The purchase of Rupert (the new bike) was mainly motivated by the increased distance and the fact that I can no longer hop on a train if the weather's bad.
He was definitely worth the investment. The wider Marathon Plus tyres (32mm) may be heavier, but they grip the road and are completely unfazed by the wet weather of the past few days. Hopping down curbs is done with ease and the potholes going through Twickenham centre are never a problem.
The disc brakes are a revelation. Who knew you could perform an emergency stop in the rain?! I certainly didn't. I feel far more confident as I negotiate the Chertsey Road roundabouts that I would have with V-brakes.
Commuting from Ealing to Teddington is, by and large, a lot more civilised. Fewer sets of lights and better road surfaces are coupled with a good variety of routes available for exploration.
At the moment I'm averaging about 40mins on the commute and I regularly arrive at the same time as a colleague whose son is at nursery with Eenie. She is normally leaving as I drop Eenie off and drives. If that's not an argument for cycling, I don't know what is.
Oh, and the showers here work. Every day. With hot water. *Sobs a little with joy*
Having already accosted the company CEO on the lack of extra bike racks to accommodate the extra staff and been assured they're on their way, the future is looking bright...
No comments:
Post a Comment