Getting hacked off with cycle commuting

…and not because of bad driving! In fact I almost never have any issues with drivers on my commute. Though it is mostly on bike paths.

The weather isn’t a problem either – I’ve got all the breathable/warm/waterproof gear you could want.

But what is getting to me is the time and distance. I’m doing 15 miles each way. I work Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday so don’t get a break in between. I also work on an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere in Fife so there is nowhere to buy food. The amount of time it takes me getting my stuff ready, carting loads of food and clothes about, always being tired etc is just dragging me down. I reckon it adds 3 hours to my day once you add in getting changed at each end etc. I’m that knackered that I barely have the energy to cook a dinner when I get in (which has to be huge and has to have leftovers for the next days) and end up bumping all my chores to my days off.
I was fit when I started doing it and TBH I’ve not got any fitter.

But I think what has really got me down is that I’ve stopped cycling recreationally. I just can’t be arsed. I don’t really mind my commute on the bike, but it’s always the same and it’s not very interesting. I have a CX bike but there aren’t really any trails.
I was at my girlfriend’s in Linlithgow the other day and went out to the shop at 9 on a Sunday morning and saw a guy all geared up on his road bike. My first thought was “Jesus, why bother with that?” and that shocked me as she lives in a place I used to regularly ride through and enjoy.

I’m taking the car this week (35-40 min drive) and probably next, then I might just cycle on the Wednesday or something and use the car Tuesday and Thursday to drop off/pickup food and clothes for the week.

Though I am looking forward to going home tonight and building my new Turner Sultan frame up then going out for my first MTB ride of the year over the weekend.

So has anyone else got burned out on cycle commuting?

Not burned out as such, but 5 days of even my wee 9 mile each way commute definitely affects motivation come the weekend.

Can I suggest batch cooking? I know it’s a bit shit having the same stuff each day, but even I can stomach it as I do it on a sunday evening and do 3 days worth.

Always.

I do 20 miles each way 5 days a week. It takes a lot of effort to go out at the weekend as well. Especially as I have to be back for 8ish to take the kids swimming on saturday and want at least one lie in a week.

I stock up on food for at work so I can get my fill, I do work in town so I can get any supplies in town.

I’m tempted to sack it off, but I’d have to get up earlier to get anywhere near the amount of exercise in I get now, and it’s better than getting the train.

N+(E)1?

Other brands/formats available. As for the food ‘problem’. Beef flavoured Space Raiders. As always. Maybe throw in an apple and pot noodle 8) My grandfather was a landscape gardener. Usually worked miles from bakeries etc. He made sandwiches. Usually cheese and tomato. Tupperware for the win. Plastic takeout also cartons last ages. A cool-bag will fit in the perma-affixed panniers/rack-pack.

I used to when I did it everyday.

I only do 2 days a week on the bike now and enjoy it much more.

The other days I do the following:
– Work from home x1
-public transport x1
– go in by car x1 and take in all the stuff I’ll need for the week (changes of clothes, food etc)

Taking stuff in is great cos then you can bell off taking panniers and bags full of stuff and it feels like a proper bike ride insted of a commute.

I reckon if you did tues and thurs but had weds as a rest day you might find it much better. Certainly rest is important if you want to see fitness improvements.

As above, this is a use for an e-bike that even the haterz can get behind, surely, as it’ll keep you riding a “proper” bike at weekends. Still gotta be cheaper than driving too.

nah, love my commute. helps me relax, and kept me sane through illness.
I tend to ride on the path and through parks when I can now.

My commute is 21Km each way by the shortest route but I occasionally extend it when going home. While I can do five days a week, it’s a bit tiring after a couple of weeks so it’s usually 3 or 4 days which I’ll pick depending on weather and get the train the other days since the station at the work end is only 500 metres away.

Batch cook several things and stick in the freezer in portion sized bags/cartons (the ones you get from some takeaways are perfect size) then just pick one at random in the AM. Does assume you have a microwave available at work.

I reckon it adds 3 hours to my day once you add in getting changed at each end etc

Something in your maths doesn’t add up here…

15 miles each way, so <1hr – 1hr20 depending on your speed? so that’s a round trip time of ~2hr to 2hr40, add in some getting changed faff of what 10mins (I assume you have to get dressed even if you drive)? gives you a ‘total cycle commuting time’ of <3hrs

You say driving is 35mins at best, so thats 1hr10, so at worst cyclin only adds <2hrs to your day, but that’s 2 hrs riding, and why can’t your commute (home at least) also be a recreational ride if you make it so?

