SBcycling

""Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.""

^ above, the BikeForums section description for Commuting, one of the simple statements - combined with many others across the web - that really made me think, yeah I'm giving this cycling a serious try.

I own a car, which I've spent a lot of money on. And I will always probably own it. Being unemployed and soon to be a student, I don't have the same kind of money to throw to the car. Thankfully, I've been able to keep it well serviced and do some big repairs and replacements due to my sheer amount of free time until September. It's now got every investment I can do to it and the focus will turn to cycling.

To me, cycling means the following;-
- Freedom
- Fitness
- Making my car last longer
- Making my money last longer
- Keeping stress levels down
- Enjoying the scenery where I live

My last ride seemed to have put me off just a tad, however, I will explain below, but feel free to take a look on Strava to see all the statistics for yourself: https://www.strava.com/activities/551455319

I decided to cycle into a friend. This is from a rural village to the city nearest to where I live, 8.8 miles as Strava will show you. I've done it a few times before, it took around 50minutes give or take - and each time I've been cautious of preserving my energy, trying to keep a steady pace and not 'push it'.

That attempt was my slowest yet. Over an hour. The wind was just NOT on my side, I was pushing against is and it was such a terrible draining feeling. Despite being a sunny, beautiful evening the wind was against me. I've rode it in heavy brief rain and dull days the first few times which surprisingly doesn't seem as bad in hindsight. It was like I struggled to keep my steady pace, I was up and down the gears terrible. Some other, better cyclists overtook me not even trying - I didn't mind, but it made me think damn I'm doing something wrong.

It left me feeling: "Oh I'm glad I own a car, looks like that'll be my only way doing a this distance from now on" which I know honestly isn't a good view to have, it's accepting the struggle and a defeat to the car / lazy lifestyle :-/

Two days later, I spent the day washing the car, now I'm sick of looking at IT and found myself wanting my bike again! Not so put off as I was the other day, but still, that draining wind-facing reality of my cycle is making me a bit less willing to go out again. Any suggestions / criticisms?

I've been brutally honest here about my first experiences with commuting and just want to know how some of you long time fellow commuters got over / what you have to say about this experience.

bmthom.gis

Wind happens. It's like going uphill without having the fun of the downhill to look forward to. Just pop it in a gear lower than you normally would ride in, spin up and try to enjoy the ride. And know once you go the opposite direction on your way home you should have the wind at your back!

pdlamb

Headwinds suck. Strong headwinds suck bad.

Perhaps you should ease your way into bicycle commuting. On a cool, clear day it's easy to ride your bike back and forth. Drive your car to class (or wherever) if the weather's bad. After a while you can make a bike trip while it's hot and you're sweating, and it's no big deal. Later you can deal with a light shower, and chilly weather, and eventually even a headwind.

It took me a couple months before I was willing to try riding a bike to work. It took a couple years before cycling became my default commute. If you make it an all or nothing decision, you run the risk of ending up with ... nothing.

dougmon 

I'm a new commuter also; I've only been doing it for a few months. The thing I realized is that not every trip is good. But that would be true regardless of whether or not you're biking. You can have bad trips in a car as well.

In my experience, most rides are good. Some aren't, but most are. I almost got doored the other day. I almost got hit once. But these were isolated incidents in two rides out of about thirty.

And I _have_ ridden against the wind, and had to go quite slowly. It's a pain, but you shouldn't let it keep you from riding if you enjoy it most of the time. Not every day is windy.

Chris Chicago

headwinds blow.
usually if i have a headwind in the am i get a tailwind in the pm. but not always.
tailwinds are usually great though a few weeks ago I had a 60mph tailwind that had me coasting so fast i started to get nervous. no worries though because it quickly reversed directions and then I had to lay bike down on ground and take off my glasses so the wind wouldnt.

this vid is from that day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPVZ4s7fSyc

wphamilton

Keep going, and you will be amazed at how it gets easier.

tyrion

Headwinds are psychologically tough, you go slower than usual with the same effort. You just have to downshift, learn to accept going slower, and try to not let it get you down. Easier said than done.

When starting out I wouldn't focus on time and speed so much, just learn how to get to and maintain a moderate level of pain and physical stress and learn about your body on a bike. When things get tough try to frame it as a learning experience (not a suffering experience).

And make no mistake: it often takes discipline to ride to work when there's a perfectly good car sitting there.

alan s 

Bike commuting is not for everyone, and probably not for most people. No worries if you can't hack it. At least you gave it a try.

