Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I've been catching the train into work for the last 4 weeks and cycling home the 14 and bit miles.

Partly to save money but mainly to get fit, and as cycling is the only form exercise I enjoy; it seemed a good idea.

I've given myself arbitrary targets to see if I am improving my level of fitness and the first was to be able to cycle home in less than an hour. I did this fairly soon, so I then stepped up to less than 50 minutes.

I've been consistently getting sub 1 hour but not really any faster but last night I couldn't cycle home due to mahoosive thunderstorm that hit Derby at just after 5 (we had rain like you wouldn't believe and HUGE hailstones)

This morning, the train was cancelled and I decided I may as well cycle in (not go home and get the car!)

So I set off and have a really great ride - bit cool, easy run in... topped out at just over 30 on the long downhill into Derby and when I got to work I realised I had done the trip in JUST under 50 mins! Seeing as when I started doing the run in (when I *did* the run in) it took me up to 1:15 I can't help but be REALLY pleased.

It's good achieving milestones and while I don't *feel* any fitter (and still have the gut ) people are commenting on my weight loss and I know I must be better - I'm 1-2 gears higher than when I started cycling and I know I am quicker now... still can't match the shaven legged pro- types though

dpb

Congrats
Keep pedalling (smoothly) in as higher gear as possible on the ups

bugeyeandy

Good stuff Kieran, when I first started (7 miles each way) I didn't notice anything much but after about six weeks I began to find the headwinds didn't slow me down so much and my recovery from sweaty red faced wreck to normality once reaching work was a lot quicker.
I can now do a 2 hour - 30 mile ride easily and recover very quickly although to look at me I don't really look that much different (10kg's lighter).
Keeping it up over the winter months is the hard part, especially when the car is there instead!

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Cheers mate

I've got a large box of kit waiting for me at home (delivered this morning):
Altura: over-trousers, over shoes, nightvision jacket, water-proof baggies, skull cap
cat-eye: single shot plus, ld-1100 (that 10 led rear light)
full size mudguards

and if anyone wants to buy a Golf V6 4Motion, there's gonna be one for sale very soon!

So.... Winter cycling? Ready for it now (I've already got the thinsulate gloves, shorts and tights... although I might get some thermal tights as well...)

andy97

iTrader: (1)

There's an obvious reason you were quicker going to work, it was downhill

No really, well done for getting on your bike!

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

Well done you

I drove through a storm just like that one around 5pm last night, I was on the A1 in Lincs and nearly died after a silly old biddy tried to side swipe me I couldn't see past the end of the bonnet it was so severe, possibly the same one?

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Yup - probably was the same one - the skies were black and thinking about it, it was headed in that direction.

I was only out in it for less than two minutes (the time it took me to realise how hard it was, to getting to the train station) and I could wring out my gloves, my shoes had been washed clean of the mud from the previous day and the roads were completely flooded.

austinwrx

nice one, I cycle occasionally to work, do more in evenings and weekends really due to work.

keep it up- you know it makes sense.

there's no such thing as bad weather- just the wrong clothing !

Snazy

Well done mate. Milestones are great for motivation
Im sure you have more in you, but at the end of the day, just that level of exercise is gonna help you no end in the long run.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Well done Kieran, I find it does help having some motivation from other members on here to keep going, easy in summer, but the next couple of months will be the acid test.

Its a bit of a Roller Coaster cycling, one minute its complete joy, the sun is shining, you are on top of your game and the traffic is kind, but the next its p1ssing down, theres a 30 mph headwind, you feel crap and theres an Eddie
Stobart lorry 18 inches from your right ear.

I had a week off and didnt go near the bike, back on it for 2 days now, 1st day felt crap, today fine, cobwebs gone.

I notice that when you use the bike for a while, using the car feels like a luxury, but after a week of driving whilst off the bike felt like purgatory at first.

I missed the storm yesterday by 30 mins, would have just hung on till it fooked off, I remember last year whilst on my MTB, got caught in a storm near the airport and a tree got struck 100 yards away, terriying, I knelt down next to a pile of soil.

I am looking for the following equipment, otherwise I wont be able to keep going, even now its getting much cooler in the morning.

My progress is going from 12 mph average to 15.5 for my journey.


Rack and Panniers - need these as the rucksack alone wont be big enough

SPD pedals/Shoes - starting to get annoyed at not being clamped to my bike.

Weather gear - Overshoes, thermals, waterproofs etc, want to keep them in the pannier so I have them all the time over winter.


Front light - Have bought a really bright rear but need to get one for the front, my ride involves urban but soon goes into unlit country lanes and an A road (where the Stobarts hunt in Packs)

Plus anything else that the more experienced commuters can suggest. Its amazing all the crap you end up carrying to work,

Work Clothes
Work Door pass
Lunch
Lock/Key
Blackberry
Mobile
Towel
Shower Gel
Hair Gel
Deodorant (though I have left the toiletaries in the shoer room now)
Spare Batteries
Pump/CO2
Spare tubes
Tyre Levers
Tools
Bottle
Emergency crunchy bar
Spare contact lenses
Sunglasses

Hence the panniers !

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Cheers Snazy

My ultimate aim is to get down to 45 mins both ways, so I'm moving nicely towards that.

I know it's going to be tougher to progress on each stage, but as you say: just exercising is improving my fitness anyway.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

J4cko - I leave my work stuff at work and only carry in the essentials (clean shirt for a start!)

