Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Something I thought of the other day from bitter (repeated) experience as a single person. When you leave the office ... check you have your house keys, check you have your house keys, double check you have your house keys, triple check you have your house keys, check that you have your house keys again, then double check, then triple check and check again ... Bwahahaha!!! I did that on Wednesday. Solution? Tied 3 1.5m wooden slats together, harvest a pointy stick from the garden and play pin the keyring on the stickie thing from 4.5 metres away. We have spare keys on the keyrack, and I've just proven that, while okes can break in, it'll take a helluva long time and the dog will go ballistic for the full15 - 20 that it took to prep the stok and snag them keys.
gogo@ Posted February 21, 2012 Posted February 21, 2012 This is an awesome thread! Keep the inspiration coming... I almost feel like moving back to CT just so's I can commute!Used to take a 'detour' from my house which is a ten minute ride from work so that I got decent MTB ride in... Nothing better than seeing a crowned eagle display on a crisp autumn morning, never mind buzzards, long-cresteds etc. Stopped that when I started working at home & going to the gym instead... Think I need to resuscitate my 'commute' instead! Just not sure what my other half's going to say when I announce I'm off to work and head out the door...Started reading this thread cos I'm looking for info on cycle-friendly routes in CT (Pinelands, SSuburbs, town kind of thing). Anybody know of a map/ website? Saw something from Ride your city but I seem to remember there's an interactive website somewhere??? What's the best way to work out routes, besides google maps?I'm tempted to explore the IRT route but need to link out of Pinelands. Advice appreciated!
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 21, 2012 Posted February 21, 2012 Out of Pinelands, you can go towards the Century City train station, over the tracks and towards Milnerton. Then you have access to the BRT Cycle lanes all the way into town... Or, you can do the Pinelands / Rondebosch / Salt River / Town route. More hazardous, but shorter. Best way to check a route is to go to GMaps and get directions, but set the setting to "walking" so that you aren't directed to the main thoroughfares, but rather the shortest walking friendly (read quietest, generally) route.
gogo@ Posted February 21, 2012 Posted February 21, 2012 Thanks! Will try the century city route... along with the gmaps 'walk' option. Found it difficult before to 'break out' of Pinelands area,
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 21, 2012 Posted February 21, 2012 yeah. GMaps doesn't register the ped bridge over the train line as a walkable route. You'll probably have to Gmaps the route to Windermere Station (12th Avenue / Acre Road in Windermere) and then from Ratanga Junction to wherever you're going (town / milnerton / parklands etc) The route I commute is from Wynberg through Rondebosch / Pinelands / Ndabeni / Windermere to Century City. Easy as pie...
gogo@ Posted February 21, 2012 Posted February 21, 2012 Mmmm. Just had a look and it's a bit obscure re where you can cross busy intersections and such like. Which is why a good map would be nice. Think I'll try your commute in reverse... Or some of it anyway. going to do a bit of exploring. Any ideas on Woodstock?? Is Albert Rd ok? Or is it better to use the Milnerton approach to city centre?
milky4130 Posted February 21, 2012 Posted February 21, 2012 Just did the first commute in to the new office. Distance = 17km. Time to office, incl shower time = 1h45. Things I learnt = I need a spare shirt for the small (500m) ride from the gym to the office, to soak up the post-shower/ride heat & moisture. 2) I can't do this on Thursdays. My domestic comes in at 8h30. Means I get to the office 2 hours later than normal. Best thing though? Incl shower time (which I'd do at home anyway) I'm just 10 mins slower than using the car on a bad traffic day. And it feels awesome.Huh, why so lOng, do you have climbs on the route? for the same distance I'm done showering within 60mins.
milky4130 Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Mmmm. Just had a look and it's a bit obscure re where you can cross busy intersections and such like. Which is why a good map would be nice. Think I'll try your commute in reverse... Or some of it anyway. going to do a bit of exploring. Any ideas on Woodstock?? Is Albert Rd ok? Or is it better to use the Milnerton approach to city centre?Perfectly safe, I've noticed almost 100 commuters on that stretch on a daily basis.
