Milltown to Santry commute (cycling)

nordydan

Anyone do this (or similar)? Been offered a job in Santry and mulling over the practicalities of getting there. Alternative is driving through town or M50 (expensive). 9-5:30 standard working hours but may be able to change this if commute is advantageous. Havent cycled in years but am physically fit. All help appreciated. Thanks

monument

It's about 12km give or take and is more than doable on a bicycle for anybody a tiny bit fit, or even not very fit. For more people it, should take about 45mins to an hour -- usually people get a little faster once they get used of cycling. Even if you're fit remember cycling uses different muscles to running etc and for anything above 10km you might want to look at starting off doing it only a few days a week until you build it up.

For most people it would be 'in the need a shower when you get to work' range, but if you search the cycling forum for 'shower' you should find people who use other methods such as baby/body wipes. There's also different ways around having work clothes to change into -- from bringing them all in by car one day to carrying them on a pannier (a bag that attaches to the bike, rather than one you carry on your back).

Look into how to cycle on the road, and what to watch out for. There's helpful books like Cyclecraft, which is based on the UK national cycling training standard. There's also free advice on the cycling board (it's under sports on this site but covers all types of cycling).

My other half does from town to Swords, which is about the same distance. She even started and did it for quite a while on a cheap, clunky city bike, but now does it on a hybrid bike which leans towards a road bike. She says the main difference between the two is not so much faster overall, but the hill between Drumcondra and Santry is a lot easier.

Once you watch out for your self, and use lights, the vast majority of the time cycling is very enjoyable. It does not rain as much as people think, it's the healthiest and cheapest way to travel, and you avoid sitting in traffic or waiting for buses.

bijapos

I did Dartry to Santry (45 mins) for 6 months a couple of years ago. Take the bike, you'll lose your sanity any other way.

The M50 or going through town by car are not viable alternatives if being punctual is important, there will be so many days when you get stuck in traffic that it makes the timing of the communte almost impossible.

You could take the Luas to town, walk to College Green and take a bus, once the bus has cleared the city centre its going against the worst of the traffic and this way is fairly punctual.

The bike is best, you will always arrive within 5 minutes of a set time as bikes dont get stuck in traffic, the first week will be rough, after that you get used to it very very quickly. You dont need a Lance Armstrong set up, but for gods sake dont get a mountain bike. Theres plenty of advice in the bike forum as to what bike will suit you.

I use a hybrid, it has suspension forks (but I need these due to an old wrist injury) and good reoad tyres. I visit a client 2-3 days a week in Dunboyne and thats a 42km return trip for me but its worth it. Get a good rain jacket and rain trousers and you'll save a fortune on petrol and car related costs over the years. You should be able to keep a spare pair of clothes in work for the couple of days in the year that you arrive soaking, or on those (very) few days just get up earlier and bus or drive to work.

The other option is to get a Scooter/Moped, you can get one with a decent windshield and a cover for your legs for when its wet or cold, faster than a car either way.