My Commute

Hi everyone, just thought I would start this thread.
I have been commuting to the same place of work for 12years now, on a regular basis. It is 25km from home to work, so 50km each day.
In the morning I have a choice of routes to take, I usually ride one route in Summer and the other when it is darker of a morning, because of street lamps. Both routes take me around a lake, on one side there is the sea- with its lovely sunrises, the other way is closer to the mountains, which has its own beauty.
I leave home at 5.30am so the traffic is fairly light either way, but coming home is the opposite. Medium to heavy traffic, but I love 'traffic jammin' ie trying to keep up with the cars between lights or just holding my position on the road. Afternoon rides mean speed- which I love! ;D
In the mornings most drivers come to recognise me and give me plenty of room, so riding at a regular time pays off.
I also have come to realise that by doing the right thing- hand signals, making eye contact, pointing my direction on roundabouts and riding in a straight line earn me respect on the road.
Well thats all for now, I could add heaps more but,thats for another day. So if you are thinking about commuting - well give it a go. Anything I can help you with just ask.
Regards, sillystorm.

 

I would have to agree with every point you have made, you get back what you give in life. 8)
It really shits me when I see some cyclist run a red light, or ride like a complete psychotic fool in trafic. I'm sure it also annoys drivers and doesnt do much good for cyclists in general.

Now back to My Commute

I don't have one I only live 4 km from work, i've found it eaiser to train before work.

cheers!

 

Hi there.
This is my first post in this BB.

I thought this was a good enough place to start since I commute (30kms one way) almost every day into the centre of Jo'burg which is apparently the most dangerous city in the world. :

I agree with everything you said sillystorm. I try to ride in easy so not to get too sweaty but then have a good speed workout or interval session on the way home. Slipstreaming and dodging cars stuck in traffic jams is great fun and I'm so glad I'm not sitting in them. Unfortunately we've had quite a bit of rain in the last 2 weeks so training has been mostly indoors and I have been sitting in traffic.

 

I would actually love to commute by bike to work and back. the problem I have is that

• a) By highway the distance is 35km one way (this means back roads would be considerably longer)
• b) I dont actually know any back roads
• c) Time and weather are huge factors
• d) I sweat easily and alot. No showers at work will cause a rather unpleasent smell all day. :'(

I've taken to riding before and after work instead.

 

ouzo, I have(had) the same thoughts about riding to work because I'm faced with the same problems. Let me address them:
a) I also thought the backroads would be much longer but I found a route that's more than 2kms shorter than the highway.
b) I didn't know any back roads either but a bit or research in a map book, an investigative weekend cycle solved that. Where do you live/work?
c) Weather is a real bummer but we can't do much about it. I've been caught a few times and once or twice called a friend to fetch me and my bike from work when it was really bad.
Time isn't too much of a problem. 35kms should only take 1:15 - 1:20 at any easy-ish pace.
d) I sweat enough to dissuade me from attending any spinning classes because without a direct fan on me all the time I overheat and cause a puddle that spreads around more than just my bike.
To overcome this problem I ride in at 05h30 which means that I get to work at about 06h35 before it's warm. Besides being cooler, the traffic is just about non-existant and taking it really easy makes for minimum sweat. I haven't got any showers at work either so I leave a bag of toiletries in my office (plus work clothes) including a towel, deo, soap and facecloth. Nobody is around at that time of the morning so I can have a bit of a wash using the basin without being disturbed.

And because you're in early you also get to post undisturbed at your favourite cycling BB. ;D

 

hehe...I like this post. Sean, you sound just like me!

 

I'm new on this site, must admit one of the better sports chat sites. I also travel to work and back on my bicycle. What I find is that the motorist getting used to cyclists if the cyclist respect the rules of the road. Don't jump a red robot, don't try and ride in the middle of the road to force the motorist to wait and idle along. If all cyclists behave and respect the rules of the road, the motorist will learn what to expect and how to handle the situation. Last but not least = Use hand signals to inform motorist of whats going to happened and be decisive in your signals

 

I agree 100%, most people are no good at reading minds

Anyway welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy your stay.

cheers!

