Thrown into cycle commuting - not by choice!

[Dave Mania]

'Ello all.....

Well, due to my car suddenly being beyond economical repair, I've found myself facing a 13 mile cycle ride twice a day - often going in at four in the morning or heading home at midnight, depending on my shift... Aaand I'm, erm, 'struggling!'

Doesn't help that I ride a Schwinn 7-speed beach cruiser, with big old cowhorn handlebars and I work in Brighton which usually has a moderate-to-howling westerly blowing right along the seafront (guess which side of the town I live on); and I weigh 16 stone, so let's be frank and say I present somewhat of a 'wall' to the wind when I'm on the homeward leg.

I need to make this easier as I'm only a week in and I'm running out of energy! Doesn't help that I get in for 1:30 in the morning, then have to cool down and get off to sleep before my family get up at 6 the next day.

I'm contemplating a pedelec, or at least a conversion kit for the Schwinn, but they cost as much as a cheap car and will take me months to save up for (I don't do credit cards). Does a pedelec really take as much of a bite off a headwind as they say? I'd be interested if so.

Or would I notice any significant difference if I went for an entry-level road bike? Some cheap Halfords thing in the 400 quid region, no more?

My aim is to keep up the cycling through the summer while I raise the money for a car. I'm hoping the weight will come off at the same time as my legs get stronger, but here again, I could really use some advice... How to eat for energy and muscle growth, whilst allowing weight loss.

Any advice on any of this, folks?

As a postscript, I'd really, REALLY like a covered vehicle like the Elf http://organictransit.com/ but they don't sell 'em over here as yet. Anyone know of any equivalents for sale in the UK?

[LollyKat]

It was a 15 mile commute into a headwind many years ago that convinced me to try drop bars - they made a big difference and I've stuck with them ever since. I don't know what kind of tyres you have but knobbly treads are pretty draggy.

[Dynamite_funk]

First of all, congrats on choosing cycling! You'll be reaping the rewards of better health and a more chilled out arrival at work

For £400 you could pick up a very nice second hand bicycle with all mudguards/racks etc which you may need, plus lights if you are travelling at night/early hours. I would perhaps post an advert in the wanted section on here after getting some advice on sizing adn all the other bits and pieces?

p.s. I would definately go for the drop bars

[[XAP]Bob]

Tyres are always a good place to start.
13 miles is a fair way - when I started my 10 mile commute it took just shy of an hour, within 3 months it was <40 minutes, by 6 months it was a shade over 30.

Due to your hours I'd suggest a dynamo based lighting system, due to distance a rack and simple pannier/rack top bag to carry a change of clothes (then you can cycle in something lighterweight, less flappy, and not be smelly at work )

£400 will get something decent on the 2nd hand market if you know what you're looking for, or a reasonable bike from somewhere like decathlon. Don't forget to budget for lights/rack/luggage
A cheapish dynamo wheel from rosebikes (germany) or practical cycles (UK) is probably a good thing to look for - the value end of the shimano dynohub range is perfectly adequate.

[mg2012]

My dad was struggling with riding his hybrid after an operation so he bought a pedlec and after a few months he was back to doing 50-60 mile rides again. So yes I think they do work and it would be ideal for you, however if money is tight it might not be an option for you. We did do a lot of research before buying the pedelec and it really is worth spending a bit more on it and in the end my dad spent nearly £2k on his (financed by selling his motor scooter). Best purchase ever for him as it's the only exercise he does. I've ridden it a few times and it really makes hills and headwinds easy. My dad rides up hills now he never managed to ride on his hybrid.

For you I think a road bike would be a better option though. For £400-500 you can get very decent bikes or even better one's second hand. Maybe contact your local CTC group or cycle club and ask if someone would let you have a test ride or maybe someone even has one to give away (if you are lucky you might get one free - someone in our club just gave one away).

