The clocks are about the change and soon you’ll be able to squeeze a daylight ride in after-work. Hurray!
Follow these simple tips to make the process as hassle free and rewarding as possible.
The night before
Read this blog again and do everything it says.
Check you’ve got everything you need. You don’t want to be hurriedly rooting for cycling clothing only to find that the stuff you want is in the washing basket.
Lube your bike chain. A drivetrain that’s lubed well in advance works so much better than one that just gets a dousing of lube five minutes before the ride.
Pump your tyres up to pressure.
Use your other bike
If you’re lucky enough to have more than one bike, we’d recommend using your spare/2nd bike as your after-work riding bike.
This way it can always be primed and ready for a quick blast ride after you get home from work. You don’t have to keep changing your spares and carry-arounds from weekend mode to after-work mode.
Go minimal
Just take the essentials. Inner tube. Pump or CO2 cartridge. Multi-tool. Phone. Stash it all in your jersey pockets. Tape the inner tube to your frame if you want to save on pocket space.
Consider getting a dinky seatpack and a new set of spares to live permanently on your after-work bike.
One water bottle with just water in it.
Take lights
Just in case. You can’t trust motorists at twilight. A set of modest front and rear LED lights pre-attached to your after-work bike will do fine.
Ride solo
Less faff. Less hanging around. You’ll ride faster. You can change route mid-ride. You can explore dead-ends.
It’s also good to have some ‘me time’ for de-stressing after work.
Ride local
Make the most of the riding on your doorstep. It may not be much but you’ll learn to appreciate it. Approach it like you to used to when you were a kid; have a mess around and see what you can find.
The other option if you live somewhere with a decent modest loop is to just keep doing that loop. Take your brain out. Zone out. Maybe chase some Strava stats.
Post-ride politics
You should consider your other half. Give something back. At the very least be overtly thankful to them for accepting your need to go for a quick ride after work.
As well as being basic manners, it makes it all the more easier to get out after-work next time!
