To commute or not? opinions required

Cycling 50 miles a day everyday will be tough. I'd start by doing it say twice a week (friday being one of those days as you can leave early) and going on the train with the bike on the other days. See how you go and then make it 3 days and so on........
 
At times I do 40 miles a day, 200 per week but not during winter months, lights, wet weather gear, the cold I cant be arsed with that part. I do own a car BTW, I arrive fully charged and find the ride home a good way of unwinding BUT the amount of food/calories I burn is scary :LOL:
 
sylus":1qje4yw2 said:
Health wise its a good not so good idea. Undoubtedly you will become far more healthier but as most of us know and I suspect you also know, two wheels this day is never the danger but how cage drivers view and not see two wheels is.

If your comfortable with the risks then I'm sure you know all the safety equipment needed and the risks involved

you'll make the right choice for yourself bud

The British Medical Association came out with the very clear statement that on balance it was better to cycle than not. The balance of risk is from a sedentary lifestyle, not accidents. Cycle commuters have lower absence and illness rates than car commuters.

If you have a train option, why not use the it for the return journey some days? I used to do a 36 mile round trip commute and it's not fun if you are tired or the weather is awful. My return was always into the prevailing wind too!
 
On the flipside there is no greater feeling than arriving home after a 20 mile slog into a headwind whilst its raining horizontal in your face....or am I in the minority?!

I get a lift into work everyday with my wife then ride 20 miles home through all seasons. This has the nice balance that I don't have to sort out wet kit at work and for some reason you tend to go a lot faster on the way home than riding into the office!

I finish work @ 4pm which has the benefit that I miss the main rush hour & on my countryside route I maybe see 5 cars max in the middle sector of my commute.

In the summer I ride into work too as the weather is a little better, last year was horrible in terms of rain so hampered this a bit :oops:
 
There alot things to take into consideration.. road safety{ viewtopic.php?f=8&t=129150} road condition{pot holes..getting worse} weather conditions, your road attitude viewtopic.php?f=8&t=232494 and confidenace.

One very good point on her was made.."treat all road users as idiots"..always keep looking ahead..brakes lights etc

I commute 7 miles each way on a B road into Plymouth, then contend with city centre traffic..i work 12 hour shifts {work 6 till 6 } so i dont see much traffic on earlies..but get the full rush hour going home..on nights hit rush hour coming in..then quiet going home.

With all the dayglo..all the lights money can by {xmas tree}..i still got clipped by a bus.

Always say thankyou even you might think something else :LOL: i always nod to say thanks when i can see the front wheels move..then the driver sees me..yes i do want to give a gesture :twisted: ..but i say thanks..it does and will create a "harmony" to all road users ... drivers are getting better because more people are commuting..but it is a 2 way street..we as cyclists must also think of them as other road users..give them time to see you.

Ernie ;)
 
the other upside is that if you dont manage to get spread all over the road you get to do the thunderclap

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gs44uFixlg[/youtube]
 
Do it, but not every day. I used to do a hilly 26 mile round trip daily, by the time the weekends rolled around I didn't want to even look at a bike.
 
Doing 250 miles a week on a bike is not going to be cheap in terms of drivetrain wear, really your chain will thank you for a lube twice a day and a clean once a week, I assume you'll be on a road bike? 10sp chains tend to do 1000 miles before they're shot.

50miles a day will make you a hero though, but the absence of hills is not great for the training point of view.
 
i did a 52 mile round trip three days in a 4 day working week, 4 on 4off, 12 hour shifts, for about 4 years........two of them were a 6am start which meant a 3 am alarm......plus points were an imense sense of satisfaction, especially during the winter months, petrol money and car wear and tear saved, unwinding after work before getting home, a lifetime high point in terms of personal fitness and a stomach i could iron shirts on........negatives were the two or three times i met the man with the hammer in the middle of nowhere after a long day, an insatiable appetite for food!.....the days the weather forecast was wrong!......the day my wife ran off with a builder and said i had not been at home enough was tough too :facepalm: ...........all in i say go for it!......the perverse pleasure in pushing yourself to the limits when everyone else is at home is something only cyclists and runners will understand!.... :D
 
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