16 Mile Towpath commute,is it realistic?

[Synthman]

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[overlander]

Thanks Synthman will keep that in mind for future pics. With the two of them side by side you can clearly see the 40 lux would not be my choice for a canal path.

 

[schoe]

Thanks for all the advice.
Maybe the towpath is only an option in the daylight from what you have all said however those lights look amazing I can see why they cost about £500!

I do have an option of an A Road which I could probably use at nightor if I am in a hurry, however I was worried about being knocked off (wife and children etc to support!) so thats why I thought about using the towpath all the time.

I also have a car which I would use in bad weather but wanted to keep the costs down as I currently cycle to work but its only a very short distance.

I guess I could also sometimes catch a train back one way as well at times if I end up working really late or if the weather is bad.

 

[overlander]

I do have an option of an A Road which I could probably use at nightor if I am in a hurry, however I was worried about being knocked off (wife and children etc to support!) so thats why I thought about using the towpath all the time.

I also have a car which I would use in bad weather but wanted to keep the costs down as I currently cycle to work but its only a very short distance.

I guess I could also sometimes catch a train back one way as well at times if I end up working really late or if the weather is bad.

Hi Schoe,

I fully get where you are coming from and if i was in your position with limited commuting experience i would also have put the canal first. On paper it does look like the safest option but the reality is different. But you have hit the key to all this, flexibility thats the key. I too have a young family and i think about the risk before, i will not hesitate to take the train or car if i need to. You will find that you can mix all 3 and still justify the bike. I for one will not be using the bike until the roads clear up(see other post). So i am mixing methods no big deal do what is the safest for you.

 

[Scimitar]

Fishermen are a problem too, they like to put their fishing bats across the path causing you to slow or stop at every worm change. Walkers and out of control dogs are a real headache. As someone has already pointed out, ice WILL fetch you off the bike in winter. And then of course, there is the risk of being shot by someone on their break from masturbating over Internet pornography.

I used to cycle canal towpaths for easy flat exercise, but the timing is critical. Get it wrong and your path is strewn with rods and fisherblokes, necessitating a lot of dismounting or swearing from them. To be fair to them, most see you coming and move their gear but there's always the odd one or two who set up a mini-camp right across the path.
A towpath in the dead of night or winter wouldn't appeal to me at all - I think there's a serious chance of ending up in the water and I've known a couple of folk who fell in at night, one fatally. A dreadful loss of a young life.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Schoe. Maybe you need to be pragmatic. If it's a couple of years before the move, you don't need to do anything yet. By that time there could be some fantastic new models, which will be much more suitable. As Pob said, you should think seriously about a small scooter. They're completely automatic, so very easy to drive; they're cheaper; they already have good lights; you don't get sweaty; the legshields keep most of the rain off you; you can drive a 50cc on a car licence (last time I checked); and if you want a bigger one, you have plenty of time to do your training and test.

It's a wild guess but II think really that your heart's telling you that you w'ant a decent ebike and you're trying to justify it. Why not just buy a cheap one. Theres several of really nice hub-driven ones available now between £500 and £600, which are perfectly adequate and much easier to justify. I have a Sunlova and I think it's brilliant. I've done my 15 miles each way commute on one 9ah battery charge and averaged 12mph, which is good considering I'm fat, old and unfit.

 

[aseb]

How about a few trial rides along that path before it needs to be done? Take a day off, borrow a bike of any description and ride along the path during decent light, later you could try the kind of time you would need to travel. I don't think you'll come across too many fisherman at the moment but it will give an idea of travel on colder days and the kinds of hazards you may see. The snow will have gone by now, or most of it. You don't even need to ride the whole way at first- enough to get a feel for whether it is something you could or would do.

 

[Mussels]

Thanks Synthman will keep that in mind for future pics. With the two of them side by side you can clearly see the 40 lux would not be my choice for a canal path.

with expensive lights you pay for batteries and strentgh, for commuting you don't really need either and much cheaper lights can be almost as good.