I did some research and this the list of stuff I bought:

EL610RC Single Shot Plus Rechargeable Front Light
TL-LD 1100 Rear Light
Night Vision Waterproof Jacket
Race Blade MudGuard Set (front & Rear)
Dryline Waterproof Shorts
White Lightning Trigger Chain Cleaner whiligtrigger
Neostream Overshoe
Night Vision Waterproof Trousers 1 £38.75

That should get you some way onto your goal

Simon C

Before I had my bike nicked, I used to drive in on a monday taking in a weeks work clothes in with me, that way I could just cycle in for the rest of the week with no probs (Just laptop in the rucsac on my back).

SiPie

Kieran

Well done on the improvement

Are you planning on moving up to cycling both directions in the future?

14 miles each way should be a comfortable distance for you. You'd maybe be wise to drop the pace a bit, but it would still do wonders for your stamina training.

Bring on the winter cycling... I love it

Great tips below from mad Pete, he cracks me up. Especially the 'beard' section where he shaves half his beard off to see if it 'really is warmer with a beard', then just lets it grow back in naturally, without ever shaving the other half off

Winter cycling

particularly this section

http://mudhead.uottawa.ca/~pete/winter.txt

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Si - I am intending to: once the move to the new building is complete and I have use of the showers there.

I'm pushing myself at the moment (partially due to competetive spirit and partly fitness) but I know that I will need to ease back once the level is there.

As Austin says - there is no bad weather, just poor clothes and I intend to make sure I have the right kit for the winter.

I did my first commute in full rain on Monday and I really did enjoy it (again in a personal best time: 54 mins) as I had the right kit.

Once I get the mudguards fitted and reduce the amount of crap flying around, it'll be even better.

The thing is: I can see that I can do this now and I *know* that the effort will lessen as I get fitter, so it's more an 'adventure' than anything else!

Snazy

Keep up like that and you an do this too...
Home | Get involved | Take part in an event | Overseas events

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Holy cow - that's a funny article!

"An important clothing item in extreme to insane cold, is a
third sock. You put it in your pants. No, not to increase
the bulge to impress the girls, but for insulation.
Although several months after it happens it may be funny,
when it does happens, frostbite on the ***** is not funny.
I speak from experience! Twice, no less! I have no idea
of what to recommend to women in this section."

WTF?????

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Have I told you about me and hills?

I bet I haven't, 'cos I don't do hills.... I have as much love for hills as I do for a session of waxing me back, sack and crack.

Snazy

lol there are some "inspiring" pieces of writing there.
Would love to do something like that, but cant see me raising the 12,000 euro entry fee.

As for hills..... aaaah one of those eh. lol Like me !

j4ckos mate

lad at work cycled therough kenya, we sponsroed him

austinwrx

sat looking at rain now- can't wait to cycle home in the rain oh well.

tools are an interesting one: apart from the obvious:

chain splitter

spare deraileur.

I never wear water proof trousers- a pair of ron hill "tights/leggings" works for me and overshoes- regardless of the time of yr.

I have decent mudguards on my roadbikes and good enough ones on the mountain bikes---- if you think yr legs are working hard- they don't get cold.

a decent waterproof jacket of course is a must as yr body gets the wind chill factor.

As I prob said before- lidl and aldi do some great gear which will last you a year or two.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Yes, sat at work also looking for a break in the Bad Weather, or a Break in my Poor clothes to be precise.

Its p1ssing down here, nice bath when I get in I think.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I got frapping drenched on the way home tonight, it started as a light drizzle.. no problems and steadily increased into a full on downpour by the time I was 4 miles from home.

The utter, utter irony was that the delayed waterproofs and muguards were waiting for me when I got home.

mind you my new cateye single shot plus front light is bloody amazing!

I cannot believe how bright the damn thing is! the LD1100 rear light is just stunning - 10 leds and you have all these whacky choices of light combos to choose from (strobe, on, flash, random - and independent on the two rows!)

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I didnt get that wet, was still raining but didnt get drenched like last time, being wet isnt that bad, but putting wet gear on in the morning is awful

Car Tommorow, going to see Gomez in town later so need to a quick exit.

jjones

50 miles charity ride on sunday (mac ride) for macmillan nurses.

Still not riding to work but can average 18mph over 20 miles on relatively flat terrain, clothes/shower/laptop puts me off cycling to work.

ah and love Gomez, gonna get myself arrested

top speed is now up to 47.6mph dread to think of the gravel rash with lycra shorts and no gloves O.o

SiPie

Kieran

Keep a close eye on the bracket, mine wore down pretty quickly (ie. doesn't click solidly into place, but then I was removing it every day in case it got nicked whilst left in the bike racks at work) and my light is now held tight with a strong rubber band just in case it jumps loose, Cat eye's weak point is their damn brackets, pathetic.....should be ok if not removed frequently though.

Agree it's a great light and even with one of the rubber switches unseated on mine for over a year, still no sign of water ingress which is unusual in rear lights

9/10 from me..... and only let down by the bracket (in case you hadn't guessed...!)

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the advice on the lights Si - I've heard similar elsewhere, so I'll be taking care of them both.

the sad (deeply sad) thing is: I want to take the bike out late at night down the bridlepath to see just how good they are... God I need to get help.

jjones

trouble is cycling sets a huge fire for appetite in the gut.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

it's true - it does. My body is going through some weird **** at the moment All this sudden exercise is playing havoc with my metabolism, I'm permanently hungry at the moment.

I've started nibbling on them snack bar thingies - I figure something healthy rather than the usual tube of pringles is a good thing!