Commuting - Is commuting right for me?

Hi all,

I just got a new job and moved to a new city, and on top of it just had my first kid a month ago. I'm really suffering on the exercise front, and I'm thinking that cycling might be the ticket to help me get back in shape.

Here's my problem. I'm pretty sure I would like doing this, but work is 17 miles away, and I won't know for sure until I do it a couple of times. I'm hesitant to drop $1,000 give or take on a road bike without knowing whether I'll want to stick with it. I'm guessing it will take me an hour each way to bike it, but I don't know what anyone's experience is with that (the road is quite flat).

Is there a way to rent a road bike? I live in Salinas, CA, an hour from San Jose and a half hour from Monterey. If I buy a new one, will I take a big hit if I want to sell it. And lastly, what's a good bike for this purpose? The bike shop recommended a Specialized Sequoia for $750 or so.

I would also love any thoughts on people's experiences with commuting: I have to overcome my own willpower to get up early and bike in, I have to overcome my wife's reservation about price and about leaving her alone a little longer than I would by driving, and I would have to find a safe place to lock the bike at work, and deal with showering and unwrinkling my clothes. Lastly, the road I would take is a flat rural road with few hills, but I hear drivers really tear along those farm raods. How can I look out for my safety?

You will get more responses in the "Commuting" forum.

My one-way commute is a meer 3.2 miles which takes me 10 minutes (includes wait time at traffic lights). I only do long range rides for recreation when commute time is not an issue.

A 17 mile commute is very easy once you are in shape. You don't have to spend $1000 on a roadbike either. Visit the commuting forums to see lots and lots of different bikes used for commuting.

I found that kid schedules (getting them to/from school/daycare) were the biggest impediment to taking the extra time to ride a bike to work. I never did solve a lot of the issues; I just drove until they grew up.

I assume you have two cars? otherwise you'd already be commuting.

If you decide to try it out, I'd recommend taking the bike with you in your car to work in the morning and bike home, then bike to work the next day. This way, god forbid something happens and you need to get home to your wife and baby, you'll have your car at work.

17 miles for someone who doesn't ride is not easy and unless you're in great shape, there's no way you can do 17mph.

How about this... combine car, bike, and public transportation/carpooling together. Instead of biking TO work the very next day when your legs are tired and your butt hurts, take the bus to work, take your car home, take your car with bike in it to work and ride home. If you ride "only" twice a week, say Monday and Thrusday, that's still 34 miles more than before and as much as many people commute all week long. My TOTAL commute for the WHOLE week is "only" 42 miles.

After a few months, you'll probably want to increase the amount you bike to/from work.

Chew on that and if you do want to commute, then spend the effort researching bikes.

Welcome! Check out the sticky "Advice for New Commuters."

Lots of questions - I'll talk about just a few:

Distance - You can start off doing a partial bike commute (driving part way and cycling the rest), or commuting only some days until you get stronger. There are plenty of ways to ease into the commute.

Price - Tell your wife that $1000 for a commuter bike will save 4 times that in auto costs in a year.

Safety - I always say that commuting can be safer than weekend riding because it is so regular that the drivers get to know you and expect to see you on the road.
There are riding methods that will improve you safety and help control how the drivers react to you. There is a GREAT cycling course sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists (http://http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/education/courses.php#road1)that I think should be mandatory for adult cyclists. I am amazed how much I learned and how much more I can control how I am treated on the road.

Welcome! Check out the sticky "Advice for New Commuters."

Thanks caloso. I saw that, but with 335 posts, and few relevant answers after 15 minutes reading, I lost interest.

If you can do the ride 2-3 times a week, that's something. The Sequoia is a good choice, I think. You might also look at cyclo-cross bikes. Specialized makes a nice one. They're rugged (not that the Sequoia will fall apart on you or anything), and have gearing similar to road bikes. Make sure you get some durable tires (Specialized Armadillos come to mind, but there are others).

There's a whole lot of stuff you could buy (a whole lotta stuff), but I would start with cycling shoes and clipless pedals, water bottle cages and water bottles, a helmet, a spare tube, a frame pump, a floor pump for home, a patch kit and tire levers (these are really cheap), and some cycling specific clothes such as gloves, shorts or bibs (bibs are better), and a jersey. A hi-vis vest is not a bad idea. And lights because lights are better than reflectors. Not everything on this list is necessary, but most of it will make your commute nicer.

Learn how to change a flat. And ride the route at least once before you decide to commute.

A commute of 17 miles should, depending on weather and hills and stoplights and things, take you about an hour. And commuting is a great way to burn calories, avoid spending extra time in the gym, and slough off stress.

