[Closed] Commuting Advice Please

Mudguards are the most important thing, make much more of a difference to how wet you get than any waterproof, and are quite a cheap upgrade. Lights obviously. Reflective tape is nice too (get it from Halfords).

I use the same tyres as always, 23mm GP4000 S. As long as it is something with a little puncture resistance that works okay in the wet, and you look where you're riding it's okay.

I use a cheapish altura windproof (cost about £20 I think, maybe 30) rather than a waterproof. If it really pisses down I get wet, but it keeps the wind off so I don't get cold, and I don't sweat too much in it, like I do in the fancy goretex etc.

Joe

Cold? It's not so cold yet.

If you can fit full mudguards, do. If not, race blades or those Crudcather jobs might do a bit to keep the spray off you.

Tyres wise, I've currently got an odd hybrid of a Conti Ultra Gatorskin on the back (25c) and a Vittoria Rubino (23c) on the front.

If you can fit a 25c tyre, you'll get a little more comfort. I find the Vittoria's pretty good (ideal winter tyre is the Pavé, but that's a bit pricy as a commuter tyre). Try Conti 4 Seasons also. Run then a bit softer.

No such thing as a light weight waterproof, IMO. I tend to ride in a gilet and arm warmers in the winter, and sling on a showerproof jacket if it's raining. It keeps the worst out.

Yep. Mudguards.

Regular tyres, whatever you got. Check pressures every few days - most flats are pinches off stones and edges.

Don't ride on drain covers, or any crappy bit of road - look ahead and take the road you need to keep safe.

If you need to put waterproofs on just slow down (loads) so you don't get too sweaty. It will make a surprisingly small difference to the journey time.

Hey Simon,

warmth is more important than dryness, through the summer I just got changed at work if it rained, through the winter depending on how long/cold it is geting wet is probably not a good idea. Probably only got rained on once a month at the most though (but i get to pick and choose my stat finish time so can avoid the showers).

Tires, whatevers on there, i've got some shwabble CX tires on my touring bike ATM for some extra comfort as the roads quite cut up in places, not great for cornering though.

I just take a days clothes at a time in my backpack and have a quick wipe down with babywipes when I get in. But I only have to do 3 miles each way.

Lots of reflective tape and lights (2 Q5 LED lamps, 2 flashing cateyes on my chest strap, blackburn mars on the bike and 2 catey flashers on the backpack, and cars still claim not to see me!)

mudguards (do you see a theme here ? )

a rack and a pannier if you find your self needing to carry a bag.

I arrive so much less sweaty without a bag - sometimes i ride into work on my MTB and have to use a bag - even one with an elevated back still makes me sweat.

Other than that make sure its comfy.

IF you sweat no waterproof will breath enough.

Eg i bought 2 endura gridlocks - one for me and one for the missus. we were riding side by side in torrential rain - i was dry under and she wetted hers out from the inside with sweat.

Welcome - its a theraputic end to a stressful day (even if i do commute through the city now ! ) and means i arrive home pretty much stress free

I really don't get the mudguard thing. If it's raining, I'll be in waterproof 3/4 shorts and a waterproof high vis jacket. What benefit do the guards add?

Apart from decent mud guards, worth getting toasty waterproof gloves and over socks, bit ott for this time of year, but that's where the cold gets to me.

As trail_rat mentions, I am a sweaty bugger, so no amount of water proof kit will keep me dry, saying that, I bought a new Montane Event waterproof jacket cheap this year from TKmax of all places.

Hoping it might breath a bit better this winter?

I drive in on a monday with a weeks worth of work wear. Mudguards are a must I don't get anywhere near as drenched now 😆 I wear a softshell as it's warm and showerproof, but I have a gore tex paclite if it hoofs it down. I use a carridice saddlebag for my day to day stuff i.e lunch , undies tools etc

mudguards, winterboots, waterproof gloves, waterproof jacket, 3/4 bib tights - the fleecy lined ones, buff, reflective tape all over seatstays & cranks & bits on your lid front and rear, 2 x rear lights, proper front light, emergency front light.

ok so that is only for about 6 weeks, I scale up to and down from that list as required. Its really rare to get rained on in actual fact.

i used to ride 20 miles each way 3 days a week on a road bike with no guards wearing the waterproof shorts and top ....

when i moved it dawned on me that i actually got wet from the road more often than i got rained on ....

guards fitted and ive only actually been soaked from above once despite riding in in the "rain" 5 or 6 times in the last 3 weeks ...

