I'm ready to take the plunge ... give me a push

I got my bike locker key this morning after plunking down $40. My company has showers and shower lockers. I have a rain jacket. I have spare tubes and a multitool. I just need to have my brake adjusted this weekend and buy some lights (just in case) and I'm ready to go.

I plan to commute two days a week to start, possibly building to three but no more than that because of my schedule. If I get exhausted, I can bail and take a bus one way. I have absolutely zero excuses ... except ...

I'm *incredibly* nervous -- mainly because I have to make two left turns on fairly busy suburban roads. (I've thought about the possible route 100 times, and this way I'll only be actually *riding* on those busy roads for a couple hundred feet. And it's a less hilly way.)

So give me a gentle push. What inspired you? How has commuting made your life better? Or what mistake did you make in the beginning that you can look back at and laugh now?

Just get on go! That's what I think when I get on my bike to go to work (especially the mornings when you think you don't want to:rolleyes: )
I started commuting because I thought it was ridiculous for me to drive 10 miles or less (depending on route) just to get to work in the morning and face all of the crappy traffic, when I could ride a practically deserted path and get their in the same time or faster without wasting gas, money, and time. Another bonus to riding to work, is that I feel good when I get in. Sometimes its a tough ride, but I can't help but feel good from those endorphins and knowing that Im doing something good.
One suggestion: make sure you have enough time for emergencies. How much time does it take you to repare a flat and adjust for that. Oh, and check that you have EVERYTHING you need the night before.Its weird what you might forget.
So, just get on and go girl!

OTG, besides being lazy, what keeps me from commuting is chores.
I have to go to the postoffice, get the car fixed, go to the doctor.
so I do what you are proposing, commute 2 or 3 times a week (maybe starting next week, it's getting light enough finally!) and do all the chores that require a car on the other days.

If there are a couple scary intersections, why don't you just walk across them?
I find that if i put my bike IN THE CENTER OF A LANE at an intersection, clearly showing my intentions, I usually do fine.

Get out there over the weekend and figure out a plan for all the different scenarios and escape route :)
I have a couple of lefts on my route and... don't tell, I'm a weenie sometimes. I have been known to do the "ped option" and go straight across on the right hand side, then cross as a pedestrian and proceed through.
Usually, though, I have taken my lane and can do the Honest Left Turn thing even with traffic... tho' 'round here, usually that's expected so drivers aren't hostile.
... and I use the bike for chores, too :)
I love seeing other cycles.
I love getting to work awake.
I love riding past gas stations.
I love adding that mileage to BikeJournal.
I love the looks and smiles I get.
I love being part of the solution.

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Originally Posted by Offthegrid

So give me a gentle push. What inspired you? How has commuting made your life better? Or what mistake did you make in the beginning that you can look back at and laugh now?

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The need to get in some mileage and some weekday workouts is what inspired me. I don't feel too safe around here doing "after work" rides like I did back in Massachusetts (I don't know why, DH does them here all the time and I join him occasionally (ok...rarely).). Commuting gives me more energy during the day - I love early a.m. workouts. I have about 7.5 miles, depending on what route I take, so it's a nice, doable distance. How long would your's be? If you are nervous about the route - do a "dry run" - ride the route this weekend during non-commuting hours. It will give you an oppotunity to see the route, plot out alternates, get to know the terrain, so to speak.
The only real mistake I can say I've made is not checking to make sure everything (panniers, whatnots) is attached securely to the bike. It's always soooo slick to have to stop because your pannier is hanging down, about to fall off. Yeah, kids. Don't try this at home. I'm a professional!! :rolleyes:

Doh!!! I just realized I can't start commuting until at least the week of the 9th. Monday the 2nd I have TOPS weight loss club, Tuesday I have my running/walking club, Wednesday I see my personal trainer and Thursday I have a doctor's appointment. Friday I have off for the holiday. :eek:

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Originally Posted by Regina

How long would yours be? If you are nervous about the route - do a "dry run" - ride the route this weekend during non-commuting hours.

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By car, it's 9 miles but the bike route will be about 11-12. Not 100 percent sure because a short portion is on a bike path. I'm going to leave ridiculously early on my first attempts. :o I might do the walking thing the first weeks until I get a better feel for it -- at least for the worst turn that doesn't have a traffic light.

The dry run is a great idea. I want to do a dry run early tomorrow morning AND next Friday a.m. because I have that day off for Easter. Those should definitely be confidence boosters.

I don't plan to use panniers because I'm required to carry a laptop home every night (no exceptions) and I think a backpack would be more secure for it. I'll be taking my clothes in on Mondays, when I have to drive because I have my TOPS meeting after work about 18 miles away.

This is so exciting! I'm about to become a "real" bicycle commuter.

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Originally Posted by Offthegrid

I'm *incredibly* nervous -- mainly because I have to make two left turns on fairly busy suburban roads. (I've thought about the possible route 100 times, and this way I'll only be actually *riding* on those busy roads for a couple hundred feet. And it's a less hilly way.)