Clothes - there's a couple of ways to deal with this. You can leave extra clothes at work if you have a place to stash them. I leave shoes at work. Sometimes pants as well. Rolling your clothes prevents wrinkles, or at least it's better than folding. If you drive a couple of days a week, take extra clothes with you and bring old ones home. Pack your stuff the night before.

Sweat - if you have showers, fantastic. If you don't, or you don't have time, baby wipes are great. Leave extra deoderant and whatnot in your desk. Showering before your commute helps too.

Danger - cycling is not dangerous. You have to be aware of your environment, of course, but it isn't dangerous. Heading over to the Advocacy and Safety forum can be dangerous, but only for your sanity. There is plenty on the forums here to suggest ways of coping with traffic and idiots.

Family and time - my commute isn't that long, so my wife doesn't care how I get to work as long as I go to work. ;) We don't have a second car, so we save money that way. All in all, I think it's worked out in our favor, even though I do spend a bit on bike stuff. We don't have kids, and obviously I'm not married to your wife, so I don't know how to help you there. If she's got something she wants to do, let her have her time, I suppose. Maybe make sure she understands that your not doing this to avoid responsibilities at home. Make sure she understand this by actively and happily taking care of your reponsiblities at home. But you know that.

There are lots of reasons to bike commute - it's fun, a great way to lose weight and get in shape, burn off stress, help save the planet, etc. Not all of these reasons will motivate you, but I do hope you get out there and try it.

Thanks caloso. I saw that, but with 335 posts, and few relevant answers after 15 minutes reading, I lost interest.
So the other two posts in this thread held no value?

If you buy a 1 or 2 year old bike on your local Craigslist, the seller has already taken the big hit on price. Should you decide to resell it in 6 months, you'll probably get the same $ you spent.

Good point. We ought to do a wiki-type thing.

Anyway, let me see if I can answer your questions directly. I don't know if you can rent a road bike in your area. I'd suspect that the only rental bikes are cruisers and mtbs at the tourist traps in Santa Cruz. If you know what you're looking for, you may have good luck with finding a lightly used bike on Craigslist or eBay.

I agree with some of the other posters that a split commute is a good way to start: either drive in part way or alternate. Zero to 34 miles a day is a huge leap.

There's a fairly high initial investment but the rewards are great and bike commuting pays for itself fairly quickly.

On the clothes thing: If you have a place to keep clothes, you can bring in what you need once or twice a week.

And then there's the question of lights, blinkies, locks, etc.

Hi Doc,
I like your thinking, now as for making it work, a little creativity will get you there. That's quite a distance to just jump on and go. Lots of ways to break that up and keep the peace at home. Let's look at the most important equation in married life first:

If she's happy, you're happy :D
If she's unhappy, you're unhappy :mad:

Possible answers to get the equation to the happy side:
Leave your bike in the office, and ride on lunch.
Find a Park-and-ride spot to ditch the car at the half way point or less. 5 miles a day is a good starting mileage, it will give you two 20 minute aerobic workouts each day, not bad at all.
You'll need your wife's help picking out some dayglow shirts or a reflective vest at safeshirts.com, so she knows you're being safe and healthy for your family.

Good luck!

As a father of 3 kids, right now is not the time to bike commute to work. Your wife is working very hard to take care of that baby... you can bicycle commute when the kid is a couple of years old. Right now should be not only about her and the baby but also getting your *** home so you can not miss out too much on all the events a baby goes through that when you miss em... that's it... they are gone.

If you are overweight, you can count calories (see calorie-count.com) and lose weight easily just doing that. To get in shape without spending a ton of time (and 17 miles for a newbie to this would be easily an hour and a half regardless of hills unless there are no stop signs or lights on the way. Averaging 17mph is a challenge for me and I ride some serious miles... but just a couple handfuls of stopsigns and the time/speed average changes dramaticly)... but anyway to get in shape without spending a ton of time (or money) you can learn to run. There's a learn to run thread over on the exercise forums of calorie-count that took me from never running much in my life for any decent distance (even as a skinny teen) to being able to run 4 miles non-stop. So you could get into shape, not miss out too much on things with your baby, not piss your wife off too much being gone so much extra nad not helping out as much with the baby... and probably be a little happier in the long run.

Here's my problem. I'm pretty sure I would like doing this, but work is 17 miles away, and I won't know for sure until I do it a couple of times. I'm hesitant to drop $1,000 give or take on a road bike without knowing whether I'll want to stick with it. I'm guessing it will take me an hour each way to bike it, but I don't know what anyone's experience is with that (the road is quite flat). Flat is good. How about traffic lights and intersections: are there many or almost none? That makes a huge difference to your average speed.