Surfr - clearly you haven't tried full mudguards! The difference is massive - you won't go back once you realise just how much crap your bike has been throwing up on to you without mudguards.

Good point above - the road stays wet for ages.

Surfr-waterproofs may help but m'guards stop spray and most dirt, muck and grit of your clothes and luggage.

I have Endura stealth pants and jacket-with mud streaks-looks like I had diarrhea and keeps wet longer.

Lights and mud guards are great.

[i]I really don't get the mudguard thing. If it's raining, I'll be in waterproof 3/4 shorts and a waterproof high vis jacket. What benefit do the guards add?[/i]

Because a lot of the time it isn't raining when you actually are riding but the roads are still wet, so you'll still get soaked unless you plan to put waterproofs on whenever the roads are wet.
Plus your feet won't get soaked and you'll also get less spray onto your face.

yeah full guards keep so much crap off the bike also ....

i see alot of high end road bikes sans guards up here that people commute on and front mechs are almost always siezed and the brakes and the lower headset race...

'man up' and get back to sheffield. I commute to rotherham on the dolan and i wish i had mudguards. as for tyres, what about this...

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-26-roadcommuting-tyres

rich

Mudguards keep all the road spray off: it's that which contains all the grit and grime off the road surface, the diesel residues which wreck clothing.
Actual rain is usually reasonably clean and as trail_rat mentions, you often avoid the rain itself but have to contend with the wet roads.

Other hints - all the spare clothing you take to work needs to be wrapped in plastic bags. Ditto with any food. Always carry a waterproof. I have a little bag of tools and a pump which lives in my commuting rucksack so I'm never without it.

I have tried full guards.

This was my first commuter:

Heavyweight steel monster:
[img] [/img]

But then I went lightweight
[img] [/img]

And I honestly don't really notice the difference. In Wales, when it rains, you know about it, regardless of guards. Wear effective clothing instead.

I'm going to start wearing shades though as I took the long way home last night down some tiny back lanes and seemed to be getting hit by flies at 30MPH all the time. One in the eye would have been nasty.

I really don't get the mudguard thing. If it's raining, I'll be in waterproof 3/4 shorts and a waterproof high vis jacket. What benefit do the guards add?

If it rains on you and you have mudguards on, you get just the rain that is falling now on you.

If it rains and you don't have mudguards, you get all the rain that has fallen for the last 4 hours or so, sprayed up your back / in your face.

Not wearing mudguards makes it like it is raining about 10 times as hard in terms of how much water gets onto you, and the water that does get onto you isn't clean rain water, it is minging road dirt water. A lot of the time, when it's only a bit of a shower, you don't even need to faff with waterproofs. You don't get a wet arse unless it rains really hard and horizontally. I don't think I've used waterproof trousers once this year, and my commute is 16 miles each way, so I can't avoid the rain. I can't remember getting a wet arse at all.

Basically you can spend £20-30 on mudguards, which you fit and then leave on your commute bike, or you can spend £50 on waterproof shorts, £100 on a waterproof jacket, which you have to keep washing all the time after they get covered in road muck. Even if you do want all the fancy waterproof gear, the mudguards will make it last longer and stay cleaner as it doesn't get grit all over it.

Joe

They aren't very long mudguards, and they aren't set in the ideal place - honestly, with prop guards set up nice the difference is massive. Plus the number of days that waterproofs are needed is tiny - you will be wearing sweaty clothes on days that the roads are wet but the rain isn't actually coming down.

has anyone mentioned mudguards? 🙂

I use two different bikes for commuting - a 'bad weather' ss conversion with 700c wheels and full guards, and a 'better weather' fixed gear with SKS raceblades (it had full guards but they were a bit tight through the rear stays and I snapped two before giving up) which I take off in prolonged periods of better weather.

