Thinking of cycling to work

[Maylian]

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!

 

[Sittingduck]

Go for it and extend your ride home on sunny days

 

[LarryDuff]

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

 

[jowwy]

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.

 

[LarryDuff]

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

 

[vickster]

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!

 

[orkneyblues]

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.

 

[Punt1971]

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

 

[BrumJim]

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?

 

[CopperCyclist]

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!

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

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.

 

[Michaelt]

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.

 

[pally83]

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.

 

[defy-one]

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]

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 :-(


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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.