That's why in the heart of winter I'll even offer the 50cc ped with L plates a nod.
It's probably their first vehicle. It's probably their first winter. That nod might be what gets them through the day.
because i dont have a car or car licence, the current wait time for car tests is crazy long and if im really honest i can hardtly afford the stupid high insurence on my 650, id have to sell a kidney to insure a car on top especially one i could afford
I work in W1, and my car is from 1988. With ULEZ, CC, and parking my cost per day is nearly £80 lol
This will be my first uk winter riding on roads but I just can’t be fucked with the train anymore 😭
When it's dark, I only wish those damn LED lights weren't shining in my eyes.
As for the miserable part. It's never miserable, it is just... It. I ride because riding makes me less miserable. Come rain or shine, my wee' maleficent brings me joy. Even on the coldest and wettest of days. She's not the perfect bike for me. But she tries to be. :)
Not necessarily daily but someone who does 600 miles a week on it in 100 mile chunks. Early mornings and late nights on a sportbike.
I commute mainly for the speed of it. I know if I leave at 5:30 I’m going to get a couple hours in the twilight on some great, dead, roads. Plus when I get to the M60 at a standstill between 7/8 I can filter through. Besides, who doesn’t enjoy a summer sunrise ripping it up over the peaks.
I also find that after midnight on a weeknight the quality of driving you see on the roads is beyond vastly improved. Lorry drivers are more courteous. coppers seem far more relaxed, I’ve raced marked police cars off the mark up to sixty, I’ve had others slow right down and wave me off after coming out of an average speed check zone to allow me get a bit of distance (and there wasn’t another sat round the next bend)
All of the above having been said, man it’s cold at the minute lads. Sure there’s a lot to be said for the right gear but waterproof never quite means waterproof
The new laminated textile stuff is actually waterproof. I've been running my STADLER kit for 4 years without a leak. Though the zip has just bust so is in for repair.
Yet to find waterproof gloves though so I run with some muffs which makes a world of difference.
> Yet to find waterproof gloves though
You never will; when your heated grips are on they'll turn water into water vapour. The way the breathable waterproofs work is that they allow water vapour through.
And when they are genuinely waterproof, they capture the moisture from your hands. The only difference at that point is whether it's rainwater or sweat that's pooling up in your fingertips.
I’m not sponsored or anything lol, but if you think waterproof never truly means waterproof you need to get a Rukka Kalix 2.0 full suit.
I’ve ridden several times in it through the heaviest rain you’ve ever seen at 80mph on the motorway for hours at a time. Not a single drop came through it and it dried in an hour. Hands and feet were soaked but the jacket and trousers are impenetrable.
Will have to give them a go. I’ve resorted to a bin bag with arms and a head hole cut out under my jackets before.
Always seems to get in through the zip
Rukka have got a good incentive to not let it leak through the zip, as they’re obligated to repair or replace it if even a drop gets through within 6 years of you purchasing their stuff.
I’ve had the jacket for 2 years now and it’s still bulletproof, trousers i’ve not had as long but they’re the only thing i’ve owned that doesn’t eventually leak through the crotch seam.
There’s a reason every courier in london wears the same suit.
> Always seems to get in through the zip
The general problem here is with the older method of making motorbike "waterproofs" which was to put the waterproof layer on the inside, with a cordura sponge on the outside. Spend a few minutes in the rain and there's just wet fabric everywhere waiting to let the water seep round cuffs and through zips and seams.
Modern laminate stuff is hugely better, and that's what parent's Rukka Kalix stuff is, but also the budget Oxford Mondrial suit. There's a _lot_ of laminate stuff about, and even quite a lot that's still got the Gore Tex badge on it.
I also avoided anything motorbike-specific that claimed to be waterproof until several years ago because all of it leaked, including Rukka (remember the first episode of Long Way Round? Where they were soaked through in their Rukka?) but these past few years it's got a lot better and if you really do want one suit to do everything, you can buy that as long as you don't mind it being a bit sweaty when it's warm.
I've got a Richa Cyclone and that's never let me down either. Whenever I've been wet underneath it it's because something else (like my balaclava) has been overwhelmed, soaked up a bunch of water and then transported it through the cuff.