As others have suggested, you can drive partway and bike the rest of the way (at least at first).


Is there a way to rent a road bike? I live outside Salinas, CA, an hour from San Jose and a half hour from Monterey. I know of one place that rents a road bike in Toronto for about $40 a day. So places like this exist, but I don't know if there are any in your area.

One idea to consider is getting a used 10-speed in decent shape. They can be found on craigslist for pretty modest sums. Use it to try things out, and if you like it, you can get a new bike and keep the ten-speed as a back-up/bad weather bike.


If I buy a new one, will I take a big hit if I want to sell it? Depends on the market, but there is definitely depreciation going on. You might be able to sell the bike for 2/3 of its original price or a bit higher maybe. Or you might not - I don't know how hot the bike market is in your area.


And lastly, what's a good bike for this purpose? The bike shop recommended a Specialized Sequoia for $750 or so. Any road bike that fits you well should be good. Sequoias are meant to have relaxed geometry (good, since it's more comfortable but still plenty aerodynamic for your purposes). However, if you're going to be carrying lots of stuff, I'd recommend a bike that can handle a rear rack. I don't think Sequoia (or most road bikes) have the eyelets. You might want to look at cyclocross or touring bikes instead.


I would also love any thoughts on people's experiences with commuting: I have to overcome my own willpower to get up early and bike in If you enjoy biking, you will not mind getting up a little earlier. Bike-commuting is pretty addictive. :)


I have to overcome my wife's reservation about price and about leaving her alone with our new baby a little longer than I would by driving But commuting time will double as exercise, which means you will not have to spend time in the gym away from the family. So in fact you'll be spending MORE time with the family.

Of course, it always helps to be good to your wife and help her with the kid. ;)


and I would have to find a safe place to lock the bike at work Many places allow you to bring the bike inside and park it right next to your desk (assuming you work at a desk). Some will have designated bike parking inside (but don't assume it's necessarily secure - lots of parking garages are accessible to anyone and have a puny bike rack tucked away in a dark corner...). Sometimes you can find a little-used nook or broom closet or something and store your bike there. If I had to lock the bike outside in a big city, though, I'd probably just use a refurbished ten-speed. Leaving a 1000-dollar bike in the same location outside day after day is just taking way too much risk, in my opinion. Even if you do use good locks. (Unless you can see the bike right out the window and can run out fast as soon as anyone starts mucking with it. :))


and deal with showering and unwrinkling my clothes. Is there a shower at your workplace? That's awesome! If not, you can arrange to shower at a nearby gym (ask them for a reduced price for a "shower" membership - lots of gyms agree to that arrangements). Finally, you can just clean up in the washrooms - many people on these boards do so with great success (baby wipes are your friend!)


Lastly, the road I would take is a flat rural road with few hills, but I hear drivers really tear along those farm roads. How can I look out for my safety? If traffic is sparse, it's ok even if drivers do go fast. Be aware of what's around you, wear bright clothes, use bright lights at night, ride predictably in a straight line on the right side of the road (if there is a wide shoulder - great, if not - still ok). Many people like using a mirror on country roads to see if anything's coming up behind you. Some prefer helmet/eyeglasses-mounted (try Take-A-Look), some attach a mirror to the handlebars (work better with flat bars rather than drop bars on a road bike, but it might be possible with drop bars too, depends on the model and your ingenuity).

Search this forum for a wealth of info about all these concerns and questions. Have fun!

If you are overweight, you can count calories (see calorie-count.com) and lose weight easily just doing that. Yeah, and a lot of that weight loss will come from losing muscle. If you don't exercise, muscle IS what goes first when you limit your calory intake.


To get in shape without spending a ton of time (and 17 miles for a newbie to this would be easily an hour and a half regardless of hills unless there are no stop signs or lights on the way. Averaging 17mph is a challenge for me and I ride some serious miles... but just a couple handfuls of stopsigns and the time/speed average changes dramaticly)... Yes, averages do drop dramatically... but time doesn't increase that much. It's just that the average speed is very adversely affected by even a few minutes of going slowly. But it is only a few minutes, and time is what counts.

Plus there is always the option of driving partway, if 17 miles is too long (it will be too long at the beginning, I predict, especially since OP is new to biking and somewhat out of shape generally). He also doesn't have to ride every day.


but anyway to get in shape without spending a ton of time (or money) you can learn to run. So you'll still be away from your family while you're running. Combine that with the time it takes to drive from work, and there isn't necessarily any extra time spent with the family...