You still get wet with mudguards, but your clothes don't get filthy.

My commute's part towpath, so I have tyre sizes between 32 and 35 and at the moment use (between the two bikes) Conti Countryrides which are surprisingly good, Maxxis Overdrive and Schwalbe Marathon. I'm always late, so cannot be bothered with punctures. You lose a bit of speed with these tyres, but I'd rather that than be fixing punctures.

As just about every one else has said a set of full guards, sks, make a huge difference. I wouldn't commute without them.

For cold winter days I found a gare skull cap made a huge difference to warmth and I've ridden in temps of -10 on my 20 mile commute and been warm. And a pair of merino glove liners under windroof gloves were great. No gloves I've found keep rain out properly.

I bought a gore fusion jacket last year, expensive but incredibly waterprof and breathable - can't wait to wear it again.

I usually wear gore waterproof shorts and find merino knee warmaers enough for anything but the extremely cold days.

Overshoes are good too, but something like endura mt500 that doesn't fall apart after a few 'foot down at lights' moments.

Used conti gp 4seasons last year and found them great on everything but frost/ice.

Leave what you can at work - I drive in once a week and only carry food daily and that fits in my jersey pockets. Tools etc are in a large saddle pack.

It's great commuting all through the year though, riding in the dark all the time takes a bit of getting used to every year but I love riding across the moor in the depths of winter.

OK I'll call your bluffs 🙂 Willing to try again. Anyone know of a guard suitable for 26x1.2" slicks on an MTB frame as above?

sks 26" guards

Calm down boy's .

Yes mudgaurds will be fitted
Yes new tyers are needed i running uber slim no grip in the wet road tyers.
Got my self some sid winter boots so that should keep my feet toasty

I just take my hydro pack with a shirt and trousers in rest of it gets left at work.

No chance of been back up in sheffield well not till next year at the earlyist (single track down here is top though)

Slim-ness of tyre doesn't mean less grip in the wet, necessarily. Rubber compound and quality of tyre makes the difference. Tread doesn't do much on a bike tyre at normal road widths.

ditto, I commued in all weather on conti GP4000's and supersonic tubes, not a cheep option, and probably not the most puncture resistant, but never suffered from grip problems. Only went for CX tyres out of tight fistedness (£30 a pair Vs £55) and comfort over the rougher bits of road.

As trail_rat says, SKS Commuter guards

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/SKS_Commuter_Mudguard/5360035533/

what mudguards for CX tyres?

Schwable CX's (700x30)

[i]Surfr - clearly you haven't tried full mudguards! The difference is massive - you won't go back once you realise just how much crap your bike has been throwing up on to you without mudguards.[/i]

I did. Commuting bike came with SKS full length ones. Quite pointless. If I minded getting wet, I'd buy a waterproof, move somewhere dry, or take up an indoor sport.

Fair enough but I would hardly call full guards 'quite pointless'. I don't mind getting wet when it's raining, but I do mind my feet getting sokaed from tyre spray and I mind my bike, my clothes, my face, my glasses getting covered in grit salt and all the other crap that gets sprayed off the road.

I don't have an issue with rain from above.

[i]I do mind my feet getting sokaed from tyre spray and I mind my bike, my clothes, my face, my glasses getting covered in grit salt and all the other crap that gets sprayed off the road.[/i]

I don't. Hence mudguards being pointless IME. If there's water on the road, it'll get sprayed up by cars anyway. Unless you travel in a little bubble, protected from 360 degrees, you're going to get wet.

As well as mudguards, a huge gurt mudflap for the bottom of the front guard is a big help with keeping feet dry.

