Why Do You Commute?

oloc

i like passing cars in traffic and it puts me in a great mood.

plus, i hate gassing up my car.

Mister Penguin

Never learned to drive. Mainly because getting around by bike worked so well (does for me in Watford, a bit north of north London- at the end of the Metropolitan line)

Plus now, since I've started doing the odd TT, it's extra riding time since, with everything else, I don't get much time to train.

Plus its a bit of time to myself each day.

That's broken my posting duck on here.

weedvspeed

14 years ago I started 'cos I was broke and didn't have the cash to fix the car.
Used to ride to the train station then the drivers went on strike.........
Ended up doing a 16 mile each way commute on a MTB.
Now I ride to keep me fit.(nice flat belly)
Plus the missus has the car and having 2 is a waste of cash.
Riding saves me fuel money to buy new bikes every few years.
So its a matter of fittness and economics.

I love biking now, couldn't imagine not riding.

ozzyphil

Hi mate..

I was in watford a few weeks ago. There's a great bike shop there... not such a great football team.... :-(

I was staying at my sisters house in Kings Langley.

Glad to hear youre enjoying your riding there.
Phil

Mister Penguin

There's a football team here? (need deadpan smilie)

Bike shop: Cyclopedia by any chance? that's my local. The riding around here is pretty good once out of town, plenty options to keep it interesting. I have a relatively quiet commute too (except for the 8-wheelers)

My commute

Although not normally as quiet as this- this was during the school hols.

Edudbor

It saves me time at the gym.

Instead of spending 25 minutes in traffic and then 45 minutes jogging at the gym; I can spend 45 minutes riding my bicycle home and be done.

I know for me, personally, it hasn't saved my any money and it'll be nearly 2 years of riding into work before I break even on my bicycle purchase (assuming I don't spend any more money on bicycle stuff/don't get any flats/don't get any repairs). And I have a cheap $400 dollar Ibex Road Bicycle.

threaded

2) Turn into Michelin Man if I don't ride a bike every single day.

4) Faster than any other form of transport (over the 30km to work that is).

3) Doesn't smell of p1ss like the buses and trains do.

5) Far more reliable method of getting from A-B.

1) There are some gorgeous girls out there on the cycle path.

neilfein

When I started going in by vanpool, I realized that I didn't miss driving at all. Then I started cycling to lose weight, and thought about commuting. I'm doing 35 miles/RT once a week, now.

Bike commuting gives me more enegry than three cups of coffee, without the jitters. And... I gotta admit that walking into my office in bike clothes gives me a subversive thrill.

__________________
Blog, ride pix, Bikely routes
NJ/NY/DE/PA public bike ride calendar (in progress)

cricketk

I work better, think better, sleep better and have more time at home if I ride.

rodar y rodar

Almost exclusively because it`s fun. I love pedaling, I love the feeling that I`m zipping along all under my own energy, I love to enjoy the morning on my way to work each day. Like a few others have said (almost), I also get a secret little kick out of the other folks seeing me come into work or the grocery store riding my bike.
While my "beater" bike was still a beater, I saved a little money by bike commuting rather than driving, but over the past year or so I`ve been rebuilding that bike in a completely vain and unnecessarry maner. I like doing that too, but I`ve spent much more than I would have spent on two extra 3 1/2 mile drives each day.
It`s greener? Yeah, that`s good but that isn`t why I ride. Healthier? Yes, but I seem to keep the same weight no matter what. Cute girls on the bikepath? I wish I had that bikepath as part of my commute!

threaded

alister1

I enjoy eating, I also enjoy riding fortunately one balances the other. So far I have lost 190+ Kgs i.e. 1K a week monday to friday and it finds me Saturday to Sunday

Seriously, I am 54, have commuted for most of the last 10 years between 11 and 20 Km depending on job location. Currently 19 - 20 Km it takes 50min or I can drive which takes 40min. I ride because Melbourne is a great city for bike commuters. I need the stress releif, the fitness, it saves money that I can enjoy spending on bikes - currently Giant OCR Zero with upgrades. I also ride because the envirnoment needs me to if this world is going to be around in a state my children can enjoy.

Remember there is power in one - everyone

Alister

fishrider314

passing other cyslists is better (altough i admire them in a trueist sense for riding altogether) it started as just being able to finish a one way trip a few years ago and has pogressed to seven months of continuous commuting rain or shine. only ice on the pavement will convince me to reach for the truck keys as i laugh at my overweight, smoker co-workers eating their donuts in the morning. the savings on my yearly petroleum expenditures more than justifies any LBS purchase i make. the benefit of your body having first hand intamacy with the changes of season from riding year round is absoloutley priceless.

Jonahhobbes

"the benefit of your body having first hand intamacy with the changes of season from riding year round is absoloutley priceless".


fishrider314 that is one hell of a quote and has really cheered up my working day which was going pretty crappily - thanks!