 

Dular, our hon, transport minister in SA is introducing bicycles as ameans of transport. Greaaaaaaat!!!!! Now a lot of training has to begiven to the motorists and hopefully at the end we are going to look slim and fit another thing is we are going to need cycle tract along our roads but the main problem is most us are 40 to 75 km away from work ??? a sugestion would be to have people work in the city they live in. If you are familiar with the situation here

 

Hmmm, do you really think it's going to take off?

 

I think it will with time. Look at cycling, sure its becoming popular especially that it used to be for particular race group. Like I said motorist have to understand that the road is not meant only for them. If the promotion is given achance then it will. Already ther are a few guys that I have seen using bikes. I would as well the only problem is I am travelling 90k's a day to and fro.

 

IMO - bikes will never replace cars, in theory both should be able to use the roads without any problems.

One is simply not better than the other, ever tired doing the shopping on your bike or towing a horse float with your bike?? hrmmm maybe my new fitness lane should include some serious miles in the car hehe

Education for both sides is the key!

 

Well folks, my commute is 24km one way, mostly next to the ocean and almost entirely on back streets. The only problem I have is the lack of hills. I can get a couple in with some well-chosen detours that don't take long, but I want more. Roll on Sunday I say.

 

Hello all. I'm from Toronto and my commute ia a measley(compared to ones I see here ) 17 km each way, from Forest Hill to Etobicoke. I leave at 6:10 am and beat traffic, and love it! ;D I'm lucky that my health club is in my office building so bathing is easy.

ANy ways, greetins! 8)

 

I travel 12 kms to work mostly down hill and 63kms after work
I take a little detour after work, get home and relaxe. I also do 70kms on sat I get sunday off : ready for monday again I am starting to get use to wet weather this adds up to 445kms a week I'll tell you I sleep well at night

 

???
hi, as part of my MSc in product design at the university of teesside, uk, i am currently involved in developing a product that will encourage more people to cycle to work, i know you guys already do but would like to hear your opinions on the matter. is safe cycle storage at work a problem?, is the sweat factor a big issue?, is road safety and journey distance a deterrant?

any feedback would be greatly recieved.

 

I cannot believe that I haven't posted on this thread

My commute is only 4.5 miles so distance isn't a problem, but in reply to some of brett's questions,

cycle storage is a problem but it's something I've worked out with the manager, I used to leave my bike in the changing room but everytime I went to go home, the bike had been tampered with as a JOKE, gears messed up, brakes tightened etc. So now I get changed and take the bike to my workplace and if anybody goes near it I just bark. ;D

The sweat factor isn't a problem because I've have the already mentioned changing rooms to freshen up in and as the guys in work point out ,"everyday I over shoot the runway" which means that I cycle passed work for a mile to cool off before I go in.

As for safety all I can talk about is my route and that's pretty safe so again it's not a problem.

My thoughts on commuting in general are that if somebody wants to commute then none of the above will be a deterrant, but most people just cannot simply be bothered.

 

Hi Brett,

Yep, my biggest problem is sweating . I work in an environment where some of the other people are at work at 06:15 in the mornings, so standing at the basin, washing, etc. wouldn't go down that well with some people. The rest of the stuff is OK, but if you can find a solutions for this GREAT!

 

I ride to work too. Never measured it, maybe 12, 13 miles each way.<br /><br />You definitely see the same drivers if you leave early in the morning. I leave between 6:30 and 6:50 so I get some recognition and respect.<br /><br />I go to the gym in the mornings, so I have a shower, change and then ride very slowly a few hundred yards to work. I still leave at 5pm, and at that time it's a nightmare of fear and hostility. I have had more angry encounters with drivers than I care to remember. Why can't people see that more bikes = less crowded roads??????<br /><br />Last August a car drove across a cross roads where I was on the major road and drove straight into me and knocked me spinning through the air. I broke my kneecap.

 

Animal I start or finish work at 3pm depending on what shift I work, so I miss the heavy traffic, but today because of a appointment I left for work at 5pm and I couldn't believe my eyes.<br /><br />It was total chaos, not that it surprised me , but the fact that people sit through that everyday, and I use the word sit because they weren't driving anywhere, astounds me.<br /><br />How's the knee any recurring problems ? and what happened to the driver was he taken to court ?