10 Things I Wish I'd Known When I Started Commuting By Bike

10 years ago our own Simon Richardson got his first proper job in an office, and has since learnt a great deal about cycling to work. He believes it's the ultimate way to get into the office, and thinks that with a little knowledge it can be very achievable for many commuters! In this video, Si gives you his nuggets of wisdom that he wished he knew when he started commuting by bike.

0:00 - Intro
0:40 - Just Get Started
1:09 - Have Fun
1:40 - Explore Different Routes
3:40 - Travel Light
5:22 - Clothing
5:45 - Choosing Your Bike
7:00 - Look After Your Bike
7:42 - Securing Your Bike
8:42 - Keeping Fit
9:30 - Choosing Your Kit

Useful Links:

Do you have any other bike commuting tips? Let us know in the comments below!👇

Watch more on GCN...

🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Tiny Things - Giants' Nest
Slo-mo - Aiyo
Ocean View - Gregory David
Oak City - Sarah, the Illstrumentalist
Future Daze - Major Tweaks
Deepwaters - dreem (2)
Day Luxe - Molife
Arcade Romance - ELFL

#gcn #cycling #roadbike #bikecommuting #commute #commuting

The Global Cycling Network (GCN) is the largest online cycling channel in the world, bringing together a global community of road cyclists to celebrate everything that’s great about the world of cycling.

Our videos bring fans compelling daily content including expert tutorials, techniques, training, racing, cutting-edge bike tech, unparalleled behind the scenes event coverage, humour, entertainment, and more.

Presented by ex-pro riders, GCN offers a uniquely qualified insight into the world of cycling, and most importantly it’s fuelled by our passionate and enthusiastic fans – everyone who makes up the GCN community. We also bring the latest and greatest tech to your attention, showcase the best places in the world to ride and get exclusive access to events and races.

Welcome to the Global Cycling Network | Inside Cycling

Thanks to our sponsors:

Watch our sister channels:

[gcn]

Do you have any other bike commuting tips? Let us know in the comments below!👇

[lefrickolas]

A big warning to anyone considering starting to commute to work by bike: I started in 2019 just to make my commute cheaper but now I’m a lycra-clad road cycling enthusiast. It’s a gateway drug - watch out!

[philipcooper]

I cycle to work and my advice is, leave the fun/power/effort/speed... for the way back home. You don't want to sweat through your work day, do you? The only exception from this being racing someone to work or when overtaking an e-bike mid-climb. 😅

[bleckb]

I’ve been riding the same basic route to work for years. Watching this, it dawned on me I can ride beside a river, a creek actually, and avoid the worst of the traffic. Thanks Si for prompting that realization.

[ingy]

The best advice I could add to the excellent advice Simon gave in the video is don’t let drivers upset you. It’s not worth arguing with ‘you don’t pay road tax’ brigade or people who cut you up. I’m in no way excusing their behaviour but the driver will soon be gone and you need to be concentrating on the road ahead...and more to the point that all important fun.

[peeweepierce]

After mountain biking many years I upgraded my bike and turned my old bike into City commuter
I only have a 20 minute ride morning and evening but at the end of the first week I remember thinking
I can’t do this every day it’s exhausting
3 months later I remember being sad I had arrived at work so quickly
Now I average150 km a week by mostly taking the longer option to work
Glad I didn’t give up

[mattkmayberry]

In ‘21 I had a nasty case of Covid and was hospitalized for 4 months. Part of my lengthy recovery, with inspiration from GCN, was setting a goal to bike to work this summer. Achieved the goal in June. Can’t do it everyday but have tried to bike commute once a week ever since. Thanks GCN!

[JIMMYHIBBS]

Same but different - I used to motorcycle to and from work, year round, and everyone said ‘you’ll get killed on that thing’ … and my answer was always ‘no, the stress of sitting in a car will kill me’

[WalkingPoles]

First rule of city cycling: the bike must be less valuable than the lock you're using to secure it.

