Cummuting Prep.

[gauchoracer]

Greetings caffeine,
Re clothes on your commute, It may have been covered, but I havent seen it, (If it has I appologise in advance for repeating previous advice)
I have a bag at work with clean clothes and toiletry esentials for a shower, for when I get to work.
I infrequently commute, but I have read where regular commuters use their car to take a weeks worth of clothes on monday, or the weekend, and swap the clothes the next week.
Might make the morning/night before easier, as you have everything at work, no chance of forgetting to pack something, (socks, belt..)
Dont forget Rule Number One...
Max...

[petie]

Firstly, what is Cummuting? Or don't i want to know?

As for speed i too suffered your dilemma when i started riding to work. I seemed to only have "fast" or "stopped". I think as i rode more it slowly evened out and i adjusted my speed according to how i was feeling, if i was taking the long way etc. If it is really hurting you so much you can't ride some days then slow down, otherwise just keep chugging along and in my experience you'll adjust your speed accordingly

[sturmey archer]

I too seemed to have a problem with speed, or rather regulation of speed. When I started making a conscious effort to pull back a bit when I felt that I was pushing a bit harder, my average moving speeds actually improved slightly. I guess that rather than flogging myself up hills I was able to ride with a more coinstant effort I could maintain for the whole trip.

Any way, I don't really care who passes me and who I pass. Some people ride faster than me because their fitter/more motivated/younger and some ride slower because they like to enjoy the view or did a 250km ride yesterday. Hopefully we all enjoy the ride..

[Comedian]

OK... didn't want to start a new thread, but looking for feedback.

Wondering how far and how fast people, on average, commute.

Oddly I'm getting concerned that I may be going too fast when I ride (both for fun and for transit). With panniers on my 23K commute I average around 24.5km/h on the way in, slightly less than that on the way out. For fun w/o luggage probably 26km/h average. Fair bit of up/down on the way (Doncaster East in Melb to CBD)

Looking at the people I'm passing on the way in, and the people who pass me I think I'm doing it wrong.
By that I mean I seem to be passing people who look fitter and lighter than me on better bikes, and being passed only by the very occassional lycra without baggage.

Given I'm still very unfit and not a strong rider that leads me to believe that I am pushing harder than I should. I know last week commuting Monday and Tuesday basically left me spent enough that there was no riding Wed/Thu (but I am still growing my bike legs).

Should I be going slower? If so any tips on how to do so? I know that sound stupid, but I feel I'm going at a natural pace, and going slower doesn't seem to necessarily equate with 'easier' over the trip.

I'd say go as hard as you feel comfortable with. I pretty much had only one pace when I started - flat out for me (I'm not saying it was that fast). The problem comes later when you start adding longer and even more intense rides into the mix. I ride 6 days a week and I'd say 4 of those days have very strenuous rides on them (IE can't go any faster). You could well catch me on a day where I'm trying to restrain myself, or I've already ridden 40 fast k's with a bunch and I'm warming down on the ride to work.

The other thing is - if you have a surprise CCR event arise and you've been running at 100% you aren't going to show too much form

[Lizzy]

Bump! This seemed as good a place as any to share this morning's commuting prep fail: no towel

Ended up with a three-cornered contest between the pashmina I keep on the back of my chair, several suspect-looking dishcloths or a roll of Chux from the kitchen ... the pashmina won (I'm still a little swampy though)

And yes, I will be adding a towel to my emergency stash ...

[Mulger bill]

Everybody should know where their towel is.
Sorry, I'll leave now...

[waramatt]

OK... didn't want to start a new thread, but looking for feedback.

Wondering how far and how fast people, on average, commute.

Oddly I'm getting concerned that I may be going too fast when I ride (both for fun and for transit). With panniers on my 23K commute I average around 24.5km/h on the way in, slightly less than that on the way out. For fun w/o luggage probably 26km/h average. Fair bit of up/down on the way (Doncaster East in Melb to CBD)

Looking at the people I'm passing on the way in, and the people who pass me I think I'm doing it wrong.
By that I mean I seem to be passing people who look fitter and lighter than me on better bikes, and being passed only by the very occassional lycra without baggage.

Given I'm still very unfit and not a strong rider that leads me to believe that I am pushing harder than I should. I know last week commuting Monday and Tuesday basically left me spent enough that there was no riding Wed/Thu (but I am still growing my bike legs).

Should I be going slower? If so any tips on how to do so? I know that sound stupid, but I feel I'm going at a natural pace, and going slower doesn't seem to necessarily equate with 'easier' over the trip.

Hi caffeine. I'm with Max. Don't force it. These things have a way of working themselves out. As a reformed runner, I remember a saying the Kenyans use, and it relates to cycling too: "Let the run come to you." I have days when I wheel out the driveway at 6am feeling supercharged, and get to work at an average of 30 km/h. Other days I feel sluggish or lazy and average 22. I usually average a few km/h less coming home, but then I am a morning person and by 5 pm have done 8 hrs work Add to that I usually run into a headwind (south-easterlies are very common in my area) and I ride, you guessed, it in a south-easterly direction on my home commute

Hey! Some days I just take the bike computer off to remind myself why I really cycle and to have at least a part of my day that is not stats-driven

Try not to focus too much on other riders, and remember it's not a competition. Enjoy the journey! There is no finish line....

[Lizzy]

Everybody should know where their towel is.

[Comedian]

Everybody should know where their towel is.

You never know when the Vogons are coming