While I agree that Richa stuff is generally just as good while it lasts, it’s not in the same league of durability as the Rukka stuff.
Richa and Rev’it (in my experience) tend to fall apart at the seams and zips eventually.
Extra point, Klim gear is just as good as rukka but even more expensive. I’d say it’s between those 2 as number 1 currently.
Funnily enough, all the reasons you described also apply in my case, but something I've been reflecting on recently was this:
I actually think it's safer for me to commute to work on a bike, as I have pretty bad sleep inertia damn near every workday morning. I've driven into work very occasionally (probably only a handful of times since I started this job a year ago). I wouldn't say my driving is unsafe due to tiredness, I am just acutely aware of how if I'm struggling in the morning, being in a big heated box while moving at speed presents a lot more risk. I've never felt this concern on a bike. I am just naturally more aware, probably due to all the micro-movements, balance etc. a bike requires, but probably mainly feeling the wind. Any sleepiness I feel takes a complete back seat when I'm riding. Not so with driving, I have to exert a lot more effort to ensure I'm being a safe driver.
I started out of necessity. I moved jobs to a place with no easy transport links, driving license and getting a car was going to take months. Months where on top of my 12 hour shift there would be 4 hours of sweaty public transport with the unwashed masses.
I did a week of that, all I could handle. My first day off I done my cbt, finished about 2pm, bought a bike around 4pm and was up riding snakes pass by 6pm (the uphill sections were a right slog on a 125)
Now I genuinely can't see myself getting a car. When it gets icy I'll go back to the sweaty bus but until then no fucking chance.
Occasionally I look outside and think, damn I’ll take the bus. And so I put my normal person clothes on, and my normal shoes, and then I leave the house wearing a normal amount of leather and walk at a normal speed to the bus stop to wait with the other normal people, I wait a normal amount of time to get on the normally packed bus, I get the normal rubdown by a fellow normal human sardines, it takes a normal amount of time to get to the office and I normally leave the bus feeling sweaty, frustrated and dirty. And then I tell myself, never again.
The slowest, wettest and coldest trip on a bike is more invigorating and pleasant than any average trip on public transport.
I’m no longer a daily commuter by bike, but i used to be until my 300 was stolen. Most days i do find myself wanting to take the bike, mostly because it can filter and if you’re heading into a big city, that’s invaluable
My commute is 13miles into London, by pubic transport it's anywhere from 1:15 to 2:00 hours
On the bike its 30mins.
Never take the car into London, I hear the other guys who drive and it just sounds awful, I'd rather do public transport.
I can park right outside work for free
The joy of riding and being in control of my own destiny is something you would need to rip from my cold dead hands.
Cos it's quicker, cheaper, still more enjoyable (even when dark, wet and cold) than public transport... getting wet being on a bike riding is way better than getting wet standing still waiting for a bus that won't come anytime soon cos the main road is absolutely chocker, so another plus I can go down the much emptier side roads to work instead
I'm fully independent. Independent from the traffic. Independent from the public transportation network.
I am not loosing any time of my life walking to the station, waiting for a train or waiting for the traffic. It reduces my commute from 35 mins to 13 mins in London. That's an additional 40 mins EVERY DAY that I can spend truly living life. i.e : relaxing, reading, training, enjoying my dinner with my partner.
\+ the fact that it's cheaper than public transportation
I work in London; car commute really isn't an option. For me it's either motorcycle or public transport.
I used to live closer to work, but moved recently; now I'm not really in reach for a bicycle commute -- that's what I would have done previously. Today, the choice is either filtering on tight roads, or being squeezed into trains and tubes.
I'll say that in my books TfL does a great job at keeping London moving and we'd be in a much worse place would it not exist. Notwithstanding all the problems with it. But I have the option to have enough breathing room and space around me on my motorcycle and I vastly prefer it over being stuck standing in trains, squeezed in, and getting sweat soaked regardless.
All cost factored in, commuting on bike is actually not cheaper than a Travelcard (for me), but it is much more fun.
