23 mile commute

[David Pearson]

Hi all

I've been a runner for a while not and just got back into riding my MTB. I'm wanting to cut down on fuel costs but live in Dewsbury and work in Rotherham. The shortest route I can work out using Bike Hub is 23 miles, using road, trail and cycle paths.

Now I'm not adverse to riding this distance on a MTB, but never been under the pressure of making it to work on time, doing a full days work (I'm and IT manager so site down A LOT at work), then cycling home again at the end of the day. But I wondered if there were any other out there doing a similar length commute and what advice they might have for me.

I've got a rack and panniers now and going to invest in a mount for the phone so I use GPS until I know the route off hand. What else might I need?

Also, is this practical on a MTB? I can't afford to invest in a road bike at the moment so it will have to do but is there any advice on that score as well?

Cheer for reading.

Dave

 

[mcshroom]

Hi Dave,

24 miles is possible (I think Ianrauk (amongst others) does a similar distance and buggi used to ride even further) but you may want to try working up to the route by doing every other day, or driving in and cycling home, then the reverse the following day. It's also a good idea to try the ride out on a weekend/day off to test the route without the worry about getting to work on time.

Other options to check out are part-bike part rail commutes which may work or may just be expensive.

Over that sort of distance I would be trying to stick to roads as much as possible as the off road tracks (especially unsealed surface things like the Trans-Pennine-Trail which is muddy IME) will slow you down and use up more energy. I've just had a quick look on google maps (walking option) which is about the same distance and is almost exclusively on road but it's not exactly flat.

Regarding the bike If you haven't already, look at getting slicker tyres like Schwalbe city jets or marathons and probably look at adding bar ends to the handlebars. What sort of mountain bike is it? If possible try and lock out or tighten up the suspension as the more you bob the more energy you use.

Last thing I can think of for now is keep some food availible on the ride and make sure you have enough to drink.

Oh and enjoy

 

[David Pearson]

Cheers Mushroom

I will ride the route on a w/end first - no doubt about that. Look at bike-rail-bike but rail season tickets would cost more that my fuel expenses! As for the drive-cycle then cycle-drive - good idea but I know what will happen. On the evening the car is at work I'll have an unplanned need for it (sod is a law that get's me regularly)!

I didn't know that about the TPT - I took the Google Earth flyover (neat feature of Bike Hub routes) and it looked like pathway all the way to me :-/ Your right about it not being a flat route too, I've driven the none m/way route and it's hilly - but as they say - what goes up must come down

As for the bike. Well it was a freebie a few years back and it a fair few years old now. It's solid though and I keep it well maintained. It's a rigid frame fairly standard 21-speed MTB - no need to worry about that there suspension.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

David,If an IT manager cant invest in a new bike,invest in a new job.

 

[David Pearson]

David,If an IT manager cant invest in a new bike,invest in a new job.

Salary not the problem, clearing a decade or more of stupid borrowing is!

 

[Sca1ey]

Dave,

The TPT west of Penistone is cinder/mud which is okay in the summer but muddy in the winter. It is tar and chippings from Penistone to Thurgoland and then goes back to cinder/mud through Wortley and sort of 'forestry road' through Wharncliffe woods.

Presumably if you were coming south towards Penistone you would join it around Millhouse Green as there is new section of NCN that comes from your direction that joins there.

There is a new section connecting Oughtibridge to Wadsley Bridge which is tar/chippings too - but that's more heading into Sheffield.

Tim

 

[Banjo]

I know Mcshroom mentioned it allready but slick tyres will make a huge difference. On my commuter bike I have slick bontragers and get lazy about pumping them up so they drop down to around 50 or 60 psi then I pump them up to 100 and it feels like a new bike for a while.

 

[David Pearson]

I'm not into all the technicalities of cycling (yet) but slick tires on a MTB just sounds wrong

 

[mcshroom]

It may sound wrong, but you'll thank yourself in the long run. Knobbly tyres on tarmac are very hard to use in comparison as a lot of the energy is used up deforming the little knobbly bits (and making noise). Most people take car tyres as an example and think that you need tread on a trye to work on wet surfaces. With bike tyres the tyre itself deforms to the surface so the slicker the better*. tread is mainly put on car tyres to stop aquaplaning, which with a standard cycle tyre you'd need to be doing over 100pmh to achieve!

Riding that sort of distance you need to cut your wasted effort down. Think of it as converting your bike into a hybrid

* Though I tend to use Schwalbe Marathons on my tourer and hybrid to give a bit more off road traction, I probably don't need tothough as I've ridden gravel, dry mud and even some (not very technical) sandy singletrack on 25mm slicks using the road bike.

 

[David Pearson]

So this is the sort of thing I should be looking for:

http://www.hargreaves-cycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m11b0s120p2326

I'd love to support my local cycle store (Hardgreaves is just down the road) but I can get a pair of these delivered for £22.50 off eBay!

 

[jonny jeez]

Hi David and welcome.

definitely loose the knobblies

I'd go for these
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/all-condition-armadillo-tyre-ec001821

they suited my old MTB just fine and i rode her for 20 miles (40 return) each day around 3 days a week for a year or two. I didnt do trail or paths, just the road but had no punctures and no issues with grip or weight.

 

[Lee_M]

hmm dewsbury to rotherham and back everyday? not my idea of a nice commute,

if the shortest you can find is 23miles and that includes tracks and mud etc in winter, thats a fair slog, its not like 23 miles on the road

if youare going to do it, i would suggest you start small - like one day a week

 

[David Pearson]

hmm dewsbury to rotherham and back everyday? not my idea of a nice commute,

if the shortest you can find is 23miles and that includes tracks and mud etc in winter, thats a fair slog, its not like 23 miles on the road

if youare going to do it, i would suggest you start small - like one day a week

Oh yes, one day a week. I work 4 days in the office, 2 of those i need to be home in good to time to go swimming and brownie-ing with my daughters so max i could do is 2 days.

 

[David Pearson]

Well that's the City Jets fitted. Got the frame back for my iPhone so I can use it as a sat nav while I develop my route. Actually looking forward to it now. Going out for a 25 miler on Sunday to Castle Hill (Huffersfield) and back just to make sure I cam capable of the distance.