You know you're officially a bike commuter when...

[crazycanuck]

You recognize all the fair weathered cyclists.!!! You recognize the ones who've been out in the icky weather along with you.

You get to tell interesting stories about what the weather was like in May/July/Aug/Sept with the rain, wind & darkness..


C

[lph]

You recognize the ones who've been out in the icky weather along with you.

I like to think of them as "colleagues".

[shootingstar]

When you love to wear bright screaming jacket colours. I'm a commuter, flaunt it, baby! Day and night.

And those cyclists wearing black jackets...are they just...stupid??

[KnottedYet]

When you buy your pedestrian rainjacket (the one you WON'T wear when you ride) in the closest thing to screaming yellow you can find... cuz you want the cars to see you when you're walking, too!

[indigoiis]

"Your helmet serves as a hair styling device"

Oh yeah. I even told the hairdresser "I want lots of choppy wind-blown looking layers in a sort of bowl-bob cut." and she said, "you've already got that."

- even though you packed a great corporate style outfit, shoes and all, for a meeting, you forgot about outerwear, and walk to the meeting in your cycling rain/windbreaker jacket and black wool watch cap, and cycling gloves.

-You're not mad when you come out on a rainy night to find someone had put a discarded plastic cup over one of your foam bar grips. At least one of them will be dry tonight!

-while driving your car at night, you expect the headlights to follow your head movements.

-you wake up in the morning, look out at the sloppy weather and think, "do I HAVE to???" and then, after a few minutes thinking about it, you think, "no, I don't have to, but I WANT to!"

[Technotart]

"-you wake up in the morning, look out at the sloppy weather and think, "do I HAVE to???" and then, after a few minutes thinking about it, you think, "no, I don't have to, but I WANT to!"

Rock ON!

[susiej]

"Your helmet serves as a hair styling device"

Oh yeah. I even told the hairdresser "I want lots of choppy wind-blown looking layers in a sort of bowl-bob cut." and she said, "you've already got that."

I love my hairdresser because when told "something that will look good after I've been sweating under a bike helmet, that I only need to blow dry" gives me a GREAT haircut.

[kfergos]

You turn down multiple offers of rides home, preferring to ride home yourself in 32-degree torrential rain with heavy wind.

[Melalvai]

You turn down multiple offers of rides home, preferring to ride home yourself in 32-degree torrential rain with heavy wind.

Monday we had "wintry mix" falling from the sky. A fellow in the lab seemed very worried about me and offered twice to give me a ride.

I didn't accept because I didn't need a ride. I had a ride: my bike. Even in that kind of weather, I feel safer on my bike than in a car.

A few weeks ago the roads were not great. I took my daughter to school in the car, returned home, left the car at home for my husband to use to get to his classes, and biked to work as usual. On the car journey, I slipped twice and had to pump the brakes to keep control (nothing major, but to be expected in those conditions). On the bike journey, I did not lose control once, or even feel I might lose control.

So, although the temperature is uncomfortable, I really believe I'm safer on my bike. No one else is convinced. They say things like "other cars could lose control, and on your bike they'll kill you instead of ruining your bumper". I just don't agree.

[Voodoo Sally]

I love my hairdresser because when told "something that will look good after I've been sweating under a bike helmet, that I only need to blow dry" gives me a GREAT haircut.

Speaking of hairdressers, imagine the look on my hairdresser's face, and the other stylists at the salon as, after plunking down $$ on getting my hair cut and blow dried and looking fabulous, I say thank you and goodbye, while putting on my helmet to ride home. They don't know what to think.