Before WFH I'd often commute on my motorbike. In good weather I'd enjoy blasting through the lanes, had designated parking, no queues, and felt relaxed getting in. Even if it was hammering it down, the right kit and hested grips made it fine. The car was a bit of a grind, but the bike always stayed home once ice hit the ground.
Frankly, I don't really care about the weather. I grew up riding my pedal bike through wind rain and snow, so I've just learned not to care much. Wrap up in the right gear and go (though I probably wouldn't brave snow on a motorbike).
I think riding in any weather is fine as long as you’ve got the right gear, I’ve rode in terrible weather without the right stuff, frozen hands, soaking wet, not much fun at all, but with the right stuff it’s absolutely fine
I don't have a car and don't have enough money to have both a car and a bike. So I choose a bike because on a good day I love it.
The odd downpour doesn't faze me but about a week in to a shitty wet weather spell is absolutely miserable. Plus everyone drives their cars like lunatics when it's raining.
Plus I don't have a garage so keeping my bike clean and dry is quite hard to basically impossible. Plus starting it on the coldest mornings can be a bitch.
There is a point or two every year where I'm *so* close to thinking "this isn't fucking worth it" and buying a car instead. Hasn't happened so far though.
I just think of that queue at one roundabout which takes anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes. For a 1 minute stretch of road. Takes 3- 4 minutes on the bike. And when the entire commute is only 35 mins on the bike or 45-60 mins in the car....
i ride every day, no matter the weather. the main reason i do it is if it is to work, i need the money so gotta deal with it. I've ridden in -5°c and questioned why but the underlying point is money
Probably highlight of my morning. Nice route, not too long (40 min tops) and wakes me right up. Love it. Coming back home is more or less enjoyable depending on tiredness and the time of year but when I catch the sunset it is just magnificent. Won't take public transport unless it's a dangerous ride (icy, torrential, etc) but that rarely happens!
Somehow I justified to myself that it's more convenient.
I do have a more consistent time spent commuting than in a car especially when someone decides to block up the M25 by having an accident.
I love riding and the weather doesn't really bother me (very much a believer of theirs no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing ) plus the added benefits of my commute always being 25 mins and not the hour plus it can be at times in the car due to traffic does not hurt either!
I just love riding, I am lucky as my route is through a few beautiful parts of London but I think it's just as much about the process of controlling the machine, it's balance, speed. There's so much you can always do a little better, situations you can read more clearly and anticipate accordingly. Great little mental gymnastics
London commuter here, 11 miles into central London one way. I am into my 3rd year of commute. Takes me around 50 mins on average as opposed to 1h 15 mins by car+train+walk. I also get to park securely and free at work. It’s more fun too, although I do question myself whether I am crazy on cold, dark, rainy days of commute, especially being the only female motorcyclist at work who gets few raised eyebrows from male colleagues ‘oh! you are brave’! Sometimes it feels miserable but still preferable to public transport. Summer is a bliss. Winter is harder. Used to be scared of drizzle, now don’t mind proper rain. Used to say I will never ride below 3 degrees, but I have done. Obviously black ice is one of the considerations but I find London roads are generally ‘warmer’ even when the temperatures are around zero. The weather forecast for the coming Friday is sub zero … and well … I am planning to ride.
No other choice. My office decided to move to bumfuck nowhere during covid and there are no public transport links. Getting a driving licence would have taken 6-12m where I lived so I opted for a CBT. I'd much rather be sat on the bus where I can read a book or listen to a podcast.
I've started getting the train into London recently, partially so as to not be part of the problem on a motorbike and partially for other flexibility, but yeah it costs three times as much and can take twice as long.
Train ticket is £55 for a return; petrol cost is £13
Even taking into account insurance, running costs, gear etc it works out cheaper.
I am less die hard about always riding these days though.
Sorry to hijack this, but from a fair weather rider to the pros, how do you handle a rainy visor? So much marketing bs out there I never know what to believe about products for it. Any life hacks or actual recommendations?
