commuting Archives - Cycling uphill

10 Cycling Tips from 30 Years of Commuting

May 29, 2025May 29, 2025 by tejvan

It’s getting on for 30 years of cycling around Oxford, commuting to work, shopping, and visiting people. Most days I average around 10-12 miles, which is the main form of cycling these days. I really enjoy it. Saves money, saves you time, keeps you fit, good for the environment and in some respects, it is easier now than 30 years ago. But what tips would I give my younger self?

croissant-on-the-commute

1. Waterproof trousers.

When it rained, I used to get wet. I remember teaching by standing facing the radiator to dry my trousers. I don’t know why it took me so long to get waterproof trousers, but if you have right kit, you can keep cycling in whatever the weather.

waterproof-trousers-over-leg

I wish I had bought these waterproof trousers first, because they have what I consider to be an essential feature. Waterproof-trousers which include seamless covers for your shoes. My first waterproof trousers were more standard, and you get wet ankles, (and dirty shoes). This simple design keeps everything dry and your shoes clean. I can’t actually remember where I bought them, but they were cheap under £20. They are terribly un-aerodynamic, but when it’s wet you can live with that.

2. Helmet with lights

light-helmet

30 years ago, you couldn’t actually buy something like this. But it’s a great thing to have in winter. You always have backup lights on you, and you don’t have to worry about the lights getting stolen from the bike. Easy to recharge with usb. The luminous yellow is good for side visibility too. It is a bit heavier, wouldn’t want to ride on long serious training rides, but for commuting, it is great. In 30 years of cycling, I’ve rarely fallen off, and only once hit my head. I was cycling very near home. It was wet and the road was off camber, and bike slid from under me. I landed on side of head and helmet took some of the pressure. Still your glad you have a helmet when something like that happens.

3. Always be prepared for puncture. I got this fantastic Ortlieb pannier bag, many years ago.

Again, I can’t find it for sale anymore. If I did I would buy a second one. It’s really big size and has a convenient side pocket, where I always keep spare inner tube, a mini pump like this, and tyre leavers. So if you get a flat, you can always fix.

bag-pump — Note ultra-lightweight rainproof-jacket for days you get caught out.

4. Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I rarely get punctures because I use these tyres which have pretty good puncture resistence. I once went about four years without getting any puncture, which was pretty amazing.

schwalbe-marathon-plus

I also used Specialized Armadillo (long term review) for many years. They were rock hard, heavy and never got punctures but have been harder to get

5. Slime tube. However, my love affair with Schwalbe Marathon Plus was considerably reduced by a very recent experience. Got a puncture put the tyre back on with great difficulty (incredibly tight).

But, then it re-punctured, took great care, and puncture again. Tried the third time, another pinch puncture. Took it to a professional bike, shop. Mechanic put tyre on, a day later – same situation, another puncture. There was something wrong with either wheel (couldn’t see anything) or tyre. So I threw it away in disgust, got a cheap tyre (only one for sale on a Sunday afternoon) and got this slime tyre , which is self-inflating. It stopped the horrible succession of punctures, so it is another solution if you can’t afford to have a flat on your commute.

6. Do learn how to put on a tyre properly

Again we didn’t have YouTube 30 years ago. (which has its own pros and cons). But, this kind of video is really useful.

7. Find best route

The shortest route is not necessarily the best. I little longer ride, can be much more pleasant. After many years, I’d often find a new cut through I didn’t know existed or wasn’t properly marked. Google Maps has made it easier, but it isn’t all knowing, and it’s kind of fun just to experiment without map and phone and look for new rides.

8. A little patience

If I gave my younger self some advice, it would be just have a little more patience. It doesn’t matter that I have to stop and give way. It’s not a race….

9. Always anticipate

Always anticipate drivers to make a mistake. When your on the road it is not about being right, it is about staying alive. A good example, mini-roundabouts, at least 50% road users don’t know the rules or ignore them and don’t give way. So I never turn right on roundabout, assuming a car will stop and give way. Another tip, always be prepared for pedestrians to step out on the road without looking because you are silent, but car is noisy.

10 Sticking with solid road bike.

waterproof-trousers-on-commuting-bike — here I am wearing waterproof trousers without sock protection. I got rid of these.

In 1999, I had a new road bike stolen from outside the house. I bought this second-hand trek as a stop gap. I went through periods of researching new commuting bikes, but never got around to buying. I like this road bike because it is relatively fast, but also with panniers and mudguards good for commuting. It isn’t flashy, but that probably helps prevent it from getting stolen. I don’t even use a particularly good lock, I just lock it up in very visible places in town.

