involves

Quoted message said:

i.e. time,distance,travel terrain,obstacles etc..

I will start the ball rolling:-

From:- Woy Woy NSW
To:-Gosford NSW
Distance:- approx 14 k's one way
Terrain:- 80% footpath/shared cyclepath 20% road
Traffic:- Light on footpaths (mostly power walkers,dog walkers etc) Car
traffic heavy
Bike:- Old Specialised Hardrock fitted with slicks
Frequency:- 2-3 times a week (I know it should be more !)
Time taken:- 30-40 mins
Highlights:- Light traffic,beautiful scenery,clears the head ready for the
day
Lowlights:- General road debris's (glass,nails etc)
General comments:-
Once did the ride on a 40 degree day only to have a puncture halfway with

no

Quoted message said:

spare tube (ahh learning experience !).Since the council have the path
nearly all the way to Gosford have started to see a lot more people

riding.

Quoted message said:

Ride on !

Hey!! that's my signoff.....gotta agree with the sentiment though!!

From:- Watsonia (Melbourne)
To:- Southbank (Melbourne)
Distance:- approx 23 k's one way (Yarra Trail), 18 k's (Heidelberg Road),
30k's (Yarra Blvd)
Terrain:- for Yarra Trail (usual commute) approx...2km road, 8km gravel
trail, 9km sealed path, 4km road.
Traffic:- Morning usually light as I leave at 0600h although more crowded in
summer. Afternoon is generally a bit busier on the Yarra Trail with other
cyclists, walkers, dogs, etc.
Bike:- Wheeler mtb (27 speed), Wheeler mtb (Single speed), Avanti Monza (16
speed)
Frequency:- 5 times a week rain hail or shine
Time taken:- 50min (Yarra Trail), 39min (Heidelberg Rd), 1hr (Yarra Blvd)
Highlights:- Great start to day. Riding in the dark. Riding in the rain on
the SS and not giving a [censored]. Being self sufficient. Seeing parents out
with their kids on bikes. Overtaking 7 guys from work whilst cycling home
from work on one commute home (days like these are rare indeed).
Lowlights:- Joggers/walkers wearing black when it is dark. Black dogs off
of leash when it is dark (nearly got killed by a Labrador once).
General comments:- I need more bikes.....three are barely enough......gotta
have: road fixie, track bike, recumbent, cruiser/lowrider, better road
bike, better SS, dualie mtb........

Ride On,

Gags

Where: Canberra, Aranda-Woden
Distance: 17k, usually 22k back to a) dodge hill, b) use Northbourne bikelane that the "bikelanes have made car lanes dangerously narrow (still australian standard!)" ranters go on about.
Terrain: 99% road, mostly 80k, 2/3 bikelane.
Bike: custom reynolds tourer.
Freq: 4 days/week.
Time: 35-50 minutes.
Highlights: traffic, speed.
Lowlights: pedestrians, wrongway cyclists, glass.
Comments: bizarre how the casual commuters come out when its nasty hot.

boooma wrote:

From:- Croydon NSW
To:- Pennant Hills NSW
Distance:- 30km each way
Terrain:- about 50% backstreets/roads, 50% bike path.
Traffic:- light, even in peak hour.
Bike:- Greenspeed GTX recumbent trike
Frequency:- Not at all, still recovering from motorcycle head injury.
Was about several times a week.
Once I recover, I'll be back again to several times a week.
Time taken:- 1.5 hrs home to work, 1.1 hours work to home. (hills)
Highlights:- +70Km/h down the steep sections.
Lowlights:- Gets boring after the hundredth trip.
--
Linux Registered User # 302622 <http://counter.li.org>

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 at 11:38 GMT, none (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

General comments: So many clean 4wds in Hawthorn.

What do you expect? Toorak's around the corner!

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
"Saving four times is just paranoia. Unless you're using an Exabyte
5gig/8mm tapedrive." -- Graham Reed

boooma said:

Hi All,

Another lurker comes out into the sunshine !.

Welcome! It's good to see another NSWer, albeit out of Sydney. I spent my high school years at Erina (which most non-Central Coasties probably wouldn't know existed...)

