Has the time come for more comuter bikes

[redbikejohn]

Use the bike every day. M40 M25. Every night I look at all the cars crawling along while I zip in between the queues and I think 'why is there so few bikes'? I might see one now and again.
If you ride every day your gear is stored right by the front door and is ready to go. Each time I think about taking the car (newish bmw) I run into traffic mayhem and I'm so relieved I didn't. Luckily enough to have secure carpark at work. Home has a heavy duty old school door with multiple deadbolts and alarmed so I don't bother chaining it unless I leave the house.
Oh bike is a T700.

[Toe]

Use the bike every day. M40 M25. Every night I look at all the cars crawling along while I zip in between the queues and I think 'why is there so few bikes'? I might see one now and again.
If you ride every day your gear is stored right by the front door and is ready to go. Each time I think about taking the car (newish bmw) I run into traffic mayhem and I'm so relieved I didn't. Luckily enough to have secure carpark at work. Home has a heavy duty old school door with multiple deadbolts and alarmed so I don't bother chaining it unless I leave the house.
Oh bike is a T700.

This was my experience when I was commuting too. Knew where all my gear was and could get the bike out of the garage quickly and easily.
When I did take the car it was an hour instead of 30 mins and it'd be an awful crawl the whole way, even with warmth and music

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

My commute these days is a gentle stroll to my office in the West Wing of Simpson Acres

Looking back, the commute I really enjoyed was by bicycle in Gloucester and Peterborough. It was quite dangerous, though. 'Distracted drivers' are the biggest hazard, and car manufacturers seem determined to equip cars with more distractions with every model-change.

When did it become legal to have a TV screen hard-wired into the dashboard. Why have haptic switches been replaced with menus and touchscreens?

Do the people who design this rubbish even drive?

[redbikejohn]

Yea in my old job I'd cycle several days in a week buy only in good weather as it was 25miles each way and long rides in rain is not something I enjoy. Rode in winter when it was dry. Started doing it just to see if it could be done. Everyone thought I was mad so did it even more! Up at 3.30am to cycle into work just behind wembley stadium. And yes it was bloody dangerous ! Worst bit was Denham to Beaconsfield round the 4pm mark.
Long old ride home after a 10pm finish though.
Do 12hr shift now so not really an option plus route is crap.

[garyboy]

Fair play, rbj, that's one he'll of a regular commute by bicycle.

That Sinclair fella in the 60's ?? had the right idea for little electric? comuter cars .. but so small they could fit easily under a juggernaut. Perhaps not so safe. But if a dedicated route or road we're constructed? Impossible under this government though as its only private profit that is considered.

What about those 15 minute cities being mentioned. Do you work then, within a 15 minute walk of your home? Perhaps not such a bad idea, actually? But impractical in this diverse world.

In theory, trains and trolly buses are a brilliant idea .. but the prices? Wow. Practical only if free or low cost. And easy parking,

It's incredible, if you think of it, how so many people manage to actually comute to their place of work. .. all year round. On our poor road system.

I can't see flying cars arriving at our homes any time soon.

Working from home, looking at screens all day in your underpants .. has its attractions lol.

[garyboy]

Storage.
Place to store bikes, clothes, equipment. etc.

People living I small houses, flats, apartments, etc. Have problems finding space to store stuff, especially if some is used for comuting. You can easily have 2 or 3 motorbikes, or more, plus ebike, mtb, scooter etc. People with families at home as well, must have to sacrifice some items?

Duplicity. Some gear can be used on motorbikes, bicycles, scooters etc, but really, you need to have different gear for different transport. So, say, it's quite easy to end up with 3 or 4 rucksacks, a carrier bag size clan of different types of gloves, more if you do gardening or building. Then there is the tools and maintenance items like oils, sprays, cloths etc.

If you've not got a garage, you may have ebike, bicycles etc actually stored in your living rooms or bathrooms lol, like me.

If you don't do this, the bikes will end up thrown in shed or outside, maybe in the garden, and end up rusty or stolen.

So the idea of having your riding gear all ready for that particular vehicle, although brilliant and very effective, may still elude many of us.

But a goal worthy of working towards.

[redbikejohn]

You are right about gear. I have mountains of cycling clothing for winter and summer plus the inbetween months. Needed a full change of clothes each day as it got soaked and stank!
Dirt bike gear has been consigned to the loft.
Took up running and have mountains of that now. Again for all seasons and distances ie muti size vests/rucksacks plus various water containers, poles etc. Mind you none has been used for a while now as I wrecked my knee. complex tear to the medial meniscus (inner part of the knee).

[redbikejohn]

Public transport? F that. Full of dirty, rude smelly people

[garyboy]

I remember the days when, to ride in a car, you had to develop skills in maintenance and drive according to any faults you hadn't fixed, like uneven front brakes. The body was a British rust bucket and performance depended on how good your dad was at engine top end rebuild. That was over half a century ago and was because us working class lads had to buy old, well used hand downs from richer owners.

Things have changed and cars became foreign ones mostly, and now cars are a lot better, but increasingly you can't even work on them anymore, but you can just put your normal clothes on and Go.

Bikes have improved too, since the sixties, lol, but now, the problem is .. increasing mounds of clothes and accessories. Lol.

[92kk k100lt 193214]

To be able to commute on a bike you need to think through how you store bike gear.

So in nice weather no big deal.

Wet morning.....put on gear and ride to work or wherever. Store gear when you get there.....so if its wet gear how do you do that?
For the ride home, wet gear?
Maybe you have some place to hang it when you get to your destination. But rain over jacket or oversuit usually means only that and gloves are your issue.

Wet evening...you get home, what do you do with wet gear.? How do you dry it?

So I am lucky. Inside the back door I hang all my bike gear so have 3 sets hanging there. Some with thermal lining in, some without. And 2 pairs of bike boots.

But in wet weather to dry it out it hangs in the kitchen in front of Antie Aga. Its always dry by morning. If its a frosty morning coming up.....I leave a set of bike gear on it....gloves and balaclavas live on it all the time. If I get home late and not enough time to dry it I just take another set.

When I was a teenager we had a stove in the kitchen and last thing at night bike gear went in front of it. Old habits die hard.