 

[overlander]

Yes you do indeed pay the price, you are right for normal commuting they are way too bright. That is why i picked the Pro 1400 as you can program the ratio and intensities of both the spot and flood beams. For normal commuting a total output of about 400 lumens is more than enough. I do still mess about offroad that is the reason i bought them, but unfortunately my knee is not getting much better so limited time offroad. The requirements for fast offroad work do push lights to the limit, although this year the new standard is 1800 lumens and over 10 hour battery life !! Basically for offroad night riding you have to turn night into day to be safe and that does indeed come with a hefty price tag.

 

[Bob_about]

Schoe. As Pob said, you should think seriously about a small scooter. They're completely automatic, so very easy to drive; they're cheaper; they already have good lights; you don't get sweaty; the legshields keep most of the rain off you; you can drive a 50cc on a car licence (last time I checked); and if you want a bigger one, you have plenty of time to do your training and test.

Ref Scooters - I bought one of these in September as an additional option for my commuting needs - chang of job now means e-bike is not always practical as daily miles creep over 60 some days - not so much the range as the time.

I passed my car test in 1985 so could ride a 50cc scoot with no L plates, no training, and dare I suggest no clue. I decided to go the 125cc route so I can comfortably cover the rural parts of my commute at the regulated 50mph (50cc is restricted to 30mph) without holding up traffic (it will reach just over 60mph, but takes a while to get there!)

All I needed to do was a 1 day CBT training course which cost £100. In my view money well spent if you have not ridden a motorbike / scooter before. I can now ride on L plates for 2 years before either retaking the CBT or taking a full bike test.

Maybe not as cool as a Harley, but I can arrive at work sooner than on ebike or in car and after removing outer gear head straight into a meeting with no need of a shower - and its fun to ride as well. Purchase cost was not massively more than the e-bike, all in running costs I estimate to be similar.

Order of preference though remains E-bike 1st (8 pence return for battery charge), Scooter 2nd (£1:65 return for petrol) and as last resort Car (£5:50 return for liquid gold (diesel))

Summary - I agree its worth considering a Scoot as a workhorse.

Best wishes

Bob_about

 

[Old Timer]

Ref Scooters - I bought one of these in September as an additional option for my commuting needs - chang of job now means e-bike is not always practical as daily miles creep over 60 some days - not so much the range as the time.

I passed my car test in 1985 so could ride a 50cc scoot with no L plates, no training, and dare I suggest no clue. I decided to go the 125cc route so I can comfortably cover the rural parts of my commute at the regulated 50mph (50cc is restricted to 30mph) without holding up traffic (it will reach just over 60mph, but takes a while to get there!)

All I needed to do was a 1 day CBT training course which cost £100. In my view money well spent if you have not ridden a motorbike / scooter before. I can now ride on L plates for 2 years before either retaking the CBT or taking a full bike test.

Maybe not as cool as a Harley, but I can arrive at work sooner than on ebike or in car and after removing outer gear head straight into a meeting with no need of a shower - and its fun to ride as well. Purchase cost was not massively more than the e-bike, all in running costs I estimate to be similar.

Order of preference though remains E-bike 1st (8 pence return for battery charge), Scooter 2nd (£1:65 return for petrol) and as last resort Car (£5:50 return for liquid gold (diesel))

Summary - I agree its worth considering a Scoot as a workhorse.

Best wishes

Bob_about

Sounds good Bob.

I think if you put the cost of a replacement battery into the equation it more than outways the tax and insurance of at least a 50cc model.

I said this to someone the other day who tried to put me down for not being fully green and riding a E bike all the time. To be honest after my near miss last year and all the associated hospital visits and drugs that are bringing on other problems I must feel guilty for not leaving more behind for future generations that will be killing each other and destroying the world in so many other ways anyway.

Na! do what you need to do (not irresponsibly of course) and the future will have to look after itself as far as finding an alternative to oil goes.

Steps down