So give me a gentle push. What inspired you? How has commuting made your life better? Or what mistake did you make in the beginning that you can look back at and laugh now?

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I'm nervous each ride, and this is my third year commuting. :) I'm on (two-lane, heavily travelled but residential) Pa-Route 73 for 150 yds before making a left at a light. I just make sure I don't turn onto the road if I see any traffic coming (there's a light another 200 yds before where I turn on, so I can get a break in traffic).

Even with my short commute -- uphill on the way home! -- I'm in much better shape. I push my limits more to keep up with traffic and be less annoying to drivers. I have a bad knee and the pedalling helps a lot. It helped with my morning sickness/overall pregnancy exhuastion, if I could drag myself onto the bike.

Mistakes are legion: Not waiting my turn in stopped traffic and annoying drivers. I really try not to annoy drivers, except the guy in the black Ford who has to GUN IT when he passes me as we leave the train station parking lot.

Other mistakes: Not extending my commute last year, to get more miles. Forgetting my bike lock key. Not securing my stuff to the rack (get a bike trunk or panniers) and my husband finding my sandal in the street. Letting my pant bottoms flop freely and get caught in my gears (use large rubber bands).

Enjoy your commute!

Oops, one more question. Very last leg of my ride is on a semi-busy city street. One-way traffic across two lanes. I need to ride on this street for 1.5 blocks before making a left.

Ride in the leftmost lane on the left?

I can't add much to the how-to, it's been covered pretty well.

However, both DH & I have noticed that once we get to work on bikes, we are happier and work smarter, and are all-'round better people. The person who shares the small office with me has noticed, too.

Do it for your co-workers. :)

Also, keep an eye out on the bike for alternate routes that you just don't/can't see when in a car. Watch for things like bike tracks through grass into a parking lot, underpasses, and stuff like that. Some are kinda-sorta semi-legal, but they work. DH cuts through an apartment complex, I (and other bike commuters) cross the busiest street in town at an intersection that you just can't get across in a car. It works for a bike, though. A person just doesn't SEE these things through glass.

Getting to work on a bike is a tremendously liberating experience. Go for it. It will become the best part of your day. Really.

What inspired me? Being stuck in traffic watching people fly by me on their bikes. :D Also, getting 40 miles in on one day without spending any extra time is a huge bonus! (Drive + gym time is more than bicycle commute). For not being a morning person, I really love being out on my bike early in the morning. Everything is fresh, cool, beautiful, and not much traffic at the time I leave.

The thing that helped me the most to get started was that a co-worker who lives near me and commutes regularly offered to ride home with me to show me the route. The city I work in is, while very bike friendly, very congested, particularly the area right near work. It happens to be a half mile from a huge university, so there are lots of bike paths to help. I looked at the bike path maps, and then took it one step further and looked them up on Google maps with the satellite images. This really helps when planning alternate routes, I can see the bike paths and bridges and underpasses on the satellite images.

Finally, I would tell myself (and still do), if worse comes to worse, I can just pull over and stop. Either because I missed a turn and I need to go back, or because I can't get through traffic to make a turn, etc. No one is watching me to see how I do, and there are no point deductions for making mistakes. I can just stop, get my wits about me, then carry on.

Have fun, you will love it! Let us know how it goes. :)

The idea of not paying for parking was a huge inspiration for me to commute by bike and it doesn't really take me longer to bike than to drive (I have a short commute or 4 miles each way).

I keep extra shoes and clothes at work in case I forget to carry something. My biggest blunder involved biking in and unexpectively being called into a judge's chambers when all I had with me was my I don't have to go to court today biking clothes on.

Everyone else has pretty much covered all the reasons to commute, but I wanted to add my 2 cents. I live in Houston, Texas, pretty much in the middle of the city. I commute 10 miles each way, about 8 1/2 on a bike trail. It never ceases to amaze me at how much wildlife I see in my morning commute. I leave the house at about 5:15 - 5:30 ish and I see rabbits, hawks, cranes.......I love riding my bike to work!!! I gave up my $80 a month parking space habit and I average riding in 2 -3 times a week. It is helping keep my weight stable.

One thing that helps me when I am in traffic is that I use that little mirror that I attached to my bike helmet. It took me a while to get used to it, but I think it really helps me.

Have you taken a look at the price of gas? That is inspiration enough for me!

