what? Why? Where? When? How?

[Thirdway]

Obviously there will be many options and opinions so here goes.

I am thinking of getting rid of one of our cars but this involves some really hard decisions and some effort in getting around problems.

My daily commute is between two towns on really busy dual carriageway without any cycling lanes ecept for bits of rough, glass strewn pathways. Total distance is around 7 miles.

I have to travel from my office to various meetings and I wear a suit and tie. The distances that I travel away from the office can be over a hundred miles, so it would not be possible to use the bike for that part of my work. This would mean public transport to these meetings which, in the North East, is sparse and less than reliable. There are no showers/changing facilities or bike parks at work.

I'm reasonably fit and mountainbike at weekends and the idea of getting an electric bike would be to keep reasonably fit (I hate the gym and indoor turbo trainers) and save a pile of money.

My car is very fuel efficient and averages 54mpg and is worth in the region of £7.5K. The second car is also fuel efficient but is a bit less reliable (my wife uses it for her commute of 30 miles). My wifes car is fitted with Thule roof bars so we can transport the MTBs on a weekend. It is worth around £2.5K.

So, the idea would be to get a bike (which unfortunately means starting in winter) and travel safely to work without getting sweaty. Sell one of the cars (although my wifes car is less reliable it is fitted with roof bars which could not be swapped) while still retaining the ability to take our mtbs around the country as well as having reliable transport for journeys and holidays. I would also need to travel to meetings with my job.

I should stress that public transport costs /convenience and reliability are less than ideal in the North. Getting across to the Lake District requires the sort of strategic planning that trips up Everest need (I'm not kidding as the bus is the only way and it is necessary to get a coincidence of several buses lined up over the course of a whole week and the cost would be over £80.00 for one person!!). As another example, one of my employees travels 5 miles to work on major roads. To get to work for 9.00am she needs to get the bus at 6:45am and get in for 8.00pm. The next bus gets her to work around 10:30am!

So, is it actually practical to attempt any of this and if it is, how would you go about it and what bike would you buy. This really needs some thought over what should be worn to fend off the weather, how to get to appointments, keep our options for reliable travel and taking our MTBs into the country etc intact.

 

[Rad]

You're going to have to have a very hard think about whether or not you can do this. The commute is easy. From what I understand pretty much any e-bike could deal with a 14 mile round trip. But if you want to pedal, which I assume you do to keep reasonably fit? Then you're probably best looking at a pure pedelec so you don't get the temptation to ease off and use the throttle.

As far as the car goes, I'd get shot of the less reliable one and buy new bike bars.

Your main problem is going to be the travel you need to do for your job. If your company has a pool car then you're laughing. Not the most eco friendly answer I know. But we're a long way away from a business culture that'd be accepting of someone turning up to meetings on a push bike. I can just imagine the snidey comments.

The poor public transport is your main bug-bear. Everything else looks fairly black and white to me. Only you can make the decision though, so think long and hard about what you're going to do. And if you do decide to go ahead make sure you've done your research into what bike's best for you.

 

[Barnowl]

Agree with RAD. It's can be done but would you really want to. I have to travel off site. Same as you often more than 100 miles. Same as you my wife has a car but needs it for work. I expect to make use of my bike on average about 3 days a week. My car is fully depreciated, fuel efficient and cheap to run. It doesn't make sense for me to get rid of it. The savings don't compensate for the hassle. If I travelled less often I would consider ditching my car and using hire cars. This would be paid by my company and it would just mean I didn't get the personal mile allowance.
I'd try the journey once with a normal bike 1st, if possible, just to see what it's like. The difference between that and an electric bike is that it'll be a lot less effort and you shouldn't be breaking out into a sweat espeacially if there's any uphill or headwinds to deal with. Workwise public transport, for me, is only good down to London on an Intercity train and the underground! Also consider what impact the weather is going to have. I love electric bikes and they are an ideal solution for many commuting journeys but they have their limitations.

 

[SEATALTEA]

Unless your commute is dead level I would suggest that you may have a warm glow when you arrive at work even with using pedelec mode. With throttle alone of course you could just sit there and be at work in 1/2hr with no effort.

Showering facilities are a must have in my view, I couldn't commute with them, it's v hilly in my part of the pennines and I tend to challenge myself to get my time down (24mins 7.5miles) as a result I sweat.

If you have a competetive edge of any form you may find yourself in a similar position.

I was in a similar position a few months ago, went from two reasonable cars to one luxury car and a second older cheaper one which only now gets used on really rotten days and trips to the tip, guess which my wife uses

It can be done you just have to accept compromise, I ride to work 80% of the time.

My suggestion would be keep both cars at present, buy the bike and start putting the money you'd be putting in the car on one side. Try and avoid the car, do it for a couple of months and seen how you manage. Try and get the bike through a cycle2work scheme for savings of up to 50%.

Of course it's my view but the Synergie Mistral is an excellent commuter and my daily ride. Reasonable price, well made, reliable, it cruises at 19-20mph put pushed I've had it to 23mph on the level. But that's my silly competitive side.

It has changed my life somewhat, I now ride a MTB as well, I'm fitter than ever and if I can overcome my nerves will enter a 26.3m MTB marathon this Sunday.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Barnowl]

I've had it to 23mph on the level. But that's my silly competitive side.

I'm impressed. Having the speedo brings my competitive streak out as well. My average speed for the entire jorney is quite low about 12.3mph but that's because of all the junctions and the route I take. Mind you the wrong time of the day and thats still much better than my car.

Also just trying the quote thing for the first time.

 

[Thirdway]

Thanks for those replies. In many senses it is great to know that pedalling to work with my present situation is not considered instantly desirable. There are times when I wondered if I was building up a pile of excuses to the idea of pedalling to work, so the fact that you also think that it's a tough choice helps quite a bit.

I used to pedal the distance years ago when I was an apprentice training in a centre that is less than 100yds from our office (funny how things come around full circle!). Even back then it wasn't an easy commute and I was young, fit and had no money for bus fare, getting sweaty was never an issue with a boiler suit and workboots.

Probably the best bet is to wait until summer and give it a go when I know there is no likelyhood of meetings.

 

[Danny-K]

...Of course it's my view but the Synergie Mistral is an excellent commuter and my daily ride. Reasonable price, well made, reliable, it cruises at 19-20mph put pushed I've had it to 23mph on the level...

Out of interest Seataltea are there any serious hills/climbs, (and I mean seriously steep), that the Mistral can't complete?

 

[DBCohen]

Thanks for those replies. In many senses it is great to know that pedalling to work with my present situation is not considered instantly desirable. There are times when I wondered if I was building up a pile of excuses to the idea of pedalling to work, so the fact that you also think that it's a tough choice helps quite a bit.

I used to pedal the distance years ago when I was an apprentice training in a centre that is less than 100yds from our office (funny how things come around full circle!). Even back then it wasn't an easy commute and I was young, fit and had no money for bus fare, getting sweaty was never an issue with a boiler suit and workboots.

Probably the best bet is to wait until summer and give it a go when I know there is no likelyhood of meetings.

I have a similar pattern of commute/meetings - and due to working profile have hardly been able to use the bike at all this year.

Use the time between now and then to make sure your employer is signed up to Cyclescheme or similar - that really brings the cost of the bike down, and makes it easier to bear if you don't end up using it quite as much as you would like.

And you can spend the winter trying a few machines out and deciding what you want...

David.