Anyway, I am not saying that the OP must do the commute. Just pointing out that it is possible to do that without compromising on family time.

All replies are right on. Use a cheap bike to begin with, only commute part of the way to begin with, and give yerself plenty of time to begin with.

Think like a newborn: baby steps, man.

If I buy a new one, will I take a big hit if I want to sell it?

Yes, you will. The last six or so bikes I have purchased have come from ebay and they've all be no more than 50% of retail, in nearly-new condition. When I've sold them I've gotten as much ( and typically more ) than I paid for them.

If you have an idea what you want, check the used market. You'll either save yourself some cash, or get a much better bike for the money.

Combining riding and driving sounds like a great idea for starting out. Even if there isn't a park and ride within reasonable distance of your most direct route, there should be someplace you could park your car. Maybe in mall parking lot someplace, or ask the owner of a restaurant if you could park in an out-of-the-way spot (buying a coffee to go or other drink on occasion might help so it doesn't seem like you are freeloading).

Maybe look into a bike rack for your car, probably can find one used to save some bucks. Unless you have a big hatchback car, and getting the bike in and out would be quick and easy (just don't lay it on the side that has the derailleurs!).

So you'll still be away from your family while you're running. Combine that with the time it takes to drive from work, and there isn't necessarily any extra time spent with the family...

Anyway, I am not saying that the OP must do the commute. Just pointing out that it is possible to do that without compromising on family time.

I run during my lunch break. My car commute of 17 miles is 30 min... so 1 hour a day. My bike commute is 1:30 each way... which is 3 hours out of my day. Do the math. He's got a very similar distance to go as I do. He could run at lunch time and not lose any more time than what he's already spending at work and in his driving commute.

Even if I ran BEFORE work, I could do that before my kid even wakes up where as after a long day with a new baby your wife is going to seriously start missing you when you don't show up until 6:30. Running is an every other day activity as well. M/W/F... not bad.

As for calorie counting, you don't lose a lot of muscle. That's a misconception right there. You might lose some but as long as you are eating enough then you will lose fat mostly. I know, I measure as well as weigh myself. If you eat too little then your body goes into starvation mode and it starts processing muscle at a rapid rate. So there's a ballancing act... but it does work and there's no gimmicky crap to it... it's a real life change learing to eat right and not overeat because portions are way out of control.

Being a parent and having a mathematics minor to go with my cs degree... 3 hours of bike commuting 2 to 3 times the amount of time needed versus car commuting & either running during his lunch break or before work.... I can't see how anyone can say he'd be spending the same time away from his wife & kid. It just doesn't compute.

You only get 1 chance to be there for the first time that stuff happens... let alone 1 chance to keep your wife as stress free as possible during postpartum and other stuff that follows having a baby. Mom's need breaks too. Dad not being there is going to build some resentment and stress.

I'm all for bicycle commuting (hense why I'm here) but I don't think it's worth it in this sinario at this time. Two years down the road... ok... maybe then... unless that's about the time baby #2 is coming :p

As a father of 3 kids, right now is not the time to bike commute to work. Your wife is working very hard to take care of that baby... you can bicycle commute when the kid is a couple of years old. Right now should be not only about her and the baby but also getting your *** home so you can not miss out too much on all the events a baby goes through that when you miss em... that's it... they are gone.

I'll have to disagree. As a father of 5, the importance of Daddy down time is right up there. An hour and change isn't going to break the daddy-baby-experience bank. The commute would be a great way to unwind from work, de-stress, and get some exercise and that's not including gas savings that will definitely be needed for diapers/wipes/clothes.

I am far from being the most patient and tolerant of people and my bike ride home has been a great asset in physically reducing stress and mentally being able to cope with chaos a house full of kids can bring.

nightc1, I tend to agree with your general point that perhaps he shouldn't do something that will result in several hours a day not spent at home with his family since the kids are so young. I can't see why he couldn't at least do part of his commute by bike tho. Especially if there is a portion where riding wouldn't be a huge difference time-wise from driving, like through an area with lower speed limit and/or heavy traffic he could filter through.

Also, I am sure the stress relief from riding, and being in better health, would make him more effective in his parenting role.

I'm all for bicycle commuting (hense why I'm here) but I don't think it's worth it in this sinario at this time. Two years down the road... ok... maybe then... unless that's about the time baby #2 is coming :p

Being a grandpa, I gotta disagree. Not everyone is you nor is their situation the same. I commuted on my bike through all my kids. Making exercise a part of your day, rather than having to make time for it, gives you more time with your family in the long run...it's not a mathematical equation because there are too many variables. Plus, dad's need exercise, time to themselves and a way to work off stress too...riding is a great way to do that.