Here's my contribution...

From: Concord West

To: Sydney CBD

Distance: 16.5km

Terrain: Roads + Shared path at Anzac bridge and the old Pyrmont bridge

Traffic: Pretty heavy - CityWest link is a busy road, though it is usually stop/start on the way in.

Bike: Nothing - my 98 Giant Peleton had its heart broken by years of abuse. I'm waiting for a fresh new frame to come in 🙁 and 😄

Frequency: Every workday.

Time taken: about 35-40min door to door.

Highlights: It's a ride innit? Compare that with sitting on a sweaty smelly crowded and delayed train.

Lowlights: You get cold and wet when it's cold and wet.

General comments: Sea breezes in Sydney are such that I get a tail/cross wind at least three quarters of the time ha ha ha.

Ritch

From:- Lane Cove NSW
To:-Marsfield NSW
Distance:- approx 15 k's one way
Terrain:- 100% road
Traffic:- Light through Lane Cove Nat. Park, heavy elsewhere
Bike:- Various - generally either light touring bike or fixed wheel.
Frequency:- 5 days a week (it's a religion)
Time taken:- 30 mins
Highlights:- Saying g'day to the ducks when crossing the weir in Lane Cove Park. Rode alongside a monitor (bloody big lizard) in the park for fifty metres or so once - that was pretty cool.
Lowlights:- Getting to work 🙂
General comments:- Used to ride Mowbray/Epping/M2, but the Lane Cove tunnel roadworks have buggered Epping road where it crosses the river. Since then have gone the long way via Lane Cove park, which is a thousand times more pleasant.

Cheers,

Suzy

From:- Springfield Lakes, Qld
To:- Brisbane City
Distance:- 35km each way
Terrain:- 50 % highway (not freeway/motorway), 30% Busy road, 20% bike path
Traffic:- Not much as I leave at 6am. The worst traffic is actually on the bike path on my way home (Coronation Drive peak hour havoc!)
Bike:- Scattante frame with 9 spd Ultegra and Easton EA70 bits.
Frequency:- 3 - 4 times a week
Time taken:- 1 hour, 15 minutes each way (that's right - I'm slow)
Highlights:- Less than 10 traffic lights in 35km - that's not bad. Clear head by the time I get to work. I get to laugh at my (male) co-workers who drive to work despite not living anywhere near as far away as I do.
Lowlights:- Queensland drivers (need I say more?). Hubbards on crappy bikes whom I overtake only about 10km from the city, yet they get to the Coro Drive bike path in the same time it takes me because they RUN RED LIGHTS. It drives me bananas.
General comments:- Beats driving to work (Western Freeway is ALWAYS chock-a-bloc) and it certainly beats trains which are just so dodgy up here. Am really sick of recreational d!kheads who have no idea and run red lights, can't ride in a straight line etc.

From:- Flemington (Melbourne)
To:-Melbourne CBD.
Distance:- Shortest 12kms, longest (scenic route) 27kms.
Terrain:- 95% shared cyclepath, 5% road (avoid roads)
Traffic:- 7:30am start moderate on paths but all heading the same direction. 5:30pm heavy both ways.
Bike:- Old Apollo Everest ’90 MTB rigid chromoly frame single speed (44/18), Raceline Hemisphere semi slick tyres.
Frequency:- 5 times a week (except occasional booze-up Fridays train-it).
Time taken:- Short 25min, scenic route 1hr.
Highlights:- Clear morning rides. City bike path inclines on a SS. Jumping the ramps on the boardwalk near Polly Woodside. Spinning along Footscray rd.
Lowlights:- Getting past pedestrians walking in groups. Flats.
General comments:-
I avoid roads where ever possible – easy to do in inner Melbourne if you don’t mind taking the long way around, I find that the paths means less intersections (lights) & the air is nicer to huff & puff through.
Pedestrians in groups are bad, I’ve recently taken to zipping past without warning now as the bell ringing either spooked them or it made them dart left/right which made it worse for me to find a safe way around. At least with my current method there is no need to brake [at all] if a clear spot exists. I sometimes take to the grass/gravel edge where I can.
The Single Speed makes the same daily route more interesting, timing sharp turns & getting a run up for inclines. It’s also taught me to become more flexible with my pedalling. Even though I might grind up some sharp inclines, I find the opportunity to spin on the descents to free-up my legs. It seems to helps heaps on my multi-speed MTB (’03 Specialised Stumpjumper), I don’t fear getting caught in the wrong gear on my multi-speeder.
The Single Spder is stripped back with only a rear flasher light (removable front light for nights/winter), feels bomb proof & I love looking for launch sights along the way.

