Noob Questions

Dimitri

Apologies if these questions have been covered elsewhere.

I'm planning on cycling to college from next January when I start back and I have a few questions. The commute is 15km each way, is this a realistic commute?
I know I can easily run 10km everyday but since I havent cycled since my early teens I'd have zero bike fitness. I'm going to be away at sea for the next 4 - 5 months and there is a gym on board so I'll be using the bike there as a recurring ankle injury means i can no longer comfortably run more then 5 miles which is why I'm making the change from runner to cyclist. Also what type of bike would you recommend and why. The roads I'll be using wont be great a mixture of city and country but safer then the dual carrigeway at rush hour I reckon. There will be some hills along the route as well. For experienced commuters what gear would recommend as vital, and more importantly what are their cheapest alternatives??

There are showers and lockers at the college so it will be possible for me to leave a change of clothes and a wash bag there.

ozzy jr

15km will be no problem to you.

Tonyandthewhale

Dimitri wrote: »

Apologies if these questions have been covered elsewhere.

I'm planning on cycling to college from next January when I start back and I have a few questions. The commute is 15km each way, is this a realistic commute?
Also what type of bike would you recommend and why. There will be some hills along the route as well.
There are showers and lockers at the college so it will be possible for me to leave a change of clothes and a wash bag there.

15km is by no means an unrealistic commute, especially if you can already comfortable run 10km. Plenty of people doing twice that each way and more.
Since you've got a reasonable distance to cover, a few hills and presumably won't need to carry a huge amount of stuff everyday since you have a locker* I would reccommend a road bike (lightweight, 23 to 28mm tyres, drop handlebars). Which road bike depends on your budget as you can pay anything from 400e (or potentially significantly less if you go second hand) up to several thousand euro for one.
Some people might also suggest a hybrid/flat bar road bike but for your intended distance I don't think there's any advantage here and a hybrid is no use if you later want to take up racing or even club spins.

*Actually, I'd still reccommend a road bike if you did have a lot of stuff to carry, just a more audax orientated road bike, or possibly a cyclocross bike or touring bike if you're intended loads are especially heavy.

dutopia

15km is a fine commute, you won't have too much difficulty I'd imagine. The distance you can cover on a bike compared to walking or even running can be surprising. If you can run 5km without any problems the cycle should be fine.

Tonyandthewhale

Dimitri wrote: »

For experienced commuters what gear would recommend as vital, and more importantly what are their cheapest alternatives?

A decent set of lights and a u-lock (not a cable-lock unless you're using it to secure a front wheel or whatever).
Some people would reccommend a helmet, a must if you want to join a club or do any racing but not something I'd consider a necessity for commuting.
You'll also need a decent mini pump (for punctures you get on the road), a floor pump (for keeping at home because you'll never get 100psi into your tyres with a hand pump), some tyre levers and a spare tube (again for roadside punctures).

A decent pair of shorts would be nice too and if you're carrying a lot of stuff, a rack and a set of panniers is a much more comfortable and less sweaty way of carrying stuff on the bike (just make sure whatever bike you buy has the requisite mounts for fitting racks).

Dimitri

Wow ye reply fast! so what ive always been calling a racer is the bike I need, lights and I reckon a helmet will be a must for me also. I was initially planning on having the backpack on my back. Wont be much in in it most days, laptop charger luch A4 pad. Do the racks throw you off balance much or would you reckon they are the better option? Quick look online with prices means I'll defo be going second hand I know there is a place that is supposed to be decent enough here in Cork so fingers crossed. Also this may sound like a ridiculous question but icy days i presume are a complete right off ya?

Dimitri

Oh and finally what would a respectable commute time be for the 15km, as i said I'll be training on the ship while I'm at sea so what would be a good aim? (I know this will probably vary massively for each individual but roughly!)

Tonyandthewhale

Dimitri wrote: »

Wow ye reply fast! so what ive always been calling a racer is the bike I need, lights and I reckon a helmet will be a must for me also. I was initially planning on having the backpack on my back. Wont be much in in it most days, laptop charger luch A4 pad. Do the racks throw you off balance much or would you reckon they are the better option? Quick look online with prices means I'll defo be going second hand I know there is a place that is supposed to be decent enough here in Cork so fingers crossed. Also this may sound like a ridiculous question but icy days i presume are a complete right off ya?

A rack and pannier does affect the handling slightly but its not a huge deal and you get used to it to the point where you don't notice it after a few days.
Icy days are fairly dicey on 23mm road bike tyres so when it snows or there's serious ice on the ground I break out the mountain bike, using studded ice tyres if it gets really bad.
Oh, and make sure you get the correct frame size, that's probably the most important thing to consider.

Dimitri

Epic thanks for all the help, now all I have do is shop around till I find the best deal, I shall return to the cycling forum as a fully fledged cyclist!

Jawgap

You might want to think about security - colleges are notorious spots for bikes betting stolen and / or damaged.

Getting a second-hand banger of a bike might be a sensible precaution to limit the chances of theft - something that doesn't stand out from what's typically used around colleges.

Good luck with it.

jameverywhere

I agree with the above. If you're going to have to lock your bike in unsecure places for hours and hours at a time, or--god forbid--overnight, I would get a secondhand hybrid or something.

Also, don't get a "racer" but a road bike. Make sure it has connections for things like a rear rack, mud guards, bottle cages, and so forth. Mud guards in Ireland are a must, imho, if you're commuting. You don't want a trail of mud up your arse when you walk into work or class.