you may be a bike commuter if...

haven't seen this category yet, so I doodled out my own. It's here rather than in Humor, in case nobody but me finds this funny :p

You may be a bike commuter if:

You can put on your bike clothes in your sleep, and frequently do.

Breakfast on weekends feels kinda funny, because you're not wearing bike clothes.

On weekend MTB rides you check that your pannier is ok. 5 times. Even though you haven't got one on.

Your bike handling skills mainly involve being the first one out of every intersection, and correctly gauging if you have time to pass the 20-bus at the bus stop.

You start pulling other bike commuters on "your" stretch over to tell them, gently, that they should wear a helmet and use lights. You start by saying "I've been commuting here for more than 5 years, and..."

You wear out brake pads in 3 months.

Biking takes twice as long as any other mode of transport, three times as long if you count showering and changing, and you get cold and wet, but you still think it's worth it. Most of the time.

Your bike shop takes more than 2 days to fix your bike, and you seriously consider getting another one to use in the meantime.

Your bike shop takes more than 2 days to fix your bike, and you get irritable and antsy and start posting snide things about the bike shop on the internet.

You don't know his name and have barely seen his face, but you know his work schedule, what make of tights he wears, and whether he likes to bike fast uphills or not.

You have an interesting and fulfilling job that you love, but the absolutely no.1 best part about it is that your workplace has a shower.

You have an interesting and fulfilling job, but are considering quitting because your workplace doesn't have a shower.

Your colleagues no longer ask why your hair is wet.

The clothes you wear on your way TO work are worth way more than the clothes you wear AT work. Duh, at room temperature you can wear *anything*.

In fact your winter gloves cost more than your entire work outfit.

You darn near freeze to death if you have to take the metro one day, because you always forget how cold NOT biking to work is, and you never got around to buying a warm non-bike winter jacket, anyway.

Miss anything? :)

Your office feels like it's missing something if your bike isn't in it.

On days you didn't bike, you still turn around in your desk chair because you want to check something on your bike and are disappointed when it's not right behind you against the wall.

Your coworkers think nothing of seeing you in bike clothes an hour after you arrived at work.

You've been to a meeting with the company VP in your bike clothes and without shoe.

ditto :D

GREAT list.....couldn't of said it better myself!

My one item to add: Saving $80.00 a month on garage parking.

I just noticed that I have ridden 331 miles on my commuter bike since Sept. 9 of this year. I ride to work 3 days a week and I LOVE it!!!!!

I commute but I never see more than 4 people on my ride in the morning & not tons of folks on the way home.

Waking up at 415am is normal.

You no longer care about the Freo Dr (i'll let wikipedia explain this one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremantle_doctor) & battle the headwind, sidewind and 30+ temps.

YOu can look up at the pelicans on the lights without swaying on the path..:eek: (i try but not always successful)

YOu feel guitly taking the train & stare at the bike path thinking you should be there..

You look forward to the sections of the cycle path with trees...

You think about your bike while at work & hope no one has touched it.

When looking for a job, the place must have a shower.

c

I'd like to add my own,

Been to an Entire breakfast meeting in Lycra with the Director, supervisors, Post Docs and Students because the shower was taken by one of the other commuters.

You make multiple trips to the basement on your breaks to make sure noone's messed with your bike in the lock up.

Find yourself abusing cars passing into the bike lane when you're in a car yourself

You Get the urge to RACE when a bike passes you in a car

You think your boyfriend is insane when he WALKS to work for run training... (even if it's only 5km away)

== You *do* have four bicycles so one always works, even though the bike shop guy usually fixes your bike over the lunch hour.

== You've put your helmet on and then remembered, " I'm taking the car. It's 750 miles."

-- Ice scraper? What's an ice scraper?

==Your water cooler talk with fellow commuters details near-accidents of the morning, totally nonchalont, while co-workers look on and go "You must be nuts!"

==It's a joke in the office that when the manager wants you first thing in the morning, the receptionist says "She's up in the shower- she'll be right down!"

==Clif bars + espresso Hammer gel = Breakfast!

your coworkers always ask "Is that YOUR fancy bike upstairs?"

or despite the weather, they ask "Did you ride in to work today?"

Hee - one of my (now ex-) colleagues had a bike WAY more expensive than mine, and he used to bring it into the exercise/weight room while he was showering, then took it up to his office for the rest of the day.

I hid it once, just wheeled it round the corner while he was in the shower. Poor guy came tearing out of the mens locker room 2 minutes later wearing only a towel. He had heard the ticking of his expensive drive train from UNDER WATER.

So sweet, just like a new mother :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lph

I hid it once, just wheeled it round the corner while he was in the shower. Poor guy came tearing out of the mens locker room 2 minutes later wearing only a towel. He had heard the ticking of his expensive drive train from UNDER WATER.

So sweet, just like a new mother :D

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Yes. Like a mother BEAR getting ready to kick some ***!! :eek:

:)

yeah, funny, he didn't find it half as amusing as I did ;)

You like your helmet hair better than your regular hair....
you can tap dance in your cleats like those little penguins in that movie
you only buy clothes that will roll up and not wrinkle....

You start planning 2 to 3 days in advance for the first BIG winter blizzard of the season because the weather men are acting like it is headed your way....Ice, wind, and 20 degrees....sounds like an interesting ride to work.

Your co-workers have to actually physically stop you from riding home when the weather is really dangerous (dark, 30mph wind, rain, lightning, etc.)

Still trying not to feel like a quitter about that day!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rocknrollgirl

you can tap dance in your cleats like those little penguins in that movie

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:D HA!!! Good one!

When asked, yet again, by bewildered co-workers, "You rode in this rainy/snowy/icy/cold weater", you resist the urge to quip, 'No, I just have a Gore-tex fetish!" :rolleyes:

You know you're a student commuter if:

-Your profs no longer takes a second glance as you come in five minutes late completely out of breath and covered in grease. Your excuse, "I was late because my chain came off up the hill!" is obviously correct every time.

-The person sitting behind you has to gently ask if you'll take off your helmet so she can see the blackboard.

-In winter, you leave a suspicious puddle in your seat as the snow melts off of you during lecture.

-You're the only one in class wearing a tank top in January because you're so warm from the commute.

-You talk about your bicycle as if it were a car-- you get upset if someone has taken your 'parking space' on the bike rack, your farewells start with, "well, I'm parked over that way..."

-You could care less when the last bus leaves campus at night.

-You don't know how to operate an umbrella because you've never had to use one.

-Yours are the only tracks through the snow in the bike lane in February. You'd rather die than take the slow, crowded, noisy bus!

Lol at loads of the above :D especially the shower bit, wouldn't have changed jobs if current place didn't have a shower.

Also:
You own flourescent yellow garments

You'll actually wear said flourescent yellow garments in public

After a wet ride in you'll put gloves/buffs/socks on your computer monitor to dry out and tights/tops spread out under the desk.

You give cyclists loads of room on the road when driving to the annoyance of other drivers

You complain loudly about stealth ninja cyclists who ride without lights giving the rest of us a bad name.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tattiefritter

You own flourescent yellow garments

You'll actually wear said flourescent yellow garments in public

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I got a major giggle out of these. In my day to day life, I'm a little on the gothy side - imagine my friends' suprise the first time the were faced with me in a BRIGHT FREAKIN' YELLOW cycling jersey! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by run it, ride it

-You talk about your bicycle as if it were a car-- you get upset if someone has taken your 'parking space' on the bike rack, your farewells start with, "well, I'm parked over that way..."

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I do this too! I've even caught myself saying: "Oh, are you the one that drives the large grey Trek parked next to mine in the garage?"