Small changes to road infrastructure make big difference

May 29, 2019 by tejvan

Back in 2010, I wrote a blog post (my old blog) about a lack of integration between two cycle paths. My complaint was that there was a good cycle path, but it ends at a narrow section of road where cars can come quite fast.

“The cycle path runs parallel to the Oxford Ring Road. It is a good cycle path for avoiding a very busy road. The cycle path then joins Iffley road, where the council have recently painted a cycle lane on. But cars often come off the roundabout at quite a high speed. At the end of the cycle path, you have to take great care joining the road, as it is quite narrow.”

If only the council would extend the cycle path a little, they could make it a much better transition to the on road cycle-path.

Nine years later

Nine years later, the council have done it! They have extended the cycle path along the grass verge. When the new cycle path ends, it is safer for entering the road. it is wider, and at this point, there is a cycle path painted on the road.

It makes for a seamless transfer from the cycle path which goes around the ring road and onto Iffley Road.

Sometimes as cycle bloggers, we make fun of short cycle lanes which don’t really go anywhere.

But, this one in Oxford is an example of a short cycle path which makes a positive difference.

Of course, I still think there is room to keep the cycle path going along the grass verge so you don’t have to go on the road. This might encourage more people to cycle if it is segregated lane – rather than integrated with road. But, then beyond the end of this picture, there is a junction where you would have to rejoin the road anyway.

It’s nice to be able to complement improved cycle provision – even if it is only a modest improvement.

3 mins of high intensity exercise

March 4, 2019March 3, 2019 by tejvan

In the past few months, I haven’t done any *proper* cycling (i.e. wearing lycra and clipless pedals)

All my cycling has been on my commuting bike within the Oxford ring road. It is mainly a commute into town. It has slowly grown from a 2.5-mile commute to a 4.0 mile commute (which makes around 8 miles a day). The extra 1.5 mile has made a big difference to the enjoyment of the cycling and benefits to fitness.

Firstly, I took a detour to avoid the main roads and to be able to cycle on the excellent river towpath. It’s all flat, no traffic and wide enough. It also has fantastic views over Christ Church Meadow.

tree-lane-autumn — Back of tree lane in Autumn

However, the flat cycle path wasn’t quite enough. Almost unconsciously I found myself taking a detour up two short hills (around Rose Hill). The roads are very quiet and off the beaten track.

The first hill is called Tree Lane and then there is a descent down a bumpy private road. Then around the corner in Iffley Village, there is another hill called Adderbury Lane.

Race Blade Pro XL Mudguards Review

February 25, 2019 by tejvan

I’ve been a big fan of clip-on mudguards for many years. However, they do have a habit of breaking after several years of use. Parking bikes in Oxford is a bit rough and tumble, so these flexible mudguards tend to get a bit battered.

old-battered-mudguards — I got a few coats dirty using this depleted mudguard. Definitely time for an ugrade

With my rear mudguard snapped in half, it was a good excuse to upgrade to the latest model – Race Blade Pro XL.

River Cycle Path

November 10, 2018 by tejvan

With limited opportunities for cycling, I am enjoying the revamped cycle path along the River Thames.

The path used to get very muddy in winter, making it unattractive as a place to cycle. Also, it used to be about two people wide. The council have widened the path by a couple of feet (making it effectively three people wide). They have also laid a new surface – tarmac with loose chippings.

Both improvements make a big difference. The chippings are not slippy (unless perhaps you were racing), but they do slow you down by 1 or 2 mph compared to smooth tarmac. But, given it is a shared path, that is a good thing. The extra two feet makes a big difference. As you can now pass a couple on the path without them having to move. The extra space is great for both cyclists, pedestrians, dog walkers and rowing coaches who cycle slowly along the path looking at the river and not where they are going.

I am trying to do more cycling, but usually don’t feel like a ‘proper ride’ So I have been getting more miles in by relying on cycling into town and around Oxford. I have started cycling to Iffley lock – which is in the opposite direction to town, but you then get an interrupted run along the river path all the way to Abingdon Road. It has increased the commute from 2.5 miles to 4.0 miles, but it hardly takes any longer. The shortest route has quite a few crossings and traffic lights. The longer way on the path is much less interrupted. I go at a steady pace on the path, but it is quicker because you aren’t waiting for minutes at lights and junctions. It’s not rocket science, but when we measure the time of a journey, we tend to look closely at a distance rather than average speed.

In this age of austerity, it is great the council are able to pay for a project like this. It is a relatively small investment but has made a big improvement in the quality of commuting. The biggest advantage of course is that you can cycle without any traffic. Sometimes you need to slow at pinch points – for when crews bring out boats to the river or if there are many people on the path, but I’m not in a rush and happy to go slow.

