Commuting on a SS

[tez001]

Just built up a single speed with a mis match of parts I had lying around, plus a few new additions.

I was going to give it a test commute tomorrow as I'm heading to one of our other offices in Parramatta, and the commute is mostly flat, as opposed to my normal commute into Sydney CBD.

Does any one commute in normal work casual clothes?
The single speed doesn't have clip ins pedals, so I was going to wear my normal clothes and shoes for the commute, approx. 15kms. Maybe knicks under my pants or knicks with a normal top for bum comfort. Good or bad idea?

[P!N20]

^ How far? I usually commute 8k's each way in jeans and a t-shirt (with a jacket in winter) then throw on a shirt when I get to work. For shoes I go with black leather sneakers that are neat enough for work but still comfy for cycling. Lucky for me my office is fairly casual and I rarely need to wear a suit.

For wet weather days it's a bit more involved.

[jaseyjase]

i think that depends on a few things; mainly how hard you will ride and how much you sweat.

Personally, my commute is about 16kms on my SS, im in full lycra, but im not exactly cruising and i sweat alot. Perth isnt exactly hilly, but theres the odd incline and short/sharp climbs to get the heart rate up.

Best give it a go, see how you fare!

[tez001]

Its about 13kms each way. I'll give it a go tomorrow and just cruise in. Coming home I don't care haha

I'd normally just go norma cycling gear however the end of trip facilities aren't as convenient hence the casual clothing option.

[Thoglette]

i think that depends on a few things; mainly how hard you will ride and how much you sweat.

+lots. I regularly forgo the lycra and ride to work in civvies (over 11km, with small if steep hills)

It's the difference between "a gentle walk" and "jogging". One involves sweating, the other doesn't.

The catch on bike is you don't have that change of gait (between walking and jogging) so you really need to be conscious of your level of effort.

Yes, it is slower. It's worth finding even quieter routes to match the slower speed. But you see a lot more.

You still may want to towel down and change shirts when you arrive, depending on the humidity etc.

[tez001]

Well did it yesterday and it wasn't bad, apart from a couple of small hills that required some grinding up. Comparing previous efforts on my regular geared commuter, the time was very similar, with the SS slower by a couple of minutes if that.

The thing I noticed was that I'd still try and maintain a regular pace instead of the "gentle walk" so coming back in the afternoon where temps were higher, it was starting to get uncomfortable in my jeans a polo (which I also had a back pack on which doesn't help).

I enjoyed riding the SS and will be doing it more on my flatter commutes into the office. I like just parking the bike and heading into the office as opposed to getting changed etc. In summer time, it will be a different story however

[ironhanglider]

You need to be able to ride at a proper pace.
You should be able to sing out loud, otherwise you are going too fast.

This is about the right attitude to start a day of work. Hanging onto vehicles is no longer seen as a friendly thing to do though.



Cheers,

Cameron

[tez001]

Yeah I need to ride at a leisurely pace on the SS. I think my first run on it, I just wanted to see what time it would take compared to my regular commuter.

[opik_bidin]

sorry for resurrecting a zombie thread, but I notice they are becoming more and more of a common sight near sydney uni, perhaps by the fact the users have short commutes and it's less of a hassle then geared ones.

[tez001]

You'll find in the city there are fixies / singles speeds everywhere as it's relatively flat and they are low maintenance and cheap.