your first commute to work

[Hill Nelly]

If you commute to work by bike, what motivated you to do this?
What changes did this bring about in your life?

Readers Digest version: For me, my motivation was a personal challenge: try to ride to work at least once by my 40th. My biggest fear was the road - the traffic, my confidence out there. That maiden voyage changed me forever. My first commute was on a beater mtn bike. Three months later I upgraded to a sweet steel ride (LeMond Zurich), and cut my tme by 17 min. I commuted the rest of the season until day light hours shifted. Been on the trainer Fall-Winter keepin' the faith. Looking forward to Spring!

Hillnelly

[sjsart]

Hi! I just found these boards and am really excited--I have just begun commuting to work and I am VERY slow but that is okay. I ride about 8 miles each way and began as a way to add exercise to my life daily...I do, however, live in Oregon so sometimes the weather can be a challenge.

Happy riding, SJSART

[elevenpointfive]

Hope it's not in poor taste to resurrect old threads here. This seems like a good topic, and it should get more traffic. New commuter stories are great. Though I haven't looked absolutely *everywhere* in the forums yet, so I could be missing the obvious if there are other ones around.

My first commute story: years ago, I'm driving a beater car. Haven't been on a bike at all for a couple of years. My insurance goes up to something ludicrous like $1200/year, which I as a low-wage drone can NOT afford. And my car needs major repairs. I only live 3 miles from work, and that job though low-wage is a great place to work and very friendly for alt transportation (showers, locker rooms, bike parking). And other places I usually need to go are all within 10 miles, with bus options for most of 'em. So I decide to buy a bike and sell my car. I end up with a $500 mid-range MTB (it was the '90s, ahh, cheap good bikes). And my body goes from zero to riding 6 to 20 miles/day with no time for transition. That hurt. But in a good way. You know what I mean. I got into the groove, had fun on downhills, made eventual peace with climbs, learned neat shortcuts and forest trails, learned that my body was stronger than I thought, became more tuned in to the evils of car culture... all that good stuff that makes me glad to get on a bike and ride.

So my first commute was the second ride I ever took on my brand new MTB. A rain ride that first week (in which I almost got hit and ended up kissing the pavement) didn't deter me, though the scar is still there. I kept it up for a couple years, until I moved away. (I still don't own a car, by the way, though I could sure use one now that I'm in the great sprawling nasty that is Minneapolis. But that's another story. Sprawl sucks!) I really came to enjoy commuting. It's so great to show up for work jazzed from exercise and the great outdoors. A few awful commuting days a year ain't so bad in the big picture, and I'll be very happy when I have a job that's commuter-friendly again. Yeah!


eleven

[zen_grrl]

I've been commuting by mtb for about 2 years now (11 miles/day) and absolutely love it. After 6 months of it my partner and I sold our car in favour of bikes/walking/buses and it's made a huge difference to my lifestyle. The biggest thing for me is that by the time I arrive at work I've been out on the bike in the weather (rain or shine) for about 30 minutes, while everyone else is reaching for their coffee in a desperate effort to wake up. It's a brilliant destresser as well - it's hard to worry about that report when you're concentrating on your ride. I'm fitter, healthier and happier despite facing unhappy drivers, dogs out to get me and "challenging" weather every day...

[pedalfaster]

OK, so this is not a "first commute" story, but rather an embarassing confession....

After many months and years of commuting I finally forgot something...important. My underwear.

Ugh.

Has this ever happened to anyone else??? Going "comando" at work was an odd experience. Luckily I was wearing a loooong skirt

[elevenpointfive]

Ha! I did that once, but going commando in my holey warehouse jeans was not an option, so I got permission from my boss to ride home for my drawers. So that day was a 40-mile commute instead of 20. After that, I kept an 'emergency' pair at work, just in case. Of course I never needed them after that day.

[paintgirl]

Glad to see lots of others are finding ways to commute. Once I gave up on the excuses, (too far, too cold, too hot) I commute usually 4 0f 5 days. I live 25 miles from work, and drive a gas monster old Ford van. So I put the bike into the van drive 10 miles to an area where a bike path starts and commute from there. Round trip 30 miles. I have to go on road for only 3- 4 miles, and I can pick less travelled streets. The best part I think is not sitting at red lights inching forward to get out of town in my un air conditioned ugly van. Now I hop on the bike, take the path which is along a beautiful waterfront for the first few miles. Living in N. Ontario limits the season to ride, so I try not to use the too hot excuse these days. We don't have shower facilities at work, but do have a big washroom with baby change table. So I can put all my stuff out on it. I keep towels soap etc at work, (spare u.w too) My hair is naturally curly, so I just spritz it with water, put on some gel for frizz, and it looks better than when I don't ride. I feel better than I have in years. I'm 51, today is my 27th wedding anniversary, I coach my daughter's softaball team, I play slo pitch and ball hockey, and I really think it's biking that has kept me in shape. I have a horrendous family history of heart disease, so I am hoping all of this will keep that particular wolf away from my door as well ... have a great day Paintgirl

[Veronica]

Way to go! Congrats on the anniversary! But I hate you (well not really - hair envy) - my hair flat and straight. Thank God for pony tails.