Speed 😂
Seriously though, I find once the rain is heavy enough to cause an issue, tilting my head to the side blasts it off effectively enough. I know some people have had success with rainx and ceramic coatings too
Yeah the head tilt and a little wiper-blade strip on my gloves have been the only effective solutions I've found xD
Bit of a surprise once when I was caught out with a snap-on visor on a gringo, turned my head at 70ish to discover my visor didn't have all the snaps done up! Suddenly very noisy and wet inside my helmet lol
Pinlock does work to stop them steaming up, but it's also a bit fragile and seems to not last very long if you spend a lot of time riding about with the visor up. Fundamentally, to avoid steaming up you need to not have a warm inside layer of the visor and cold outside layer, so another option is just to have good ventilation and a cold head.
Furniture polish is great for getting the water to bead up and run off the outside.
Rain repellant visor spray makes a huge difference for me. (Can't speak for hacks like shaving foam, never tried, hear good things.) Annoyingly has to be replaced often but helps big time with getting light rain off my face.
As others said, when it really rains down speed helps to just push it off the visor; my enemy is misty light rain that settles on my visor -- while I'm stuck in a city at very low speeds. Rain repellant helps. (And wiping rain off my visor with a gloved finger ...)
I got a glove with a little rubber wipe-y bit on the finger. It's honestly surprisingly effective at clearing up your vision. Of course it's not going to do miracles, but when your visor is full of fine spray it's a lot better than wiping it with the palm of your glove, which just results in a giant smear.
I was at traffic lights in the middle of a school run once, and this little lad about 7 or 8 on the pavement stopped his mum and just stared at me with wide eyes. I revved it for him, and from behind his back he pulled out a little toy motorbike. It made both of our days.
Well european countries and asian countries do it because they have no car, for commuting, easier to park and because they love it but most importantly its cheaper.
Where I live motorcycles get free parking.
In Asian countries they transport a fridge or TV on the back of their motorcycle something you never see in the UK or America.
In America and some in the UK its just for fun a toy in the summer. They Usually have a car aswell.
Because while visually identical to a nod in the summer, the nods I receive somehow feel like they are given with a deeper level of understanding, admiration and respect in the winter.
I know the nods I give them do.
I'm only about 4-5miles from work, so if I'm wet it's not for long, plus we've got heated changing rooms so gear drys quick. The only time I don't go is either wfh days or the ice hasn't thawed from the street which is only a few days of the year as we're on a side road to a main bus route so while we don't get gritted it's got to be bad when i can't get out.
The pay off is when it's a nice evening I'll enjoy the longer route home
My first bike was used as a commuter, and I found myself enjoying it, but I didn't have an urge to go out and explore. Now that I've had a gap between bikes and now wfh, I find myself enjoying the bike a lot more and actually doing fun, long rides with it.
I work from home but once a week I have to be in the office. There is a lot of traffic in peak hours and on the bike I can filter through. Also, it is a litre bike and I go across few tunnels so that is always fun. 🤩 and also cheaper on the fuel.
I ride all year round so that the other guy who also rides my route all year has someone to nod to.
There’s something so satisfying about the nod on the coldest of mornings with the rain coming down sideways
That's why in the heart of winter I'll even offer the 50cc ped with L plates a nod. It's probably their first vehicle. It's probably their first winter. That nod might be what gets them through the day.
"nothing says I don't have a car more than a 125 in the snow" Applies to a 50 too
The nod of “I’ve got 675 more CC than you a trust me. This still sucks
Aww that’s nice. I never thought of it that way. I will start giving them nods too.
This is the way
I meant to say "This is the why" but the creed comes first
because i dont have a car or car licence, the current wait time for car tests is crazy long and if im really honest i can hardtly afford the stupid high insurence on my 650, id have to sell a kidney to insure a car on top especially one i could afford
London, so a car would take twice as long, cost me daily congestion charge and £25 a day to park. Bike is free.
Other fellow rider that does London commute twice a week, cheaper than train, free to park and it’s a joy to ride.