From: Darlington, Sydney
To: Camperdown, Sydney
Distance: 2km + errands
Terrain: Light roads commute, heavy city on errands. Hills.
Traffic: Undergraduate Students on foot. International students and staff
in 4wd battle wagons. Or standard city roads.
Bike: Fillibus frame copy w/ 7sp Nexus
Frequency: Daily.
Time taken: 5-10 min (hills, traffic lights)
Highlights: Final down hill run. Fighting traffic on the inevitable grocery
trip or errand. Cramming a full weeks groceries in heavy-carrying frame.
Lowlights: Road squeezes, student drivers
General comments: Must take and hold lanes, then Broadway, City road,
Cleveland, Glebe Pt. becomes safe. Best route into city on errands is

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 at 23:06 GMT, suzyj (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

From:- Lane Cove NSW
To:-Marsfield NSW
Distance:- approx 15 k's one way
Terrain:- 100% road
Traffic:- Light through Lane Cove Nat. Park, heavy elsewhere

Down the bottom of the Epping Road hill? Ick. I couldn't breathe down
there; the pollution there gathers and then flows down the valley.
Yum.

Quoted message said:

Bike:- Various - generally either light touring bike or fixed wheel.
Frequency:- 5 days a week (it's a religion)
Time taken:- 30 mins
Highlights:- Saying g'day to the ducks when crossing the weir in Lane
Cove Park. Rode alongside a monitor (bloody big lizard) in the park
for fifty metres or so once - that was pretty cool.

Wow - a 50m long lizard 🙂

Quoted message said:

Lowlights:- Getting to work 🙂

Not enough cynicism deteceted. Core dumped.

Quoted message said:

General comments:- Used to ride Mowbray/Epping/M2, but the Lane Cove
tunnel roadworks have buggered Epping road where it crosses the river.
Since then have gone the long way via Lane Cove park, which is a
thousand times more pleasant.

Ah, solved the Epping road problem by avoiding it 🙂

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
Special Relativity: The person in the other queue thinks yours is
moving faster.

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 at 23:35 GMT, LotteBum (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Distance:- 35km each way
Time taken:- 1 hour, 15 minutes each way (that's right - I'm slow)

What!? What!? You call 28km/h over 35km slow? I'd hate to ride your
"quick"!

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
``Here, sanity ... niiiiiice sanity, come to daddy ... okay, that's a
good sanity ... {*THWONK!*} _Got_ the [censored].'' -- Anthony de Boer @ ASR

Great thread boooma.

From:- Lower Templestowe (Melbourne)
To:- Richmond.
Distance:- Basic commute (19 km one way). Longer when training.
Terrain:- 50% shared cyclepath, 40% Yarra Blvd (quiet road). 10% busy road.
Traffic:- Not much except for the last km down Burnley St.
Bike:- Norce Nitro mtb. Road bike when training longer
Frequency:- 2-4 times a week. More often 3 times a week.
Time taken:- 38 minutes for basic commute.
Highlights:- Sometimes getting to talk to other riders at lights. Fit looking women going for morning run / walking the dog.
Lowlights:- Getting past pedestrians walking in groups. Sometimes waiting in line for the shower/change room at work. I wish they'd seperated the two.
General comments:- Those living near the Yarra have no excuses for not riding into work. Latest discovery is the Thursday night bunch ride from Yarra Blvd. Man do those guys and gals go hard. Almost goes right past my front doorstep.

jazmo said:

Latest discovery is the Thursday night bunch ride from Yarra Blvd. Man do those guys and gals go hard. Almost goes right past my front doorstep.

