Anyone ride from Herts into London?

[ginny]

Im still- 3 months in- offended by the cost of commuting by train. I could get a bike, insurance and petrol, and still save a grand in the first year...

Currently, suing a combination of train/tube it takes me 1 hour 20, home to work (Victoria area) and vice versa, an hour if I get dropped off/picked up at the station.

The concern is that on the bike i need to be switched on... less so if I'm slouching on the train.

I'd previously been put off as I thought work was formal dress... its actually smart/casual so can wear chinos under leathers and bring shirts in weekly.

I reckon the commute by bike would be an hour-ish, assume I stick to legal speeds and filter where possible. Also just read that bikes can now use all tfl bus routes which makes things easier.

Anyone have any experience they would care to share?

[MC]

[LoweredOne]

[zark]

Which A-road you using, and how far?
I'm doing the A10 from A120 ish to north London (Tottenham area) on a ybr125 and it's still far easier and more interesting and cheaper than sitting in traffic or train fares!

[ginny]

I work flexible hours, so if I'm early or late in its not an issue. As long as I do 37 a week its all good

I'd be A1m - M1 then Edgware road or A41...

[gorillaonabik...]

Did some serious commuting years ago. Commuting's fine and mostly fun but bizarrely, the bit I hated the most was filling up every couple of days. I really came to hate this with a passion to the point that it's the first element I look at when considering another bike.

Central London's a breeze when you understand it and I still enjoy riding in every day, although I now live in zone 1 so the trip's a bit shorter.
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FZR400 (blown engine), ZXR750 (blown engine), ZX6R (accident), CBR600 which had engine issues after which I learned to change gear..., CBR900, CBR924 (stolen), CB600, CB1300 (everything blew up), BMW K1300GT (written off, hit from rear while stationary), Bandit 1250 for a couple of months, Triumph Sprint ST 1050 (nicked) and somewhere in there, I wrote off a Ducati 748 at Cadwell.

[Doovy]

[sickpup]

[esullivan]

My commute is a bit shorter than yours -- 35-ish minutes on the way in at 6 and an hour or so on the way home at 5. That's from South Ruislip to Finsbury Circus in the City (near Mooregate or Liverpool Street stations), so probably slightly more urban a route compared with yours, but roughly the same. When I take the tube, it's pretty consistently 1:20-1:30, door-to-door.

I've been doing this route for a bit over three years and plan to continue, but the reasons are complicated.

It's not just cost. People forget insurance, depreciation, riding gear (buy cheap, buy twice!), regular maintenance, tyres and other consumables, etc. I did some careful monitoring of all costs over a year and I think it's a wash. It's about the same as taking the tube, give or take.

The reasons I do it:

1. I'm happier if my commute is shorter. There are several studies to back this up. I can't do too much about where I live and work, but I can get between them faster on the bike.

2. I'm more comfortable. People complain about riding in cold, wet or heat, but on the bike I'm covered head-to-toe in good gear. I'm warmer, drier or cooler on the bike than I would be walking to the station in my normal clothes and getting on a freezing or sweltering Central Line train.

3. It makes me a better rider. It's daily practice in one of the most challenging environments anywhere for riding a motorcycle.
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Current: '14 VFR800X Test passed 31/10/12.
Previous: '12 NC700S, '11 CBF 125, '04 SH 125.

[darkhorizon]

I have taken the best of both worlds approach. I have my annual Goldcard for the zones I need (I live in zone 3) and work is mostly in the Pimlico/Victoria area. If its been a good weekend of ale consumption etc then I toob in. But if I am sober then two wheels. I have bought the Westminster £100 a year bike parking thing so have all the options open. Although I guess its not a money saver!?!
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2009 CBF600 - London hack - stolen then recovered - still going!
2006 CG125 - Was SORN'd, now back on road - sold Nov '16

[nelmo]

[Lord Percy]

If it'll save you a grand per year then yes definitely go by bike.

Another benefit is that you then have freedom to go wherever you like in London - on your bike - on the odd occasion you may want or need to.

Also I think it's quite fun riding in London.

One drawback may be commute time. If it's still a good hour or so then it could grate a bit. Having said that, I've always thought journey times feel far quicker on a bike.

[MC]

How on earth does a bike cost you the same as public transport?

I commuted for a year on a 125, and never saved so much money in all my life. The last 6 months I've been using public transport and been saving virtually nothing.

The only time biking gets expensive is when things start going wrong, but having a cheaper bike negates this somewhat (and working on the bike yourself).

I didn't make a full year on a 600 (well it was 6 weeks), but the fuel costs were roughly double that of the 125, although neither were particularly economical bikes. Obviously servicing would cost more, but it still wasn't that bad.
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[esullivan]

[MC]

[Andy9934]

On a 125, my bike was £900, a recoverable cost.

Insurance £250
Helmet(s) £50 ea (on my second)
Gear £100 max - all second hand
Maintenance: £200 so far I think, new tyre, valve spacing, things like that.
Fuel: £6/week (~110 miles a week)


When I got the train it was £120pcm plus costs of maintaining a bicycle

Not factored in is the finances of the incident in which I broke my collarbone, but the culprits insurance should cover this fine. Already recovered £1200 for the bike "write off".