Veronica

[adkoch]

Yep, it happened to me over the weekend... hubby and I went on a 35-mile bike ride through some neighborhoods of Chicago and planned on seeing a Cubs game in the afternoon. I was well into the ride before realizing that, indeed, I had forgotten an essential that I am all too paranoid of forgetting when I commute to work. Nonetheless, it actually felt great to go without! I cannot say the same for the upper half, however!!! I am not that large but needless to say, I felt so self-conscious that we declined the offer to grab an after-game beer at the bar!

[cyclechick]

I am so excited to find this! I work 12 miles away, but I'm constantly driving to my customer location (another 20 miles)...So i finally figured out a few days that I could ride home from work (leave car at work) and ride to work. That way if I have a customer meeting, my car is there. I was very nervous the first night and day, but it's been so great to come into work, so AWAKE and refreshed! No shower facilties, but a lot of wet wipes! ha ha

[cat-on-wheels]

I've been commuting by bike for a couple of years now, but I'd like to jump into this discussion board for the first time by posting to this thread! ... Depending on the speed of the wind and whether it's morning/evening, I either bike along the lakefront path or through the city on my way to/from work. It takes me about 50 minutes each way, and I'm fortunate enough to work at a place that has (decent) showers in the building. I'm saving lots of $$ commuting by bike, which is the best, but I'm also trying to lose weight and get stronger, physically. Deciding to commute by bike (I use public transportation when the weather is really bad) is one of the best things I've ever done. I even managed to bike throughout this past winter, since it was a relatively calm/moderate one (for Chicago!). I would encourage anyone to commute to work by bike, if she can!

[assassin__x]

I hate my commute to work right now. It's short, but on this nasty narrow road, a fair bit of traffic too. There are also scrap yards near by so I've ruined a couple of tires in the last few months. Even with the short distance this is the worst commute that I've had to do.

My best would have been two summers ago, and it was maybe 10km each way. It had some nice sections to it, crossing the susspension bridge could be nasty if the winds were high, but the view was always refreshing, and there was a section that went by this nice lake and park combo. I was still on a busier road, but it was pretty and the road was decently wide.

It feels refreshing to arrive to work ridding there.

I look forward to getting back to Halifax (less than three weeks to go!) and getting back to my commuter there. Much nicer than the cheap bike I picked up for the summer here in Ontario.

[Trek420]

Hope it's not in poor taste, I am bumping this tread up to the forefront. Seemed to relate well to my latest adventures...

I've been riding to work the last 3 weeks due to the car being in the shop.(get it back tomorrow but may still ride 1-3 days a week while weather/light permits) anyway....

why oh why oh why do people on BART Bay Area Rapid Transit) feel free to touch my bike?

"OOOOOOH look at the pretty wheels" ...grabs the spokes...


"oooooh, look these are black!" (campy record brake levers) tweaks the brake levers...

"my bike doesn't have one of those!" trys to take the computer off to see what it does!

and yesterday....

"how much does a bike like this cost?" says a man who grabbed my handlebars unasked while walking next to me. When I told him I did not wish to discuss that he snapped "Oh, so you don't know. that's it" I stopped, looked him right in the eye and told him "I know exactly what it cost and why it cost that but I want to go home. If you have questions about bikes ask customer service at your local bike shop" and then told him where to go (no not that, which bike shop but tempted)

I feel like such a #itch, saying "Please DON'T TOUCH MY BIKE"

Almost had to get physical (use the martial arts training) with one guy who continued to squeeze together the spokes of my wheelset after being told not to.....twice. Don't make me tell you something three times ;-)

Is it because it's shiny and pretty? Because they know it's not like the Kmart bike at home but don't know what it takes to maintain? Is it because the Kmart bikes are cheap so they think this one's the same just prettier?

Trying to figure it out. Class issue? Upbringing? These are not kids, this is all folks as old or older than me (48)

I see few recreational cyclists on my route to work or in the station. Where I used to live I saw a lot, my commute to and from BART was on a popular hill training ride.

I do see folks for whom a bike is just cheap/affordable transportation, perhaps they can't afford a car or gas so most don't think they are doing any harm, a bike is not worth much.

I could ride my old GT hardtail mountain bike and people would ignore it but....but would take me sooooooo much longer.

For now on two people's recomendation (one from this board and one friend IRL) I've adopted an intimidating "don't mess with me" Oakland stare.

Comical, I'm 5'1" ...but so far it works! It's not the real me (friendly, cycling ambassador) but no one approaches me or trys to pick up the bike.

any theories?

well, gotta go walk the dog, ttyl

[bounceswoosh]

That's just weird. People wouldn't fondle someone else's car like that!

I don't generally have that sort of problem, as my bike is encrusted in dirt. No one in their right mind would want to touch it =P Of course, this works best for mountain bikes. If my bike were pristine, I'd feel guilty.

You're right about no idea of the cost -- I was talking to a guy on an easy trail, and I mentioned that my old bike had been totalled. I told him it was pretty expensive, and he said, yeah, some of those bikes are, what, $800?

... The bike I was talking about was a Fuel 90 ... MSRP about $1500. The bike I was riding while talking to this guy was a lot more than that.

And the bike I want is more than that, still! It never ends =/

[caligurl]

oh what a great thread!

uhm... i always want to fondle orbea's when i see them bad caligurl, newbie cyclist