Commuting to work can be cost effective and environmental friendly on a bike, but it can be a bit stressful if not done right!
Being a frequent commuter himself, Alex points out some of the more common mistakes bike commuters make when going out on two wheels!
00:00 5 Common mistakes that commuters do
00:23 Are you using the wrong bike?
01:23 Using the correct tyres and tyre pressures
02:18 Always use bike lights
03:04 Are you wearing the right clothes?
03:51 Always carry spares
Useful Links:
GCN Tech Uploader 👉 https://gcn.eu/techuploader
Subscribe so you don’t miss a thing 👉 https://gcntech.co/subscribe
Insurance: Viewers in the USA and UK can explore GCN Insurance products 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNinsurance
Sign Up To The GCN Newsletter 👉 https://gcn.eu/Newsletter
Visit the GCN Shop 👉 https://gcn.eu/gcnshop
GCN WhatsApp Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNwhatsapp
GCN Instagram Broadcast Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/instagrambroadcast
Join the GCN Club on Zwift and ride with us! 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNClubRides
What mistake did you commit when you started commuting?🚴❌
Watch more on GCN Tech…
📹 Fixing Up The Cheapest Pinarello We Could Find! 👉 https://youtu.be/zoKcAtdcD7k
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 https://gcntech.co/EditorsChoice
📹 Watch the latest GCN Tech Show 👉 https://gcntech.co/GCNTechShow
🎵 Music – licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Breeze – Basixx
Droppin Buckets (Clean Version) – Nyck Caution
MANTRA – BLUE STEEL
#gcntech #gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #biketech #commuting #gravelbike #cyclingtips #tipsandtricks #mistakes #avoidmistakes
📸 Photos – © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency
Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech is the only channel you need for all things bike tech – past, present and future.
Simply put, we’re obsessed with tech: we seek out and showcase the best in bikes, components, tech, accessories, upgrades and more from races and events, tech shows and product launches across the globe to bring you the best in road bike technology.
We’ve got great maintenance videos to help you get the most from your bike; pro-bike tours from all the biggest races; special features and the weekly GCN Tech Show!
Thanks to our sponsors:
Pinarello Bikes: https://gcn.eu/Pinarello
Topeak Tools: http://gcn.eu/Topeak
CamelBak: https://gcn.eu/Camelbak
Canyon Bikes: http://gcn.eu/-Canyon
Pirelli Tyres: https://gcn.eu/Pirelli
Orbea Bikes: http://gcn.eu/Orbea
Vision Wheels: http://gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: http://gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles: https://gcn.eu/VW
Park Tool: http://gcn.eu/-parktool
Selle Italia: https://gcn.eu/SelleItalia
Zwift: https://gcn.eu/Zwift
Silca: https://gcn.eu/Silca
MET Helmets: https://gcn.eu/methelmets
Strava: https://gcn.eu/strava
Precision Fuel & Hydration: https://gcn.eu/precisionhydration
AGU: https://gcn.eu/AGU
Elitewheels: https://gcn.eu/Elitewheels
Watch our sister channels:
Global Cycling Network – https://www.youtube.com/@gcn
GCN Racing – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network – https://www.youtube.com/@gtn
GCN Italia – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnitalia
GCN en Español – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Français – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnenfrancais
GCN Training – https://www.youtube.com/@gcntraining
Global Mountain Bike Network – https://youtube.com/@gmbn
GMBN Racing – https://youtube.com/@gmbnracing
GMBN Tech – https://www.youtube.com/@gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network – https://www.youtube.com/@embn
39 Comments
What mistake did you commit when you started commuting?🚴❌
Too high tyre pressures may loosen your fillings but will also loosen your ear wax so it’s not all bad.
Correct bike for commuting: a bicycle that is not broken, with a standard curved "city" handlebar, with long fenders. Preferably 28 to 35mm tyres, properly inflated.
Wrong bike for commuting: bikes that are designed for sport or competition (mtb, road bike, gravel/cyclocross bike), anything with expensive transmission parts (they will wear out every year or so), bike with no fenders, or good looking ineffective fenders, expensive bike, broken malfunctioning bike (very common)
Note that in the Netherlands flashing lights are actually not allowed by law. And I for one find them quite distracting as well, especially the fast blinking one. The slow ones on the other hand are poorly visible, so I would not recommend those either.
A roadbike is the easiest, most efficient way to commute anything other than a short distance. The clue is in the name.
The best commuting purchase I ever made was a bike with internal hub gears and a carbon belt drive – no oil to worry about getting on your clothes, no chain to rust and minimal maintenance. Not worrying about indexing gears, B tension screws, high/low limits… Heaven!
I agree with all of that, and follow it all except ankle reflection, but reckon I’ll buy one now…
Your first bit of advise wrong. You use the wrong bike. The best bike is one with mudguards and a rear rack for a pannier. You need to carry some clothes for changing weather and some place to store some groceries on your way home.
#askgcntech: a bit more information would be useful on which type of tyre treads dependant on surface travelled. Ta
I commuted to college on a mountain bike with solid tires that I bought from walmart. I never got flats, but replaced my entire drive train multiple times because I never checked for chain stretching. I was very slow too, ~7mph average. Don't know if it was me or the solid tires.
The safest route is not always the shortest. Lights are more effective on the helmet than on the handlebars, especially if you need to fix a flat or drop a chain in the dark. Your bike follows your eyes
I don't make mistakes. I'm damn near perfect.
I commuted on a Ridley Xbow (CX bike) – super strong and great on busy potholed roads. Way faster than my XC mtb running road tyres which is what i started commuting on.