Have fun!!!!:D

Susie,

The seat is on its way! I hope that helps with your commute.
And, I might add that I haven't done a full commute since I moved a year and a half ago. Last spring I did do a few half commutes, where I drove half way, parked at a train station, and rode about 9 miles to work. On the way back, i made it longer, so I could get a 20 mile ride in. I used to have a 6.7 mile uphill commute on the way to school, going past a wild life reservation, pond, etc. Now I live 13.5 miles away, with a large traffic circle and highway making the commute a little weird by bike. It would be about 15 miles because my bike can't go on the highway. There is one intersection that worries me, but early in the AM it should be fine.
So, I have my old Voodoo mtb all set up for commuting. Pannier, lights, dual sided spd pedals. I am definitely going to try this before I retire in June. Still, I am nervous. I think it will take me over an hour, since the bike is so much heavier than my road bike.

Good luck,

Robyn

Our commute is 20km(one way)-we bought a house in this particular suburb so we wouldn't be lazy :) We were worried about being too far. Now we think we're too close!

I leave at 5am-dark when i leave & arrive at work. I don't encounter much traffic at all on my way to work & i guess i'm pretty lucky. I follow the road beside the train line for safety sake(it's a well populated route & i know the train timetable off by heart-should i ever have a flat :) ) I never encounter any cyclists going the same direction. I must scare a few motorists with my helmet light though..

My "commute"home isn't really a commute as i triple my distance twice a week to make it a training ride. On my way home, I head south along the river bike path-30km one way but as i mentioned above i normally double that distance twice a week.

I don't have panniers, wear my small hydration pack(without the bladder)& take my clothing to work on a sunday. I use a travel towel & all my shower stuff is at work.

I do drive into the city twice a week when i join our swim sessions-i do most of our errands on those days plus go to a pilates session.

C Not your average commuter

Yeah, Robyn, I can't wait to try out the new saddle! But that's going on my road bike not my commuter -- I can't risk that saddle getting stolen. :D

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Originally Posted by Offthegrid

I got my bike locker key this morning after plunking down $40. My company has showers and shower lockers. I have a rain jacket.

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My place of work has showers too, though no shower lockers - I just store everything at my desk.

But I am interested in your bike lockers... our Sustainability Group is looking at something like that to encourage less dependance on cars. How do they work?

We have a few bike stands about - but I would never put one of my bikes in one of those (they always get parked in our resource room off our open plan office).

RoadRaven, they look something like this. They are in rows, one locker on each side. The inside has a sloped wooden piece to allow two bikes to fit inside. Each has a metal key. They're pretty cool, although I think the fit will be pretty tight.

yea for you! i commute home 2-3 days a week now (when the weather is good...its rainy this week, boooo!). my commute is around 35miles one way. and for me, after sitting all day i feel amazing when i can jump on my bike to leave.

i commute on city roads all the way, and lets just say drivers in japan aren't the best in the world for a few reasons:

1. they don't signal until they are entering the turn...excellent, because i didn't want to know they were turning before i had to slam on my breaks before hitting that truck
2. they are allowed to park on the shoulder pretty much anywhere they want as long as they have their hazards on and they are sitting in the car. splendid. its fun coming around a blind curve and finding a car parked where you should be and trucks coming down on you on the right.
3. they don't pay attention. ever. for some reason they are in their own little world...i've only noticed that here (and i've traveled to other places in asia-pacific and europe).

but they are better than the americans that drive here as far as making way for bikes, so i'll give them that.

but anyway...good luck to you!! thats awesome!!! :)

Like OfftheGrid, I'm thinking of taking the plunge... OK, that and the rising gas prices.
I've mapped the 7.5 mile (12 km) route, and only a short part of it is on the levee bike path. Part is on a neighborhood street that's a minor thoroughfair (but technically low speed limit), and the ugly part is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) on a very busy major thoroughfair. In the mornings, if I left the house around 6:15, the 1.5 miles is very queit, but the afternoons I'd be risking life and limb. It does have a sidewalk, which is sometimes obstructed by folk's garbage or vehicles.

My question(s) - do you plot longer alternative routes? Ride on the sidewalks? Not all sidewalks have ramps where they meet the street, but rather have square edges - a hard bounce down and getting off and lifting up the bike to up the next side.

I had bought a Breezer 3-speed, tricked out with paniers with the notion to bike-commute a couple of days a week, and did so after the hurricane. But as folks returned and the 1.5 miles returned to the very busy status, I chickened out. Now I'm thinking about it again.

bmc, 7.5 miles isn't such a long route, so maybe you could consider on your afternoon ride making it longer and taking a bit of a detour to get past the scary section?

As for your question regarding sidewalks, there are parts of my commute when I use them, because the traffic is just too dangerous otherwise (and there's ABSOLUTELY no shoulder for me). Just use your head, and remember that riding on the sidewalk carries its own responsibility, such as being aware of peds (THEY have the right of way, here) and being very careful when crossing streets on sidewalks, as cars will not see you as they would on the street.

As you get more comfortable riding on the roads, you may find that the 1.5 miles isn't as bad as you initially thought, as long as you make sure you are ALWAYS vigilant and hyper-aware of everything that's going on. Which may be tough after a long day at work.

However, I think you should definitely try the commute out, at least once!!

K.