Is commuting right for me?

short answer: yes

long answer: yyyeeesss

I'll have to disagree. As a father of 5, the importance of Daddy down time is right up there. An hour and change isn't going to break the daddy-baby-experience bank. The commute would be a great way to unwind from work, de-stress, and get some exercise and that's not including gas savings that will definitely be needed for diapers/wipes/clothes.

I am far from being the most patient and tolerant of people and my bike ride home has been a great asset in physically reducing stress and mentally being able to cope with chaos a house full of kids can bring.

That can work if you're willing to go solo with the kids for a while while Mom gets a break. However, telling the guy with a 17 mile (1.5 hour) commute that he can stick his wife on her own with the kid for 12 hours, I don't think that's fair to her. At the least, she should most certainly get veto rights on that plan. I'm guessing she wouldn't be too cool with that. When does Mom get to unwind, de-stress, etc?

I started bike commuting in part because it gave me more time on the bike, but my commute is short (6 miles), and our traffic is so dysfunctional that commuting by bike is only about 5-10 minutes longer (and that's with a route that's 2 miles longer than by car). Before that, I also rode on my lunch hour. I just can't leave her on her own with the kids (two in diapers) for hours at a time. Not fair.

Talk it over with the wife and list the pros and cons. The OP should be able to at least start riding a day or two a week.

A big thing... is the wife breastfeeding or is she using formula? My wife and I did formula for all our kids. She handled a lot of the day time feedings and the 3 or 4am feeding.. I handled everything up till midnight so she could go to bed earlier.

Even if she's feeding a breastpump can be used so you can be a part of the process and a productive partner in helping raise the kid.

Maybe I'm just a more hands on kind of father... a 1 month old.. good gosh I'm going to value spending time with that baby more than any thing I do for myself to unwind or whatever. Infact that alone is going to let me unwind from a long day at work.

Anyway 1am (since a midnight feeding can take 30min or so with burping and all and may not start till 12:30) till 6am (the time I'd have to get up to get ready for and go to work by bicycle commuting) would leave me with 5 hours of sleep.

Not exactly good for bike commuting. It sounds like a recipe for disaster on the road.

But I'm the kind of father that helped out... that wanted to be a part of the baby experience and have that close bond with my kids as not just an icon to be looked up to who goes away most of the day... but as a real loving father as well as a good thoughtful husband.

Things have changed from when today's grandparents raised their kids to now. Women have changed a lot as well in what they'll put up with and won't.

Just occurred to me, one option is to also talk to your employer and see about shifting your schedule an hour earlier - you get up 2 hours eariler than usual (before the kids are up, I expect), get to work one hour earlier, and get home at the same time. That way, everybody wins - if you can handle the extreme sleep deprivation, that is.

Definitely start slow - going from 0 to 170 miles a week won't work. ;)

As to the bike part of the question, if you haven't ridden much and aren't certain you'll stick with it, get a bike off of Craigslist or something. $500 on Craigs will get you a good bike in large part because bikes lose value quickly - best not to lay out $1000 for something you may not use. If you get it from Craigs, if you don't like it, you can always sell it for about what you paid. I paid $400 for my current (used) ride and am pretty happy with it.

That can work if you're willing to go solo with the kids for a while while Mom gets a break. However, telling the guy with a 17 mile (1.5 hour) commute that he can stick his wife on her own with the kid for 12 hours, I don't think that's fair to her. At the least, she should most certainly get veto rights on that plan. I'm guessing she wouldn't be too cool with that. When does Mom get to unwind, de-stress, etc?


Well, yeah.. the whole idea is to be fair about it. In my case it's the wife getting out of the house 3-4 hours twice a week and then however things pan out for the weekend. Also, my wife begged me to take time to unwind away from the house before I came home. Plus, my wife spends all the money saved by commuting and bussing. I don't think an extra hour a day is worth to her. She'd rather have the cash than me. :( :rolleyes:

So his mileage may vary. On the flip side, with a newborn he won't be sleeping enough to commute to work anyway for a while. :D

Just occurred to me, one option is to also talk to your employer and see about shifting your schedule an hour earlier - you get up 2 hours eariler than usual (before the kids are up, I expect), get to work one hour earlier, and get home at the same time. That way, everybody wins - if you can handle the extreme sleep deprivation, that is.

Lol, that's what I posted I'm doing to be able to bike commute. Still the baby feedings thing... he should be helping out as much as possible with that or doing something else to give his wife a serious brake from getting up every 3 hours to feed the kid.

Last thing you need is your wife depressed and on pills that cost $100 or so a month all because you wouldn't help out enough.

