# Thinking of cycling to work



## Blowfish (24 Mar 2012)

But my office is only 3 miles away so is it worth it? Not been cycling long but am currently doing 2 x 30 mile outings a week to train for Oxford 60 mile ride and London to Brighton.

Anyone else do such a short commute? Just seems like more hassle than its worth - showering at work and sorting clean suits, shirts, underwear?!?

Can someone convince me otherwise?


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## jim55 (24 Mar 2012)

3 mls wouldnt prob require a shower ,if the other option is driving then id take the bike ,a cars hassle to get parked


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## Kiwiavenger (24 Mar 2012)

My work is only 4 miles away but I commute and double it when I ride in, am thinking of doing a constant 15 mile route in then the normal 8 home.

Can you tell this is addictive! (worse than crack so im told)


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## Norm (24 Mar 2012)

Showering is not required. In my experience, if you do that run at 15mph, it'll take 12 minutes and you'll need to shower and change. If you do it at 12mph, it'll take 15 minutes and you'll be fine in work clothes. Take it slowly, take a few minutes longer riding and arrive sweat-free.

I had a 10 mile commute. Pushing hard, it would take me about 36 minutes and then need 5 minutes to recover, then the shower and change. Taking it easy would be about 5 minutes longer riding-time, but it was a breeze.


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## deptfordmarmoset (24 Mar 2012)

A gentle ride into work on a warm morning is a great way to start the working day. A harder, faster, indirect route home is also a great way to finish it off.


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## paulw1969 (24 Mar 2012)

i did my first commute yesterday.....7 1/2 miles one way.....not really sweating enough to warrant a shower averaged 13 mph...took me 34 minutes....doubt you would even get warm at that speed....go for it, it will wake you up before your days work. As for the clothes, drive in on a Monday with the weeks supply so you can ride in the rest of the week....then take a detour on the way home to up the miles


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## Edwards80 (24 Mar 2012)

You never need a shower. A sink and some wet wipes are enough  . . . that and a boss that doesn't get too annoyed at the wet floor in the bathroom


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## redcard (24 Mar 2012)

Edwards80 said:


> You never need a shower. A sink and some wet wipes are enough  . . . that and a boss that doesn't get too annoyed at the wet floor in the bathroom



Good call on the wet wipes.  




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## biggs682 (24 Mar 2012)

go for it i only do 1.5 miles commute to work , but it sure helps on all sorts .


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## daSmirnov (24 Mar 2012)

Just take it easy on the way in and you won't need a shower. I cycle a similar distance in my work clothes, trousers tucked into socks, sorted. Crawling along at 10-12mph isn't any more taxing than walking really. You can then blast home after work to get a good workout.


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## rollinstok (25 Mar 2012)

Yeah definitely go for it, there are, apart from the obvious financial benefits, a feelgood factor and 5 x 6 is an extra 30 miles a week towards fitness
If you set off at the same time you'd set off driving and bomb it on the bike you will probably arrive earlier than you would in the car so plenty of time to tidy yourself up
Or just take the other advice, nice and steady.. no sweat


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## vickster (25 Mar 2012)

If nothing else, you'll save on the petrol money. Takes me about the same time to ride to work as to drive, but far less stressful on 2 wheels

My ride is around 4 miles, takes 20-25 minutes depending on traffic (pesky redlights and queues)

I don't shower at work (do before I leave), change of clothes, good spray of deo and drag the hairbrush through the mop to deal with helmet hair...no ones complained yet 

Go for it, certainly nothing to lose


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## Nebulous (25 Mar 2012)

My commute is 1.92 miles there and 1.95 home. I've been doing it for just over a year now, and it has worked out very well. I commute in work trousers, tucked into my socks and work shoes. I wear a t-shirt in though, carrying my shirt in a bag and wash and change into my shirt at work. I also have waterproof trousers and overshoes.

It is a different mindset altogether though. I had been cycling seriously about 6 months before I started commuting. Despite being quite regular, and cycling in some terrible weather conditions, there was always a feeling that I was doing it because I wanted to. After I started commuting it took a while to get my head around the fact that I had to do it.