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Huh, why so lOng, do you have climbs on the route? for the same distance I'm done showering within 60mins. LOL... I know, it is a long time, and I will be more efficient as time goes on. Basically, I take my time getting changed as I sweat more than a paedo at a school sports day. The commute itself takes 50 minutes, give or take. Yes, that is slow. I'm a 105kg oke on an MTB with full knobblies and a 5kg backpack. Plus, I use the cycle lanes and I stop at red lights & stop streets. Take that out of the equation and I'd do it inside 40 minutes without a hassle. I was timing it from when I leave home to the point at which I sit behind my computer in the morning. That means - Commute, get to gym, lock bike, shower, change, breakfast, ride the 1k to work, lock bike, change to work kit & get into the office. Also factored in is a 2nd change at the office, 'cos there's a 1k ride form gym to the office and if I wear my work clothes, they get wet as hell thanks to the backpack and remaining heat from the commute and shower. If there were a shower AT work, it'd be a different story. But my goal is to get the whole schpiel to be less than 1h15. It'll take a bit of tweaking, but I'll get there in the end.
zeabre Posted February 24, 2012 Author Posted February 24, 2012 At the moment with Table view morning traffic the way it is, I can actually sleep a bit later than if I had to go by car...and so much more predictable ito of time and keeping appointments. With tannie Zille also "commuting" they're really making sure that the lanes are kept in tiptop shape. I still make the mistake of forgetting to dry my kit...getting into cold wet smelly kit in the arvie...not nice! And yes, can't help but smile as you go past countless frustrated drivers. I see I've got 14knots of S/SW wind now...woohoo!
MariusC Posted February 24, 2012 Posted February 24, 2012 would love to commute on my bike but we don't have Showers at the office.
Hairy Posted February 24, 2012 Posted February 24, 2012 My second commute was in the rain. It started out being a light drizzle and ended bucketing down. Surprisingly the ride was not that bad at all, and I did not have a rain jacket. The 20km commute is just short enough that you are not miserable and cold by the end of the ride. It will take some adjusting to the cold, especially the first 5km of the ride. This year I have the rain jacket, which makes a huge difference. As long as you make sure your clothes are in a water proof bag or at least in plastic bags in your back pack and you get a decent outer jacket, use layers and nice full finger gloves you will be ok. It is just motivating yourself to get out there in miserable weather that is the hard part. Now here is a gem of a tip. Get a BUFF ... don't attempt winter without it. Wrap up your ears and neck to keep the cold air at bay and you will be more comfortable and less prone to getting sick! You can't go without one honestly!!!
Hairy Posted February 24, 2012 Posted February 24, 2012 Any of you tree hugging, bunny cuddling, tofu eating hippies riding home to Table View this evening about 5:30pm from Town on the Cycle Lanes?
zeabre Posted February 24, 2012 Author Posted February 24, 2012 Any of you tree hugging, bunny cuddling, tofu eating hippies riding home to Table View this evening about 5:30pm from Town on the Cycle Lanes? 17:30??? Don't you know us slackers only work half day on Fridays? 16:30 for me...best time for smiling at polluters in iron cages while singing heal the world. Pants Boy 1
Hairy Posted February 24, 2012 Posted February 24, 2012 17:30??? Don't you know us slackers only work half day on Fridays? 16:30 for me...best time for smiling at polluters in iron cages while singing heal the world. You Ass At least I only work from 9am - 5pm so get to ride in a little later than most.
LeTurbo Posted February 24, 2012 Posted February 24, 2012 Mmmm. Just had a look and it's a bit obscure re where you can cross busy intersections and such like. Which is why a good map would be nice. Think I'll try your commute in reverse... Or some of it anyway. going to do a bit of exploring. Any ideas on Woodstock?? Is Albert Rd ok? Or is it better to use the Milnerton approach to city centre? The whole Liesbeek, Albert Road, Woodstock route is pretty OK. Watch out for pedestrians and the area around Gympie Street. After about 6:30, Albert gets very dodgy, rather use Main Road (Gympie Str warning repeated). If it's very late at night, I used to take de Waal Drive in preference (ride that parallel side road for the first part), missing the whole lower end of town and rejoining Main Road by turning down Roodebloem. If you want to get onto the cycle lane, turn right at the Woodstock bridge (by Old Castle Brewery) as though going towards the highway. On your left, a bit after the traffic lights, there's a ramp going down to the cycle track that'll take you to the back of the station.
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