Getting started cycling a commute

One More Toy

Hello

I have a new job which is 40 minutes on the bus versus 20 on a bicycle.

I have rode one in ages, nor know what to buy. Could someone put me in the right direction? I live in South Dublin city

Tia

Omt

winklepicker2025

adverts buy a decent second hand bike for a good deal or bike too work scheme.

Decent locks & lights this time of the year.

A decent set of tyres also

CramCycle

What's your budget would be a better question, I could recommend bikes from 200 up to 3000, all perfectly suitable. Are you happy to buy second hand or will it be new?

Tombo2001

Your post is so vague that its hard to know what to say.

Madeoface

Get a hybrid, not a road bike, that way you won't feel every bump and hole in the road / cycle lane.

Get good wet gear and hi viz for the short evenings. Don't scrimp on tyres and watch out for the food delivery ebikes and be careful.

No need for top spec bike, it's just a commute and not a race. Adverts for decent 2nd hand or decathlon for starter bike. Finally, buy a decent lock.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123804509#Comment_123804509

Get a hybrid, not a road bike, that way you won't feel every bump and hole in the road / cycle lane.

Not at all, get the bike that fits, plenty of very comfy road / Gravel / CX bikes. Bigger tyres and good fit are the keys to comfort. A bike with road handlebars also gives more hand positions in longer spins.

Get good wet gear and hi viz for the short evenings.

Depends on what is available at work, I never wear wet gear as I can change at work and it gets me very sweaty. Also get good lights, you want to be able to see the road if there are dark patches and for other cars to see you at a distance.

fat bloke

20 mins riding in South Dublin?

If it's got wheels and a saddle, it'll do the job grand!

Post up your size if you know it or height if you don't. Someone here might have your bike in their shed!

breezy1985

If you have the option of a bus you don't need to go mad and buy loads of gear straight away. I built mine up slowly. Lidl is handy when you are starting too.

Get good lights though. Probably need to spend about 60e minimum for a good set.

And download the Met Éireann app.

magicbastarder

also worth giving a rough start and finish point; people here who may be commuting in the area might be able to suggest alternative routes or places to avoid.

p15574

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123804509#Comment_123804509

Re the hybrid - maybe for a first timer but…I had one for my first then switched to a road bike and was amazed at the difference - flew along effortlessly compared to cycling a tank.

I would also recommend a cheap bikecam, like a GoPro knockoff from AliExpress.

07Lapierre

1: travel as light as possible

2: leave dry clothes in work if you can

3: learn how to change an inner tube and practice before you have to do it for real on the side of the road on a cold wet November evening

4: if you can use the Bike to work scheme do so and use the full budget on the bike

5: whatever bike you go for.. minimum spec is Alu frame, Carbon fork and ideally Hydraulic disc brakes.
6: once you have a bike..do a trial run to confirm your preferred route.
7: try not to be too smug while filtering through long lines of motorists stuck in traffic!

magicbastarder

minimum spec is Alu frame, Carbon fork and ideally Hydraulic disc brakes.

Ah here, it's a 20 minute commute!

Grassy Knoll

Firstly, do it. You wont go back to buses once you get going. You can pretty much know your commute time - IMHO traffic is getting worse in fact.. Also you feel good after some exercise in the morning evening.

In terms of bike don't overthink it, but hybrid is a good middle of the road option which will work perfectly. Get the puncture resistant tyres fitted - good investment.

The weather in Dublin has certainly dis-improved a bit over the years, but I wouldnt see it as a big problem, you can usually work around showers.

o1s1n

Really spend a lot of time plotting out your route with google maps and don't be afraid to change it slightly if you find a safter route, always be on the lookout for a safer route.

Peak cycling in the city is a cycle track with those protective bollards along the right side of you keeping you away from the traffic. So try to find as many sections like that as possible.

Try to avoid big intersections with right turns as you'll have to approach them in the right lane like a car turning right, can be a bit daunting for a new cyclist.

Would definitely be worth giving an approx start and end area, would be a lot of crossover with a few folks here (I do Stoneybatter to D4 myself every day)

Squidgy Black

Definitely no minimum standard of bike you need for a 20 minute commute. A more expensive bike could be nicer sure, and faster, but at the end of the day any bike is better than sitting on the bus.

Would getting a lend of a bike be an option to give it a spin for one day to try it out before committing?

07Lapierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123806259#Comment_123806259

Sorry… Im minted! id spend €10,000 on a commuter bike! ;)

jimmycrackcorm

I definitely recommend you get a bike with disc brakes, Hydraulic if possible.

alentejo

Cycle the route on a weekend (Sunday morning) and get an idea of the route/lanes/lights etc. Cycling at rush hour during a commute can be a different experiance, so having an idea what to expect is also advisable.

billyhead

OP, Dont forget a spare tube,mini pump and tyre levers and learn how to change a tube. No doubt you will get a puncture at some stage and bike shops can charge about 15 euro for a job you can do yourself.

