GRcade

Gears are the only option for me getting to and from work as I live at the top of a strawberry floating great hill and there are hills all the way in and home from work.

Fixed gear is great if you like in a flat place or are near work but if you live some distance or have hills it isnt a realistic possiblity.

Work are running a cycle to work scheme which I've signed up for. It's been approved but the company dealing with it is taking ages to release the voucher so I can go and buy the thing. Im getting a hybrid bike with a load of accessories, about £530 in total or thereabouts, but thanks to the tax breaks I only pay £350 spread over a year.

Downhill in the morning will be fine, it's the steep uphill all the way home I'm not looking forward to.

smurphy wrote:

Blue Eyes wrote:

Rex Kramer wrote:Thinking of getting a bike for going to work. Would be mostly on the road but fancy a hybrid. Any suggestions for around £250-£300?

I've had my eye on this beauty for a while. It's slightly over budget and not a hybrid but come on, look it!

https://www.bricklanebikes.co.uk/6ku-co ... ke-detroit

That is the exact bike I have. Same colour and everything, although I've had bull bars put on.

It's a little heavier than I'm used to but otherwise it's great. Anyone who uses anything other than a singlespeed/fixie to get to work and back is mad. The lack of maintenance alone is worth it, but they just feel a lot nicer to ride, too. Plus gears make road bikes look ugly.

It's heavy?! Well, colour me turned off then. My current bike is quite heavy and I want something light.

the stats show that it's not that heavy at all...

The heaviest at most is 22 lbs = 9.97 kg.

Yep that's not too heavy for a £300 bike even if it is a fixie and they will always be lighter.

My cycle to work voucher just came through

Says I can click and correct so I'll be pinning it all up early in the week I'd imagine.

Rip in peace me.

Blue Eyes wrote:It's heavy?! Well, colour me turned off then. My current bike is quite heavy and I want something light.

I mean it's not that heavy. I'm just used to riding very light bikes. My previous singlespeed was an Italian steel frame that weighed almost nothing. I think you'll be good, I'm a bit of a bike snob and I think it's pretty great.

Got my bike and all the gear on Friday and have started cycling to work, my first time on a bike in probably 15 years, so of course it's been shitting it down both days

It's a really steep hill right the way down with only a bit of hard peddling to be done for the last 5 or so minutes of the ride, so it's not much effort in, but the way back, fuuuuuuuucking hell it's hard going. It's steep and relentless on the way back with no flat bits, so about 15 minutes down is 25 minutes back up... a constant steep climb I had to stop 5 times yesterday and 3 today. As I run I thought I was pretty fit, but it's making my legs just burn and that why I'm stopping more than overall tiredness, although a 30 second breather is nice. I guess it's using my legs in a totally different way to running that's doing it.

Oh look it's shitting it down again

Ad7 wrote:Oh look it's shitting it down again

You've got to embrace the gooseberry fool weather. Got to say I don't envy your hilly commute, though, and I'm lucky mine is so flat. This is a good article about psyching yourself up for cycling to work every day, in case you haven't read it.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ou-cyclist

Ad7 wrote:Oh look it's shitting it down again

You live in Wales right? I would get used to it.

Blue Eyes wrote:

Ad7 wrote:Oh look it's shitting it down again

You've got to embrace the gooseberry fool weather. Got to say I don't envy your hilly commute, though, and I'm lucky mine is so flat. This is a good article about psyching yourself up for cycling to work every day, in case you haven't read it.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ou-cyclist

That's a good artical thanks. I liked the "Finally, remember this: if it’s dark and blowing a storm, you can always not use the bike. No one gets a medal for cycling every day."

If you just don't feel like it, then it can be pretty dangerous to be on the road.

The wet was actually ok today, quite cooling and as I'm a bit more used to the route and bike, I was able to push a bit and go faster along some of the more empty sections. Still utterly dreading that climb later - last night it was full of chavs and their dogs being all over the shop. I had to stop dead and get off the pedals at one point as one woman just wouldn't move over and took the whole path up.

Ad7 wrote:

Blue Eyes wrote:

Ad7 wrote:Oh look it's shitting it down again

You've got to embrace the gooseberry fool weather. Got to say I don't envy your hilly commute, though, and I'm lucky mine is so flat. This is a good article about psyching yourself up for cycling to work every day, in case you haven't read it.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ou-cyclist

That's a good artical thanks. I liked the "Finally, remember this: if it’s dark and blowing a storm, you can always not use the bike. No one gets a medal for cycling every day."

If you just don't feel like it, then it can be pretty dangerous to be on the road.

The wet was actually ok today, quite cooling and as I'm a bit more used to the route and bike, I was able to push a bit and go faster along some of the more empty sections. Still utterly dreading that climb later - last night it was full of chavs and their dogs being all over the shop. I had to stop dead and get off the pedals at one point as one woman just wouldn't move over and took the whole path up.

Is your journey shorter with the bike than with public transport or however you were commuting before?

No, it's a 5-6 minute drive and a 13 minute Downhill, 25 on the way back. I'm doing it for fitness more than anything

Monday was the nicest ride home I've had from work since last summer, absolutely beautiful. And it seemed to put all the drivers and traffic lights in good moods, too. Then yesterday was perhaps the worst ride home since I packed it in before winter. Inexplicably cold, horrendous rain, headwind whichever direction I was facing and way more mud and grit coming off the road than usual. Then today was the most average ride imaginable. Bloody weather.

Have been offered a place for Ride London this July not sure if I'd get around the 100 miles as my fitness isn't anywhere near that good but it would be a reward to do it , another issue is it's a week after my wedding I may be away in a mini moon.

What a worse than getting stuck behind a very slow moving and how shall we say, 'wide' cyclist on the return journey? Getting them to notice you're trying to get by, then on the overtake running though a massive dog gooseberry fool.

Fml.

darksideby182 wrote:Have been offered a place for Ride London this July not sure if I'd get around the 100 miles as my fitness isn't anywhere near that good but it would be a reward to do it , another issue is it's a week after my wedding I may be away in a mini moon.

I've been denied for this two years running. Put in the miles and don't waste it

abcd wrote:

darksideby182 wrote:Have been offered a place for Ride London this July not sure if I'd get around the 100 miles as my fitness isn't anywhere near that good but it would be a reward to do it , another issue is it's a week after my wedding I may be away in a mini moon.

I've been denied for this two years running. Put in the miles and don't waste it

Looks like I'll be on the mini moon as the training side can be done.

darksideby182 wrote:

abcd wrote:

darksideby182 wrote:Have been offered a place for Ride London this July not sure if I'd get around the 100 miles as my fitness isn't anywhere near that good but it would be a reward to do it , another issue is it's a week after my wedding I may be away in a mini moon.

I've been denied for this two years running. Put in the miles and don't waste it

Looks like I'll be on the mini moon as the training side can be done.

You should arrange for your mini moon to be in London.