I'm maybe unusual, but despite cycling 'on the cheap' it hasn't really saved me any money at all.


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## vickster (25 Mar 2012)

No, just spend money on bike kit rather than petrol. I expect folks who don't get the n+1+1+1 bug who commute into London say and don't run a car probably do save money, especially if a reasonable distance where a season ticket is 2k+ a year


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## Terry Kay (25 Mar 2012)

Yeah, I'm another who lives 1.5 miles from work.. Barely break a sweat if I take it steady, despite all the hills.. Great thing is having the option of taking a detour home!


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## Maylian (25 Mar 2012)

My commute is only 4 miles but I have done it every day for a year now and I love it. I push myself when riding in so do it in 10 minutes, we have reasonably good facilities so I have a massive locker with another wardrobe in it and the feeling of being freshly showered in clean clothes after a work out for your day of work is lovely.

The nice thing about such a short commute is that you can also jog in when feeling extra energetic and it makes it a fairly unobtrusive work out and way of losing weight if you need to ( 6 1/2 stone in the past year). I add another 5 - 10 miles on my ride by going to the gym etc but its my favourite part of the day getting on my steed before or after work.

Once you get into it, it becomes hard to think of reasons not to ride and even harder explaining to friends / colleagues why it is so much fun!


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## Sittingduck (25 Mar 2012)

Go for it and extend your ride home on sunny days


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## LarryDuff (25 Mar 2012)

I wish I lived only 3 miles from work - don't fancy the 40 mile round trip it would take me.


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## jowwy (25 Mar 2012)

LarryDuff said:


> I wish I lived only 3 miles from work - don't fancy the 40 mile round trip it would take me.


I do a 30 mile round trip 3 days a week. Gives me a gd work out and saves on fuel and gym fees too.


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## LarryDuff (25 Mar 2012)

I've been thinking about it - might try it a few times next month , certainly couldn't do it every day.


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## vickster (25 Mar 2012)

I can in the summer, when the evenings are light and warm. Not the winter if working long hours and it's late and cold!


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## orkneyblues (26 Mar 2012)

I commute 8 miles each way here in lovely Orkney, I do not have nor require shower facilities at work. I wear cycling kit and find that I only really need a deoderant dhoby when I get changed. No complaints so far, maybe they are just too polite.


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## Punt1971 (26 Mar 2012)

I did my first ride in today. Only 7ish miles with a decent hill to get the heart going.

A quick 'Squaddy Wash' with baby wipes and a spay of deodorant and now I'm as fresh as a daisy! Wide awake too which is odd for a Monday morning


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## BrumJim (26 Mar 2012)

What's the option?
3 miles in a car isn't good for it - the engine will barely get warm and will cause wear and carbon deposit problems.
Walking? 45 minutes?
Running would be quicker than walking, but a shower would be essential.
Cycling? Save petrol money, get some low grade exercise on the way in, and give it full beans on the way home and you'll be fitter, stronger, and healthier.

Where's the choice?


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## CopperCyclist (26 Mar 2012)

Also if your argument is you don't mind showering, but think its too much of a hassle for a short three mile run, then the answer is simple - find an extended six mile route (or whatever point you believe it's worth a shower) and do that instead!


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## Rickshaw Phil (26 Mar 2012)

That's about the same distance I was doing when I started cycling to work. Door to door it was about 5 minutes quicker on the bike in the morning and I saved more than the bike had cost in the first six months. (Lost two stone in weight too).

I used a rucksack to carry my gear back then, which I wouldn't do again - a bag on a rack every time now for me.

Go for it - I doubt you'd regret it.


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## Michaelt (27 Mar 2012)

My work is only 2 miles away also, i soon got bored of only doing that and have found a perfect 10 mile loop that I do on the way in and on the way home. I find that I just need to sit or stand for a few minutes before getting changed.

On the clothing front I just take in enough shirts and underwear on the Sunday night or Monday morning for the week and once I've stopped sweating go and get changed, then I don't have to ride with a backpack, which makes me sweat more.