I hear what you’re saying though OP, it sounds like you’re just wearing yourself out a bit at the moment, how long have you been doing this for? is it a new thing or have you been used to doing that mileage for a while?
If it’s a new thing maybe you started too hard and haven’t eased yourself in/built up the fitness for doing it repeatedly yet?

Some suggestions

– Try mixing it up and doing one day in the car to keep fresh until you can handle it every day.
– Try varying your route, use the ride home to explore
– Get clever with your luggage, ie: have a slow heavy day where you take everyhting in you need for the week (and last weeks stuff home), then have 2 days of nippy lightweight riding
– Get your gear and food ready the night before (or weekend and freeze it?) to cut down on faff time.

EDIT – from below

Being on the bike is ALWAYS better than sitting on a train (or being in a car).

^ remember this, you can always make a bike ride fun if you try 🙂

I do the exact same distance as you. On good weeks, I’ll do five days. Less good weeks (or if I’m racing), I’ll do 2 to 3 days. To add to the faff, I have an hours drive on each end as the total distance is too far to bike every day (I try to do it at least once a month circa 42 miles each way).

Initially I was knackered, after 3 months of doing it I was destroyed and wasn’t riding at all at weekends – bikes were merely transport and I’d spend most of the weekend either doing chores that I’d missed during the week, or sleeping. However I’ve now been doing it for 18 months my body has adapted and I can do five days, then race either Saturday or Sunday. I’m also doing OK at the racing side of things as my fitness is way better than it has been over the past 3 to 4 years.

Key factors I found to making it easier – EAT LOADS! as in a shit ton. I can pretty much eat whatever I like and not put weight on (and I’m normally a bit of a biffer).
Sleep – I needed 8 hours at least.
Stretching – get in, shower, stretch and eat. then rest. don’t do anything else.

Being on the bike is ALWAYS better than sitting on a train (or being in a car).

Treat it like you would if you were taking training seriously. You need to recover properly, but at the end of it you’ll feel faster and stronger than you did. I’m quicker now than when I was training in a conventional manner (turbo sessions and so on). It’s never easy but then if it was, everyone would be doing it

I did 12.5 miles each way, most days of the week until we got a second car. I didn’t want to ride for fun. And it was such a pain if the weather was bad. And it sucked for family life.

It was only good in the summer.

Now I have to make myself do it. There are so many excuses.

I reckon it adds 3 hours to my day once you add in getting changed at each end etc
Something in your maths doesn’t add up here…

I missed this, that can’t be right.

I reckon my commute only adds 20 minutes to my day 40 mins on a bad day like yesterday. But i means I don’t have to do 40 mins exercise on top of wasted traveling so I reckon I’m probably up on the deal, plus I’ve got loads fitter.

But I think what has really got me down is that I’ve stopped cycling recreationally. I just can’t be arsed. I don’t really mind my commute on the bike, but it’s always the same and it’s not very interesting. I have a CX bike but there aren’t really any trails

This was my issue when I did it more consistently.

My route is 20 miles, and it’s really, really f*cking boring, despite being lovely country roads.

I just can’t do it on a regular basis – it’s a total passion killer for riding for fun. I’m just exploring options of taking bridleways instead to make it more interesting to encourage me to do it a couple of times a week.

I think it mostly comes down to my total disdain for road riding in general. Given the choice, it’s just not even close to being on my radar.

Quite often struggle to get the motivation to cycle in. It’s 11 miles, shortest route by road or an extra (at least but often more depending on time, mood and weather/trail conditions) 2 to make it approximately 80% woodland singletrack, bike trails and bike paths. I was thinking about this the other day and I can’t really remember when I went for the shorter road route out of anything but necessity (mtb out of action or not enough time to go the long way round). I’m just having too much fun now that I’ve resorted to a proper mountain bike (rather than a CX or monsterX) and can properly hoon the trails I’d do on a recreational ride anyway. It’s a pain getting the bars through the bike path restrictions and the big tyres drag along the tarmac, grumbling all the way but sod it, I’ve accepted that it’s not about getting the commute done as quickly as I can, it’s about adding 1.5 hrs or fun at either end of the day. Guess I’m lucky that I’ve got the trail / route options that I do. I couldn’t see me sticking with one road route day in, day out.

Been there a few times.
I think the problem occurs when the commute becomes your maximum distance and effort. It just grinds you down. I found that if I actually did a longer and harder ride, and took it very easy on commuting rides, the problem was somewhat alleviated.

I did 20 miles each way to work (with 300m climbing) 4 days a week and a 70-80 mile training ride on my weekday off.A race most weekends and one day off to do ‘life’.
Commuting days were up at 6.30,out at 7.30 to work for 9.Return was home for 8,shower,food and an hour of STW then bed at 10.
I became very fit,very thin and moderately fast (I even won a race or two).
After a 18 months (and end of cx season) I could’nt think of anything I’d rather do less than ride bikes.So I sold most of them (except the ss and 4x bikes) and have spent the last 2 years getting fat again and trying to remember exactly what is was I liked about riding bikes in the first place.
Apparently it’s riding SS slowly and eating cakes……..

My commute is 4 miles each way. There are even a few trails on small rock hills etc which are okay when its not muddy. But I get the car or train instead. The problem with cycling is the time it takes. Especially when you add in getting changed into cycling or work uniform at either end. I could be home in the car by the time I’ve got the cycling clothes on and unlocked the bike.

I see several possible solutions…
Mix up your commute rides, in terms of how much you hammer them
Use Wednesdays as a car commute day to sort out getting worn work gear home and new work gear in, maybe even food for the next 3 shifts
E-bike purchase

90 commuting miles per week is quite a bit, I’ve only managed that a few weeks since January.

I can understand the burn out. Take a break then build it back up gradually?

I had a 17 mile commute once, I think I did it 2-3 days max and rarely in the winter.

Being organised is key IMO – I leave clothes at work, bring shirts in in bulk. Can you mix it up with driving/trains?

I do 20 miles each way 4 to 5 days a week year round, been doing it for 11 years I still love it and I still enjoy riding at weekends.

It’s become my default way of getting to work, I don’t think about it, its just what I do.

carting loads of food and clothes about

Why do you need loads of food? I just take sandwiches for lunch, I don’t need any more than that. Trousers and shoes are left in the locker, take a rucksack in on a Monday with 3 days of lunches and clean shirts/pants for the week, then take it home on the Friday. If I drive I do a towel and trouser change.

If I drive it probably takes at least an hour each way, and I find it incredibly stressful and wasteful. I’m far fitter than the majority of people my age, and feel fantastic, riding to work is a no brainer for me.

I’m 49 so no spring chicken 🙂

Edit:

The problem with cycling is the time it takes. Especially when you add in getting changed into cycling or work uniform at either end.

The time it takes to do 4 miles? even going slow that’s about 15 minutes riding and I don’t get the changing clothes issue.

I could be home in the car by the time I’ve got the cycling clothes on and unlocked the bike.

You’re missing the point.

I’d definitely recommend booking a decent pedelec demo/hire for a day or two and see how you feel at 15mph relaxed cruising for an hour, ie do the commute. Possibly in regular clothing. Imagine being Dutch for a day. Nothing ventured – nothing known.

My commute is 4 miles each way. There are even a few trails on small rock hills etc which are okay when its not muddy. But I get the car or train instead. The problem with cycling is the time it takes. Especially when you add in getting changed into cycling or work uniform at either end. I could be home in the car by the time I’ve got the cycling clothes on and unlocked the bike.

Seriously? a 4 mile commute is only ~20mins on the bike if you’re taking it easy, less if you go fast. If you go easy you wouldn’t even really need to get changed, you could do that in your street clothes.

And unless those 4 miles are on empty roads with no traffic lights at all then you’re still talking 10+ mins in a car. And train? Surely the walk to the train station + waiting on a platform + walk from station to home has got to get you close/exceeding the cycling time unless you live and work literally next door to the station.

I don’t live in a big city, (a small city/town) and even my 3 mile commute* is quicker by bike than by car due to the amount of traffic lights/roundabouts and amount of traffic, I pass people in cars on the way in who work in the same building as me, and they leave earlier than me, so from my point of view the problem with driving is the amount of time it takes, oh, and the cost, and the pollution, and the boredom, and the general fattening effect…

* on the way in, I take the 10 or 20 mile option a lot of the time so I can have some fun on the bike at the same time as ‘commuting’ 🙂

Some good insights.

Although taking the car means a lack of exercise, I’d make it up by doing my old style of cycling – getting in a single 6 hour road or MTB ride a week or maybe doing a couple of hours along the canal to my girlfriend’s in Linlithgow. I used to do that, can’t remember last time now. I just drive or go on the train.

Oh yeah, FWIW I’ve been doing this since November – so rode all through winter. So.. 5 months? Maybe this is just the equivalent of a bonk and I need an energy gel.

