Commuting to Work?

[ESheldon]

I commute to work. It's just over five miles (so adds to my daily mileage by ten miles). (Must get back to it this week!)

When I first started to commute by bike, my colleagues decided to make me a special framed and box photograph that consisted of a picture of Bromley Hill (A ***** of a hill!) A highlighter pen, complete with painted sunglasses, and a bike made out of paperclips!

Do they make fun of me? ALL the time! Even my boss, who cycles into work himself, saw me arrive one morning and looked at me, turned to my other boss and said "Is that what I look like when I arrive?!"

Cycling into work is fun

 

[Balderick]

I commute to work. It's just over five miles (so adds to my daily mileage by ten miles). (Must get back to it this week!)

When I first started to commute by bike, my colleagues decided to make me a special framed and box photograph that consisted of a picture of Bromley Hill (A ***** of a hill!) A highlighter pen, complete with painted sunglasses, and a bike made out of paperclips!

Do they make fun of me? ALL the time! Even my boss, who cycles into work himself, saw me arrive one morning and looked at me, turned to my other boss and said "Is that what I look like when I arrive?!"

Cycling into work is fun

I've been commuting to and from work for about 9 years, 7 of those on MTBs and the last 2 mostly on my road bike. Round trip, by the most direct route, is about 25 kilometres - although I tend to take the long way home for training purposes. The direct route is good - some stop/start, a significant hill just before I get home and a safe route.

We have a dedicated bike storage room at work which holds 8 bikes, and most days has at least 5. Only 3 of us are cycling freaks (we race road and compete in endurance events) - the other just do it because it is healthy and green, which is probably a better approach than our "squeeze a training ride in at lunch" approach. Our workforce is about 30. We have two showers, but no washers or dryers. Not too much ribbing, although when I returned from a lunchtime ride in heat (my Polar said max temp was 44 degree C, and it was handlebar mounted not on my wrist) more than a few people commented about the smell and urged a quick shower.

 

[ESheldon]

I've been commuting to and from work for about 9 years, 7 of those on MTBs and the last 2 mostly on my road bike. Round trip, by the most direct route, is about 25 kilometres - although I tend to take the long way home for training purposes. The direct route is good - some stop/start, a significant hill just before I get home and a safe route.

We have a dedicated bike storage room at work which holds 8 bikes, and most days has at least 5. Only 3 of us are cycling freaks (we race road and compete in endurance events) - the other just do it because it is healthy and green, which is probably a better approach than our "squeeze a training ride in at lunch" approach. Our workforce is about 30. We have two showers, but no washers or dryers. Not too much ribbing, although when I returned from a lunchtime ride in heat (my Polar said max temp was 44 degree C, and it was handlebar mounted not on my wrist) more than a few people commented about the smell and urged a quick shower.

I can't use the showers at work! They are quite yukky. So I have to resort to washing in the ladies room. I did use the shower once, but I heard a guy in the cubicle next to me and I got scared I couldn't ride my bike at lunchtimes, just haven't got significant time to do it.

 

[jcjordan]

I can't use the showers at work! They are quite yukky. So I have to resort to washing in the ladies room. I did use the shower once, but I heard a guy in the cubicle next to me and I got scared I couldn't ride my bike at lunchtimes, just haven't got significant time to do it.

This is where I am really luck. As part of our award within the Australian Federal Public Service all those who want a locker must be provided with one and showers must be provided.

This makes commuting so much easier

 

[ESheldon]

This is where I am really luck. As part of our award within the Australian Federal Public Service all those who want a locker must be provided with one and showers must be provided.

This makes commuting so much easier

That's so cool! One of the problems I have is clothing and taking clothes to work that don't get creased up during the journey. WEe have no locker space at all!!

 

[Aussie Steve]

Where I live, the weather is very mild and conducive to year-round cycling. We really don't appreciate how good we have it....never snows, temperature in winter maybe 2- 6 degrees Celsius in the morning, but gets nice for the ride home, maybe 16 degrees C. Summer gets hot, high 30's, but
However the folks in Perth are narrow-minded, ignorant and backwards, and anything unusual or different is treated with contempt.
So I get tired of all the cr@p I get from workmates and have come up with some silly responses to their equally silly questions.
We have 3 showers at work (guys showers) but only 6 guys ride in, arriving at different times so always a shower free.
Lockers provided, locked bike cage in car park in basement...lucky me works on top floor so I wash my gear and hang towel and clothes on balcony....
Commute with one guy for about half my trip... it's all good

 

[jcjordan]

That's so cool! One of the problems I have is clothing and taking clothes to work that don't get creased up during the journey. WEe have no locker space at all!!

What gets me is how few use them in the department I am in.

 

[Traffic Jammer]

Ahhh the general populations love affair with the car. It's amazing in morning when I shower anad change at work how freshed I am after a jolt of adrenaline, a big lungfull of air and a getting a couple ya-yas out during my sprint to work through rush hour traffic. I don't even need coffee after that. Compared with the slackers that drive from virtually the same distance, alone (not even dropping ppl off) who are draggin' their asses around at 9, I'm totally ready to go. I find I'm more even tempered and I have energy through the whole day. I wish more people would give it try for a couple weeks at least once.

 

[JSWin]

Funny, no the co-workers didn't give any ****. They know it is good for you. I was talking about it after the fact and this girl said to me, 'why did you have to do that?" Lol I said that I didn't have to I chose to. The look on her face was priceless. It's like, ah, yeah you know that thing called, EXERCISE. Something that you don't do after work.