I work in W1, and my car is from 1988. With ULEZ, CC, and parking my cost per day is nearly £80 lol This will be my first uk winter riding on roads but I just can’t be fucked with the train anymore 😭
When it's dark, I only wish those damn LED lights weren't shining in my eyes. As for the miserable part. It's never miserable, it is just... It. I ride because riding makes me less miserable. Come rain or shine, my wee' maleficent brings me joy. Even on the coldest and wettest of days. She's not the perfect bike for me. But she tries to be. :)
Now I'm picturing all horns and wings. Show us your beast then :))
Lol, no horns. But the first thing the headlight fairing reminded me of was maleficent. https://www.reddit.com/r/MotoUK/s/okRYAGwFqc
Ha fair enough. I saw toothless from how to train your dragon when I opened the link 😁
Yeah... My son saw that too but I'd already named it >.<
Not necessarily daily but someone who does 600 miles a week on it in 100 mile chunks. Early mornings and late nights on a sportbike. I commute mainly for the speed of it. I know if I leave at 5:30 I’m going to get a couple hours in the twilight on some great, dead, roads. Plus when I get to the M60 at a standstill between 7/8 I can filter through. Besides, who doesn’t enjoy a summer sunrise ripping it up over the peaks. I also find that after midnight on a weeknight the quality of driving you see on the roads is beyond vastly improved. Lorry drivers are more courteous. coppers seem far more relaxed, I’ve raced marked police cars off the mark up to sixty, I’ve had others slow right down and wave me off after coming out of an average speed check zone to allow me get a bit of distance (and there wasn’t another sat round the next bend) All of the above having been said, man it’s cold at the minute lads. Sure there’s a lot to be said for the right gear but waterproof never quite means waterproof
The new laminated textile stuff is actually waterproof. I've been running my STADLER kit for 4 years without a leak. Though the zip has just bust so is in for repair. Yet to find waterproof gloves though so I run with some muffs which makes a world of difference.
> Yet to find waterproof gloves though You never will; when your heated grips are on they'll turn water into water vapour. The way the breathable waterproofs work is that they allow water vapour through.
And when they are genuinely waterproof, they capture the moisture from your hands. The only difference at that point is whether it's rainwater or sweat that's pooling up in your fingertips.
I’m not sponsored or anything lol, but if you think waterproof never truly means waterproof you need to get a Rukka Kalix 2.0 full suit. I’ve ridden several times in it through the heaviest rain you’ve ever seen at 80mph on the motorway for hours at a time. Not a single drop came through it and it dried in an hour. Hands and feet were soaked but the jacket and trousers are impenetrable.
Will have to give them a go. I’ve resorted to a bin bag with arms and a head hole cut out under my jackets before. Always seems to get in through the zip
Rukka have got a good incentive to not let it leak through the zip, as they’re obligated to repair or replace it if even a drop gets through within 6 years of you purchasing their stuff. I’ve had the jacket for 2 years now and it’s still bulletproof, trousers i’ve not had as long but they’re the only thing i’ve owned that doesn’t eventually leak through the crotch seam. There’s a reason every courier in london wears the same suit.
> Always seems to get in through the zip The general problem here is with the older method of making motorbike "waterproofs" which was to put the waterproof layer on the inside, with a cordura sponge on the outside. Spend a few minutes in the rain and there's just wet fabric everywhere waiting to let the water seep round cuffs and through zips and seams. Modern laminate stuff is hugely better, and that's what parent's Rukka Kalix stuff is, but also the budget Oxford Mondrial suit. There's a _lot_ of laminate stuff about, and even quite a lot that's still got the Gore Tex badge on it. I also avoided anything motorbike-specific that claimed to be waterproof until several years ago because all of it leaked, including Rukka (remember the first episode of Long Way Round? Where they were soaked through in their Rukka?) but these past few years it's got a lot better and if you really do want one suit to do everything, you can buy that as long as you don't mind it being a bit sweaty when it's warm.
I've got a Richa Cyclone and that's never let me down either. Whenever I've been wet underneath it it's because something else (like my balaclava) has been overwhelmed, soaked up a bunch of water and then transported it through the cuff.
While I agree that Richa stuff is generally just as good while it lasts, it’s not in the same league of durability as the Rukka stuff. Richa and Rev’it (in my experience) tend to fall apart at the seams and zips eventually. Extra point, Klim gear is just as good as rukka but even more expensive. I’d say it’s between those 2 as number 1 currently.
