"Life's too short not to ride your best bike - even in the rain and snow."
"Life's too short not to ride your best bike - even in the rain and snow". These are the prophetic words of hardcore commuter Iain Robinson. Iain has already clocked up 14,000km this year and uses his dream bike - the Endurance SL - on his daily commute. On this Cycle to Work Day, he tells us how he keeps fit without really having to try and also his tips for those wanting to start commuting.
Iain's daily commute
Today (August 6th) marks Cycle to Work Day, so we wanted to share Ribble rider Iain Robinson's decision to use his ‘best’ bike for his daily commute.
It’s normally the older bikes most people ride in all weathers to and from the office but for Preston-born Iain - he uses his top-spec bike.
The Endurance SL Disc was his dream bike - and in his own words, he said life was 'too short not ride his favourite bike' at all times. Even in the rain and snow.
So here, he tells about us about his commute and how he keeps his bike in tip-top condition in all weathers.
Judging by his tally this year, Iain definitely loves to ride his bike. He has clocked up an impressive 9000 miles (14,000km) this year alone.
Iain says he is always in training mode while on his 'dream bike'
Iain says this is down to his bike as it makes him want to ride further and extend his 12-mile daily commute to anything up to 70 miles.
The bike.
Iain said: “I have always had Ribble bikes as I was born in Preston, so it was always going to be Ribble bikes that I rode. I loved everything about the Endurance SL. The fact that it’s light, racy yet great for longer rides and for me, had the all-important mudguard mounts.
Adding in a few extra kms on the way home
"I also wanted to spec it how I wanted, so love that I could do that. For me, I went with Ultegra and Mavic Cosmic Pro carbon wheels. I was fortunate enough to be able to buy my dream bike. But for me, I didn’t want to keep it just for dry sunny days. I wanted to ride it. And that for me is commuting.”
Iain, who now lives in Carlise, rides the commute of 12 miles to his job as a train signaller. But he makes the most out of his time on the bike.
He added: “For me the commute is the base mileage and then I will extend the commute home. I can sometimes be out for a good four hours or so and I wouldn’t be able to do this or enjoy it half as much if I was on an older bike. I also just take my dinner to work in a saddlebag so I’m not having to carry a backpack. So, to others, I probably don’t even look as though I am commuting at all.”
All weathers.
Iain commutes in all weathers too.
“My colleagues think I’m mad riding in all weathers, but the beauty of the Endurance is that it has mudguard mounts. I don’t know of many other high-end carbon bikes that offer this. So for me, it does it all.
"I want to be able to enjoy riding my bike and also it's crucial that it’s reliable. If I had a mechanical or a problem with an old bike it means trains are going to be delayed. So it’s not an option for me to be late. I just really loving riding that bike. It’s comfortable and fast and I'm really enjoying my time on it. Life is too short to ride bikes that you don’t love.”
Always riding.
Iain’s top tips for commuting.
- Don’t be put off by the weather. You just need to dress accordingly. I would always say dress to be warm because even if it rains if you have warm enough clothing you will be ok.
- Use mudguards and disc brakes. For me, those two features were essentials when buying the bike. I wanted disc for riding in wet weather and also the mounts as I said before make it the perfect all-year-weather bike.
- Ride a bike you love. There is no bigger incentive for me to ride than being able to do miles on a bike I really love. I would say if you are using your best bike, just keep on top of cleaning it. I clean mine once a week to keep it in great condition.
Have a look at Iain's bike in more detail HERE.
You can also see the Endurance SL being put through its paces on a bikepacking trip HERE.
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