You may think that it might be more hassle than it’s worth by cycling to work. But even just perhaps commuting to work once a week is pretty rewarding! Find out how to get started in this guide.

The Benefits of Cycling to work

There are numerous benefits to be had with cycling. Team this up with commuting to work and the benefits are even greater! Maybe just starting off by cycling once a week will reap great rewards. You’ll feel so much better for it, it’s great for your health, your fitness levels will improve, and it’s also great for the environment too by leaving your car a home and opting for a more environmentally friendly method of transportation. You’ll also save yourself a nice wad of cash by not spending out on gas!

It’s always recommended that you take a course for learning to ride on the roads properly and safely, teaching you those vital skills. It can be very daunting if you’ve never ridden on the roads before so having a qualified instructor with you will make the learning experience so much better. They’ll be able take you through the process, teach you the skills involved, teach you road safety and provide help and advice for dealing with different circumstances. Contact your local cycling federation for instructors in your area, or contact the League of American Cyclists. There's some information of a couple of their courses avaliable here Including the Cycling Education Program for riding safely and sharing the road.

What type of Bike Will I Need?

You can commute to work on pretty much any standard bike. You can use your mountain bike (although if you have very knobbly tyres on it, you may feel them when riding along roads) or more appropriately a road bike, and touring bikes are also pretty good if you need to take a lot of extra luggage with you.

Whenever you decide to use your bicycle always remember to perform safety checks to make sure everything is in good working order. Taking a look over the tyres and wheels, pumping up and removing debris where necessary, and make sure the brakes are in good working order too. You can find out more on the safety check by checking out this article on the Cycling site about the Essential Bike Safety Checks.



Riding on the Road – The Importance of Being Seen

Cyclists are extremely vulnerable whist riding on the roads, and certainly when there is other traffic around. You need to stay alert and aware of the other road users and make sure that they can see you. Always make sure you wear a helmet, and brightly coloured clothing, for instance a fluorescent jacket with reflective strips is a must. Also be sure that there are reflectors on your bicycle and when cycling at night make sure you have lights to that other road users can see you at night.