TenSpeedV2

I have had days where I swear I had a motor on the bike and never broke a sweat.
I have also had days where I swear that I am towing a boat anchor with a 900 lb chain.

This is going to happen, you will have great days, and you will have days that make you question what you are doing on a bike. Get back on the bike and ride.

dim

head wind is your friend .... it makes you strong especially if there are no hills and if you cycle for fitness

there's always the option of an e-bike if you struggle with head wind

joeyduck

Head winds are the bane of every cycle commuter everywhere.

But as you get stronger headwinds will still suck but you will be physically better prepared to power through them. And you can always hope that on the return it will be a tail wind.

Just stick with it and it will get easier. Don't worry about the clock at the beginning, give yourself plenty of time and just go. Some days are faster and some are slower.

Walter S

True. You also have to accept that it's work. But If it seems way too hard then maybe you need some conditioning. Some of that is attitude. There's a certain amount of effort that feels "right" to me. But I can be my own worst enemy by possessing a preconceived notion of how fast I should be going if I'm to consider myself a "real cyclist". If I'm not pulling that then I try harder and get frustrated like I'm weak or something. When in reality I just need to slow down - and usually just a tiny bit.

If you're keeping a good pace and you start up a hill expect to require a slower speed. That's obvious but "something" might tell you that you should be able to just turn on the power. And maybe you can. But if you were making a decent effort then cut yourself some slack and slow down if you don't find that energy in your legs.

You can't go on how you should feel. Listen instead to how you do feel. Don't punish yourself for being less. You'll change if you ride a lot. You won't if you don't.

Wind is harder still because the resistance is less intuitive. Make yourself go up a gear and keep your cadence up without flailing around. Really take it easy until you feel a little silly because it's too easy. The gear lever is your friend.

And don't think about anybody else and whether they think you're slow.

In the end I think you'll find that up shifting however much you need to will make the ride easy. Call that your baseline. The key is to make it not difficult because you won't stick with it otherwise. Then make it a daily routine. You'll get stronger and stronger in a matter of weeks and your speed will improve.

Strive for the level of effort that seems right that day. Don't be in a hurry. Give yourself plenty of time. Sometimes if I'm kind of weary I'll tell myself to really goof off. After riding at what feels like a real slow and easy pace I'm consistently surprised that it adds only a few minutes to a 20 mile ride. More often, I feel slow starting out and tell myself to goof off and after 20 minutes of warming up I'm filled with energy and have fun pushing myself hard like I'm a kid again.

Above all don't have "bad" rides. The way you feel is up to you. Disappointment comes from setting artificial goals. If you're having a bad ride look at that in itself as a big red flag. I don't have bad rides. They're not all the same thrill but many are indeed.

rumrunn6

bike commuting is a journey. be prepared to improvise, adapt & overcome :-)

Walter S

Then again the wind might reverse direction while you're at work and still be a headwind. Especially because anything other than a direct tailwind ends up being a headwind!

tsl

In our mechanized and automated world, it's easy to forget that we are biological creatures. We subconsciously apply expectations to ourselves that reflect this forgetfulness, then beat ourselves up when we don't live up to the expectations we have of mechanical devices.

In other words, we don't come in a box labelled "Cyclist". We can't expect to open the box, take out the cyclist and expect it to perform at high levels immediately, as we can when we drive a car off dealer's lot. It's foolish.

So you averaged eight or nine MPH into the wind for an hour. That's super! I couldn't manage that until six or eight months after I started cycling.

I bought my first bike as an adult specifically for the purpose of commuting. Riding it home from the LBS, I had to stop and rest halfway home for fully five minutes. Total distance from the LBS to home? 0.67 miles or a smidge over 1 km.

Turns out, cycling is hard work. Who knew?

Since I'd already shot my entire transportation budget for a year on a $380 hybrid, I was out of choices. I was either completely screwed or committing to a new adventure in discovering what fitness really means.

I chose the latter--all in.

It was several weeks before I could cycle non-stop to work, 3.5 miles away, and it took me the better part of a half-hour. Ten years later, I leave a little early so I can take the long loop to work--17.4 miles. I budget an hour.

It's still hard work, yet it feels easy to do. I mean that it's easy (psychologically) to do the (physically) hard work. Although the work itself has become easier.