Back on topic.

The time I spent on the train was hardly pleasant time to be switched off, and the fact that I enjoy riding makes it just fine that I have to be switched on.

I get changed at work in the disabled loo and have a drawer in which I keep shirts. Work are not very accomodating but this is fine for me. I would not want to wear anything under my trousers in the summer but it's very doable below ~8*C.

Filtering is dangerous but you can cut a LOT of time off peak travel. My journey is 50 mins in the car, 35 (+10 mins getting changed) on the bike and about 45 (+10 getting changed) using the pushbike and train.
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Surrey
Honda Varadero XL125

[ginny]

My back of a fag packet calculations are, to be fair, pretty basic.

£1500-£1750 for a bike. Cbr or deauville, maybe cb500. It will be a commuting tool, probably owned untill it's death- depreciation not a massive concern, reliability and part availability more important. Consumables and miles per gallon a consideration. Shaft better but 'less exciting' - did consider a maxi scoot, but storage isn't an issue anymore, plenty of space to dump kit in the office. Plus if I'm going to 'ride' I reckon I want to at least be able to say that its actually a motorbike!

Then 400 insurance and the rest petrol. I have a license and all the kit.

My train, on the otherhand, is more than £3800 a year. So once the bike is bought, I'm likely saving 1-2 grand per year after the first year.

The major cons of public transport seem to be the flexibility (tube and train problems seem to random but frequent) and any time cut down. Money saving is a bonus- who wants to burn money?- but id most want to cut down a)time and b) frustrations - I reckon I could even do 9 months biking and 3-5 months train and still save money on total costs.

Guess it just needs some careful calculations- I just can't calculate the time it takes with filtering included- maybe this should be next on the Google maps developers agenda?

[Wednesday Biker]

Don't live in London but use the bike for work a lot.
But I just cant bring myself to use it when its lashing it down or freezing.
If you have to catch the train some days its going to eat into your savings and maybe cost you more.
But then you'll have a bike
Then again you might buy some decent bad weather kit and be less of a wuss than me.

[esullivan]

[j.silvs]

I commute from Mill Hill to canary wharf or Liverpool street

The best part is knowing you can leave near enough any time in the evening and get home in the same amount of time.

No train is a massive plus. Don't have to worry about crowds, standing for ages and weirdos

Now I have learnt to maintain my bike myself it costs roughly £5 a day whereas my train costs £12.

I would still bike if it cost me the same or even slightly more.

People may say that it may cost the same but you still have an asset and a vehicle to use whenever you want. No one rides the train for pleasure.

I find it my meditation time

[ginny]

Well, maths are provisionally done- feel free to pick me up if you think I'm wrong.

(free) Parking is an 8 minute walk from work, so no biggie.

Have all kit, by the way.

Bike- £1750. Deauville, props on 30-40K miles at purchase.

Petrol per year £1891- 14,400 miles @ 45 MPG @ 1.30 a litre.

Insurance £180 - if I still have a year NCB. If not, £250ish.

Tyres and Oil- 300.

Tax and MOT- 110.

So first year its just scraping over £4240

Second year is much brighter however:

Bike is paid for, so only have tyres and oil etc @ £300 tax and mot £110, Insurance at £250 and Petrol at £2000. ---- Saving of £1450ish.

Even if I chickened out for the crappiest 3 months of the year- december through to start of march- after paying for the train (and deducting the appropriate petrol cost) i'm saving £750-800- Wednesday Biker, i don't think anyone could be more of a wuss than me when it comes to the cold. Hence the deauville- should have good weather protection.

So, thoughts?

Is it worth the hassle of owning another vehicle just for commuting, am I likely to be horribly tired at the end of the day, and am I likely to be spending any less or more time commuting?

Thanks for the replies so far. I spent some time commuting in Reading Oxford and High Wycombe, but I know London is probably in a class of its own, so its good to hear from people!

[Lord Percy]

Regarding the debate around costs.

This is a motorbike forum so I assume a very large amount of us here own a bike anyway.

So the debate over prices for using the bike to get work should really only include a comparison between fuel prices and public transport commute prices.

[b422063]

I do a similar commute. The time and costs are roughly equal, however I'm biased towards the motorcycle due to the following reasons:
If I take holiday, I'm not paying for the fuel etc to travel to work unlike a season ticket.
If I need to travel somewhere that isn't work, then I can take my motorbike.
I'm guaranteed a seat on my motorbike.
Those talking about getting cold I suggest you're not using the right gear or enough layers. I'm occasionally guilty of this as I work 14 hour shifts so the morning temperature can be very different to the evening temperature!

[sickpup]

[Andy_Pagin]

FWIW I've never felt less tired since I swapped the train for a bike, trains put me to sleep, so I used to get to work feeling half dead.

The big issue with rush hour biking in London is that cagers drive like utter morons so you really need your wits about you. It's not just about riding carefully either, you will have to learn to anticipate dangerous situations and take evasive action.
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They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, hey-hey,
the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer