so im looking to move house, and am going to be going out of town, and will thus be further from my work.if i continue to cycle it will be around 10 miles one way.all road or path and fairly flat.
i need to take commuting into account with my choice of location and i am currently thinking " yeah i can do 20miles a day no probs" but when it comes to rain and wind and winter im not so sure?? my main worry tho i i will be much more tired as a result or will i just adjust to it ?
could also possibly train half of it and ride the town bit but train fares ad up...
any experiences or opinions please?
If you get a road bike or a flat bar training bike the 10 miles will zip by on the road and I doubt you'll be remotely tired.
It's not like 10 miles XC on a mtb.
Effects? You'll get much fitter, lose weight, save money and feel better.
Go for it!
I used to commute 22 miles a day and it does just bounce off you if you're on a road bike. It's only about 30-40 mins. ride depending on how sweat you can get.
10 miles on a road / skinny tyred commuter goes by very quick. You will not really feel it, on a mountian bike it becomes harder.
if on a road bike i don't think you will really feel it. it is roughly 30-40 minutes.
10 milse a day, or 10 miles each way per day? 10 miles a day I'd not even think about - it's a walk in the park even on an MTB with knobbies on. When I went past 15 miles each way per day I started to think about slicks and eventually a road bike. My fitness didn't seem to improve much, nor did my weight.
What tiggs said.
The motivation may be hard in the dark, wet and cold of winter but at 10 miles each way you won't be riding for that long.
I really wish I had a commute of that distance - I would be much fitter. With a 60 miles round trip I'm averaging one cycling commute a year 🙁
10 miles each way.im really keen but its also sunny outside.the other problem is im in shirt and tie all day and there's no showers here.might need a bucket and a sponge!!
I've commuted up to 5 miles and 17 (slightly hilly) miles. Latter was great albeit I tended to hammer it and took 1-2 days off a week so I'd be fresh at weekend.
10 miles looks like long enough to help with fitness/wind-down but short enough not to be knackering/dispiriting.
I'd suggest [s]I'd[/s] you'll need decent shower/wash facilities at work
10 miles each way shouldn't be much of a problem, if there are no showers I would keep some wetwipes to have a quick clean up when I got in. Take it easy on the way in, have a blast on the way home.
10 miles each way.im really keen but its also sunny outside.the other problem is im in shirt and tie all day and there's no showers here.might need a bucket and a sponge!!
Just make sure you can change and take wet wipes, 10 miles each way is nice and do-able (I do that currently) in about 30-35 mins, but I'd want slicks at that point for ease. IF you shower each night as soon as you get in and have wetwipes in the office/bag to get the main wet areas you won't smell. Give yourself an extra 10 mins in the morning to let your blood flow drop to normal, I always feel totally wired when I get to work and need to calm a little lol
ok, maybe not as bad as i thought.
any "freshening up" routines people use?
Not convinced a 10 mile commute + shirt/tie dress-code + no showers is a workable combination (we don't have showers where I work so I don't commute by bike although I did have the misfortune of working a couple of desks away from someone who did).
Not convinced a 10 mile commute + shirt/tie dress-code + no showers is a workable combination (we don't have showers where I work so I don't commute by bike although I did have the misfortune of working a couple of desks away from someone who did).
The answer is commuting in one set of clothes and leaving the shirt/trousers in work, so you can take off the sweaty clothes and be fresh.
(we don't have showers where I work so I don't commute by bike although I did have the misfortune of working a couple of desks away from someone who did).
I used to commute 34 miles a day to a place with no showers and end up soaking in summer, but didn't smell - the answer is getting the sweat off you quickly using your commuting clothes or a small towel, then if you're a particularly smelly person using wipes. Never once had a comment about smell despite my interacting a lot with students and specifically asking for honest answers (rather know than have people being polite!) from colleagues as I was aware of the possible problem.
But rain and wind will make you think twice in the morning, it takes a lot of effort not to jump in the car after about 10 miles each way!
I would say ten miles is a nice distance, I'm currently doing 27 miles a day, which takes around 53 minutes each way on an MTB. It is definitely tougher as the weather gets worse though. At the begining of the year I did twice a week, then three times and for the past five weeks I have done everyday, but will drop back to three when the weather worsens.
what is the terrain like?
I normally cycle to station on brompton, get train and cycle the other end
but once a week when i can be bothered / try i cycle the whole route which is 60miles round trip..
so 10miles each way would be fine - just get a decent bike - not the fastest one, but a quick one but allow for puncture resistant tyres a bit slower but much better than getting flats all the time, get a decent luggage option - i.e. let the bike carry the stuff - stops you getting a sweaty back, get mudguards
if you do not have a shower at work, take a wash bag and have a sponge bath in the disabled toilet
I currently commute 10km (about 7miles) I have a nice relaxed ride in the morning, don't bother with a shower at work. In the evening I tend to see how fast I can get home along the normal route or take a detour for a bit more fun.
But I do jump in the car if the seather is reallty crappy, probably cycle 80% of the time.
Yeah no showers is not a problem.
My normal commute is 6 miles each way but once a week I do 24 miles in and 6 back. Hand towel / baby wipes change of clothes and deodrant and you are away.
If you have to leave early in the morning (I have to leave at 5am to do my 24 mile journey) then have a shower the night before to make sure you are clean.
I commute 8 miles each way with no showers at work. Usually take 5 minutes to cool down when I get to the office then head to the bathroom, wash my face and head off, wipe pits etc with wipes if I'm super sweaty then towel off and get changed.
I leave shoes, ties and pants in work and take a fresh shirt & boxers in my backpack.
I always wear lycra short sleeved running tops, I find I get much less sweaty when wearing these.
Here's how to do it
Don't do a full week right off, build up over a couple of weeks
Carry as little as possible, e.g. leave your trousers and shoes at work
Have your kit waiting for you so that when you get up you put it straight on before you think about it
Get mudguards, overshoes, and bastid bright lights
Eat whatever you want and never gain weight
Eat whatever you want and never gain weight
Naah, I went from 15.5 to 16.5 stone in a year while commuting 34 miles a day at 17mph average 3-4 days a week. You really cant eat anything you want!
Have your kit waiting for you so that when you get up you put it straight on before you think about it
So so true. The times I forget to get things organised the night before is the times I look out the window or press snooze on my alarm.
30 mile round trip for me 🙂 It's great! I feel fresh and awake at work and when I get home too.