[sdearing]

I commuted by bike for several years and loved it -but I was hit by cars 3 times and that was it - eventually I would have been paralyzed or killed. Plus in my 60s the idea of hitting the pavement or a vehicle is not as easy to shrug off as it used to be. The us city I live in is a nightmare - a cyclist was killed just yesterday on the route I rode and the driver of the car fled. Without well thought out and safe bike lanes and paths - I don't see it being viable for most in the bigger cities in the united states. I hope the UK is more sensible than we are

[oswaldforthewin]

I started commuting by bike in Novembre 2019 when the trains in France stopped due to protest and I needed to go to work. Started with a e-bike, now on a simple gravel bike. It's been almost three years and I've never been more happier to go work. Those 20km five days a week are just the best things on my day.

[squiky]

I've been commuting to work by bike for the past year or so and I would never go back to public transport. It's so unrestricted and freeing to cycle to work everyday. My fitness and mental health has improved by leaps and bounds because of cycling and it's something I never take for granted.

[BartAnderson_writer]

Nice to see a video about utilitarian bicycling.
I commuted 12 miles to work several tines a week for years. "Best part of the day."
I agree strongly with everything you suggest. I might add:
1. If you need to carry a heavy load, use panniers. A weighty backpack is no fun
2. Know when NOT to bike.
- weather is bad or dangerous
- you're tired or sick
.- you're under time pressure

[strangnet]

The only time I feel great arriving at work or back home after work is after I bike commute the whole way. Even if it's raining, snowing, windy, dark... the feeling to reach the end is just awesome. And this is after 25 km in one direction. Doing the same commute by train or car never has the same feeling.

[elquetzal]

When I started living in the UK I bought a £15 bike from a charity shop :) I started commuting on it and it was great even when it was not "the right tool for the job". After a couple of months I got a hybrid, ligther, nicer group set with a very easy gear for climbs. So, yes, you can start with what you have at hand!!!

[declanbroderick]

Ask you local bike shop for a bike. That is my best advice. I commuted for 7 years 22-25km each way. Sold my car after 6 months when I was fit enough to cycle every day. I spent a lot on replacement parts, but it pales in comparison to the price of a second car. The bike shop really helped and support me and keep me moving. I still have the bike 9 years on. It's a Trek 1.2

[holbrookej]

I rode for more than 20 years from a suburb in Maryland to Washington DC. I still can't believe my good luck. I rode along the Potomac River then into the sights of Washington. Most of my ride was on the wooded Capital Crescent Trail. I even rode through the parking lot at the White House. Thanks to the EPA, the Ronald Reagan Building had a bike room, and a place to shower and change. It put me in a great mood in the morning, and the venom of the day poured out through the pedals on my ride home. Twenty-seven miles (43 km) round trip for 18 years, then 20 miles (32 KM) for the last two years. I used paniers and fenders/mud guards. I rode a gravel bike or a hybrid. Wear Layers in the winter! Get (a lot of ) good lights to see and be seen. I usually rode about 2, 000 - 2, 500 miles (3, 200 - 4, 000 km) per year. Thunderstorms were harrowing but great. I didn't wear rain gear. I would just get wet then shower when I got to my destination.😎 I have retired and I still ride, but it ain't the same.

[tims_builds]

I've been cycling to work for about 1yr now and a few things I've learned along the way. 1, test ride your route before you actually need to get to somewhere on time, much like in a car the gps doesn't always give an accurate estimate for time needed, especially if you have places where you cross busy intersections or rail lines. Also, along the lines of not putting obstacles in your way, if you live in a place where it rains a lot and you aren't already an avid sport cyclist, mud guards are 1000% worth the investment. They're also worth it if you are like me and want to avoid needing to change clothes when you get to work.

[fandydiadline]

I’m starting commuting using a bicycle for the last six months. It was frightening at first because the last time I was commuting using a bike was 14 years ago in Junior High School.

But now, my muscle memory has begun to adapt, and transitioning from a motorcycle to a bicycle takes time.

Now my childhood memory also starts kicking in. Pedal further!

[amosaiccosmos]

Buying an extra lock and leaving it on the rack @ work definitely improves the commute. Simon’s job/lifestyle is a lot more cycling orientated than most… to commute to work without at least one cheap fender is a bit koo-koo. Also like to keep rubber bands on handle bars to put a brake on while bike is locked in the rack. A rubber band can also keep your pant leg away from the chain.