your first commute to work

[moo bean]

G'day all, new here. I've been commuting to work since the beginning of the year, after buying myself a bike for Xmas.

I'd been considering bicycle commuting for a while before that, and when the in-laws mentioned they'd discovered some old bikes while cleaning out the workshop, I looked at it as a sign and a perfect opportunity to start. However, the bikes turned out to be "not worth repairing" (not sure if they were or not, as I didn't get to see them *sigh*), so that killed that chance.

However the idea was now tickling away quite firmly at the back of my mind, and during the Christmas break I wandered on down to the LBS to see what they had. Picked up a GT Timberline, which in hindsight has an inordinately heavy frame but at the time I really didn't have much of a clue. Does the job, though, so who am I to complain?

I've been riding to work (~15km round trip) 4 days out of 5 ever since, and don't look to be stopping anytime soon.

[CorsairMac]

yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee MOO!!......welcome to the board and I LOVE your avatar!

If you get a chance there's a thread under the open titled "getting to know you".....gives you a chance to know more about us then is decent! and tell us something more about you!!!

and goodonya for the commute! I'll have been commuting for a year here in about 2-3 weeks and I can't understand why it took me so long to do it!

[RoadRaven]

Hey there Moo!
LOL... from oz huh? So why is that cow on there and not a sheep?
Seriously though, welcome to the board

Goodonya for commuting - best way to get to/from work if you havta go!

[Barb]

I am ebaying for panniers so that when I go back to work, it will be on a bike! I just hope I can get in gear early enough so that I can clean up and change before the kids show up! I have an 8 mile commute. I did it twice last year, but only on "no kids" days.

[cougncali]

I've been commuting to work for about 4 months now and I love it! Back in April I tore my ACL in a snowboarding accident and was sidelined for the rest of the season. Previously, running was my favorite sport, but with my injured knee, I was banned from doing anything weight bearing.

I initially rode my bike to work a couple times, just so I wouldn't start getting fat & lazy. I was initially turned off by the fact that my skinny runner legs were getting bulkier in the quadriceps! But it felt good to be pushing myself, and especially since I was little more than a once-a-month recreational biker before, I felt like I was actually getting somewhere.

The area where I bike is not friendly to bicyclists whatsoever, so getting past the vulnerability of being on two wheels was tough at first. Crazy drivers, attacking dogs, cat calls, getting the finger... you name it, I've seen it!

Since I started riding more seriously, I've really learned a lot about bikes, and I have gotten in the best shape that I've been all year. Co-workers have even commented on how tough it is to bike the route I go, and are impressed that I've actually kept it up! I'm now riding to work about 4 times a week. My commute is 9 miles each way, and especially when I leave work in the evening and it's 100F outside, it's especially challenging!

I haven't run at all in the 4 months since I got hurt, and I've grown to love the feeling I get from biking. I've done some longer rides in the Sierras on the weekends, in the Bay Area, and now find myself considering biking first over driving... especially with the prices of gas in California!

[nuthatch]

I've been thinking of applying for a new job lately and I find myself only considering the ones that will let me cycle-commute within a reasonable amount of time! Talk about cycling taking over your destiny!!

[latelatebloomer]

I've ridden to work a few times now - 5.5 miles of country road, through a sheep farm, over a covered bridge, and past a Rosicrucian temple. The best part is being greeted like a champion by my "Wolverines" - the group of head-injured men for whom I'm day-program therapist. I have worked really hard on them noticing and applauding each other's accomplishments - even if they sometimes seem small (like remembering my name or growing a flower - um, this is why I'm so strong on the helmet thing.) The first time I showed up on my bike, they met me at the door like I had won the Tour. They cheered and shouted. They examined my bike (most haven't really seen one for 15 years) my gloves, my helmet (they're very stern about the helmet, too.) I realized they'd totally gotten it about rewarding accomplishment, and had turned it around on me. Now they track my progress.

It is a real pain in the butt to be organized enough the day before to bring everything I need for changing. But there are a lot of very large women at work, and they are starting to ask me about getting fitter. So by riding to work once in a while, I can start to do for them what y'all do for me.

For which I can't thank you all enough