It'll be easier with a road bike but 26miles every day is still going to be hard without any training though. Is there any way you can build up to it slowly? Maybe start 3 days per week for a few weeks (e.g. Mon,Wed,Fri), then 4 days (have Wed off) for a while etc? Or cycle in one way, leave the bike at work and then do it the other way round the next day?

Not sure about the ELF thing. That's a lot of extra weight to cycle around and I doubt the solar panels generate enough power to help for very long - in the UK at least...

[Vorpal]

'Ello all.....

Well, due to my car suddenly being beyond economical repair, I've found myself facing a 13 mile cycle ride twice a day - often going in at four in the morning or heading home at midnight, depending on my shift... Aaand I'm, erm, 'struggling!'

Doesn't help that I ride a Schwinn 7-speed beach cruiser, with big old cowhorn handlebars and I work in Brighton which usually has a moderate-to-howling westerly blowing right along the seafront (guess which side of the town I live on); and I weigh 16 stone, so let's be frank and say I present somewhat of a 'wall' to the wind when I'm on the homeward leg.

I need to make this easier as I'm only a week in and I'm running out of energy! Doesn't help that I get in for 1:30 in the morning, then have to cool down and get off to sleep before my family get up at 6 the next day.

In my opinion, much of the problem with running out of energy and 'struggling' is that your body simply isn't used to it.

If you can, leave a little extra time, so you can take it easy or go a bit more slowly.

In a couple of weeks, I think that you will notice a marked improvement in how you feel after your commute, and at the end of the week.

But please make sure that you are eating a balanced diet and keeping hydrated. Eating poorly and not drinking enough can make the problems worse.

Good luck

[james01]

http://www.gumtree.com/search?q=&catego ... max_price=

A feast of bikes for sale on Brighton Gumtree.
Good advice above, especially drop handlebars and dynamo lighting.

[Dave Mania]

Thanks all for your replies.... Firstly yes, they are knobbly tyres, I stripped the thing down to make a cool offroader last year, but I think I'll reconfigure it to road setup today and put the mudguards back on.

I'll certainly look towards a racing frame then. I've already shaved my first huffin'-puffin' attempt at the ride down from an hour-twenty to an hour-and-five after a couple of weeks of build-up; and I'm not arriving in such a gibbering funk either, so my fitness must already be improving. But now I'm having to make the ride four days/nights a week and it's not enormous fun on a sit-up-and-beg frame. I'm 6' 3" so finding a frame to fit me is harder than most.

How about recumbent trikes? They're supposed to be quite swift, aren't they?

[Tonyf33]

As an alternate to a dynamo a very good set of rechargeable lights will set you back under £20 AND last longer than 2 hours on full beam, 3.5 hours on mid which is what I use for completely unlit roads. Search ebay for XM-L cree & set the price under £20 above £15. 30 seconds to mount/unmount.

£400 gets you a LOT of second hand bike, there are plenty of high spec bikesaround/below the £400 bracket (A Marin Larkspur went for under £300 with CF forks and half carbon frame on ebay recently)
New will get you a reasonable spec bike like this and they do a 63 which should be about right for you http://www.decathlon.co.uk/fit-5-road-b ... 39798.html
Also you don't need to go for drops, they aren't mutually exclusive with regard to getting you out of the wind compared to a flat bar bike, you can do that on a flat bar bike just the same for your average commuter.
Tyres and correct tyre pressure make a huge amount of difference as others have said. Not having a flappy jacket will make more of a difference than your actual body shape into the wind.

Well done on becoming a cycle commuter..respect

[mjr]

Recumbent trikes are swift but not cheap... lowest starting bid I've seen in a few minutes on fleabay was £400.

