Knee warmers

fasthaggis – Member
Be organised and eliminate all faff.

Very much this. Prep your bike, bag, clothes and stuff for breakfast the night before, or it’ll take you an eternity to leave the house.

Low point for me: putting a bike back together in a massive rush at seven a.m., then realising the cranks were at 90 degrees to each other when I tried to pedal off.

I don’t have half this gear for my commute…

Pompino with hub gears, 2 rear lights (a flashy job and a steady one), 2 front lights (a flashy job and a steady one), have stuck tons of scotchlite tape everywhere. No mudguards, it’s only a 50min and 15 miles, bike is bombproof.

Small saddle bag with emergency tenner, 2 tubes and 2 tyre levers, then the pump and spanner (for the hub, just a regular small spanner drilled through) on the water bottle mounts.

Lunch goes in my back pockets along with keys and phone.

Tyres for summer are Pave and for winter I was using armadillos but will be running rubinos this time around.

For clothing I love aldi base layers, on-one gloves/bib tights although I did splash out and get some peal izumi winter jobbies. Oh and gilets are also pretty awesome – I might look into arm warmers now they have been explained to me.

Only time I don’t cycle to work is with ice (snow is fine, I have spikes), mainly because yo see too many people sliding everywhere. I take a shedload of stuff into work every 2-3 weeks (via the car tbf) so I’ve nothing to carry as that’s a pain in the hole. I have lockers/showers/secure bike parking (although I leave a lock there for when I cycle in on the nice bike) at work and my gear will dry from wringing to damp in a work day.

Only extra tip I can give you that hasn’t been mentioned is 2 helmets – a slightly large cheap winter jobbie, less vents (on cheaper models) and you can fit a skullcap underneath keeping your head warm and then a good “summer” helmet which has more vents keeping you cool and you don’t need a skull cap with.

AN absolute must are Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres.

This +1000. Indestructable and grippy. A total pain to get on and off, but you won’t need to do it on a freezing night.

Cor blimey this is depressing reading.
If I’d have read this I probably would have kept the car!

For my commute I use:

£250 Halfords special.
Lights.
El Cheapo no-name jacket and overtrousers if it looks like chucking it down.

If my bike spontaneously combusts (or punctures) mid-route I’ll just call a colleague/customer/taxi to pick me up.

I find oncoming cars notice the flashing light quite a bit sooner than continuous beam, judging by when they dip their headlights.

My advice would be to do it for a few weeks before you buy anything…. Spare tube and a pump and then buy it as you need it… The more you can keep at work the better

£250 Halfords special.
Lights.
El Cheapo no-name jacket and overtrousers if it looks like chucking it down.

I used to be very much with you on this. I’ve been riding to work the last few years on some pretty ropey bikes with nasty kit. However, this summer I started riding my half decent bike to work and it’s actually been enjoyable – I’ve even been doing extra bits on nice evening just for fun. Most of my riding time is commuting so I’m coming round to the idea of doing it on the best bike I can afford to wreck.

That sounds like a Subway. I’d get the Subway 8 though.

don’t think I’ve ever had so many responses, all taken on board but keep them coming,im really looking forward to it my cardiologist said i needed to build up to it so im going to try and do a few miles next week. ta DB

I used to be very much with you on this. I’ve been riding to work the last few years on some pretty ropey bikes with nasty kit. However, this summer I started riding my half decent bike to work and it’s actually been enjoyable

It may be cheap but I **** love riding my bike!
Been taking the long route to work and have overtaken over £30,000 of bike this week alone!
Carrera TDF Ltd BTW, superb VFM.

BTW this was work on Thursday

My commute today. I lost count once into the city but fgf is a strong correlation. pic.twitter.com/XUtGynuVzQ

— jimmyjangles (@jimhatfield) September 10, 2015

lots of good info above. i do 8 miles each way to the train station each morning so a similar distance although mine is entirely on quite country lanes. a few things that i’ve learned/do are:

– full mudguards. it’s a no brainer for daily commuting.

– i ride a fixed gear road bike, old steel framed job. minimal maintenance, gets me there quickly and just does the job. gatorskin tyres seem to work for me.

– leave my jacket and work shoes (office job) at work then only take my trousers, boxers, socks and a non iron shirt with me each day. rolling clothes is a great way to keep wrinkles to a minimum.

– I use a timbuktu messenger bag. it’s bullet proof (looks like new after 7 years almost daily abuse), water proof, comfortable and less phaff than panniers (for me). I have a smaller bag permanently in there with a spare tube, mini pump, backup lights, spanner, tyre lever etc

– always carry a rain cape and overshoes for when it’s lashing it down and i didn’t check the forecast

– first thing i do when i get in at night is shower and lay out my kit for the next mornings commute. fresh shorts and socks every day (spares at work for a dry ride home) tops can usually do couple of days in a row.

– leave a lock at work (station for me)

– if you’re feeling tired take it easy

enjoy it. when it’s good weather there is nothing better, when it’s shitty just tell yourself you’re a badass 😉

Rule 9 applies to commuting.

Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.

Cheap, small size, disposeable nappies. Stuff them in to wet shoes.
Full guards. Panniers (unless you have those anti motorbike barriers.

Slime tubes and puncture resistant tyres are pretty much a must I think. They suck the “life” out of the bike, but every time I think of putting something lighter/comfier/quicker on I remember how much I hated opening the shed to find a puncture!

Cheap flashing lights stay on the bike, along with a front light for seeing where I’m going. Mudguards make the world of difference.

I carry an airzone type rucksack which has the basics in it (multi-tool, tube, pump, patches). Doubt I’d be changing anything on the way to work but I have the kit to fix it during lunch or before leaving. It’s also hi-viz, which saves the need for hi-viz clothing.

Security wheel skewers and seatpost bolt mean one less thing to lock up.

Panniers are only fitted if I have a big shop to do or loads to collect from work. For me having the rucksack means everything is with me when I get off the bike and pop in the shops etc. Nothing worse than faffing removing or locking everything every time!

I only used £30 of diesel last month, and that was taking my mountain bike somewhere more interesting!

I commuterised my Pinnacle Arkose

Full mudguards
Pannier rack
2 front lights
2 back lights
1 bottle cage and d lock inside frame
Old school honking horn – much louder than a ting ting bell
Schwalbe marathon plus tyres 32c
Have spoke reflectors to fit but haven’t done that yet. My other commuter is covered in reflective tape

I have a combined front/rear light on my helmet
I use a Topeak rack bag for my commutes, slides into the rack. It has fold out panniers and is ace, I can do some shopping on the way home from work, also has a fold up rucksack inside. Contains a basic tool kit too, and has a bottle holder for my morning nutribullet. Another rear light on this too!