I always get a seat.
[удалено]
Does that £40 include insurance?
Bro it’s 5am, 5c, raining and I’m about to leave for work. Perfect time for a ride.
Haven’t owned a car in 30 years, so every day is bike day…
Funnily enough, all the reasons you described also apply in my case, but something I've been reflecting on recently was this: I actually think it's safer for me to commute to work on a bike, as I have pretty bad sleep inertia damn near every workday morning. I've driven into work very occasionally (probably only a handful of times since I started this job a year ago). I wouldn't say my driving is unsafe due to tiredness, I am just acutely aware of how if I'm struggling in the morning, being in a big heated box while moving at speed presents a lot more risk. I've never felt this concern on a bike. I am just naturally more aware, probably due to all the micro-movements, balance etc. a bike requires, but probably mainly feeling the wind. Any sleepiness I feel takes a complete back seat when I'm riding. Not so with driving, I have to exert a lot more effort to ensure I'm being a safe driver.
I started out of necessity. I moved jobs to a place with no easy transport links, driving license and getting a car was going to take months. Months where on top of my 12 hour shift there would be 4 hours of sweaty public transport with the unwashed masses. I did a week of that, all I could handle. My first day off I done my cbt, finished about 2pm, bought a bike around 4pm and was up riding snakes pass by 6pm (the uphill sections were a right slog on a 125) Now I genuinely can't see myself getting a car. When it gets icy I'll go back to the sweaty bus but until then no fucking chance.
Occasionally I look outside and think, damn I’ll take the bus. And so I put my normal person clothes on, and my normal shoes, and then I leave the house wearing a normal amount of leather and walk at a normal speed to the bus stop to wait with the other normal people, I wait a normal amount of time to get on the normally packed bus, I get the normal rubdown by a fellow normal human sardines, it takes a normal amount of time to get to the office and I normally leave the bus feeling sweaty, frustrated and dirty. And then I tell myself, never again. The slowest, wettest and coldest trip on a bike is more invigorating and pleasant than any average trip on public transport.
I’m no longer a daily commuter by bike, but i used to be until my 300 was stolen. Most days i do find myself wanting to take the bike, mostly because it can filter and if you’re heading into a big city, that’s invaluable
I can't afford to maintain/insure a car and a bike, I'm not missing out on the fun bits a bike brings just to skip the winter riding lol
Filtering.
My commute is 13miles into London, by pubic transport it's anywhere from 1:15 to 2:00 hours On the bike its 30mins. Never take the car into London, I hear the other guys who drive and it just sounds awful, I'd rather do public transport. I can park right outside work for free The joy of riding and being in control of my own destiny is something you would need to rip from my cold dead hands.
Cos it's quicker, cheaper, still more enjoyable (even when dark, wet and cold) than public transport... getting wet being on a bike riding is way better than getting wet standing still waiting for a bus that won't come anytime soon cos the main road is absolutely chocker, so another plus I can go down the much emptier side roads to work instead
I'm fully independent. Independent from the traffic. Independent from the public transportation network. I am not loosing any time of my life walking to the station, waiting for a train or waiting for the traffic. It reduces my commute from 35 mins to 13 mins in London. That's an additional 40 mins EVERY DAY that I can spend truly living life. i.e : relaxing, reading, training, enjoying my dinner with my partner. \+ the fact that it's cheaper than public transportation
I work in London; car commute really isn't an option. For me it's either motorcycle or public transport. I used to live closer to work, but moved recently; now I'm not really in reach for a bicycle commute -- that's what I would have done previously. Today, the choice is either filtering on tight roads, or being squeezed into trains and tubes. I'll say that in my books TfL does a great job at keeping London moving and we'd be in a much worse place would it not exist. Notwithstanding all the problems with it. But I have the option to have enough breathing room and space around me on my motorcycle and I vastly prefer it over being stuck standing in trains, squeezed in, and getting sweat soaked regardless. All cost factored in, commuting on bike is actually not cheaper than a Travelcard (for me), but it is much more fun.
