Looking forward to finally attempting getting back to the full bike commute on Monday after using the clown bike and the train whilst in recovery.

Fed up with all the Surrey train commuters and the elbowing for space. Pfft. If I were to react with a proper ki-assisted shove, you’d be surprised all the way back to Basingstoke, mate.

Bikes are good, aren’t they. 😉

Probably because there is no space at all on trains. It is just a horrible existence and I can’t wait to retire.

I feel your pain.

ononeorange, what’s your commute?

Just looking at moving back to Surrey in a deal with the devil: Space, trails and greenery in return for giving up my cycle commute for the train. 😕

Your comment hasn’t helped!

I travel on the train once or twice a year at most, and usually on quiet ones at that. It’s a horrible way to travel, just vile, feel sorry for anyone who has to do it regularly.

i used to train into waterloo and most days hated it, over crowded, unpleasant the only upside is I read a lot of books and listened to a lot of music. I then started riding the 15 miles each way and it was literally a breath of fresh air. Sure it had its risks but I got very fit and lost weight, I miss it now. I do 6 miles now and then extend it to 15 on the way home. still better than buses trains or cars.

I used to try to share the train home with recently demobbed oil workers. Hell on earth doesn’t begin to describe it. I used to have a 8 mile commute or a 20 mile. I would watch the train rolling in late and on clocking bike spaces were as usual,full of kit bags….cycle.

Only train I get these days, is when I’m heading up to the highlands! It’s a blissgful existence!

I’m lucky that work means I almost never have to travel in rush hour, but getting evening trains from London Bridge last year, I’ve never seen so many visibly unhappy people packed into such a small space. London’s a totally different city and much more enjoyable when you’re on a bike.

London and the South East in general is a joke, horrid area really.

Born and bred down here and always been pleased with the South but my priorities have changed the last few years and i’m loving different areas of the UK i’ve seen recently…now looking at rural Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Wales and Shropshire as potential moves in 2014….loads cheaper too!
For the same price as my current shoe box on the Hampshire/Surrey border i was looking at a 12 acre property in South Wales instead, crazy really….cant wait to get out of here soon!

is it seasonal hatred? is this the worst time of year for commuting by train?
even my ride into work has been sullied by the constant cold, wet weather.

Yes it’s seasonal. Dark, permanently sitting in wet clothes and the trains are at the fullest of course at present.

Nedrapier – Amersham to City. One (reasonably reliable but always packed) overland train which is at the mercy of the utterly crap TfL signals and track; then three separate tubes. One of which is always knacked. Changing at Oxford Circus can take 10 minutes just to squeeze a hundred yards through tunnels owing to the sheer pressure of people and TfL’s insane inability to design anything.

Apologies for the grumble. It’s been a vile week so far with delays and now a strike to contend with having just paid over £3000 for this nonsense.

To be fair, for all that crap and 3 hours+ a day commuting, I would not move back in towards London. It’s lovely where we live and just having a garden / quiet enough to sleep etc is worth it. Can’t move away as I’m old and unemployable in anything else.

It’s a horrible way to travel, just vile,

soooo subjective. On my commute (when I take the train) there’s a couple of trains where I know it will be really busy, some days you’re packed in* like sardines (mondays and fridays normally but you get odd days too) others you’ll just have to stand but won’t be cramped. If I avoid those few, train travel is actually quite good round here, stress free and pretty quick, regular services, bit shit if you wanna take your none folder bike at commute times admittedly. YMMV on other routes but a blanket “trains are shite” is bollocks.

feel sorry for anyone who has to do it regularly.

I’m a big boy I can handle it.

*if you can call voluntarily getting on a crowded train when there will be another along shortly “packed in”