I was just considering the e-bike the other day.
This looks fun: http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/news/article/coast-buzzraw-quinn-price-specs-details-49452/
Especially with the totally illegal 1000W motor.

However my job is only temporary up til September and I broke a personal rule by taking it – “Don’t commute more than 30 mins max”. I thought it would be OK because of cycling but it’s not worked out that way.
So I don’t think I’d get the benefit out of the cost of an ebike. My car is already bought and paid for and is so old it doesn’t deprecate. Reliable too. And while I know what some folk are saying about a bike ride being more fun than car or public transport – the train yes, but my car is an MX5 and I love driving it, even if there is heavy traffic. I’ve got heated seats and a good stereo so get the heat and tunes on with the roof down and just look at things, and once the road opens up it’s great fun.

Food wise – I do do batch cooking, but I’m just by myself so I can cook 6 or 8 portions on a Sunday, but that gets munched during the week pretty quickly. especially if I am too tired to cook when I get home. I cook all my food from scratch, don’t really eat ready meals or packaged pizzas etc.

I do think I could probably do better meal planning for the week though, so that’s something I can work on.

I’m taking in nearly 2000 calories etc per cycling day. I was thinking about taking in some protein powder to work and having a protein shake when I get in.

As for routes.. I have to cross the Forth Bridge and get to/from work at the far side of Inverkeithing so that’s 5 miles pretty fixed then get across Edinburgh which is 9 miles from my house to Cramond Brig. Not a lot of variation there and most variation means riding in heavy traffic.
I could go down to the Dalmeny Estate at South Queensferry and try the single track there… though it will add a fair bit of time on that just firing along the cycle path. The next 50% of my route is through the city.

I think I’ll get a big plastic box and keep a bunch of shirts and pants in it too so I don’t need to bring in any clothes.

Sadly my work doesn’t have showers so I need to keep the speed down to about 12/13mph. Any faster and I start to smell. That’s why the commute takes a while – I leave the house at 7.45 and get in to work for 9. There is a few miles of city traffic so lose time at traffic lights too.

I do find it harder to get motivated for weekend rides when I’ve commuted all week, but I just don’t see it as a bad thing. Commuting is riding, and riding is always fun – even if you have to ride home tired in the pissing rain, you feel good after. So for me at least, its no big deal if I miss a weekend ride, I’ve still done nearly 100+ miles of riding for the week.

Your situation sounds great, 3 days riding (building fatigue each day), then a day or two rest ready for a decent ride on sat or sun.

Also, remember how mind numbingly boring it is to be sat in a car, in traffic for 45mins every morning and evening…

I’m taking in nearly 2000 calories etc per cycling day.

2000 extra calories, or just 2000 calories? If its just 2000 calories then are you on a diet?

I have a protein powder/milk drink when I get home, stops me getting aching legs the next day.

Could you consider driving part way, or to a point where the route is more enjoyable? I find it’s hardly a faff to sling the bike on a roof rack & go part way.

Also I feel I ride enough so seldom ever commute if it’s raining.

While it takes me a little longer to cycle it’s offset by the time I’d just be sat in a car otherwise.

Have you considered having a supermarket food delivery at work? While not as good as home made they do offer some good healthy options and it would save time in the mornings and mean your batch cooking at home goes farther saveing time there too.

Oh yeah, FWIW I’ve been doing this since November – so rode all through winter. So.. 5 months? Maybe this is just the equivalent of a bonk and I need an energy gel.

Hmm, so you should probably be used to this by now… is this feeling something that has just come on or been building?

It’s possible you’re just a bit tired and or bored, but don’t discount an actual biological issue, I can normally tell when I’m about to get sick, or fighting off *something* as I get a bit of fatigue int he preceeding days that just feels like I’m knackered and having to work harder than normal.

If your route options really as that limited then better organisation is going to be your only quick win, put some effort into that for sure as you cna claw back not just time but mental effort there.

Sadly my work doesn’t have showers so I need to keep the speed down to about 12/13mph. Any faster and I start to smell

I assume you have toilets though? don’t under-estimate what can be achieved with a sink and a flannel 😉 You also don’t have to pootle on the way home…

The other thing I can suggest, while it may sound a bit hippy-dippyish, is to ‘try and enjoy it’, and by that I mean actually make a conscious decision to enjoy the commute, see if you can flip your brain around to recognise the positives and look at ways of extracting joy from the activity rather than seeing it as a chore.