I'm a big fan of the mudguard. If you're riding 10 miles, fast in all weathers then I can see you're not necesarily feeling a lot of benefit. It's when you're riding 2 miles to a meeting and it rained earlier in the day, or you're going to the pub or whatever that you really can't do without them. At that point you [i]do[/i] mind getting wet, and you just don't get that dirty spray line up your back with full guards on. 🙂

Each to their own but I've tried with and without and I see a point to full guards. Soaking wet feet when it's not actually raining pisses me off, fitting guards prevents this. Even when its really heavy rain I don't go home caked in crap off the road even with spray off cars, whcih to be honest unless they hit a big puddle, it's minimal.

Fair enough, different people have different views. Just pointing out the ridiculousness of a statement like 'you won't go back once you realise just how much crap your bike has been throwing up on to you without mudguards'

Yeh but the majority of folk aren't as hard as you 😉

20 miles each covered in filth and spray off the road, no ta.

nothing to do with being hard, really. I have a problem with large trucks trying to kill me, or going down a big rocky downhill fast. Others don't, which clearly makes me a wuss. A bit of water, on the other hand, doesn't really bother me. 😉

that was tongue in cheek btw and there was a smiley - stupid website

Pointless? Just what is the DISadvantage? If the bike had them, why get rid of them?

There's plenty of "ridiculous" statements on here from time to time (some of them possibly by me) but to call that ridiculous is, well, ridiculous.

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*Drags thread kicking and screeming back on topic*
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What mud guards for CX tires? (700x30+nobbles)

The biggest SKS ones you can find. And a brooks mudflap. 😉

Or look at On-One for some beautiful aluminium ones from Japan.

Personnally find mudguards make a huge difference, yes you still get wet. Water spraying up off the back wheel soaking through the shammy on the way in and then putting cold wet shorts back on for the journey home. Not pleasant. At least with guards far less water gets thrown up and the shorts have a chance of drying off before the return leg.

Only disadvantage of guards I can see are weight and possible toe overlap on the front, oh and if you only have one bike (some people do you know) and ride off road at the weekend then you need to take them off/on.

And the other disadvantage is spelling the word 'guards' as I always want to type gaurds.

They aren't terribly aerodynamic either Gary. 😉

Are these - [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25794 ]SKS Bluemels[/url] - a good option if you've got guard mounts on yer bike?

Moving on from mudguards...
Have a selection of witty pithy comebacks available for use against stupid motorists - I find I can never think of any on the spur of the moment so it's important to be well prepared.

😉

I just use the stand '**** off'.

I've addopted the 'indifferent WTF Shrug' (TM)

Its great for those moments when you can just look the drivers in the eye and no ammount of words could ever explain just how imbicilicly stupid you think they are right now.

Failing that, just get as close as posisble and let all hell break loose as close to their window as posible.

SKS Bluemels are fine I think, but SKS Chromo-plastics are better.

[i]Pointless? Just what is the DISadvantage? If the bike had them, why get rid of them?[/i]
I usally put stuff on my bike that has an advantage if it's in place, rather than something that just doesn't have a disadvantage. I got rid of them because they did nothing for the bike. Like the spoke protector - I know how to set up my rear mech so it has no advantage. Thus it went.

[i]
There's plenty of "ridiculous" statements on here from time to time (some of them possibly by me) but to call that ridiculous is, well, ridiculous. [/i]
I think your sweeping statement when you'd claimed people would never go back to no mudguards when they'd tried full-length ones became ridiculous as soon as one person stated that they HAD gone back. Some kind of 'most people wouldn't go back' statement would be so much better 😉

I just accept that I'll get wet if its been or is currently raining. Simple.

AndyP I take it you have a bell on your bike then.

You really have got the hump about this 'people would never go back to no mudguards' thing haven't you.

Anyway it's a lovely day outside, who cares about guards on days like this.

[i]AndyP I take it you have a bell on your bike then.[/i]
no, I have a voice. That does the same job, only better. Thus the bell has no advantage - therefore it's not on the bike.

[i]You really have got the hump about this 'people would never go back to no mudguards' thing haven't you.[/i]
not at all.