1h05 for 13 miles in an urban area, probably with some stops and starts, isn't too bad. It's not like blasting along an open road. Even so, there's probably a few more things you can do to speed up the Schwinn with new handlebars (do the cowhorns sweep up and point towards you?) and/or position (if nothing else, try holding the bars near the stem in a headwind so at least you're more like a sail than a wall, but take care to keep weight off your wrists) so you're a bit more aerodynamic. Faster-rolling puncture-protected tyres are a quick fix worth making. Oh and is there an easy way to avoid the seafront when the wind's unfavourable? Brighton looks like there's other east-west streets which might be quiet enough on your commute times.

If you decide to get a road bike, I'd avoid Halfords and either go to one of http://www.thecyclingexperts.co.uk/find-a-cycle-shop/ because they put money into the Bike Hub (as I understand it) or head for Decathlon in London or Southampton because their lower-end road bikes get better reviews.

Dynamo lights are worth it IMO. A good sidewall set can be bought on import from somewhere like bike-discount for about £50 and some messing about with wires (Axa HR+Pico Steady+Riff Steady). Most wide urban/commuter tyres have dynamo tracks to help them grip in the wet... and the same lamps will work with hub dynamos if/when you upgrade. Most cheap battery LED lamps have O-shaped beams that are annoyingly short range and/or dazzling to other road users (=illegal).

[Tonyf33]

50% of car headlights are dazzling but the old bill won't do squat, a small single LED Cree headlight from a bike isn't as bad as people on here make out (I know from practical experience not guesswork) And at early hours of the morning isn't going to be that many other vehicles anyway..

Dynamo's are great within their limitations for cheaper tyre based jobs but you need to spend a decent wedge to get a good one though front wheels with dynamo can be had for under £40 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/23110301 ... 108&ff19=0

[mjr]

50% of car headlights are dazzling but the old bill won't do squat, a small single LED Cree headlight from a bike isn't as bad as people on here make out

I know it's unlikely the police will pull anyone over for it, but it's nice to be nice, eh? At worst, it'll save you getting an earful from other cyclists who have the same light sensitivity as me because those damned off-road torches are really painful, worse than a car on full beam.

[[XAP]Bob]

50% of car headlights are dazzling but the old bill won't do squat, a small single LED Cree headlight from a bike isn't as bad as people on here make out

I know it's unlikely the police will pull anyone over for it, but it's nice to be nice, eh? At worst, it'll save you getting an earful from other cyclists who have the same light sensitivity as me because those damned off-road torches are really painful, worse than a car on full beam.

Agreed - I find traffic lights dazzlingat night, although the council insist that they are already "dimmed" at night.
I can't see past them normally...

[Mark1978]

Doesn't help that I ride a Schwinn 7-speed beach cruiser, with big old cowhorn handlebars and I work in Brighton which usually has a moderate-to-howling westerly blowing right along the seafront (guess which side of the town I live on); and I weigh 16 stone, so let's be frank and say I present somewhat of a 'wall' to the wind when I'm on the homeward leg.

Beach cruisers are good for cruising along the beach and.. that's it. Most of your energy is going down the drain.

Or would I notice any significant difference if I went for an entry-level road bike? Some cheap Halfords thing in the 400 quid region, no more?

A massive difference yes, a proper lightweight road bike with decent tyres and drops would be way faster. Consider the likes of this http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-f95-sora-wiggle-exclusive/ avoid Halfords if you can.

[TonyR]

One thing to be aware of if you are looking at a pedelec is that the batteries/battery management systems on them are generally naff and will require the battery replacing after a year or so. Not cheap. So if money is tight be very aware of this problem. Its been covered extensively in AtoB magazine.

As for riding then it will be hard work starting 26 miles a day from scratch. A better bike will help a lot. You could try Sunrise Cycle near West Pier who rent out and sell second hand bikes (opening times are a bit hit and miss). Rent a reasonable road bike for a day and give it a try to see if it works for you and if you like it you could always buy it off him. I wouldn't bother upgrading what you have Otherwise can you take public transport in one direction? Its easier getting started if you can cycle in, PT home, PT in cycle home to start with until you are ready to cycle both ways.