{"id":17045,"date":"2016-03-23T11:35:59","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T11:35:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/?p=17045"},"modified":"2016-03-23T11:52:30","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T11:52:30","slug":"tips-for-riding-after-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/tips-for-riding-after-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for riding after work"},"content":{"rendered":"

The clocks are about the change and soon you’ll be able to squeeze a daylight ride in after-work. Hurray!<\/p>\n

Follow these simple tips to make the process as hassle free and rewarding as possible.<\/p>\n

\"12783948_257715124560376_368011881_n\"<\/h2>\n

The night before<\/h2>\n

Read this blog again and do everything it says.<\/p>\n

Check you’ve got everything you need. You don’t want to be hurriedly rooting for cycling clothing only to find that the stuff you want is in the washing basket.<\/p>\n

Lube your bike chain<\/a>. A drivetrain that’s lubed well in advance works so much better than one that just gets a dousing of lube five minutes before the ride.<\/p>\n

Pump your tyres up to pressure.<\/p>\n

Use your other bike<\/h2>\n

If you’re lucky enough to have more than one bike, we’d recommend using your spare\/2nd bike as your after-work riding bike.<\/p>\n

This way it can always be primed and ready for a quick blast ride after you get home from work. You don’t have to keep changing your spares and carry-arounds from weekend mode to after-work mode.<\/p>\n

Go minimal<\/h2>\n

Just take the essentials. Inner tube. Pump or CO2 cartridge. Multi-tool. Phone. Stash it all in your jersey pockets. Tape the inner tube to your frame if you want to save on pocket space.<\/p>\n

Consider getting a dinky seatpack<\/a> and a new set of spares to live permanently on your after-work bike.<\/p>\n

One water bottle with just water in it.<\/p>\n

Take lights<\/h2>\n

Just in case. You can’t trust motorists at twilight. A set of modest front and rear LED lights<\/a> pre-attached to your after-work bike will do fine.<\/p>\n

Ride solo<\/h2>\n

Less faff. Less hanging around. You’ll ride faster. You can change route mid-ride. You can explore dead-ends.<\/p>\n

It’s also good to have some ‘me time’ for de-stressing after work.<\/p>\n

Ride local<\/h2>\n

Make the most of the riding on your doorstep. It may not be much but you’ll learn to appreciate it. Approach it like you to used to when you were a kid; have a mess around and see what you can find.<\/p>\n

The other option if you live somewhere with a decent modest loop is to just keep doing that loop. Take your brain out. Zone out. Maybe chase some Strava stats.<\/p>\n

Post-ride politics<\/h2>\n

You should consider your other half. Give something back. At the very least be overtly thankful to them for accepting your need to go for a quick ride after work.<\/p>\n

As well as being basic manners, it makes it all the more easier to get out after-work next time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The clocks are about the change and soon you’ll be able to squeeze a daylight ride in after-work. Hurray! 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