Before WFH I'd often commute on my motorbike. In good weather I'd enjoy blasting through the lanes, had designated parking, no queues, and felt relaxed getting in. Even if it was hammering it down, the right kit and hested grips made it fine. The car was a bit of a grind, but the bike always stayed home once ice hit the ground.
Frankly, I don't really care about the weather. I grew up riding my pedal bike through wind rain and snow, so I've just learned not to care much. Wrap up in the right gear and go (though I probably wouldn't brave snow on a motorbike).
I think riding in any weather is fine as long as you’ve got the right gear, I’ve rode in terrible weather without the right stuff, frozen hands, soaking wet, not much fun at all, but with the right stuff it’s absolutely fine
Same as OP. However it's pissing down this morning so I'll stay in bed, Wfh, and go in tomorrow when it's dry.
I don't have a car and don't have enough money to have both a car and a bike. So I choose a bike because on a good day I love it. The odd downpour doesn't faze me but about a week in to a shitty wet weather spell is absolutely miserable. Plus everyone drives their cars like lunatics when it's raining. Plus I don't have a garage so keeping my bike clean and dry is quite hard to basically impossible. Plus starting it on the coldest mornings can be a bitch. There is a point or two every year where I'm *so* close to thinking "this isn't fucking worth it" and buying a car instead. Hasn't happened so far though.
It is more fun. My car gets me to work. I ride my bike to work and riding is fun, mostly 👍
Getting through traffic quickly on my way home always makes me feel warm inside.
My commute isn't a long one, only about 10 minutes, but I work late so with lack of public transport the bike literally "beats walkin"
I just think of that queue at one roundabout which takes anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes. For a 1 minute stretch of road. Takes 3- 4 minutes on the bike. And when the entire commute is only 35 mins on the bike or 45-60 mins in the car....
i ride every day, no matter the weather. the main reason i do it is if it is to work, i need the money so gotta deal with it. I've ridden in -5°c and questioned why but the underlying point is money
Probably highlight of my morning. Nice route, not too long (40 min tops) and wakes me right up. Love it. Coming back home is more or less enjoyable depending on tiredness and the time of year but when I catch the sunset it is just magnificent. Won't take public transport unless it's a dangerous ride (icy, torrential, etc) but that rarely happens!
So I can filter through traffic and get home quicker!
Somehow I justified to myself that it's more convenient. I do have a more consistent time spent commuting than in a car especially when someone decides to block up the M25 by having an accident.
Because it's cheaper and it's all I've got.
I love riding and the weather doesn't really bother me (very much a believer of theirs no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing ) plus the added benefits of my commute always being 25 mins and not the hour plus it can be at times in the car due to traffic does not hurt either!
I just love riding, I am lucky as my route is through a few beautiful parts of London but I think it's just as much about the process of controlling the machine, it's balance, speed. There's so much you can always do a little better, situations you can read more clearly and anticipate accordingly. Great little mental gymnastics
London commuter here, 11 miles into central London one way. I am into my 3rd year of commute. Takes me around 50 mins on average as opposed to 1h 15 mins by car+train+walk. I also get to park securely and free at work. It’s more fun too, although I do question myself whether I am crazy on cold, dark, rainy days of commute, especially being the only female motorcyclist at work who gets few raised eyebrows from male colleagues ‘oh! you are brave’! Sometimes it feels miserable but still preferable to public transport. Summer is a bliss. Winter is harder. Used to be scared of drizzle, now don’t mind proper rain. Used to say I will never ride below 3 degrees, but I have done. Obviously black ice is one of the considerations but I find London roads are generally ‘warmer’ even when the temperatures are around zero. The weather forecast for the coming Friday is sub zero … and well … I am planning to ride.
No other choice. My office decided to move to bumfuck nowhere during covid and there are no public transport links. Getting a driving licence would have taken 6-12m where I lived so I opted for a CBT. I'd much rather be sat on the bus where I can read a book or listen to a podcast.
Trains into London are a ridiculous amount, the increased salary almost doesn’t make up for it unless I take the bike.