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## pally83 (27 Mar 2012)

Go for it. I recently started (after seeking advice here) cycling the last 10 miles of my 30 mile commute. It's so much nicer spending time riding rather than sitting in traffic and the whole journey takes the same length of time as doing it by car. 

I do have access to a shower and my bike can be kept in the workshop during the day, so that helps. Used to do 6 miles each way daily with no facilities at work. Never a problem.


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## defy-one (19 Apr 2012)

How are people able to get a bike under the c2w scheme that lives 50 miles from work and NEVER actually use it for commuting. We have a few guys at work that are buying £1k bikes through it????
Another question I have is, does this mean you no longer claim mileage & petrol (if applicable) in your usual job???
Please help - I'm confused :-(


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## jowwy (19 Apr 2012)

530kam said:


> How are people able to get a bike under the c2w scheme that lives 50 miles from work and NEVER actually use it for commuting. We have a few guys at work that are buying £1k bikes through it????
> Another question I have is, does this mean you no longer claim mileage & petrol (if applicable) in your usual job???
> Please help - I'm confused :-(
> 
> ...


 i doubt they would claim mileage and petrol for getting to and from work.........and yes you can claim mileage even if you use a bicycle.....

also, yes its a cycle to work scheme, but they could be putting the bike on a train with them and cycling part of the distance to work........i doubt anybody would question it if they say they was.


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## Hebe (19 Apr 2012)

BrumJim said:


> What's the option?
> 3 miles in a car isn't good for it - the engine will barely get warm and will cause wear and carbon deposit problems.
> Walking? 45 minutes?
> Running would be quicker than walking, but a shower would be essential.
> ...


 
This is so true. My 3 year old car failed its first MOT on emissions - most of my journeys were about 3 miles round trip, and this was what spurred me to do more utility cycling and less driving.


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## defy-one (19 Apr 2012)

jowwy said:


> i doubt they would claim mileage and petrol for getting to and from work.........and yes you can claim mileage even if you use a bicycle.....
> 
> also, yes its a cycle to work scheme, but they could be putting the bike on a train with them and cycling part of the distance to work........i doubt anybody would question it if they say they was.




You can still claim mileage????
Now I'm even more confused - will look into all this as I still have another week off


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## Norm (19 Apr 2012)

The amolunt you can claim for mileage is lower than the 45p/mile in a car. From memory, it's about 20p/mile but, as you've headed off to have a look into it, you've probably already found the correct figure. 

_Edited to add_:
Found it (on the HMRC site, of course) and the 2012/13 rate is indeed 20p/mile.


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## slowmotion (20 Apr 2012)

I do an eleven mile round trip in pretty much all weathers and I will not be going back to the car in a hurry. With a bit of exercise, you arrive at work feeling alert and positive, and arrive back home feeling positive and relaxed. Never did that in the car. If you get the right clothes (and they don't have to cost the earth), the weather really doesn't matter. I was out in a monsoon this afternoon and I wouldn't have traded it for being warm and stationary in a traffic jam. The car journey would have been twenty minutes longer and no fun at all.

Yes, and baby wipes, as others have said.

Have fun.


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## TheSandwichMonster (20 Apr 2012)

My round trip varies on the route that I take, but is between 34 and 46 miles, with the "usual" route being 21 miles each way with 1500ft of climb. I'll typically do it three days a week (but I admit I've been particularly slack recently!), and use the bike-train-bike method on the other days inbetween.

Whilst I still enjoy my "proper" training, weekend rides & racing, I can still hand-on-heart say that my bike is still used for commuting the majority of the time (it's really too good a training opportunity to miss!)


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## D7JAB (20 Apr 2012)

I do a 7 miles trip to work with, just pack a change of boxers incase you go through a puddle or something and i just use wet wipes to freshen up. I fold my trousers and shirt tight and neatly and put them in a plastic bag to be extra sure they are dry. 1 other guy that works here keeps a stash of clothes here, like shoes and trousers and obvisouly ferrys the dirty stuff home after some use.


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