Life After Lockdown
As some of our European friends get their first taste of the outdoors in many weeks I guess it was inevitable that my mind should start to consider what life will be like post lockdown, from the children returning to schools to my own return to an office I haven’t stepped foot in for some seven weeks now. There are going to be safety and social distancing measures that will, undoubtedly, change the way that we move, interact and rejoin the human race but this is a bike blog and one specific thing played over in my mind…….my commute.
My commute pales into insignificance next to some of my colleagues’ efforts, a mere 20 minute bus journey compared to some who spend hours on packed trains or in bumper to bumper traffic. I have always eschewed commuting by bike because of the practical aspects; the creased clothes, carrying stuff backwards and forwards to the office, the never ending washing of kit and that’s not mentioning the fact that my commute, at 7km, starts and stops before it even gets going but manages to include one sizeable hill on the homeward leg. The current situation, however, is making me rethink this attitude towards a bike commuter existence and I have decided to take it on, with gusto!
So, a new bike for the journey? An e-bike to make that hill easier? No, where’s the fun in that? I’ve decided to fix up my old Felt Z75 that currently resides permanently on my turbo trainer, the same that served me so well in Sweden and on the L2P adventure
I love a little project so this will certainly keep my mind active for a while, so far I have considered that the following tasks are essential!
- Replace pedals – recently upgraded the pedals on my best bike so previous ones can be used here
- Install Zipp 42cm bars
- New bar tape
- Swap out in front mount
- Clean cassette and brake rotors
- Install new brake pads and fully test brakes
- Replace gear cables and index gears from scratch
- Install tubeless tyres on DT Swiss rims with new tubeless valves
- Purchase mudguards for winter riding
- Check chain for wear and replace if necessary
Like I said, that will keep me going for a while in between bouts of working from home, I’ve already started by preparing the wheels for their tubeless debut
However this did cause injury when a tyre lever sprang out and smacked me in between the eyes!
The other thing that I have been looking at for this is commuter clothing. I don’t really want to go full Lycra every day for a 7km journey so I need alternative, but practical clothing. Does anybody have any brand or product suggestions? Thanks in advance!
IAIN
I have bought a fair bit of stuff to ride my Brompton in.
Rapha commuter gear is ok but nothing special for the price.
Recent bought a few pairs of Vulpine trousers and I have been really pleased with it. The jeans are perfect, just enough lycra to make them comfy to ride in but nobody else would know once you get to the office or go to the pub.
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Trousers are the items that bother me the most as I generally struggle with sizing for regular day to day stuff!
I bit the bullet and bought some commuter shorts from Pearson and a Vulpine Harrington soft shell which is really smart so I probably will try their trousers
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