Cycle commute!

I was looking to start this, about 4 miles into work, but I cant really afford to spend more than £150 on a bike :(

You certainly don't have to! As long as it's not made of tinfoil and has decent tyres and you set it up correctly it'll be fine :)
 
Happy Bunny time.

Picked this up from brother in laws yesterday.

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Bit of a mix & match components wise, ultegra crank and STI levers, 105 front mech, Tiagra rear mech, ambrossio brakes, Shimano RS500 wheels.
But its so responsive, bit twitchy on downhills but it climbs brilliantly, it transfers pedal power to forward motion in an instant.
Did 9 miles on last night in 37 mins, so thats on par with pace i need to get to work in under an hour.
But the saddle is like a razor blade, even with cycling shorts on.

A few weeks and i should be up to the hour long ride to work.
 
To maintain fitness I ride 17 miles each way to work every Wednesday (March-September), it takes me about 65 minutes, an average speed of around 15-16mph

Bike - 2007 Specialized FSR XC Comp : Mountain Bike

What bottle holders are those matey? How do you find them, good grip on the bottle?

Im trying to find a decent holder... Ive had ones in the past where the bottle just slides out when you go over some rouch terrain.
 
I was looking to start this, about 4 miles into work, but I cant really afford to spend more than £150 on a bike :(

I go to work on a £90 cheapie, dual suspension, all I have done to it is add a decent seatpost (I'm 6'3"), Semi-slick rear tyre, and some better brake blocks.

Only thing I need to adjust with regularity is the rear dérailleur, but I ride aggressively which puts some stress on it...:p

Just grab one from Halfords, adjust it to suit, and off ya go.
 
That looks fantastic!! Get the saddle changed to something a little more comfortable :D

I could mountain bike on my road frame, its sooo heavy and dull. I really like the look of that thing. I bet it weighs half the weight of mine.

Seriously, i want :(

according to the scales, it weighs around 16lb. Doesnt feel like its that heavy, easy to pick up with 1 hand and move about.
 
I go to work on a £90 cheapie, dual suspension, all I have done to it is add a decent seatpost (I'm 6'3"), Semi-slick rear tyre, and some better brake blocks.

Only thing I need to adjust with regularity is the rear dérailleur, but I ride aggressively which puts some stress on it...:p

Just grab one from Halfords, adjust it to suit, and off ya go.

I would'nt do that... These bikes can be dangerous :p

Plus they can be extremely heavy and hard work as a commute bike.
 
according to the scales, it weighs around 16lb. Doesnt feel like its that heavy, easy to pick up with 1 hand and move about.

I shall weigh mine tonight, i am pretty sure it will be over 25lbs :(

Did my first properly wet ride today, added about 6 minutes to my normal time? I dont know if I was just put off by the weather, or perhaps I am just a bit tired today!

Nearly got squashed by people a lot more often, do people feel more sleepy when driving in the rain??
 
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What bottle holders are those matey? How do you find them, good grip on the bottle?
Im trying to find a decent holder... Ive had ones in the past where the bottle just slides out when you go over some rouch terrain.
Hi - Those bottle holders are made by Specialized.
I've been riding pretty much every weekend for over a year including some fast, rough downhill sections and the bottles have never fallen out.

Link to product : http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails.asp?productID=5296
 
Not all of us are born athletes...........well im certanly not :p Now there you have me thinking that thats not a reasonable time :( Ive only been cycling about 3 weeks. i managed a 10mile ride in 37mins, that was followed by a 20mile ride in 1hr20 and now ive managed 30miles in 2hrs15. I know there not great times (although the more i ride im sure the faster i will get) but its distance im going for as im doing a 54 mile charity ride at the end of August.
 
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Not all of us are born athletes...........well im certanly not :p Now there you have me thinking that thats not a reasonable time :( Ive only been cycling about 3 weeks. i managed a 10mile ride in 37mins, that was followed by a 20mile ride in 1hr20 and now ive managed 30miles in 2hrs15. I know there not great times (although the more i ride im sure the faster i will get) but its distance im going for as im doing a 54 mile charity ride at the end of August.

I think your times are perfectly respectable! I cant imagine 30 miles is easy to do sub in 2 hours, so 2:15 sounds pretty good.

I will be going from a 9.1 mile commute to a 19.1 mile commute as of Thursday. So thats nearly 40 miles a day. I would hope to be doing each leg in under an hour eventually. But if i am close to the hour mark i will be happy at first :)
 
After stalling for far too long, i did the long run in today, route works out as 20.02 miles. I managed it in just under 1hr 15, and it didnt feel all that much harder than the half distance i was doing before!

Feeling really good today, and actually looking forward to the ride home :D
 
Back cylcing today after a weeks break due to weather, pain and finsihing at 8pm meaning it was dark by the time I was half way.

You people doing 20 mile runs under an hour!! Yikes. Awesome, but scary. I think part of my problem is my bike has small wheesl (24" I think) with knobbly offroad tyres. I think I need to invest in a proper road bike. Would make live much easier I think.

Im just taking it easy, about 40 mins for the 8 miles. It does have some gradual hills on the way. It's worse on the way back though. I'll have to use the map thingy to show you the gradients. Not difficult but can be annoying.

It might be wise to wear something to shade your head/face. I think I burnt my head this morning as my hairs a bit of a close shave.

Also, what kit do you guys carry with you? I just take myself, MP3 player phone and food plus some deodorant.
 
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what kit do you guys carry with you? I just take myself, MP3 player phone and food plus some deodorant.

I carry a carefully folded shirt change of socks/pants, a small towel, deoderant, hair stuff, wallet/phone/keys an 80gig USB HDD (for taking work home if required) and errm, my helmet :p (sometimes i take my laptop+PSU too if I really need it)

I dont take a drink or tools with me. If im going to be home late i might take my lights with me too.
 
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