A big thing... is the wife breastfeeding or is she using formula? My wife and I did formula for all our kids. She handled a lot of the day time feedings and the 3 or 4am feeding.. I handled everything up till midnight so she could go to bed earlier.

Even if she's feeding a breastpump can be used so you can be a part of the process and a productive partner in helping raise the kid.

Maybe I'm just a more hands on kind of father... a 1 month old.. good gosh I'm going to value spending time with that baby more than any thing I do for myself to unwind or whatever. Infact that alone is going to let me unwind from a long day at work.

Anyway 1am (since a midnight feeding can take 30min or so with burping and all and may not start till 12:30) till 6am (the time I'd have to get up to get ready for and go to work by bicycle commuting) would leave me with 5 hours of sleep.

Not exactly good for bike commuting. It sounds like a recipe for disaster on the road.

But I'm the kind of father that helped out... that wanted to be a part of the baby experience and have that close bond with my kids as not just an icon to be looked up to who goes away most of the day... but as a real loving father as well as a good thoughtful husband.

Things have changed from when today's grandparents raised their kids to now. Women have changed a lot as well in what they'll put up with and won't.

We had a schedule. I was doing feeding/diaper duty during the week until a somewhat reasonable bedtime. That way I wasn't useless for work. Except on the nights I had hockey once or twice a week. Then Friday through Sunday evening I was full-on doing it 24-7. Sometimes I mixed it up and pulled all nighters during the week if the wife needed it.

It wouldn't be unreasonable to work out a schedule. Split up all nighter duty except on the nights before a commute.

As far as biking on x amount of sleep, I personally feel better during the day after riding in on short sleep. But that is such an individual thing, who knows. Better to be safe than sorry.

I run during my lunch break. My car commute of 17 miles is 30 min... so 1 hour a day. My bike commute is 1:30 each way... which is 3 hours out of my day. Do the math. He's got a very similar distance to go as I do. He could run at lunch time and not lose any more time than what he's already spending at work and in his driving commute.
Thanks for the input that the commute might take longer than I'm hoping for. The road is flat, fairly straight and has few stop signs, so I think my commute might be easier than yours.


Even if I ran BEFORE work, I could do that before my kid even wakes up where as after a long day with a new baby your wife is going to seriously start missing you when you don't show up until 6:30. Running is an every other day activity as well. M/W/F... not bad.
Running is very hard on my knees. Maybe after I lose more weight I might work that into my routine. I have other sources of exercise, but they also take time out of my day, and I think I might like cycling as an alternative.


As for calorie counting, you don't lose a lot of muscle. That's a misconception right there. You might lose some but as long as you are eating enough then you will lose fat mostly. I know, I measure as well as weigh myself. If you eat too little then your body goes into starvation mode and it starts processing muscle at a rapid rate. So there's a ballancing act... but it does work and there's no gimmicky crap to it... it's a real life change learing to eat right and not overeat because portions are way out of control.
I'm pretty familiar with how to use diet to lose weight. That's why I know exercise is so important. Most people are within a few hundred calories a day of their maintenance weight, throwing in a thousand or two calories for exercise is huge. For me, even 500 calories is enough to make the difference between meeting my goals and not.


Being a parent and having a mathematics minor to go with my cs degree... 3 hours of bike commuting 2 to 3 times the amount of time needed versus car commuting & either running during his lunch break or before work.... I can't see how anyone can say he'd be spending the same time away from his wife & kid. It just doesn't compute.
If it's 3 hours, I can't do it. I think it will be less. If it's two hours and replacing 40 minutes of driving and 60-90 minutes at the gym, it's more than worth it.


You only get 1 chance to be there for the first time that stuff happens... let alone 1 chance to keep your wife as stress free as possible during postpartum and other stuff that follows having a baby. Mom's need breaks too. Dad not being there is going to build some resentment and stress.
Thanks for that perspective. I think I'll still be home. But you bring up a good point. My wife pretty much gives me the kid from 6-7:30 in the morning and 6-9 at night. She would probably have a half hour less of my help in the morning and 45-60 minutes less at night. I'll have to negotiate this with her, but she benefits if I'm healthy and, let's be honest, sexy.


I'm all for bicycle commuting (hense why I'm here) but I don't think it's worth it in this sinario at this time. Two years down the road... ok... maybe then... unless that's about the time baby #2 is coming :p
I hope that's not the case, but thanks for the honest opinion.

Just occurred to me, one option is to also talk to your employer and see about shifting your schedule an hour earlier - you get up 2 hours eariler than usual (before the kids are up, I expect), get to work one hour earlier, and get home at the same time. That way, everybody wins - if you can handle the extreme sleep deprivation, that is.

