I work for a government organisation I enquired about the Ride2work scheme and they said it wasn't financially viable to do it so they wouldn't do it ! I thought that was scandalous however the bike I wanted wouldn't have been covered anyway.

My other downside for not riding to work is my little dog it would mean leaving her a lot longer on her own than I like to

I know its crap isn' it. I'm sure if I kicked up a stink they would have to back down. We are even entitled to bike mileage allowance if you use your bike during work time. Also we do have bikes at work to use dependant upon what your job is and where you work. So how they can justify not supporting a scheme like that I'll never know. I would have pushed it but I couldn't ge the bike I wanted via it so there was no point.

I've got a Specialized Dolce Vita comp for road riding. It's just a road bike with straight bars. Like it very much.

Maybe.

May start of, doing it once a week to start with, see how it goes.

Carolyn - i work for a charity and we have the cycle to work scheme for staff so must be pretty viable for them other wise they wouldn't do it. Do they realise that they do not have to sign up to the orgainsed schemes run by Halfords etc? My work just paid the shop for the bike I wanted they have also done internet orders for other people its great to see bikes in boxes turn up at the office and have good nose! Although I have a vague feeling that Government organisations can't claim the VAT back so it doesn't work out quite so cheap for you or them.

Moobag - Interstingly I bought a Tricross on the scheme and i have the same sqeally brakes problem OH seems to have sorted it now, not sure what he did though. How does your OH find the Zertz inserts on the front forks?

Also more hints and tips for riding to work - unscented baby wipes are apparently great if you don't have showers.

OH works for the local city council and they're claming the VAT back for his bike purchase.

Daphne: I'd be interested to know what your OH did to stop the squealy brakes - mine said he's toed the pads in, sanded the surface off and cleaned them with isopropyl alcohol and they're still screaming. It's doing his nut in. Asked him about the Zertz inserts and he said he's indifferent - not really noticed them. But he did comment that the drop out spacing front and rear seems to be out by a country mile!?

My company is pretty poor when it comes to the cycle to work scheme - they ran it for a month last year with Halfords - I didn't need a new bike at the time, and was saving up for a big holiday, so couldn't justify the expense anyway, but this year I've been pestering them to do it properly so we can use LBSs, and they just keep saying they are waiting for a decision and it will be next month - well, it's already the month after next since I started asking, so I gave up waiting - found a second hand bike that I wanted for a reasonable price, so I'm happy.

As for my commute, well it's quite short now, but I used to cycle the 20 miles into Bristol (1.5 hours by bike - it was 45 minutes by car on the M4) and then back again once a week in summer when I worked there.  It was a lovely route - country lanes, byways, bridleways and a bit of cycle paths, so pretty safe really.  Now I extend my commute by exploring the lanes and byways nearby, but it is also nice to be able to get to work by bike in the same amount of time as it takes to drive (I can bypass the traffic quite nicely).

I tend to take a couple of days clothes in, and I have a couple of pairs of shoes in work, then toiletries etc so I can get a shower & freshen up.  Now with the long days, we have so many people cycling into work, we actually get bike traffic jams at the gate!

I've been directed here and I'm really glad I have!

 I cycled into work in Bristol now and again last summer but its 10 miles each way, quite hilly, was about 55 mins of proper effort each way and that was enough to put me off. Now that i've read this I think I will give it a go next week (I'm away with work from tomorrow until Friday so can't do the 'bringing in stuff' thing until Monday).

 I am all happy and motivated now so thank you!

The best bit of commuting by bike is this morning I rode home watching the sun change from orange to yellow and felt the sun warming the day up and as I got a early dart there was no traffic, bliss

Having a road bike will definitely make your commute quicker and easier (assuming you're not commuting across fields, lol!).

I normally commute by bike a couple of times a week. It's 16 miles each way. I never do it on Mondays or Fridays as I have rest days then (to recover from/in anticipation for the weekend!). So on Mondays I bring in a couple of outfits and a towel, and then I take it all home to wash on Fridays.

I've got a duplicate makeup bag at work and loads of smellies etc. We're lucky to have nice showers and secure bike parking etc.

I've had a few disasters e.g. like when I arrived to find I'd forgotten to bring in a skirt or trousers. So I had to go to the shops in my cycling kit and wait for them to open and then buy practically the first pair I saw (I hate buying trousers, even on a good day!). I've also forgotten knickers before, and have a couple of times found I've for some reason accidentally taken the spare makeup bag home, meaning I've had to nip to the chemist to buy what I consider bare essentials!

Despite shower/toiletries etc, I do always feel a bit less coiffed on commuting days but on the other hand I feel better in other ways, ie usually quite invigorated having not suffered the aggro of sitting in a traffic jam!