Just been reading some of the most pathetic excuses for not being able to ride I’ve come across in a while.
“set up time “
personally I don’t really have any.. (don’t often wear a helmet, never wear gloves, always wear skate shoes and keep at least one bike in the house ready to ride).
What about you lot? Are you a faff queen or always good to go?

The time it takes me to get changed is all.

faff is allowed at the beginning of group rides, it’s as integral a part of riding as coffee.
solo rides – the concept of faff shouldn’t exist. 2-3 minutes from ‘might go for a ride’ to ‘in the saddle’.

Doing a bit of winter commuting on a road bike at the minute. Takes me about 5 mins to get ready each way. Pita trying to find some way of speeding up the process.

Depends how long i’ve been awake for – generally i can do bed to saddle in less than 15 mins, none of that is faff though really.

Quick squeeze of tyres, last minute dump, fill water bottle, check tools are in saddle pouch and food is in jersey pocket = ready to ride, say ten minutes mainly depending on dumpage time…..

Dumping in a water bottle seems a little extreme, but if you’re in a hurry 😆

Bikes ready to go – only out for an hour or two ride In what I am wearing – out for longer I might change. 5 mins tops.

No one is going to admit to being a faff queen are they?

Flippin’ ages.

Normally, I have to add a bit of air to the tyres, shock and fork and some wax lube to the chain which doesn’t take too long at all…

But then if anyone else in the household wants to come along then I invariably end up doing the same thing and subsequently rebuilding the damn bike when someone says “Oh, it doesn’t change gear that well” five minutes before we’re due to finally go out. My record is spending five hours prepping four bikes, not to mention ensuring that Stepsons 1 & 2 have helmets, appropriate footwear and shorts that fit and that Stepson 2 who’s diabetic has all his blood testing kit and hypo treatment to hand.

Whenever I ask for help, I’m rewarded with blank looks and denials of any spannering ability whatsoever.

Since you seem insistant…

Car doesn’t have bike rack and can’t afford a roof rack. So bike comes out of garage, wheels off, seat off, jam in boot. Fill bladder, grab food, stuff in bag, throw in car. Drive 20 mins to mates house. Bike out of car, put back together, bike goes on his rack. Bags out of my car into his car. Drive 30 minutes to nearest hill! Bikes off rack, change shoes, don helmet and gloves, go riding.

Then the same again backwards, adding clean bikes, grab lunch/dinner, post ride shower, ensure kit is ready for next ride, wash clothes etc.

Out of my door to starting riding, since there are NO hills except those with roads on, takes around 90 minutes, probably a little more on the way back.

I used to live in the North of Scotland, and could step out the door onto monroes in minutes. However some parts of England are flatter than swimming pools at 5am, those of us that insist on calling ourselves MOUNTAIN bikers need to travel to do so.

a faff queen

That’s a bit perjorative.

Seems to be more faff the longer I havent; ridden for.

For night ride’s I have to find lamps and batteries and attach to the bike I’ll be riding, check tyre pressures, fill water bottle, get Garmin attached to bike, get changed etc.

10-15 minutes probably, if everythign is where I think I left it.

“But then if anyone else in the household wants to come along then I invariably end up doing the same thing and subsequently rebuilding the damn bike when someone says “Oh, it doesn’t change gear that well” five minutes before we’re due to finally go out”

been there got the t-shirt …. last weekend mrs TR had a puncture on one bike and no brake pads in the other – but im supposed to be telepathic to know these things.

Q lots of huffing when i went out on my MTB and she had no brake pads to come out – but i did give her my road bikes wheel to go out on her road bike.

Up to 30 mins give or take (depends if winter or summer):

Eat
Make up energy drinks/fill bottles
Contact lenses in
Dump
Dress + chamois cream
Lock self into garage
Pump tyres
Pull on shoes
Pull on overshoes
Check HRM working
Go

Depends on the ride. If I was planning a full day or even weekend ride it could take an hour easily and thats before checking the bike over to make sure there is nothing wrong. If its a local from the house ride then I can be out riding in less than 10 mins if the weather is good, or just over 10 if its bad.

My helmets are in the cupboard under the stairs with gloves in them my jacket, army goretex shorts and bag are in there too and my shoes, flats and SPD, are next to the back door. 30 second walk to the shed unlock the bike, which bike I ride is often dictated by whatever shoes I happen to put on.

ages.

my bikes are never left in a state to be ridden. road bike stored on the turbo with a turbo tyre – that needs swapping. mtb stored on the wall with no wheels – takes 5 mins to find the wheels. there is normally one bike left ready – but more often than not it’e the wrong one. i’ve got a road bike mates are going off road. I’ve got an mtb ready & my roadie mates text etc.

never any spare tubes so i have to repair an old tube to take as a spare.

i never ride spontaneously (i think i know why!) so normally this stuff will be done the night before a ride.

Go

then realise garage door is locked, dismount, unlock door and leave garage?

In the summer it really depends how long the ride is going to be – if i’m going down the supermarket i just go with what im wearing but i dont really class that as a “bike ride” its only 5 minutes each way. For an hours ride then a couple of minutes to get ready and fill a bottle but for a longer ride then will need to get food out and make a drink up, check the weather forecast see if i need to take a waterproof / gilet / arm warmers etc, have a quick check of the bike to make sure everything is good.

