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

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10 years ago i got a job in an office 20 kilometers away from my house and it was my first proper job making videos about cycling welcome back you’re watching the global cycling network with me simon richardson okay maybe that’s not your typical proper job but either way i have cycled to and from work hundreds and hundreds of times over the last decade and i’ve learned a few things along the way this is what i wish i’d known from the start [Applause] [Music] now firstly let it be said this is not going to be a lecture about how exactly you must commute by bike quite the opposite in fact i don’t think there is a wrong way to commute by bike all you need is a bike that works and honestly i think probably the hardest part about it all is just getting started so don’t put obstacles in your way don’t worry about needing specialist equipment just get out there and do it [Music] there are many reasons why commuting by bike is good it is better for your health it’s better for the environment it’s better for your wallet but i think the best thing of all is that it’s fun you can’t say the same about driving you can’t say the same about public transport and whilst walking is nice that’s not fun either but cycling is so hold on to that fact and try and bring a bit of fun to your commute whenever you can [Music] like root choice don’t just ride the same roads that you drive even when i take the most direct and fastest route to work there is still one section of road that i won’t cycle it’s a dual carriageway and it’s the only part of the whole ride where cars can go really fast so people invariably drive that way and i don’t want to be anywhere near it when on two wheels so look for alternatives on a bike you don’t typically get stuck in traffic like you do in a car so you can ride routes that would be rubbish to drive seeing as cycling is fun and driving is not why not actually allocate an extra five or ten minutes to your commute so that you can actively choose an even nicer route so one that takes in maybe some parks or the extra bike path or perhaps just a leafy suburb or even like this if you’re lucky enough a riverside bike path instead of being stuck in traffic look they’re all over there if you have a dedicated bike gps head unit super easy to follow along to you can plan routes on a third-party app we use commutes that can help you find quiet routes to ride and you simply upload it to that and follow turn by turn directions but just like you would in a car where you might use your phone as a sat nav you can also do the same thing on a bike as well again that commute app can function as that you can buy cheap mounts and stick your phone on your handlebars and follow along the thing to remember above all else about roots is that unlike in a car where you would probably drive exactly the same way to and from work every day because it’s the quickest route or public transport where you’re a bit more restricted on a bike you’ve got more freedom you can have multiple routes that you can pick and choose from as your mood dictates just keeps it fresh another thing that’s been important to me is travelling light so some people i know love and have massive panniers others have giant rucksacks filled with enough kits to keep you alive in the arctic for a week but for me cycling is fun when you’re traveling light so at work i have a pair of shoes two pairs of trousers and two sweatshirts which means that all i need to bring on a daily basis is a t-shirt neatly folded a pair of boxer shorts and also a pair of socks and that’s it i could take it all in on a monday bring it all home on a friday but given that i also need to take a laptop in every day i’ll have a small rucksack with me anyway and this is my small rucksack i think about it for about seven years now it is cheap and cheerful i bought it online i think for about 20 quid it has zero features but that’s a good thing because features in my book add weight and all it needs to do is carry stuff it doesn’t even need to be waterproof because when it rains i can put all my stuff in plastic bags inside it anyway in it other than my clothes my laptop i’ve got mini pump spare tube and also a multi-tool as well and then periodically i do try and clear it out because as i noticed just a moment ago sometimes you end up collecting rogue socks and things like that and that adds weight as well now don’t be wrong panniers are great certainly for avoiding that sweaty back syndrome and it’s totally cool if you also want to have more stuff with you when you commute as i said earlier there are no rules to this but this is what i found works for me now the slight issue with cycling for commuting is that unlike walking or driving you can build up a bit of a sweat you don’t have to certainly on shorter commutes or indeed flatter commutes but when you’re riding further it’s an issue which is why i wear cycling kit when i ride to work and take that spare change of clothes in my bag any bike will get you moving but if you’ve got a choice different types of bikes are good at different things so a mountain bike is confidence inspiring but a bit slow if you’ve got miles to cover a road bike meanwhile is fast and efficient but not necessarily the most comfortable nor the most welcoming to an inexperienced cyclist a gravel bike is a good combination of the two but still slower than a road bike and an e-bike is a great alternative for if you’ve got a hilly commute but remember while it is way more eco-friendly than a car it’s not as eco-friendly as a normal bike of course so if you can pedal oh natural i would when i first started riding to work i used the only road bike i had which just so happened to be the bike that i’ve been racing on as a professional just a few weeks beforehand i then decided that perhaps i should have a practical road bike so i bought one that had mud guards and the like and honestly i hated it so much i sold it within a month because it was really boring i went back to riding a fast road bike and just put up with having a wet bum when it rains because for me fun trumps practicality as it does when i ride in off-road which is very fun and definitely not terribly practical [Music] whichever bite you do choose to ride in on there just take a minute every once in a while to look after it give it a bit of tlc and one particularly good tip is that if you’ve cycled in the rain just give it a wipe down with a rag whilst it’s still wet sounds like a small thing but it’ll make such a big difference the next time you come to ride it if you do look after your bike you can get thousands of trouble free kilometers out of it and then my attitude is that you can justify having a really nice bike to ride to work on and make that commute as fun and enjoyable as possible particularly if you’re packing light because then it’s just like going for a normal bike ride now one thing that would definitely influence the bike that i rode to work on is security now i’m lucky enough to have a safe place to leave my bike at work i said he wouldn’t ride this bike if i didn’t even with a big old lock if you don’t have a safe place at work then you will of course have to have a big old lock perhaps insurance as well and also realistically probably ride a bike that’s a little bit less valuable both financially and also sentimentally as well bike theft is unfortunately a really big issue so it’s always worth asking your place at work or university or school or whatever see if they can provide somewhere to leave a bike or indeed start lobbying your local authority as well yeah no not a chance not a chance [Applause] don’t worry buddy it’s only kidding i wouldn’t leave you i mentioned at the start that commuting by bike is really good for your health but it can also be really good for your fitness too and personally i try and make it as productive as possible in that respect so i ride into work gently and then on the way home i might add in some really hard riding it might be that i try and get home as quickly as possible or like today i ride hard on the hills or some days maybe just 10 30 second max sprints i don’t know why i do that but anyway not only does it help keep me fit it also gives me something else to think about other than just get home [Music] there’s quite an industry around commuter clothing and equipment and i think that’s natural we’re drawn towards having the right stuff and accessories but actually i think the best investment you can make is time spending time thinking about your routes to and from work and then when it comes to essential equipment other than a bike that works you’ll need lights and that is a worthwhile investment and i think on top of that reflective clothing as well for when you’re riding at night otherwise normal clothing or normal cycling clothing will absolutely suffice and then that’s it just get out there do it and enjoy it if you can think of any other tips then stick them in the comments section down below if you’ve been inspired to start riding to work or to school to university again let us know in the comment section otherwise i will see you out there on the road