Who uses a bike for work?

[Jayneflakes]

My job requires me to be patient, kind and understanding to other human beings so after a long hard day, it is nice to pull on Bike gear, snap the dark visor down and ride off like a hooligan. If I drove, I would end up using our car for carrying clients, which would result in it clocking up lots of low mileage journeys and getting covered in dribble.

Another aspect to working in the caring profession is how young people in care treat us. I am treated differently because I am a biker, my clients think I am cool because I ride a bike and some of them have been pillion on Sylvie with me. My colleagues also enjoy the occasional pillion ride when I am off to training events.

Riding a bike to work is more than just a daily commute for me, it sets up my day, it gives me an image that works well for me in my job and it keeps me sane. In truth, I wish I could commute on my pushbike, but that can't happen anymore. So riding the motorbike is the next best thing.

As for insurance, I have almost never had a problem getting insurance for riding to work or even carrying clients as pillions, despite working with people with learning difficulties. The only time I have had problems was in dealing with MCE, who are an absolute bunch of Twunts!

Bike all year round for me, unless it's really icey. It's only a 20 minute ride for me so the rain isn't a problem. Get a pinlok thingy for your visor if you don't have one and stop being a wuss.

[mister c]

I agree with Lozzo. If you can afford it, buy some decent quality kit to ride in. I used to buy cheap stuff thinking that I was saving money. Last year I decided to splash out & now have Goretex kit, it's expensive, but I am warmish on the colder days & dry when I get to wherever I'm going.
Yesterday it was 1 degree, with lots of ice & I had a tee shirt & underwear under my waterproofs & was fine after my 40 minute ride.

[ophic]

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

The M62 over to Oldham is apparently rather an experience, getting up to the highest motorway point in the UK on an SV, is a bit hair raising at times!

Twice a day every day for several years, Manchester to Leeds and back. Well worth investing in good kit for this type of run. I froze my knackers off waiting for HG discounts to get some decent goretex stuff - and heated grips are more of an essential than a luxury.

I don't miss it.

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by ophic

Twice a day every day for several years, Manchester to Leeds and back. Well worth investing in good kit for this type of run. I froze my knackers off waiting for HG discounts to get some decent goretex stuff - and heated grips are more of an essential than a luxury.

I don't miss it.

Hence expensive Rukka kit, if Peg didn't have that, he wouldn't brave it.
If the ZZR wasn't needing a service he'd be on that today, its weight keeps it from blowing away slightly better than the SV.
However........its WAAAAAAAYYY too windy to even contemplate being brave over there, so the poofwaggon is wobbling its way there and back instead

[ophic]

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

Hence expensive Rukka kit, if Peg didn't have that, he wouldn't brave it.
If the ZZR wasn't needing a service he'd be on that today, its weight keeps it from blowing away slightly better than the SV.
However........its WAAAAAAAYYY too windy to even contemplate being brave over there, so the poofwaggon is wobbling its way there and back instead

I hope no lorries blow over. That causes a right tailback.

I ride to work everyday unless the weather is being very silly like ice or snow, apart from that i ride. My Journey is about 30mins each way and ok changing is a pain but like alot of the other have said, the riding is defo worth it.

Have fun

You'll be laughing in the summer when you don't have to wait in the traffic jams.

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by ophic

I hope no lorries blow over. That causes a right tailback.

I 'think' he may have gone over the backway over Saddleworth.......you can see the M62 tailback before you get to the slip road, so can carry on through without making the mistake of getting stuck. Can't be sat on there in tailback, you may as well stick a screwdriver in the tank and watch it spew out if you made that faux pas!

Last week the weather was so bad up there, it was like white water rafting, and he was on Suzy too

bike everyday now for 3years be it wind rain snow sleet or hail Im on it, and today for good measure we've got all 5 to thier extreme.

Yeah of course there are days when i wake up and think " crap this i'll be horrid!" truth is once you've got all the gear on its never that bad. You've also got the bonus of been covered head to toe from door to door so you can laugh at all the car drivers then running across the car park in nothing more than a shirt and tie.

I commute everyday and still have a car but wife now uses it, TBH because my kit is good I don't mind the small commute of 4 miles each way, but given the option I do prefer to take the car just because it's easier, having said that I miss the bike way before the car.