Definitely start slow - going from 0 to 170 miles a week won't work. ;)

As to the bike part of the question, if you haven't ridden much and aren't certain you'll stick with it, get a bike off of Craigslist or something. $500 on Craigs will get you a good bike in large part because bikes lose value quickly - best not to lay out $1000 for something you may not use. If you get it from Craigs, if you don't like it, you can always sell it for about what you paid. I paid $400 for my current (used) ride and am pretty happy with it.

Thanks for the insight. That's why I really want to give it a try and see how hard it is. When I was in college, I ran my mountain bike up and down some pretty sizable hills for 25 miles. It took me 2 hours, but I felt pretty good after. I'm more than a little older now, but I think I could do 17 on a road bike on flat roads pretty easy, but obviously not twice a day every day to start.

The suggestions about parking the car overnight are good, and I appreciate the Craigslist tip. I just really have no idea what I'm looking for in a bike. I figure carbon is better than aluminum is better than steel. But I couldn't tell you a thing about components except Shimano makes a billion different kinds over the years. And I wouldn't know how to tell if a bike is comfortable. It sounds like I'm just going to have to take the plunge if I want to do it.

One quick question about bikes. I see a lot of old bikes on craigslist, like 1980s Schwinns and stuff. I think most of these are before modern materials, so how do I tell if it's good, and furthermore, does it even matter? For my uses, is some mediocre old bike going to appreciably worse?

As for work schedule, I'm pretty lucky in that regard. I have a flexible schedule.

For the craigslist option, I think getting a bike for cheap is a good way to test the idea. You can re-sell it later for what you paid (or keep it) and buy a better bike if you decide this is something managable.

...

If you used to ride an mtb for 27 miles in 2 hours when you were in shape... what you are talking about now is 34 miles round trip. Even on a good bike on flat level ground (which hey anything that feels flat in a car is not necessarily that when you're riding a bike... I can tell the difference in a very slight incline, flat, and decline by the resistance alone when biking. You may end up finding the way to work is mostly downhill and the way back is mostly uphill or vice versa.

My suggestion?

Hey first it's pretty admirable you really want to give this a shot. But go ahead and get a bike off craigslist if it's reasonable in price. You can always ask here about any bike before buying it by what kind of bike it is and so on. You'll need to service it some probably... plenty of tips here for that as well. Then ride to work on saturday or sunday to gauge your fitness. It may take you weeks of riding to have enough strength (expecially being over weight) to get to work in even under an hour and a half.

I'm just now able to get into the low low low 20's for a good length and maintain it... but even 5 stops can turn that into a 16mph average. But hey if I can do it anyone can.

I was 218 pounds when I started to the learn to run program over on the exercise forums of calorie-count.com. Now I'm 195. I bought my $150 GMC Denali road bike from walmart when I was 205 pounds. I didn't have enough confidence to buy used... and really there's no used market for bikes in this state without scouring flea markets and yard sales for months hoping maybe to find something.

For the craigslist option, I think getting a bike for cheap is a good way to test the idea. You can always ask here about any bike before buying it by what kind of bike it is and so on. You'll need to service it some probably...

Just to make sure we don't scare off the OP based on "service", I'd say many bikes on Craigs need air in the tires and tuning the cables, if that. I got mine used with probably less than 100 miles in 3 years from the original owner. Just needed air, and he'd used it so little he didn't even know how to use the Presta valves.

I can't count how many times I see an ad from somebody who thought it would be good to get into biking, but naturally they wanted a top of the line bike, so they buy a $2000 bike and ride it 5 times. For that reason, I can't personally imagine actually buying a new bike - unless I totally splurge and go custom.

To the OP: for frame material, I can't imagine you'd need (or probably even want) a full carbon frame for a commuter. Fork and seatpost maybe - it absorbs shock better than Aluminum - but the main advantage for a full carbon frame is very light weight for racing. For a commuter, the weight savings isn't worth the rather high cost. Steel is heavier but more comfortable than Aluminum. If you buy a recent-vintage bike, you'll probably get an aluminum frame. You may choose to get one with a carbon fork or seatpost, but that's by no means necessary.

The main consideration is whether you want to get a standard roadbike (with drop handlebars, narrow tires) or more of a hybrid with a flat bar and probably wider tires. There are advantages to each, depends on preference. I don't have experience with hybrids, but my Giant OCR2 which I got used for $400 is plenty fast and light for a commuter's road bike. Not everybody likes drop handlebars for commuting; personally, I hate being upright on flatbars for 20 miles.