hey, dont 'we' have ™ on that? 😄

From:- North 'Boring' (Balwyn)
To:-CBD
Distance:- approx 17 k's one way
Terrain:- A-100% road.
B-80% offroad
C-50%offroad
Traffic:- A-heavi-ish. 5 minutes leaving time makes a big diff!
B and C-vair quiet
Bike:- Mainly my fixie.roadie if kew crits are on. sometimes the slicked mtb if panniers are required.
Frequency:- 5 days a week (it's a religion). well... 9.5/10
Time taken:- 35 mins in. 45 home. (its hiily for 72inches!!!)
Highlights:- I wake up at work awake!. I save money. I get to ride! I beat my neighbour EVERY day. I can get away with eating/drinking more.
Lowlights:- Stopping. red lights. drivers who cant indicate. Drivers wo cant drive!
Seeing such appalling cycling facilities after being in Amsterdam. sob!
General comments:- Usually do A (follow 48tramline in) follow riverpath out till hawthorn velodrome. maybe carve some laps or jsut go by and up Auburn and thru Camberwell junction and onto home.
C involves Yarra path usually on mtb.
ALWAYS trying new streets to find 'a better way' or just out of curiosity

F"super-commuter-for-17-years"Dutch

another highlight: taking off beside a tram , dropping behind as it out
accelerates me, then reeling it in and overtaking before it can start
to brake and make me stop for its next stop (really only possible on a
couple of downhill false flats between Union Rd and Burke Rd on
Whitehorse Rd). Very fun to pretend it's not hard and give a nochalent
nod to a tram passenger as I go past at about 60.

From:- Bundoora
To:-Melbourne CBD
Distance:- approx 18 k's each way
Terrain:- Road. Riding in moving traffic is much safer than riding in
backstreets. IMHO
Traffic:- Yes. Not too bad most of the time. As long as it's "moving"
Bike:- Avanti Carbino
Frequency:- Every Work day
Time taken:- (Ride) Average 37 Minutes
Highlights:- Days when there's a Northerly in the morining and a
Southerly in the arvo after a change.
Lowlights:- Since my commute from this house started three years ago
(route unchanged), there has been the addition of three sets of traffic
lights, four new speed humps and a new "roundabout" added to my
commute. One of the new sets of traffic lights is in the middle of a
big (short/sharp) hill. This either means you get stopped in the middle
of slugging up the hill, or your new attempt at breaking the commute
speed record (~70 KPH) gets rudely interrupted. Ghhhrrrr!!!!

From: Clifton Hill Vic
To: St. Kilda Vic
Distance: between 20 - 60km return. It depends on which was I go. I
like to vary it up to stop boredom. And it a good chance to do some k's
Terrain: Road
Traffic: It varies; I start @ different times. I love it when I start @
a sparrow's fart and there's bugger all traffic.
Bike:
http://www.snowboard.com/members/Photos/View.asp?U=788742&I=25&Mem=327526
Frequency: 3 times a week
Time taken: Between 30mins and 1.5hrs
Highlights: Riding past endless lines of stationary cars. Killing
myself up the two hills on Glenferrie rd (Nth bound). TT'ing Yarra Blvd
in the dark. Growing eyes in the back of my head.
Lowlights: People in cars that cut you off while riding in the rain.
Parked cars with opening doors while you are riding past.
General comments:
I don't bother with tools or puncture kits. It I run into bother I just
call a cab. The money I save on bike commuting easily off sets the odd
cab ride.

Dave A said:

Lowlights:- Since my commute from this house started three years ago
(route unchanged), there has been the addition of three sets of traffic
lights, four new speed humps and a new "roundabout" added to my
commute. One of the new sets of traffic lights is in the middle of a
big (short/sharp) hill. This either means you get stopped in the middle
of slugging up the hill, or your new attempt at breaking the commute
speed record (~70 KPH) gets rudely interrupted. Ghhhrrrr!!!!

They did the same to my outbound commute in Mitcham. The big downhill
before the big Ringwood downhill now has a set of lights at its bottom.
Ruin my brakes just to stop for the stupid bloody thing. Grrr.

hippy