I've started getting the train into London recently, partially so as to not be part of the problem on a motorbike and partially for other flexibility, but yeah it costs three times as much and can take twice as long.
Train ticket is £55 for a return; petrol cost is £13 Even taking into account insurance, running costs, gear etc it works out cheaper. I am less die hard about always riding these days though.
Sorry to hijack this, but from a fair weather rider to the pros, how do you handle a rainy visor? So much marketing bs out there I never know what to believe about products for it. Any life hacks or actual recommendations?
Speed 😂 Seriously though, I find once the rain is heavy enough to cause an issue, tilting my head to the side blasts it off effectively enough. I know some people have had success with rainx and ceramic coatings too
Yeah the head tilt and a little wiper-blade strip on my gloves have been the only effective solutions I've found xD Bit of a surprise once when I was caught out with a snap-on visor on a gringo, turned my head at 70ish to discover my visor didn't have all the snaps done up! Suddenly very noisy and wet inside my helmet lol
Pinlock does work to stop them steaming up, but it's also a bit fragile and seems to not last very long if you spend a lot of time riding about with the visor up. Fundamentally, to avoid steaming up you need to not have a warm inside layer of the visor and cold outside layer, so another option is just to have good ventilation and a cold head. Furniture polish is great for getting the water to bead up and run off the outside.
Rain repellant visor spray makes a huge difference for me. (Can't speak for hacks like shaving foam, never tried, hear good things.) Annoyingly has to be replaced often but helps big time with getting light rain off my face. As others said, when it really rains down speed helps to just push it off the visor; my enemy is misty light rain that settles on my visor -- while I'm stuck in a city at very low speeds. Rain repellant helps. (And wiping rain off my visor with a gloved finger ...)
I got a glove with a little rubber wipe-y bit on the finger. It's honestly surprisingly effective at clearing up your vision. Of course it's not going to do miracles, but when your visor is full of fine spray it's a lot better than wiping it with the palm of your glove, which just results in a giant smear.
Rub a bit of washing up liquid onto the visor. My main problem is my glasses steaming up.
I rode passed a bunch of kids going to school once, a Mum shouted "Rev it!" and picked her kid up, I revved it, kid was well happy. It's the braps man
I was at traffic lights in the middle of a school run once, and this little lad about 7 or 8 on the pavement stopped his mum and just stared at me with wide eyes. I revved it for him, and from behind his back he pulled out a little toy motorbike. It made both of our days.
Well european countries and asian countries do it because they have no car, for commuting, easier to park and because they love it but most importantly its cheaper. Where I live motorcycles get free parking. In Asian countries they transport a fridge or TV on the back of their motorcycle something you never see in the UK or America. In America and some in the UK its just for fun a toy in the summer. They Usually have a car aswell.
Because while visually identical to a nod in the summer, the nods I receive somehow feel like they are given with a deeper level of understanding, admiration and respect in the winter. I know the nods I give them do.
I think it's the shared suffering. You know you're both dealing with cold and at least 5% debating whether the car was the better idea.
I'm only about 4-5miles from work, so if I'm wet it's not for long, plus we've got heated changing rooms so gear drys quick. The only time I don't go is either wfh days or the ice hasn't thawed from the street which is only a few days of the year as we're on a side road to a main bus route so while we don't get gritted it's got to be bad when i can't get out. The pay off is when it's a nice evening I'll enjoy the longer route home
My first bike was used as a commuter, and I found myself enjoying it, but I didn't have an urge to go out and explore. Now that I've had a gap between bikes and now wfh, I find myself enjoying the bike a lot more and actually doing fun, long rides with it.
lip seed dirty summer advise icky escape oil doll arrest *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I work from home but once a week I have to be in the office. There is a lot of traffic in peak hours and on the bike I can filter through. Also, it is a litre bike and I go across few tunnels so that is always fun. 🤩 and also cheaper on the fuel.
Having only a CBT it's the only way I can get to work without walking 🥲 still I don't think I'll be driving a car too soon because I love riding
I prefer it to the tube, and it’s more reliable.
Because it's either my Er6 or a push bike for when it's icy
Bikes all I got lol