How you do that is personal to you, sometimes I’ve managed to do it by using it as training, picking sections of the route to focus on for intervals, or deliberately do silly things like deciding on Tuesdays that I ride in one particular gear, or that I must stand up for X amount of the route/a particular hill, really stupid little things like that to use as a focus and occupy your mind but also make it interesting/challenging, it might not work for you but it might just help to tip you back into enjoying it.

Sometimes it is as much mental as physical…

Take inspiration from the TT threads on here and spunk a load of money on aero kit to shave your commute time down.

Or just throw in a car day in the middle of the three to stay fresher.

^ What several others said: Do everything in bulk.

Drive in one day a week with all of your work gear/non perishable food etc (or carry it all on one ride) so the rest of the time you’re riding light – it’s way more fun.

Bulk cook massive meals, so you can freeze them. We bought a £100 freezer for this – it saves so much time, and we eat healthy all the time without much washing up or cooking required. It’s hardly any more effort/time to cook 10-15 portions than it is to cook 2. Do that for a few meals and you’ll hardly have to cook.

Mixing up the route is key for the commute i find.

I can get really stuck in a rut despite having some reasonable routes available. The ‘best’ route isn’t still the best if you’re bored sick of it.

I’m still adapting to 10.5 miles each way – finding it so much harder to do 10 rides of 10.5 miles than I would one 105 mile ride. It doesn’t help that I get frustrated by not putting in 80+% effort!

Sadly my work doesn’t have showers so I need to keep the speed down to about 12/13mph. Any faster and I start to smell. That’s why the commute takes a while – I leave the house at 7.45 and get in to work for 9. There is a few miles of city traffic so lose time at traffic lights too.

My work doesn’t have showers either, however I’ve found that showering just before riding and being very slightly underdressed in terms of torso layers means I almost never sweat. If I misjudge it, a packet of wet wipes sorts me out.

However, whatever the drawbacks, it’s way better than having to get the bus and then tube!

Hi,

Doing 18 miles one way with 220m of climb up to 5 days a week. Up at 6, 6:40 on the road, 7:50 at work, finishing 17:30, back home at 19, bed time 23.

Doing all the things for the next day – food, clothes, bike faffs, shower – day before to save precious sleeping time.

I’m in that lucky situation that I do not have kids.

Saturdays are rest day, house chores, shopping etc…

Can’t ride every weekend on Sunday as Missus will kick off so need to negotiate alternate weekend or something like that.

If not in mood and not feeling particularly strong doing only roadie rounds, otherwise excited with getting dirty 🙂

Cheers!
I.

I do the same route all winter, its the safest as its segregated cycle path for 12 miles then the rest on a marked cycle path. I don’t get bored, I’m there physically, mentally I’m elsewhere 🙂 My bike commute is my thinking time though, it’s total escape, I bloody love it.

I do have another couple of route options when it’s lighter in the evenings, so April to October.

Gary_M – Member
My bike commute is my thinking time

Got the same 🙂

Cheers!
I.

yup, commuting is knackering.

13k each way, 3 times a week. 10 years in i’m no fitter, i’m just knackered. All. The. Time. My wife thinks i should see a doctor about my ability to fall asleep in a few seconds, it’s basically my super-power.

i’m confident i’d be fitter if i drove more often, as i’d have the time/energy to train properly, and rest.

an e-bike is in my future!

my previous job saw me riding to work 40km each way, 5 days a week. Trains too unreliable.

I got great at riding that distance fast, but that was it.

Lost sprinting and climbing ability, and did not want to touch a bike on off days. I also started to look very very lean, like I’d had all the body fat sucked off me.

After a year I’d had enough of the distance, and found a job closer to home.

Now its only 15km each way, 5 days a week, which is fine. Enjoying riding again on days off, or before/after work.

13k each way, 3 times a week. 10 years in i’m no fitter, i’m just knackered. All. The. Time.

From riding less than 50 miles a week 🙂

Lost sprinting and climbing ability

Sprinting skills honed at traffic light changes and for me the 4 miles climb keeps my climbing ability sharp.

You are probably saving a fair bit of money on fuel and car wear and tear by cycling, and I think you should not hesitate to ‘reward yourself’, whether that be deciding to take the car some days, taking a holiday etc.

On that note, are there any decent pubs serving food/restaurants on your ride home? If so, how about stopping for a meal on the ride home once a week or once a fortnight, and making that ride a leisurely indulgent affair, and not cook when you get home that evening?

Gary_M – Member

From riding less than 50 miles a week (?)

yup. my legs feel like lead at the weekend – when i try to fit in a run and a ride.