[i]Anyway it's a lovely day outside, who cares about guards on days like this. [/i]
people who don't see a disadvantage to them? (big 😉 )

AndyP

W

In London, it has been raining for much of the day. My new commuter does not have guards on it. This would not bother me in the least if I was going straight home, but I'm probably going to be sitting in a bar with a wet arse for a chunk of the evening, which isn't ideal. 😀

[i]W [/i]
?

But surely pinging a little bell at someone is more advantageous that hollering at them, from a politeness aspect. Therefore a bell has an advantage; therefore you should have one fitted.

Any pics of your bike AndyP so we can check there is nothing on it that isn’t necessary.

W hatever

[i]But surely pinging a little bell at someone is more advantageous that hollering at them, from a politeness aspect. Therefore a bell has an advantage; therefore you should have one fitted.[/i]
I wouldn't know, I don't holler at people. But I'd guess that yes, if I started hollering, a bell would be more polite, therefore might have an advantage.

[i]W hatever [/i]
ah. Sorry, I is not down with the yoof.

[i]Any pics of your bike AndyP so we can check there is nothing on it that isn’t necessary. [/i]

surely what's on my bike is down to me? That's the entire point. Why should I have mudguards just because someone else wants me to have them because [i]they[/i] don't like getting wet?

You misunderstand Andy. We don't want [i]you[/i] getting wet. You will catch a cold, and die. 😉

[i]surely what's on my bike is down to me? That's the entire point. Why should I have mudguards just because someone else wants me to have them because they don't like getting wet? [/i]

Exactly, but mudguards are hardly 'Quite pointless' then as you say. Thats a sweeping statement if ever I read one.

That's exactly it Andy! No-one is saying you should have mudguards, only that the conventional advice (OP was looking for advice) and the vast majority view is that mudguards are a good thing.

You go ahead and drip drop all the way home if you want to - I'll be glad of my 'guards and will let anyone that wants to know that, weirdos aside, most people find them indispensable once tried.

Good argument folks - 😉 Andyp I hope I don't have to ride behind you for any length of time 🙂

Winter commuting for me (1/2 city 1/2 country) it's got to be:

Conti 4 Season 25s
Winter boots
Tights
Lumo jacket
Lots o'lights (leds and a hid to scare away monsters on the country roads)
Mudguards!
Thick gloves

This year I'm going to drive if there's any threat of icy roads, i had a big black ice crash this year and don't want to repeat the experience!

Mudguards rock for commuting. AndyP is a bit weird, but then I guess you need to be when you're into turbo training, timetrials and riding mtbs with flat bars and barends 🙂

Black Ice - good point. I have stopped riding if it is icy. No amount of skill and experience, nor any tyre, can keep you the right way up on black ice.

I'm with you on that one acjim, 2 falls in 100m of each other on black ice at the beginning of this year taught me a lesson. The problem is since you can't see black ice, you get all ready for the ride, bike out and it's only when you step on the pavement that you feel the ice. By then you think 'oh it'll be fine'. Headed back home after my falls and I live on a slight hill, I had to end up taking my shoes off to walk across the pavement it was so slippy - and I was going to ride 20 miles in that, what an idiot.

I have a 45 mile round trip, which I do throughout the year.

I can't be arsed with mudguards (I can wash and dry my clothes at both ends of my journey) , I have a fixed gear Bob Jackson (rinse off, GT85, done!). My tips:
1) Quality clothing + glasses
2) Overshoes
3) Waterproof gloves
4) Cheap tyres, rubinos are ok, let some pressure out when it's wet
5) Get some good lights + Sam Brown belt
6) [i]Always ride[/i] You'll get used to it very quickly!

BTW - It's still summer out there! It's one layer of lycra + gilet weather... 🙂

yup that's the fella - I set off as the ground didn't seem too frosty but thought "blimey hands are tingly cold, must be below freezing" the temp had fallen to a few below zero and I was soon slipping about a bit. Managed to get up to the top of the 1st hill ok and was just starting to relax when I suddenly found myself sliding along the floor at about 20mph. ouch - crutches for a week and a hip that's still not 100% 🙁

Reckon I'll try to do more cx training commutes - take the bike in the car to the outskirts of the city and ride main roads (gritted) and parks the rest of the way - should be different at least!

kona_ona - what gloves do you use? I've used some winter pearl izumis for years and they are warm but not waterproof.

