Friday 30th June - commute.

 Well, that's a year of commuting by bike. Most of December and February were too dark, cold and icy, but there were some nice days during January.  

What have I learned? I should have bought Schwalbe Marathon plus tyres sooner. They really have been fit and forget. I shouldn't be carrying so much in my pannier, but most of the year waterproofs are worth the weight and bulk. Spare tubes, pump, axel nuts with spanners, and a decent multi tool are essential for peace of mind. 

I spent too much time trying to sort out various creaks. It was the motor mounting system. It's taken 12 months, but I think I have it silenced. A decent single speed chain was a good investment in trying to quieten the drive train. 

I've broken one old saddle and the second hand replacement is looking ropey. The ergo stye grips have been OK but never super comfy. I'd probably be happier on the hoods and I might look into some sort of bar setup the allows a more neutral hand position.  

My fitness and cycling technique has improved.  I only use eco mode now and often spin out above the 16mph cut off. I'm definitely fitter and I still enjoy it. 

Unfortunately my run home today was one of the wettest cycles of the year. It doesn't matter too much on a Friday as everything is going in the wash anyway. Also it was reasonably warm in the rain. 

Commuting total - 1782 miles this year (Jan- June) +1671.5 miles last July - November.  

Total 3453.5 miles. (5558km) I'm happy with that. 

I'm going to keep commuting by bike but probably not blog it as no one reads it and stopping to take a photo can be a bit of a pain.