Restarting commuting - any advice please

[Black Sheep]

Hi, I used to ride everywhere, but over the past 10 years have worked too far from home to commute but now the google says work is 7 miles, mostly downhill from home, partly a disused canal's towpath so it's tempting to do so to save a bit of money (which will probably be less than the bike costs!) but mainly to get fit and train towards doing C2C next year.

My thoughts are to start on the bike I've got, my lovely, recently restored, 60's Carlton as storage at work is within the unit so away from prying eyes, but I'll want to get a bike for commuting on, thinking a gravel bike gives a good all round & care less about the state of the roads than a touring bike, that and I can get out and explore the moor roads near me that are a bit too boring and far to get the mountain bike out.
The rest of the kit I can figure out,

The main questions are around not annoying work & also being able to sustain doing it / not tire myself out and be of little use during the day / after work at home, again, thinking just one day a week to start with

Anything I might have missed / could do to know?

 

[wiggydiggy]

Don't buy anything yet, if you have a bike try it a few times and work out from experience what you need.

Try twice a week to start, Tues and Thurs (I'm assuming you're M-F) that way if your tired after Tues you get a rest then decide if you want to do it again.

The MTB if it's rideable might be worth trying too, I've commuted on mine and the chunky tyres soak up the rough paths and roads.

 

[Cycleops]

I should try the MTB, perfect for that with some 'guards. If you want a dedicated bike then a hybrid should work well but won't give you much over the mountain bike except a bit more speed perhaps.

 

[harlechjoe]

Yep, for a mixture of commute/ leisure & pleasure rides I'd plum for a hybrid bike with compact gearing and a rear rack. Mountain bikes are great. Yet as the previous reply started, try a couple of bikes out then you can make an informed choice. Ride-wise, its only 7 miles to work so do it all the time. That way you will get fit for longer rides and slowly get equiped for all weathers and longer rides.

 

[fossyant]

13 miles each way on the canal. My 90's MTB is ideal for this. Panniers too.

 

[RoadRider400]

7 miles each way is not far at all. Gentle ride into work then power it home to build up the fitness, perhaps a scenic route too on the nicer evenings.

I have always gone for a sub £100 hybrid on the second hand market for commuting. Might still be on my first if I had taken better care of it. Big old pannier rack behind me for my kit and no worry about where I park it for the occasional drinks after work evenings. Makes the weekend bike feel extra special too.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Hi, I used to ride everywhere, but over the past 10 years have worked too far from home to commute but now the google says work is 7 miles, mostly downhill from home, partly a disused canal's towpath so it's tempting to do so to save a bit of money (which will probably be less than the bike costs!) but mainly to get fit and train towards doing C2C next year.

My thoughts are to start on the bike I've got, my lovely, recently restored, 60's Carlton as storage at work is within the unit so away from prying eyes, but I'll want to get a bike for commuting on, thinking a gravel bike gives a good all round & care less about the state of the roads than a touring bike, that and I can get out and explore the moor roads near me that are a bit too boring and far to get the mountain bike out.
The rest of the kit I can figure out,

The main questions are around not annoying work & also being able to sustain doing it / not tire myself out and be of little use during the day / after work at home, again, thinking just one day a week to start with

Anything I might have missed / could do to know?

I ride a bit less than that to work several days a week; it's doable on the bikes you have.

Don't worry about "annoying" work though: you'll find you are more awake and alert after riding in, and after you've worked out the route and timing, you'll also probably be the most consistently on time.

That said, allow yourself to take public transport when it's getting too much or it's rainy: this isn't a punishment.

ALso you'll need to be ready for all kinds of well intentioned but annoying comments: "Isn't it dangerous"? "That's a long way" "Yeah but you've got an Ebike/High tech racer/MTB so it's easy." "Wait until winter"... et c...

 

[CXRAndy]

7 miles is around 30-40mins steady riding.

 

[IaninSheffield]

The main questions are around not annoying work & also being able to sustain doing it / not tire myself out and be of little use during the day / after work at home, again, thinking just one day a week to start with

Can you say a little more about why work might be annoyed? Wouldn't they be happy that an employee is seeking to look after their health, reduce the carbon footprint of the business, save them a parking space etc?

For your ride in: take it steady, especially in the beginning; choose days when the weather suits you best so you not only don't have the mental battle of forcing yourself out when conditions are against you, but instead you're actively looking forward to your commute; start asap and make the most of longer days and (generally) better weather so you can get into the habit.
Enjoy!

 

[slowmotion]

I did a round trip commute of eleven miles in London for ten years. A road bike suited me, not because I'm fast but because I found it easier and more fun to ride it in quite heavy traffic. You arrive at work feeling good, and arrive back home having largely forgotten the bad stuff.

Any bike will do.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I did a round trip commute of eleven miles in London for ten years. A road bike suited me, not because I'm fast but because I found it easier and more fun to ride it in quite heavy traffic. You arrive at work feeling good, and arrive back home having largely forgotten the bad stuff.

Any bike will do.

I used to ride a tram for part of my journey and cycle the rest: I gradually cycled closer to work because I realised that I felt like my "work" day ended when I started cycling.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

As above, build the number of days you commute gradually. Consider whether by cycling slower you can avoid needing a shower once you get to work. Don’t splash out on lots of things till you are sure it’s something you are going to sustain. Good luck.

 

[Black Sheep]

The annoy work aspect is kit laying around, especially if I need to dry stuff & smell a bit (hoping a bit of spray would sort that)

For the days I need to get somewhere quick after work (picking up daughter etc) or the weather is poor, Ive got a car that I can happily use.

With regards what bike if getting a bike to commute on, I prefer drops when riding on the road but agree, either bike is up to the task just looking to preserve the road bike (Dad bought it new in 68)

thanks for all the advice

 

[Andy in Germany]

just looking to preserve the road bike (Dad bought it new in 68)

An entirely commendable thought..

 

[Arjimlad]

I found winter commuting very tough on wheel rims, even with daily wiping of the rims and blocks.

Eventually I got a disc braked Giant revolt in 2015 for that reason.

7 miles is not too far at all. Sounds like it might be fun. There's no reason not to try the Carlton a few times to see how you like it, on dry days, but I would certainly agree with the proposal to get something less special for the daily grind. I still ride my best bike to work on dry days.

Give yourself plenty of time the first few times you do it, bear in mind you might want a snack soon after arriving at work.

I'm lucky that there's a shower at work & somewhere safe to lock my bike up.

Otherwise I used to just have a flannel wash in the gents on arrival, which was a while before everyone else turned up.

I would recommend you invest in some thick neoprene BBB overshoes at least, for the winter, if not winter boots. They made a huge difference to my comfort levels.