The right bike for me over the years has been most all of the bikes you say you shouldn't use. A gravel bike is all good and lovely for only some commuting. My current commute has the option of single track. In the winter, on the snow, it's a fat bike. In the summer, on the rooty rocky single-track, a full sus is best. If I choose to ride pavement or smooth gravel, I can take my fixie or my gravel bike, or my folding bike if my wife is picking me up with the car after work. In the past, with a 20 mile road commute, summer was best on a road bike or time-trial bike. In winter, either a road bike with fenders or a gravel bike with fenders. I have an adult colleague that rides an old schwinn stingray to work because he loves doing it.
I don't cary a spare tube. I run tubeless, and my current commute is only 3.5 miles. So, if I ever get a flat, I can readily walk to work or back home.
Rack and bags.
That Canyon gravel bike will definitely be stolen. The best bike to commute on is the one you already own.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus's. In comparison to your posh tyres, they're horrible and heavy feeling, but the main thing for me is that after 3 punctures in 8 commutes on GP 4 Seasons, I'm now at a stage where I've had 1 puncture in almost a decade of commuting on them. On my 30-ish minute commute they're about 30 seconds slower than my 'fast' tyres, and you need a lot of those 30 seconds to make up the time I've saved not having to be sat in a bus stop to shelter from the rain while putting a spare tube in. As commuter tyres, nothing beats a marathon plus.
So THATs hey my fillings keep falling out 😂😂
My biggest mistake when I started commute cycling was that my bike was about 4 sizes too small. Couldn't afford a new bike and im 191 cm tall, so I always made do with the largest frame I could find. Getting the 2XL I needed was a game changer!
No fenders 😂
No power meter … i think that's the biggest mistake.
Living in northwest of North America where winter is pretty much like that of UK winter (rains so much that locals joke about sharing passing lane of roadwith salmon), my automatic requirement for commuting bikes are fenders and rain gear stashed away in my bag. And being panier person, rack.
Be respectful to other road users and be aware that others may not be! Anticipate what others might do on the road and assume that no one can see you!
Use puncture resistant tyres like Schwalbe Marathons. They may be a bit slower and heavier, but the last thing you need is a puncture in the wet on the way to work.
Worth noting that standard clipless pedals are technically illegal when riding in the dark. Will you get pulled over? Probably not. But it does highlight having reflectors on or close to your feet is important.
first commute to work after winter i forgot to pack a spare tube and got a flat tyre thankfully on the way home and you bet i smashed that rim all the way home!
Great video – I’ve just started commuting again after a break (used to do a 50km round trip in the Scottish Highlands year round). Firstly, I’ve found a safe quiet route (36km RT) which is 90% off the road (not so easy near Edinburgh). Then bought the right bike (on a cycle to work scheme) for the route – which includes a disused railway line – though this is not essential but a good motivator. Chose a gravel bike (better tyres and guards for the route) but with flat bars for comfort and because I think motorists dislike drop-bar riders more (zero evidence for this!). Also went for e-assist as there are lots of long hills and brutally wind-exposed sections and I want no excuses. I actually ride at the same HR as I did on the conventional bike – it just takes me 8-10 minutes less time. Tubeless set-up (after a puncture in the first week and the tyres were tubeless-ready which made fixing a puncture with tubes much harder). Good lights (including back-ups). Pannier to avoid a sweaty back. Neoprene overshoes.
The one you missed is emergency fuel. After that one time bonking in the middle of nowhere after a twelve hour shift, I made sure I was always stocked up on raisins and nuts as well as fresh batteries for my lights. If you’re ever going to or from work in the dark hours (for me, it’s frequently both trips) you need a light to see by, not just to be seen. If that light dies and you’re on a three digit road between two villages, that’s a bad situation indeed. Also, always be prepared for rain. Spending the first six hours of your shift in wet or damp clothes isn’t fun, neither is putting on wet or damp clothes before going home. But I say the number one mistake is to not carry emergency fuel.
Honestly I don’t see a single reason to ride a gravel bike for commuting in a city. Any bike works, but I think this is the area where steel bikes with classic style really shine. You can match literally any fashion to steel bikes, even three-piece suits.
@gcntech What make/model are those mudguards?
I had my first puncture today. Fortunately, I had seen many videos before, so I got myself a repair kit under the saddle and managed to change the tube on the side of the road.
Nice Bike and I also like the tires. Anyone who knows what model/brand they are?
Yeah, your expensive gravel bike is a fantastic commuter. FFS.
Having a helmet-mounted front light in addition to one on the handlebars has saved my skin a number of times.
Years of experience lead me to use a single speed steel 700c track frame with 32c tires. 😂😂😂 For all season commute and errands. Btw i have a 650b flatbar gravel for weekend and long rides.
The 3 biggest mistakes to city riders Is:
1. Not stopping when needed to, In order to look “good” and “professional” either they never stop when needed to and just find the most random spots to or end up causing traffic or crashes sometimes
2. Fixed gear riders, no problem with Fixies just with Fixie user’s ego
3. Just use any bike, If youre out city biking you dont need to use the bike used on the video, you dont need a race level road bike no need to use a course level gravel or a trail rated full suspension use any bike youd like just dont be overkill, using a Pinarello Dogma to go to the grocery’s at a kilometer away? Wont make yourself look good just looks like a fool
I don't do hi-vis/refletix anymore. It gave me a false sense of security. I ride much more cautiously when I KNOW drivers can't see me.
I have found that if I take my best bike, I am too competitive on my commute – have to be first to the lights and first off from them. I even check my Strava position on each segment. Much more relaxed when I use the more relaxed bike with big tyres and mudguards.