My Ride's guide to riding to work
At My Ride, bikes are a huge part of our lives. We spend our days talking about them, spend our free time riding them and build our livelihoods around sharing our passion for them with the local community. Riding to work is a natural extension for us and most staff aim to do it at least a few times a week! If you haven’t considered commuting to work by bike yourself, My Ride's here to help you get inspired.
Riding your bike to work has many benefits over driving, the first one being the health benefits. Depending on how far away from your job you live, your daily rides could be building muscles and burning calories as much as a gym session would - so say goodbye to gym fees! It’s well known that starting the day with a workout helps to get the blood pumping, leading to more energy, better focus and an overall better mood. Commuting by bike will help you arrive to work each morning ready to conquer the day from the minute you clock in!
Another benefit of cycling is the cost. Now we’re not saying that you need to sell your car and just ride your bike everywhere, in an ideal world maybe but have you ever tried riding home with a week's worth of groceries on your bike? No? Good. We do not recommend it... The obvious cost savings come from fuel. An average 2 car household spends over $3,500 on fuel annually! That’s like a new bike each year (if you present the argument correctly to your significant other, otherwise a holiday works too... I guess).
Reducing your fuel consumption by riding a bike also reduces the cost to the environment, as it negates CO2 emissions, noise pollution, and congestion on roads. Congestion and traffic is something you can avoid by riding to work too. Leave rush hour in the dust as you wizz past stationary cars, you’ll be focused and motivated when you start your day as opposed to cramped and frustrated.
The above sold you on riding to work? Great! The next step is making sure you have a high quality bike to do so. As much as we'd like to tell you that you should get the (Insert best commuter bike here) to ride to work, there is no one size fits all solution and the best bike for you will depend on the daily commute you plan on taking. There are three key factors to deciding the best bike for your commute:
- How long is your journey?
- How flat/smooth is your commute?
- Is cycling just part of your commute?
For shorter commutes, urban/trekking bikes are your best option for riding to work. Upright riding positions, lightweight frames and road bike geometry makes for a comfortable and fun ride to work on bike paths or quiet roads. Think the Malvern Star Sprint or Avanti Giro F ranges as great examples.
If your commute is short yet involves a bit more than a flat road, lean towards a hybrid bike. Unlike urban bikes, hybrids have front suspension forks that add comfort and practicality when riding on uneven surfaces. Great Hybrid options are the Avanti X-plorer or Scott Sub Cross ranges.
If your commute is longer, say over 20-25km, a road bike would be more suitable to get you to and from work with ease. With drop-bars and lightweight frames for speed and agility, a road bike will have you setting PBs each morning and beating them on the way home.
Sub-classes of road bikes can be more specifically for speed or endurance, so for commutes, Scott Addicts or Scott Speedsters would be your best bet for making the distance to work each day.
Gravel bikes enable you to keep riding at full speed when the terrain around you shifts. With grippier tyres and tougher frames, Gravel bikes are more capable on a wider variety of terrain than their road counterparts and are therefore perfect for your daily commute if you’ve got more than just tarmac ahead. Scott has a range of gravel cousins to their road range such as the Scott Addict Gravel and Scott Speedster Gravel whereas Avanti’s Gran-Durance range is designed specifically for venturing off the beaten track.
For new riders, old riders, riders still working on their fitness, or riders that just want to reduce their sweat levels, commuting on an e-bike is a great way to get to work each day. With pedal assistance and a great variety of frame geometry, there is an e-bike perfect for everyone’s riding style and commute. For short urban commutes, the Scott Sub Active eRIDE will comfortably get you there whereas something like an Avanti Montari-E Performance is ideal for those trickier rides.
Finally, if cycling is not the only form of transport that your daily commute will take, consider a folding bike for an easy transition. Avanti’s E-Foldster is a pedal assist commuter which compactly folds to a portable unit, perfect for jumping on the train or putting in the boot of a car. When cycling the whole way to work is not an option, getting a few pedal strokes and extra time in the saddle where you can is the next best option!
Now that you’ve chosen your bike (or have had one from the start), there are a few more things to make sure you have sorted before committing to riding to work. The biggest deterer of commuting by bike is the weather. Nobody wants to be caught in the rain or freezing winds and rocking up to work drenched is not ideal for anyone, but with the right apparel , you can arrive warm and dry after any Winter commute.
Without wanting to repeat ourselves too much, read our Guide to Cold Weather Riding which covers the best equipment to combat the elements when out on a ride. The blog also touches on the importance of being visible through clothing and bike lights , very relevant to commuting on busy roads and in dawn/dusk hours.
It’s always recommended to carry a spare tube or two when commuting, unfortunately roadside assistance doesn’t cover bikes (yet?) and ‘I had a flat’ is not an excuse your boss will be too happy hearing more than once, so it’s best to be prepared. A portable pump and toolkit are also great accessories for the same reasons plus a new set of tyres is a good idea if breaking out your bikes for the first time in a while.
So what are you waiting for? The hardest part is committing to the first day. Plan your route tonight, get up 20 minutes earlier tomorrow and ride! If you’ve got any questions, need suggestions for the right gear or want to tune up your bike before you start, visit your local My Ride store. They’ll be more than happy to share their knowledge and expertise with you to get you ready to commute to work. Bikes for life!