In the winter even a short ride will take a while to get ready for. If i organised my clothes more then it would be quicker but i am forever losing base layers, undergloves, overshoes (which when i eventually find take me about 5 minutes to get on properly because they are so tight!)

If you are going to be out for a few hours particularly in the winter then taking a bit of time to get properly prepared is worth it. For me it is the difference between feeling comfortable after 3 hours as opposed to feeling miserable after 30 minutes!

which bike I ride is often dictated by whatever shoes I happen to put on.

so they co-ordinate 😉

5-10 minutes as I loathe faffing. Changed and out the door, but I’ve been commuting on the bike for years so I’m used to getting changed and going.

5-10 mins. Grab kit, fill Camelbak, put bikes in car/van.

10-40 mins after a ride to clean/fix bike and get kit ready for the next ride. This means I’m not running around like a headless chicken before a ride.

anyone who knows Birmingham will know about Chelmsley Wood. This is where I live currently, I have to get out my mac 10 check the mag is full and ready to fire, sneak my bike into my car so no one knows I have a nice bike, closest place to ride is my childhood playground of Sutton Park, 15-20 minute drive, park car, get bike out of car, put wheels on (set-up, helmet on, so from parking to riding 5 mins tops…

About 10 mins depending on which bike as ‘first’ in the shed. If it’s the one i want, i can be out the door and on the trails within 5 mins. IT’s about 3 mins riding to get to the good stuff from my doorstep 🙂

anyone who knows Birmingham will know about Chelmsley Wood. This is where I live currently,

Wow now that’s a hole and that’s coming from a man from Tamworth. 😯

It is my duty to inform those present that GW is unlikely to be returning to this thread 😆

It actually takes me much longer to go from work…

get changed + 5 mins in disabled loo (+3-5 mins if the cleaners are in there and i have to hop about in the mens)

Waiting for the lift +5 mins

Walking to and unlocking bike +5 mins

Waiting for car park staff to notice me and roller door to go up +2-3 mins

Then i kill myself trying to knock 1 min off my time on the commute home!

I find the level of faffage increases exponentially as the group numbers increase.

If there is only a few, get changed, get bike & off we go.

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neilsonwheels – Member
anyone who knows Birmingham will know about Chelmsley Wood. This is where I live currently,
Wow now that’s a hole and that’s coming from a man from Tamworth.

2 good things about tamworth, snowdome and a Nice kebab shop! 😉 people don’t mess with you once you tell them you live in ‘the wood’ and see my mac 10…. obviously 😉

I’m originally from Aston/Perry Barr which is equally as much of a hole, Lived in Sutton from about the age of 6 though until about 4 years ago.

legend – Member
It is my duty to inform those present that GW is unlikely to be returning to this thread

result.

thomthumb – Member

so they co-ordinate

Don’t yours?

Can Tamworth still be called a hole now it has a John Lewis?

Nice kebab shop!

Where…?

Lived in Sutton Coldfield don’t you know, from about the age of 6 though until about 4 years ago

Fixed that… 😉

Can Tamworth still be called a hole now it has a John Lewis?

I think so because it’s full of folks saying “HOW MUCH”.!

Definition of a ‘hole’ is more than one poundshop next to each other. ;

I lived in Wylde Green.. the ‘don’t you know side is from around Wyndley and onwards. 😉

Kebab Shop is on the high street next to an outdoor.. does chicken breast kebabs cooked an a BBQ in front of you. none of that off the big skewer heated by your nans electric fire.

It actually takes me much longer to go from work…

I’m far quicker getting off from work than I am at home. Leave with the 5 o’clock rush, clothes already in the shower room which is on the way out (I’m generally the only rider in the building) and I’m usually riding for 7 mins past 5.

legend – Member

It is my duty to inform those present that GW is unlikely to be returning to this thread
Why??

When i commuted, I grabbed bike and left.
If Im doing a proper ride the bike is generally prepped the day before. Perhaps a quick wipe of the chain to remove excess lube and a quick quirt of teflon lube to the forks / shock and im good to go.
Day before preparation can take anything from 5 mins to an hour depending on
1) The state the bike was left in from the previous ride
2) What is found to be requiring attention
3) Anything else I feel like fiddling with taking off / putting on bits etc.

Lived in Sutton Coldfield don’t you know,

What are you trying to say Neil?

My commute seems like faff-city sometimes. All that cycle clothing to pedal 6 miles. I guess it’s worth it when it’s cold and wet in the winter, as it has been. Need to streamline things for when it warms up (if it ever stops raining in Manchester that is).

I was thinking what the old boys in the 50s and 60s would be wearing, commuting in on their raleighs. Probably tweeds and brogues – none of this 6 pieces of lycra and overshoe shite.

tweeds and brogues

It’s a good look!

brogues don’t tend to work well with pointy metal pedals.

It is my duty to inform those present that GW is unlikely to be returning to this thread

what did I miss?

he started this thread, because of this other thread…

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ditching-1×9-time-for-2×9

I always get annoyed by how long it takes to get sorted for a ride

More down to the stupid layout of my house more than anything else