[i]I can't be arsed with mudguards[/i]

I know what you mean, they're such a bind.

Anyway still short sleeved top weather here in the west of Scotland (well at home time anyway).

If you want to see how much water guards can catch then have a look [url=

I find that even when it is raining that my backside and back of my legs stay dry and my feet only really get damp.

Those who ride come rain or shine, how do you avoid the temptation to just jump on the bus/in the car when it's chucking down? I dont believe anyone genuinely looks out of the window at rivers down the tarmac and thinks "good good, another nice ride in".

If you want to see how much water guards can catch then have a look here

I must admit it looks like [i]almost[/i] a dribble.

If it's [u]really[/u] hammering it down I'll generally take a raincheck but most of the time it looks worse from inside looking out than it actually is. When I lived <3 miles from work I'd always ride as it really wasn't a big deal but an hour on the bike in torrential rain isn't tons of fun imo.

coffeeking you just need to make cycling the way you get to work, it’s certainly not the easy option at times. My wife and I both work in Glasgow but she finishes about 3:30 so she would have to hang around waiting for me if we take one car. I just can’t stand the thought of us both taking cars to travel 20 miles to almost the same place, if we travelled together every time it rained in the west of Scotland then she’d do a lot of hanging about.

Train isn’t an option, bus would mean a bit of a walk and I would get wet anyway and to be honest with the right kit it’s never that bad. When I started the bike commute I used to look out and really have to force myself out into the wet and windy days but I just get on with it now. I love my bike commute and really loath the days I can't do it.

Ice, snow (okay when it’s fresh, but terrible when it ices up for the ride home) and gale force winds (side winds in traffic can be scary) are the only things that stop me.

I actually enjoy riding in the rain as long as I'm warm. As you know we had torrential showers in Glasgow the other week and I enjoy the rides in that.

I need to just get my ass out of the door! My other half works 2 minutes from my work an she'd have to take the bus and then walk miles which makes it a pain for her, but I need to drop a few pounds so I think it's time!

I'm paid a car allowance to have a car available for site visits, so during the week my car sits in the work carpark and acts as my locker/drying room. It also means that I don't really have an option of not biking to work if I don't feel like it.......

Back-up option is to take the train, but this would take longer and cost me money, so I've never taken that option. I just try to remember that once I'm on the bike it'll be fine, whatever the weather......

Another mudguards-for-commuting fan here. They mean you only need waterproofs if it's hammering down and they save you having to wash all your clothes every time the road is wet. The front guard keeps your feet drier and the rear guard keeps filth off the front mech & chainset, as well as avoiding the dreaded jetwashing of your backside.

Those who ride come rain or shine, how do you avoid the temptation to just jump on the bus/in the car when it's chucking down? I dont believe anyone genuinely looks out of the window at rivers down the tarmac and thinks "good good, another nice ride in".

Bus: Costs £7 return, and involves a 10 minute walk in the rain either end.
Train: Costs £6 return, and even then I have a short ride at the end.
Car: Don't have one (and if I did, it'd probably take the same time as riding due to morning traffic).

Basically I'm a stingy bugger, £6 return always seems like a bit much when the bike is free.

Joe

Also meant to say that I find riding in the rain in summer far harder to take than winter - I expect bad weather in winter, in summer I expect at least a bit of dryness and warmth.

For commuting i use

Bell: One of the big proper ringing ones. I ring it constantly when filtering through traffic with pedestrians about. yep, you can shout instead, but i'd rapidly get bored of that.

Full Mudguards: no brainer for me. Filth is kept off me and the bike so it lasts longer. Plus, they look stupid, so the bike won't get nicked. I'm not always cycling in 'bike clothes' either.

Panniers: For going shopping only, otherwise i prefer a rucksack/courier bag so i can throw the bike about more easily.

Reflectors: Stuck everywhere + reflective tape.