Large bottle small glass

https://touch.adverts.ie/hybrid-bikes/cube-travel-pro-hybrid-bicycle/36552394

A bike for a large man.

Ticks a lot of requirements for a utility bike

*Dynamo light

*Mudguards

*Rack

*Extra bonus points no faff belt drive.

Pump the tyres once a week and you are going to go.

fat bloke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123807556#Comment_123807556

That's some weird shawty saddle height for a "large man" !!!! 🤨😁

68 lost souls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123808483#Comment_123808483

Seller also misleading very much the size, he says for 170cm and up, its more like 182cm and up on a size large.

ARX

For a 20 minute commute pretty much anything will do the job.

• Good lights are really important. I recommend daytime running lights such as the Trek Ion 200 RT / Flare RT light set.
• For night time, check out the German StVZO (German road traffic law) bike lights from German sites such as bike-discount, bike24, bike-components, r2-bike and Rose. Those lights have a shaped beam that puts most of the light on the ground where you need it rather than spewing it indiscriminately all over the place.
• A mountain bike with a peak will keep the rain out of your eyes. A skull cap under the helmet will keep your head warm; a helmet cover will keep it dry.
• Rainlegs Rain Guard Rainpants | Bike-Discount look daft but keep you dry without getting sweaty
• Mudguards are essential

Utter Consternation

I cycle from Firhouse into city centre every day. I shall bestow on you my own wonderful experience of cycling into the city:

1. Use the old life saver look, that is, constantly looking over your right shoulder at regular intervals, particularly if you're overtaking anything. You could have the best lights and hi-vis gear, but motorists will still not see you because they're on their fooking phones.

2. Get good light-weight rain gear.

3. If there's a greenway nearby that takes a little longer use that. It gets you away from motorists and is also nicer to look at. You also don't have to breathing in fumes directly from sad motorists stuck in traffic.

4. Get a hybrid bike. Road bike with thin tyres are too bumpy.

5. Get banging tunes or podcasts to listen to on the way. Controversial i know, but that's my personal choice.

6. Get to know your route and the sequence of lights. If there's a slightly longer way that's safer, use that. Also see number 3 above.

7. Get good lights. Light that fcuking bike up like a Xmas tree.

8. I may be shot here, but consider getting an ebike. You'll sail in sweat free. Headwinds will not be a problem. The wind is usually against me on the way out of town, returning home. In the depths of winter, you'll know all about this. I find that from Jan to April, the wind is an absolute cnut.

9. Enjoy sailing past the mouth breathing morons every morning jammed in their cars and stupid to know why they are so frustrated sitting there. :D

o1s1n

Point 5 & 6 - incoming fire… 😂

Wearing headphones on a city centre commute is one of the silliest things a cyclist can do. You are relying on your senses to stop you getting mashed by a car, giving one of them up is nuts. Particularly someone new to commuting by bike.

Unless the OP is disabled or he's climbing a mountain, an ebike for a 20 minute commute is beyond lazy.

I'd also say that a puncture repair kit is not needed for a 20 minute cycle as well. The odd time it does happen, that's still within wheeling distance of a shop or your house/work. I'd rather pay the 10 euro myself they tend to charge than end up covered in dirt on the way to work.

Squidgy Black

On point 5, if it's bone conducting earphones like aftershokz, then that's alright in terms of you'll hear people around you and traffic.

If it's AirPods or overear headphones, or any sort of earbud, just want you to know I absolutely hate you and you're a weapon. Regularly see people nearly getting wiped out of it because someone wearing earphones completely oblivious to the people around them swerves out or moves etc.

Utter Consternation

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123809094#Comment_123809094

I get ya, tis my personal choice. I'm not sure how to describe the earphones i have, they're on a clip and don't go into my ears, so i get most of the ambient noise anyways.

Ebike is a lazy option, but is still an option particularly if you don't like sitting at your desk all day with sweaty balls.

o1s1n

Ah grand! yeah as long as you're not just relying on your sight alone. I do see a lot of less experienced cyclists around Dublin (particularly folks on Dublin bikes) with Airpod type things and it's obvious to see by the way they're interacting with the world around them that they can't hear a thing.

fat bloke

Has the OP been back?

What are the bets he read through all the above and thought "fcuk it, I'm taking the car!" :)

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123809277#Comment_123809277

He's cycling and doesn't want to use his phone on the bike…….

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123809148#Comment_123809148

You've sent me down a rabbit hole on those Aftershokz by the way 😁, didn't know anything like that existed, they look absolutely class.