Give it time, and effort. You'll gain the benefits outlined above, and it will become easier if you keep the commitment.

Walter S

Great post tsl.

wphamilton

The key thing TSL said is "all in", as in get stubborn and do it. Like him I vividly recall my first adult bike ride, beyond a walking pace mile around the park. All of 2.5 miles to the Kroger parking lot to fix my wife's car. It was hot, there was a hill, and I thought I was extreme to even try it. The first thing I did was shove the bike in the back seat because I sure as heck wasn't going to ride it back, and then went inside to the freezer section to cool off. Hot and exhausted. And to be honest I didn't get back on that bike for weeks, maybe months. But when I decided later that I wanted to use a bike to get around, it was that ride that gave me confidence because as hard as it was, I did make it and I knew that I could do it again.

My surprise was after about three months it was getting easier, lots easier. I was near 50 by then and in terrible shape for decades; someone younger may expect faster progress. I take those same hills now near the end of 40 and 50 mile rides without any particular strain. My 8-mile commute consistently takes around 25 minutes, and less if I'm feeling good and pushing it. Not that I'm any athlete - it just that an ordinary person gets that much stronger, just by riding, but only if he sticks with it.

joeyduck

Especially along waterways, the wind loves to switch directions as the day heats up.

I rarely was blessed with a tail wind with my old commute, along the river.

takenreasy

Becoming a dedicated bicycle commuter is an acquired skill. There must be a high level of internal desire to want to do it. Do it long enough and you'll wonder why you didn't convert earlier. My philosophy on wind is there is no tailwind while bicycle commuting.

Miele Man

What kind of bicycle are you riding? Hybrid, MTB, road, other?

What gearing do you have?

What size tires and width are you running?

"Make haste slowly" is a good thing to think about when starting commuting by bicycle. As you commute more days your fitness level will increase and probably by a lot. When I was first commuting 15 miles each way in Toronto, Cnada a lot of the hills/inclines seemed nearly insurmountable. A few months later those same hills could be ridden without hardly gearing down.

Headwinds and hills require a psychological boost to overcome. When riding up a long hill or into a strong steady headwind my mantras are, DOn't let the headwind/hill win!"

Another thing. It's a lot easier for most people to spin or pedal in a lower gear than it is to mash a big gear. many people I know were using too big a gear and thus they couldn't ride very far before tiring or getting pains.

I used to use barends mounted inboard of my shifters and brake levers so that my barends were btwen those and the stem. This allowed me to assume a more aero position.

Watch out too for baggy clothing/jackets that will act like an anchor and slow you down a lot in a headwind.

Persevere and commuting will most likely become enjoyable for you too.

Cheers

alan s 

You could always take up a safe outdoor hobby like trainspotting.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JuneXaJIAmo

mr geeker

Head winds suck, learn to love the suck. Same applies to hills. When you start to love the suck, that that sucks, sucks less. There's some fortune cookie wisdom for ya.

deapee

Yeah I remember taking my first spin at my local spot -- I made it 2.5 miles away and thought I was going to have to walk my bike back.

I don't have the ability to use my bike for commuting -- the main road I live off of is just too dangerous to ride on (45 mph, but people go 60), a lot of the private roads off of it have gravel washed out to the white line (for some reason, no street sweepers come and sweep the shoulder, I have no idea why. I'm from the city, and live out in the country now, maybe they don't use them here). Every road off there is it's own dead end eventually -- there's just no way to hit a real connector to anything other than about 4.5 miles each way. The one day I managed to hit a back road through absolute bravery, I ended up getting chased by a rottweiler anyway.

In either event, you've got a plan -- save money and save gas by cycling. Who cares if you go 9 mph...just ride to meet your goal and you will get better and more fit.

PaulH

If you had driven to your friends house and your car had broken down or you had been delayed by a traffic jam, would that have put you off driving? All transportation modes have vulnerabilities. It is unreasonable to expect all trips to be fun. People who pass you are not "better cyclists" any more than people who pass you when you are driving are "better drivers." The only thing that matters is safe completion of the mission. Who cares if it takes over an hour -- you are not an ambulance driver.

My advice under these conditions is to ride slower and with less effort. The bicycle is a labor saving machine that allows you to travel with less effort than by walking and running.

SouthFLpix

In my opinion, if you live in an urban area, driving in the horrendous traffic around rush hour is a bigger deterrent than a headwind could ever be.