Commuting - My Wife Will Have the Best Commute Ever.

Hey guys.

So I am real jealous of my wife. We will be moving to Bastrop, Texas in June, and my wife "would" have the best bike commute I have ever seen if she were to ride. It is essentially 20 or so miles roundtrip via a state park road, no traffic, rolling hills, through pine forest. No road noise, no exhaust, just the hum of tires twice a day and the occasional deer.

How can I convince her to ride? I am so frekin' jealous that I would quit my job and mow grass there for that kind of commute! :) She has ridden before, but overheats easily, and hates riding with me because I ride too fast. I know, my fault. :o Maybe if I got her a road bike (she has a mountainbike with slicks on it now). I am sure if we rode it together a few times she would be hooked.

Break the car... take it in for service and tell her it may take a week or more to get "some special part."

Ride with her slowly and encourage her (heck you'll enjoy the view).

Make sure she has no reason to do anything but bike the route... ("need to go to the store... etc.")

After more than a week of biking this great route, perhaps it will sink in that it is fun.

If all this doesn't work, divorce her and try again.

Break the car... take it in for service and tell her it may take a week or more to get "some special part."

Ride with her slowly and encourage her (heck you'll enjoy the view).

Make sure she has no reason to do anything but bike the route... ("need to go to the store... etc.")

After more than a week of biking this great route, perhaps it will sink in that it is fun.


FTW!

Do the ride during the weekend first. "Honey, you could do this every day if you wanted".



If all this doesn't work, divorce her and try again.

FTL! (heh, I know you're kidding... you are, aren't you? right?!? ;))

I'm jealous and I don't know where you're talking about. Will she be going through Bastrop State Park ( I looked on google ).

Having just completed the MS150...I am jealous! Big Time! My commute is growing (as of this Monday) to 27 miles roundtrip. At least the change takes me out of the suburbs and into the countryside....but rolling hills....drool!

Like Oboeguy said...go on weekend rides and show her just how awesome the commute would be! The mtb might be the better fit for her on those hills.....I know it worked for several thousand others this past weekend.

Enjoy Bastrop!

I'm jealous and I don't know where you're talking about. Will she be going through Bastrop State Park ( I looked on google ).

Yep, she would be taking the road from Bastrop State Park to another state park southeast of there. The road actually shows up lit up real well on Google Earth, as I have looked more than once :rolleyes: .

I like everyone's suggestion on just going for a ride together on a weekend. We could take the route just because it is nice, and then "just happen" to end up at her workplace. ;)

TxBiker-

Congrats on the longer commute! Unfortunately I will be working in Austin and doing a park and ride commute. I am trying to make it as long as possible, with the current route being about 18 miles roundtrip. I will miss just walking out the door and riding to work though.

BTW, does everyone in Texas drive crazy or what? What is with the roads with 65 mph speed limits and no onramps? My little 4-cyl got a hell of a workout last time I was there just to keep from getting run over!

PricklyCommute,

Texans don't need no stinkin' on ramps! Ha! Seriously, the driving in Texas is terrible for cycling. It is easier to count days I DON'T get buzzed than days I do. And you would think with all the old trucks floating around the speeds would be less.....No way....not for those honkin' V-8 jobs!!!

Enjoy Bastrop and the Austin area...it is the best Texas has to offer.

Get her a nice lightweight flat bar roadie with a rack on the back and lighter 700x28c's. Also get lights and a nice new set of bags/panniers. Ibex makes a great flat bar roadie (22lbs) with disc brakes if she prefers them.

Then tell her that it is sooooooooo worth it.

Yep. Ride it with her, but don't make her work the destination. Just kind of point it out.

"Say...Isn't that your office?"

"Say...Isn't that your office?"

Nice....

Get her a nice lightweight flat bar roadie with a rack on the back and lighter 700x28c's. Also get lights and a nice new set of bags/panniers. Ibex makes a great flat bar roadie (22lbs) with disc brakes if she prefers them.

+1 I got my GF a Raleigh Rt 1 last year and she loves it.

OK, I usually cut up a lot in here, but I am going to be dead serious for a minute.

Don't bug her about commuting. Get her a new bike and start riding with her on weekends, after work, whenever you can. Make it fun for her again. No riding too fast...you aint racing, got no deadlines. Be patient with her and try to have fun. Once she rediscovers that riding is fun, the notion to ride to work will come into her mind all by itself sooner or later. If you start pushing her, even with just subtle hints, she will see right through it and...well how do you react when you think you are being pushed or conned? OK, that is my serious post for the day...back to being the Klass Klown. ;)

^^^^^^ What chipcom said. I didn't put it very well in my post but I was getting at the same thing. Riding needs to be fun for it to happen.

+1 I got my GF a Raleigh Rt 1 last year and she loves it.

OK, I usually cut up a lot in here, but I am going to be dead serious for a minute.

Don't bug her about commuting. Get her a new bike and start riding with her on weekends, after work, whenever you can. Make it fun for her again. No riding too fast...you aint racing, got no deadlines. Be patient with her and try to have fun. Once she rediscovers that riding is fun, the notion to ride to work will come into her mind all by itself sooner or later. If you start pushing her, even with just subtle hints, she will see right through it and...well how do you react when you think you are being pushed or conned? OK, that is my serious post for the day...back to being the Klass Klown. ;)

That is great advice. I have been eyeing getting another bike myself (that I don't need). It would be a great way for us to explore our new digs together too. :)