Things I've learnt from commuting

[mudda]

• Taxis will drive through red robots -------- be aware ; it was a dumb ass taxi on this mornings commute.
  

[NotSoBigBen]

No bru the taxi drivers are cool and cause the least problems I hear

 

 

#JHBTraffic - In Dainfern @OUTsurance points people are off duty at William Nicol/Broadacres due to unruly taxi drivers. Expect heavy delays

 

EWN Traffic‏@EWNTraffic10m

RT @barrybateman: I'm gobsmacked at reports of taxi drivers threatening pointsmen with firearms in Dainfern. Again - they act with impunity.

Edited July 11, 2013 by NotSoBigBen

[Gravity]

keep my magicshine battery charged and a little led lenser as backup.....this morning was a dark morning to have my light die.

[Robrider]

go to the AA website , they have a calculator to work out the running costs of specified cars . its horrid to know what the cars actually costs are per km .my truck is R 4 per km ( thats diesel , maintanace ect ) .

 

My car comes in at R4.17 /km.

 

That's way more than the realistic value. Even considering insurance, depreciation and maintenance, I don't pay that much. Looking at the calculations, they load the "fixed cost" component way too high for my old car.

[Mountain Bru]

Does anyone commute from Pretoria to Joberg? I live in Centurion and work in Woodmead. Would love to commute but I can't think of a safe and realistic route.

 

Is it safe to leave your bike at the Gautrain stations overnight? Has anyone ever heard stories of bikes being stolen from a station?

[davetapson]

What I've learned - is that as cold averse as I am, it's not hard to dress right to commute in winter. For me:

 

Ears: rolled up buff.

Head: buff over the rolled up ear buff

Neck: buff

 

Then thermal longsleeve shirt thingy, shirt, wind shell, bibs, tights/legwarmers, thick/warm hiking socks.

 

So apart from the number of buffs that I use on a cold day, the only specialised stuff I use are are the tights/leg warmers.

 

Buffs and windshells they hand out at races these days, so have even got a selection of those!

[divernick]

Does anyone commute from Pretoria to Joberg? I live in Centurion and work in Woodmead. Would love to commute but I can't think of a safe and realistic route.

 

Is it safe to leave your bike at the Gautrain stations overnight? Has anyone ever heard stories of bikes being stolen from a station?

 

Dude, it's easy. Ride to Kyalami racetrack through Noordwyk. Then follow the road through to Witkoppen, over the N1 at Bowling.

[I FLY]

 

Is it safe to leave your bike at the Gautrain stations overnight? Has anyone ever heard stories of bikes being stolen from a station?

 

 

I used to leave one bike overnight at Rhodesfield Station and the other one at Sandton Station during the day.

 

I used to lock them to barrier with this lock. No problems for months.

[Mountain Bru]

Dude, it's easy. Ride to Kyalami racetrack through Noordwyk. Then follow the road through to Witkoppen, over the N1 at Bowling.

 

Thanks man. Definitely gonna give that a try when I'm back in Pretoria at the end of the month. Its a kilometer shorter than taking the highway too

 

Do you know if there's a lot of commuters on that route?

[Mountain Bru]

Thanks I FLY. I'll definitely keep that in mind if divernick's route doesn't work out.

[divernick]

Thanks man. Definitely gonna give that a try when I'm back in Pretoria at the end of the month. Its a kilometer shorter than taking the highway too

 

Do you know if there's a lot of commuters on that route?

 

I join at the intersection of Main and R55 and ride through Noordwyk to the north of Midrand. There are loads of guys on bicycles on that route. Not too many recreational cyclists, but a fair amount of riders.

 

Check my strava route for some directions: http://app.strava.com/activities/66935421

[Beattbox]

That riding directly into a howling Cape Town north westerly wind with rain lashing down easily makes my 28km homeward bound commute feel like double that distance.

Should I have rather driven into work this morning? No way!

[DJR]

That riding directly into a howling Cape Town north westerly wind with rain lashing down easily makes my 28km homeward bound commute feel like double that distance.

Should I have rather driven into work this morning? No way!

I know why you did it on the bike, you're trying to get a head start with the DC training! Shame on you for such deviousness.

[Nicdog]

Dress like a Christmas tree- there is no such thing as too many lights.

"Do no harm but take no ****"- be courteous but make sure you are seen and that you are respected.

You only need one gear. Single speed.

I work better and sleep better when I've cycled to and from the office.

Rain storms are equally horrible as they are awesome.

Cycling in winter crowns you a badass by default.

Racing people between traffic lights is good exercise.

There is only one speed- full throttle.

Sitting on the train in Lycra can be awkward next to suits- best to master a French accent and talk of your trip cycling from Cairo for charity.

Pedestrians do stupid things. So do tannies. So do most people actually.

Never swear at taxis or Chinese people- they follow you and cause havoc.

If you hit a side mirror, you better hope your legs can back you.

Don't expect people to stop at red lights or stop streets.

The smell of spring from the saddle is paradise.

The smell of rain, even more so.

[Nicdog]

"FNB is not bike friendly. (i.e. they have no secure place to park your baby, and security have a coronary if you try and take your bike with.)"

 

I concur. FNB Fairlands is not bike friendly either. I feel amped after cycling to work and then sit the whole day in a mild panic wondering if my s-works is okay in the basement.

[DJR]

"FNB is not bike friendly. (i.e. they have no secure place to park your baby, and security have a coronary if you try and take your bike with.)"

 

I concur. FNB Fairlands is not bike friendly either. I feel amped after cycling to work and then sit the whole day in a mild panic wondering if my s-works is okay in the basement.

 

Handcuff the bike to the security guy? (Would love to see the mayhem that results from that.)