Commuting by bike… SO many excuses. I always used to give a million reasons why riding to work just wasn’t for me. Too much stuff to carry. Bad weather. Nowhere safe to leave my bike.
So… I came up with ALL the solutions to your commuting questions / excuses 🙃
Hiplok have sponsored this video which I’m super stoked about as been using their locks for yeeeeears.
Hiplok deets: Z-Lok are amazing – and Switch is great for carrying a Bronze Sold Secure lock 🔓
Enter ‘KATIEK20′ and you get 20% off across the site – www.hiplok.com
Also – Shokz headphones are on Amazon Prime Day here: https://shokz.cc/449cOcj
// Cycling eBook: https://www.ilikemountains.cc/s-h-o-p
// Instagram: http://instagram.com/katiekookaburra1/
// Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/3352833
// My Zwift Club: https://tinyurl.com/4wusdwxp
// Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/katiekookaburra
Well chuffed to have the following brands support me and my ol’ cycling adventures. So you will see some of their products I choose to use in my content 🙂
https://www.shimano.com/en/
https://www.garmin.com/
https://www.zwift.com/uk
https://exposurelights.com/
Shokz: Use KATIE2023 for £10 off: https://shokz.cc/3Sq4IXJ
21 Comments
I never ride when it's raining because i get splattered with mud, and the bike gets covered in mud, it's just a big mess.
The Dutch never worry about the "Showering" issue. After visiting The Netherlands I cycle commute on my Brompton in smart shirt, and trousers, everyday shoes, quite a bit uphill, I don't ever have an issue with sweating, I just cycle steady. I'm not in a race. I do keep a set of waterproofs with me though.
Like the Dutch, I wouldn't get sweaty either. I ride a granny bike through town (in Denmark), in winter in an oversize winter coat that no wind or rain can get through and loose lambs wool gloves with the seams on the outside. I of course have a huge basket and everything goes in there including groceries. No weight on my person except my bike helmet. My granny bike runs well but is low value. There is no lock on it and it hasn't been stolen yet (maybe 7 years). Biking is one of the things I enjoy most, gliding along while thinking and getting some fresh air and seeing the seasons change.
i have two pairs of openmoves and a pair of openrun. the cheap 70$ openmoves are the best headphones iv ever used hands down, and i own plently of sonys and bose, ill never go back to overear or in ear drivers, id sooner put earmuffs or earplugs in.
No excuses!! 😁I hear this all especially the "too hot", "too cold".
The only thing I'd argue against is having headphones at all! I find being able to hear my environment makes me feel the most secure! You can judge car speed, spacing, etc from tire noise or even the revving of the engine. I used to bike all the time with phones/buds but I have embraced the noise of my environment on my rides!
https://youtube.com/@bicyclediary-jq2gm?si=2AGwKJF0mle34_I3
Anything for wind noise
Awesome video. Thank you. 😊❤
I was diagnosed with late-onset epilepsy in 2014 and after literally working 14 years in the transportation industry (truck driver over the road, full time). I lost the career and was forced to CHANGE my entire life and now, 8 years later, I'm in best shape of my life. I often ask myself and the father above, "am I in this shape because of the bike, or the epilepsy?"😂 it's IRONIC that being FORCED to adapt and manage my life without driving, I have to "thank" epilepsy for, and God's mercy.Yeah, I wouldn't change a thing!❤❤❤❤❤❤😀It's funny how life works and in "the mysterious ways" things occur!❤
I see very few people with a rear view mirror on their handle bar. Maybe I got old but I would not ride a bike in traffic without knowing what's behind me at all time. Can get a rear view mirror for a few dollars these days, I much prefer ones that attach on the side of tube handle, bracket is very short so mirror is very stable (no vibrations) and view is not obstructed by body or hand. A tip for male riders, I much prefer a bike for females with low frame, much easier to step on. Just swap for a male seat. As for the commuting part, it is so important to have good tire pressure – bicycle tires take a lot of pressure usually written on tire side wall, properly inflated tire does reduce significantly pedaling effort. Quality and properly greased wheel bearings also reduce pedaling effort.
For bike locks, there are several Youtube videos showing thieves literarily cutting any kind of lock with portable angle grinders not only in full daylight but in full view of protesting pedestrians. Nothing can stand an angle grinder more than 30 seconds or so. There is not much can do about it especially for quality bikes, I would think the best is to lock the bike in a spot that is less visible from the sidewalk. Spots with several bikes are the worst, that's where thieves check first.
I commute 5 days a week with my brompton 20miles. Shirts, pants, towels, shower gel, laptops all in the front bag. when it rains, i'll fold it and take the train, if its light rain and heading home, i'll ride thru the rain reach home and shower.
Thank you! ❤
I finish work at 1AM no buses home I either have to walk or get a taxi home. Walking takes 45 minutes. I'm starting to use my bike but it's exhausting and the uphill is the worst
Cycler-to-be here!! Thanks for the amazing video!!
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL BROTHER,I'm a dude wiff a bit uvv sugar in da' tank🎉🎉❤😂❤❤🎉😂❤
It doesn't matter how strong and/or expensive your lock is. Mostly you then use it to lock your bike to a mild steel fence or bike rack – even a handheld hacksaw will go through these like butter !! And don't like the public will care, I once lost my key and therefore hacksawed through a station provided bike stand. A whole train load of people walked past me doing this. Not one of them said a dickie bird
Great tips. Thanks!!!
Lock advice: cable locks – no! – can be cut easily; a good wearable option, also high security (boltcropper proof) is Hiplok Gold (and also good security to weight and cost ratio overall); beyond that, Litelok grinder-resistant locks, and even consider using two types of lock (chain and D-lock) as different tools needed/challenges posed for any bike thief; also consider insurance – I am a big fan of Laka Insurance. Also consider how you lock your bike (see YouTube videos on this), where you lock it, plus possibly concealing an Airtag or Tile tracker (but it might not be a good idea to confront a thief directly yourself, of you track them down – better to gather evidence from a safe distance and call the police). Oh, and add your bike details, frame number to Bike Register and also photograph distinguishing features of your bike for your own record.
I once recovered my stolen mtb by catching a teenager riding it on a rough-ass estate. I had a friend with me. A passerby (big dude with a pitbull) ended up acting as an impromptu judge. Only when I was able to describe in detail the type of rechargeable batteries inside the bike lights was it clear that the bike was mine and I was able to recover it without a major incident on that estate. In retrospect, it was still a risky confrontation and it could have gone south.
Based on the obscured word in the thumbnail, I thought it said "Comette" and thought that was a cool name for a cyclist haha