Views from the cycle path

The other side of the river

St Mary’s Church and Radcliffe Camera

Mid winter and frost.

Autumn at the Head of the River.

Related

Public bike pumps which don’t work

July 18, 2018 by tejvan

This summer has been the best cycling weather since 1976 (the year of my birth). But, for the past five weeks, I have had a virus/bad cough so no cycling, apart from a slow meander into town. The idea of racing a bike seems hard to conceptualise at the moment. But, there is just enough competitive spirit to get a bit fed up with getting overtaken by 50% of commuters on the way into town.

Since I have not pumped up my tyres for several weeks, I decided this must be the source of my slowness. So I thought I would make use of a public-spirited free bike pump on Magdalen Bridge.

It’s an excellent idea to provide free air. As you can often need a bike pump in town. Anyway, I attached the tyre, but all it succeeded in doing was letting all the air out. Unfortunately, it didn’t work at pumping air back in – so I was left with a flat tyre. Public goods, free at the point of use is a great concept – even if leaves you stranded in town. You half expect to see a bike pump with requires a credit card payment for 50 seconds use.

So I had to walk all the way to the other end of town to the ever generous Bike Zone who kindly lent a pump, which enabled me to get home.

If you’ve wondered why I have only written five cycling blogs this year, this episode of a non-working public bike pump is about as interesting as my cycling experiences have been.

It seems my cycling friends are managing epic rides. Team-mate Vilas Silverton cycled 5,000km+ across the continent of Australia. Michael Broadwith did a short ride too.

I did toy with writing about procycling, but the bandwidth expended for Chris Froome’s adverse analytic finding which was dropped – has always been much more than enough already. I think the episode could be summed up by C.Prudhomme’s “All that for this?”

I am still doing a bit of exercises (egoscue) to try and cure the long-standing hip problem. I have also found some yoga exercises called the “Fountain of Youth“. It is supposed to keep your body young so if I ever get round to racing as a veteran I will have the body of a 30 year old, marvellous!

Cycling to exams in the heat

June 21, 2017 by tejvan

It is 30 degrees plus here in Oxford. It is also exam season with many students making their way to exams on the High Street. Some cycle in sub-fusc to save a few minutes for extra revision. I always remember cycling to exams. Walking from LMH was too far.

Last minute revision or getting a good luck text?

Good to see Oxford Professor’s on their bicycles, but I don’t know what Drag2Zero would make of those cycling clothes.

young, old and students.

Getting rid of traffic lights

October 26, 2016 by tejvan

One of my favourite spots for taking photos of cyclists in Oxford is on Broad Street, in particular this crossroads by the Bodleian library. The reason is that through traffic is prohibited so over 50% + of traffic are cyclists.

There are a few delivery lorries, so it’s not quite a cyclist paradise, but compared to your average inner city road it is quite peaceful.

It is interesting to just listen. Sometimes a few minutes can go by without any vehicular traffic, and you just hear the whir of bicycle wheels – very civilised!

Previously the junction was controlled by traffic lights, though traffic lights felt a little over-bearing given the nature of the traffic on the road.

A free ride into town

October 22, 2016 by tejvan

I was ambling along into town this morning, when two serious looking cyclists overtook me. I got on their wheel and enjoyed a faster commute into town than normal. Even at low speeds, you get a bit of benefit from sitting behind.

The two cyclists were joining up with a big group, meeting in centre of Oxford who were going for a long ride.

Congestion and cycling

March 17, 2016 by tejvan

Congestion is already a major issue in the UK, but with a rising population, lower oil prices and economic growth, congestion is set to increase significantly over the next few years.

By 2031, Transport for London estimate a 60% increase in congestion in the capital (link)
UK Gov (2015 report) state they predict road congestion to increase between 19% to 55% growth between 2010 and 2040.

The UK (especially in South) has a high population density. Building new roads is either not possible or undesirable because of the desire to protect remaining green spaces. With limited supply of roads, rising demand for travel – both car and HGV use will see congestion rise significantly.

Costs of congestion

Already, the UK economy experiences high social costs from congestion. These include

Longer journey times, which has both economic and time cost for business and consumers.
Air pollution from burning fuel in jams.
Lost business for city centre shops who see customers put off travelling due to congestion.

Congestion and growth of cycling

The growth of cycling in London is at least partly driven by gridlock on London roads. For commuters weighing up different options for travel to work, the higher the time lost through traffic jams, the more attractive the alternative cycling is.
Congestion at peak times in Oxford is a big incentive to cycle into work. This is helped by a a limited and patchy offering of cycle lanes. (I wouldn’t call it a network as that would imply it is fully integrated). But, in some places it is just enough to help cyclists avoid the worst congestion.