Welcome back to our third instalment on how to commute to work. In the previous post we talked about bikes, here we’ll talk about you.
Almost everyone’s cycling experience is different, some people do it for the fun, some for fitness, some to save money or save the planet, and some who just enjoy the freedom of fresh air and two wheels. What’s your motivation? It could be one thing, a few things or a bit of everything. See how many reasons you can fit into your commute.
If you haven’t ridden for ages, take time to get used to your bike. Ride around your local parks and cycleways getting used to how it handles and stops. Learn how to use the gears by anticipating hills and changing down gears early to keep momentum. Tricks like changing down gears as you come to a stop will save you the embarrassment of trying to ride off in a high gear. It’s not difficult, it just requires a bit of thought until it becomes natural. Fitness will come over time, don’t be ashamed if you get off and walk up hills at first. However, having a bike with a decent range of low gears will also make life easier once the path heads upwards.
A couple of exercises to help you gain confidence is trying to ride slowly without wobbling or putting a foot down, this helps your balance so you can comfortably pass pedestrians or slower riders without stopping or wobbling into them.
Another skill to practice is looking behind you. When you first try you’ll probably do a big wobble as your balance changes, but with practice, you’ll learn to do it smoothly. If you’re still wobbly or not as flexible as you used to be, put a mirror on your bike.
If you’re new to cycling or need your confidence building up, it can help to get lessons from a coach. Coaches are better than a friend or partner because they know to focus on basics rather than making assumptions that you will automatically pick up the things they do naturally after years of riding experience.
Cycling is a journey, don’t expect to become a master in a couple of weeks. You just need enough skills to keep you upright and safe. Confidence will come with experience and things will only get easier.
Next time we’ll look at the other things you’ll need like a helmet, a lock and something to carry your stuff in.
Check out the rest of the Commute by Bike series
- A series to help start your bike commuting journey
- Choosing a bike for commuting
- You and bike commuting
- What stuff do you need for bike commuting?
- Route planning for bike commuting
- Safety tips for bike commuting
- Motivation when you start bike commuting
- Pimping your ride for a bike commute
- What clothes do you need for bike commuting?
- Maintaining your bike for commuting
- Watch-outs for bike commuting
- Coping with road rage when you commute by bike
- Going electric or going alternative for your bike commute
- So you’re a bike commuter. What next?
