Ok,

I've got an interview tomorrow and a good chance of getting a new job within the same organisation I am in, but in Leeds rather than Dewsbury.

Problem is that I only live 4 miles away from my Dewsbury workplace and ride my push bike there every day.

This new job is in Leeds - 15 miles away.

Although it is 2.5 grand more, I have to justify the travelling expense.

A yearly rail ticket would cost around £500, but the nearest train station is right next to my Dewsbury place of work.

How do I get to the train station every morning and home.

Need to catch the 7.20 train, so this makes buses a bit impractical and incurs another daily expense.

Impractical to use the car as the wife also needs it during the day and there is no provided parking.

Moped - as I would get free parking, but the saefty and winter issues keep coming to mind.

Saying that, there is no such thing as in-appropraite weather, only in-appropriate clothing.

Any suggestions anyone (in case they offer me the job)?

Cheers,

Pat...

Be a proper fitness guru and ride the 15 miles...

I totally agree with the 'only inappropriate clothing' comment! Get yourself a nice one piece suit and some heated grips and gortex liners for socks and hands and your toasty and warm aswell as dry!

Good luck on the job interview too...

Get a bike with an engine as all that pedalling malarky can't be good for you far too energetic that....

Hi Pat,just out of curiosity what do you do for a living.
Thing is I'm desperately looking for a Plant or HGV fitter or similar for a contract I've just taken over in Dewsbury,or you dont know anyone local that fits in the description do you.
Van and phone included in the job and just me to moan at you.
If anyone else knows of anyone in that area or 40 miles either direction please let me know.
Regards Dean.

[Edited on 8/11/05 by DEAN C.]

All that fancy new kit they sell doesn't work........best thing to use is newspaper...sounds daft but no shitting it works obviously you need a good bike jacket but that heated stuff is rubbish

a 49 cc moped? 30 miles a day ,you gotta be mad,restricted to 30mph 35 if your lucky,you can make them quicker but they never last .
or get a 125 4 stroke ,honda cg125 will stand the job easy

Hi,

Don't want to go the 125 route as that would mean CBT and increased risk.

Couldn't managed the 15 miles by bike as I have a dodgy ITB that really hurts after about 10 minutes when it gets really warm

Dean, thanks, but no idea what a plant or HGV fitter does, but I'm good at putting things together. I work at Court.

Pat...

Only you can work out wether the job is worth it for whatever hassel you will have to go through.

I do 100 miles a day, and my car costs 600 a month to fund!

Motorbikes are great for recreational use (ive got one after a 25 year break!) but I recon riding one every day is just gonna increase the risk of an accident. Likely there are many on here who do commute on a bike each day, but it wouldnt be my choice for a long life.


atb

steve

get a foldable bike - cycle to the train station, ride the train to work !

(or is that too obvious?)

quote:

---

Originally posted by Avoneer
dodgy ITB...

---

Yep, though about a folding bike, but I have to wear a shirt and tie etc, for work.

Currently, I leave 2 months of shirts at work on one day when I get my wife to drop me off at work - bit hard to do in Leeds town centre though.

Would love to use the Locoblade when it's done, but there is nowhere for me to park a car, although they said I can park a moped there.

Any further suggestions?

Pat...

move house?

rent a bedsit in beeston!

Doh! have I missed something? If you cycle to work and the train ststion is next door why don't you cycle to train station and change when you get to Leeds office just like you do at Dewsbury? Alternatively get a cheap bike and keep it in Leeds station overnight so yuo cycle both ends of the trip, makes you look cool and fit at the new office as they don't need to know you took the train :-)

You can make your cheap bike look cool by stripping all the paint off and use no name bits like seats and pillers, you only need one set of lights for both bikes and if you replace wheel quick releases with nuts and bolts the won't get nicked especially if you split pin the nuts! same goes for the saddle worst that will happen is thief gets so pissed he will stamp on your wheel but it is a cheap bike and there are lots of cheap or free wheels around if that happens.

Best of luck for the interview

Caber

I know the moped routes a pain,
but is the restriction 50cc, or is it on power?

If its on power you could have a 125 "restricted "

P.S although the other job is more money on the basic rate, could you work the extra time you would spend traveling in your current job?
it'd probably even out and be less stress!

Moped restriction is on my licence. Without having to do my CBT, this is all I can ride.

I thought about leaving my bike at the Dewsbury office and changing when I get to Leeds, but that would mean me going on the train and walking through Leeds in my cycling gear (read tit).

No chance of over-time - it just isn't that type of job - not that they'd pay any either.

Pat...

A three day course, pass your bike test, and get a......


FOOKIN GREAT SUPERBIKE

( I think it's called a BEB )

You'd soon be going home the long way round, just for the fun of it.

Paul G

helicopter ?

i would hate driving in any traffic !!

what about the bus ?

Bus is over an hour - and I can't justify the extra travelling time when it onmly takes me 10 minutes max at the moment and would only take 15 minutes on the train - if I can get to the station.

Pat...

Advice from a seasoned commuter...

Daily train journeys are OK - you learn to switch off to it - but can be a grind. At least it's only 15 miles, instead of my 85 miles/1-and-a-bit hours journey!

The ticket costs around £500 - I don't know what tax bracket you're in, but you'll have to earn £800 - £1000 basic pay pre-tax & NI to cover it. That makes a big dent in the £2,500!

I commuted into London on a bike for a few years (400+ miles a week!) - great from Spring to Autumn, not much fun when it snows when you're at work (been there, done that, parked the bike half-way home and caught a bus). You'll also be riding in local rush-hours, so the risk of accidents is greater (been there, done that as well ).

Big important question - does taking this job improve your prospects with the firm, or give you opportunities to improve your skills? If so, then it's worth putting up with some cr*p just for a while.

Good luck!

David

Iliotibial Band. The group of muscles and tendons from the hip to just below the knee. IT Band Syndrome is the IT Band actually rubbing against the bony part of your knee as it bends. That's a quote from a website so don't bame me if it's not true though. I think stay where you are if you like it and can afford to and wait for something better to come up in your area.

Hi Guys,

Interview went really well - still waiting to hear.

Peteff - think you have hit the nail on the head. Worked out it will be more like £800 travelling expenses and 10 hours a week - that's most of the pay difference gone then! And you were right about ITB. Add that to my torn achilles that's now beyond repair and medial tibial stress syndrome and that's about it - long distance running - that's what I took up when I gave up smoking and look at me now! Would've been better to keep smoking.

Pat...