So, yeah.. the A34, in winter. Not fun! And then we had a child, and the sleep deprivation added to the not fun-ness of it all, so I went back to getting the train. On top of that, we moved to Stockport (Hazel Grove, to be precise), increasing the distance to work to 8.5 miles.
At the time, 8.5 miles seemed too far to commute on a daily basis. At first, I thought that I could cycle halfway to save train fares, but it didn't save much money doing that. I stuck to getting the train.
Until, one day, I changed my bank details at work, so my pay would go into our joint account. I got one of the digits wrong. My pay went AWOL! In the face of skintness, I had to cycle to work - we couldn't afford the £100 that it would've cost to get the train.
That was three months ago. My pay was rescued, but I've kept on cycling! Turns out, 8.5 miles isn't too far, and currently the commute is more fun than the old one. It's not quite winter yet, though, so there's still a chance that I'll surrender and get the train.
Showing posts with label Trains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trains. Show all posts
Monday, October 15, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Almost now (part 1)
So.. how's the new era going, you might ask, if you were reading..
s'alright.
[end blog]
ah - but there's more to it than that!
I might not be cycling for fun anymore, exactly, but I'm cycling more than I ever did before, because I'm now a cycle commuter!
When I first moved to Manchester, we lived in a rented house in Levenshulme. Work was in Manchester city centre, about 3.5 miles away. Driving would've been insane, as the roads are very busy and I'd have to pay for parking, so that was out of the question. Other options were bus, train, or bike.
Buses in Manchester confuse me. A lot of things up here are cheaper than down south. Buses aren't one of those things. They're insanely expensive, very slow, usually crowded, and turn up when they feel like it. The main bus into town is the 192. They're supposed to turn up every 10 minutes, but this usually translates to 3 buses turning up at the same time, every 30 minutes.
The trains were a much better bet - they were cheap, fast, and turned up every 20 minutes or so. On top of that, the train station was less than a 5 minute walk from home - closer than the bus stop! They were sometimes cancelled, but not often enough to put me off. I took to trains without giving my bike much thought, mainly due to it having a gear changing issue.
But after a few months I realised I wasn't getting much exercise, and I'd put on a stone in weight, so I gave cycling a go. The ride into work was about 3.5 miles, and was mostly down the A34. It took exactly 25 minutes.
It was good, for a while, but the A34 is not in good nick. When the rains came in, and the darkness came earlier, the trips got more and more dangerous.
oh, nadgers - it's hometime! I'll have to continue this at a later date. Don't worry - the stories will get better! I'm just rushing through the early days.
bye!
s'alright.
[end blog]
ah - but there's more to it than that!
I might not be cycling for fun anymore, exactly, but I'm cycling more than I ever did before, because I'm now a cycle commuter!
When I first moved to Manchester, we lived in a rented house in Levenshulme. Work was in Manchester city centre, about 3.5 miles away. Driving would've been insane, as the roads are very busy and I'd have to pay for parking, so that was out of the question. Other options were bus, train, or bike.
Buses in Manchester confuse me. A lot of things up here are cheaper than down south. Buses aren't one of those things. They're insanely expensive, very slow, usually crowded, and turn up when they feel like it. The main bus into town is the 192. They're supposed to turn up every 10 minutes, but this usually translates to 3 buses turning up at the same time, every 30 minutes.
The trains were a much better bet - they were cheap, fast, and turned up every 20 minutes or so. On top of that, the train station was less than a 5 minute walk from home - closer than the bus stop! They were sometimes cancelled, but not often enough to put me off. I took to trains without giving my bike much thought, mainly due to it having a gear changing issue.
But after a few months I realised I wasn't getting much exercise, and I'd put on a stone in weight, so I gave cycling a go. The ride into work was about 3.5 miles, and was mostly down the A34. It took exactly 25 minutes.
It was good, for a while, but the A34 is not in good nick. When the rains came in, and the darkness came earlier, the trips got more and more dangerous.
oh, nadgers - it's hometime! I'll have to continue this at a later date. Don't worry - the stories will get better! I'm just rushing through the early days.
bye!
Then
Lots of things have changed in the 3 years since I lived in Southampton. I think some background is needed!
As a bachelor in Southampton, I was mainly a leisure cyclist. I dabbled in semi-commuting for a while, taking the train to Salisbury, and then cycling the remaining 3 miles to work, but getting the bike on the train was a mixed affair. If there was no space for the bike in the bike cupboard things that were on the train, I was often told to get off. When this started happening several times a week, I stopped trying.
I regularly went for rides into the New Forest, however, and I also strapped my bike to the back of my Nissan Micra so that I could drive to Dorchester and then cycle around bits of Dorset with my old friend James. Nothing competitive - just seeing the sights, and dropping into the odd pub or three. :)
I forgot to mention the bike involved in all of this - a Specialized Hardrock XC, which I bought new in 2004. I bought it from Hargoves cycles, and I remember there being two Hardrock models for the same price - a fat tubed black model, and a thinner tubed brushed silver model. I went for silver! It's served me well on singletrack and dual carriageway alike, and is somehow still going with most of the original components!
But then, one day, I met a girl I liked. Now I'm living in Stockport with her, in our own house, with a 2 year old boy and a grumpy cat. My friend James moved to New Zealand, then moved to Spain, and now I'm not sure where he is. Lima, possibly. Who knows! I don't have the time to bimble around the countryside anymore.. weekends are for the family! My son is too young to cycle, and my partner just plain hates cycling, so I don't cycle with them.
The end of an era, for sure. But it's also the start of a new one!
As a bachelor in Southampton, I was mainly a leisure cyclist. I dabbled in semi-commuting for a while, taking the train to Salisbury, and then cycling the remaining 3 miles to work, but getting the bike on the train was a mixed affair. If there was no space for the bike in the bike cupboard things that were on the train, I was often told to get off. When this started happening several times a week, I stopped trying.
I regularly went for rides into the New Forest, however, and I also strapped my bike to the back of my Nissan Micra so that I could drive to Dorchester and then cycle around bits of Dorset with my old friend James. Nothing competitive - just seeing the sights, and dropping into the odd pub or three. :)
I forgot to mention the bike involved in all of this - a Specialized Hardrock XC, which I bought new in 2004. I bought it from Hargoves cycles, and I remember there being two Hardrock models for the same price - a fat tubed black model, and a thinner tubed brushed silver model. I went for silver! It's served me well on singletrack and dual carriageway alike, and is somehow still going with most of the original components!
But then, one day, I met a girl I liked. Now I'm living in Stockport with her, in our own house, with a 2 year old boy and a grumpy cat. My friend James moved to New Zealand, then moved to Spain, and now I'm not sure where he is. Lima, possibly. Who knows! I don't have the time to bimble around the countryside anymore.. weekends are for the family! My son is too young to cycle, and my partner just plain hates cycling, so I don't cycle with them.
The end of an era, for sure. But it's also the start of a new one!
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