In any event, good luck!

For the craigslist option, I think getting a bike for cheap is a good way to test the idea. You can re-sell it later for what you paid (or keep it) and buy a better bike if you decide this is something managable.

If you used to ride an mtb for 27 miles in 2 hours when you were in shape... what you are talking about now is 34 miles round trip. Even on a good bike on flat level ground (which hey anything that feels flat in a car is not necessarily that when you're riding a bike... I can tell the difference in a very slight incline, flat, and decline by the resistance alone when biking. You may end up finding the way to work is mostly downhill and the way back is mostly uphill or vice versa...It may take you weeks of riding to have enough strength (expecially being over weight) to get to work in even under an hour and a half.

I'm just now able to get into the low low low 20's for a good length and maintain it... but even 5 stops can turn that into a 16mph average. But hey if I can do it anyone can.

I'm far from an experienced bike rider, but I'm not stupid either. There's light years difference between riding a mountain bike on steep hills for 25 miles and riding a road bike on flat ground for the same distance. Also, I wasn't really in shape back then, though a bit more than now, but the lungs are fine, it's the legs that will need to get in shape, which is true for any athlete coming to a new sport.

I used to commute 3 miles each way on that mountain bike uphill to work and downhill back, so I know what you mean about slight inclines, but this really is exceptionally flat. If it takes me an hour and a half I would be both surprised and extremely disappointed in myself, but it's good to hear the opinion of someone more experienced.

I agree that I would want to do some test runs first, which is why I wish I could just rent a bike, but it doesn't look like that's an option. I think I'll buy a $200-300 bike off Craigslist and try it a few times to see how I like it.

for frame material, I can't imagine you'd need (or probably even want) a full carbon frame for a commuter...Steel is heavier but more comfortable than Aluminum. If you buy a recent-vintage bike, you'll probably get an aluminum frame.

The main consideration is whether you want to get a standard roadbike (with drop handlebars, narrow tires) or more of a hybrid with a flat bar and probably wider tires.

I would prefer a road bike because I like the way they ride. I really don't like the riding position of mountain bikes for long distances. You can get a lot of distance with much less effort than my mountain bike. But a buddy at work who is big into mountain biking recommended a cross country mountain bike, which would let me also swap out tires and use it on trails. He also said since that area has so much farm equipment, the roads can get mud from time to time, and wide tires might give me more stability. I have NO idea where to start to buy this kind of bike, but I don't know if it's what I want anyway. I wish there was a way to try these things.

Commuting technique: I'd definitely go for the "hybrid" commute - drive part way, ride part way. By car, my commute is normally about 45 miles. I drive 40 miles to a park that a MUP (Multi-Use Path) terminates at, ride the MUP to get to some country roads, and end up doing 7 miles to get to work.

Safety: Get a mirror so you can see, and wear some sort of bright vest or shirt (AlertShirts (http://alertshirt.com) are liked by a lot of people on here) so that you can be seen. I find that country roads are actually SAFER - drivers have much more time to pass, and are friendlier to slow vehicles (tractors and such.)

Bicycle: I've gotta second getting an old 10-speed. Those 80's Schwinns will do great. Just make sure to get a rear rack, and if you plan on riding in the rain at all, fenders. (Make sure there's eyelets for those, too.) It'll also teach you how to do maintenance.

Edit: Honestly, don't worry about it. Just watch out for hazards - you can avoid them. The kind of mud that gets on paved country roads is easy to avoid if you're vigilant.

Oh, and another bonus of a lower-end 80's bike (I know the low-end Schwinns had them) - "suicide levers" left over from the 70's bike boom got put on a lot of bikes then. I find that I love having brake levers up top, too - in traffic, I find that it's good if I can be upright, and have my hands on the brakes. If you get a bike without them, you can easily get "interruptor levers" (sometimes called "inline brake levers") that will give a similar effect, and work much better, though.

I would prefer a road bike because I like the way they ride. I really don't like the riding position of mountain bikes for long distances. You can get a lot of distance with much less effort than my mountain bike. But a buddy at work who is big into mountain biking recommended a cross country mountain bike, which would let me also swap out tires and use it on trails. He also said since that area has so much farm equipment, the roads can get mud from time to time, and wide tires might give me more stability. I have NO idea where to start to buy this kind of bike, but I don't know if it's what I want anyway. I wish there was a way to try these things.

You could put some slightly bigger tires on a road bike, possibly with some knobs for dealing with some mud. Most likely you can deal with some mud streaks with careful riding on regular tires. If you put some slightly wider tires with some tread, you could probably even take that bike on gentle singletrack trails. But if you want to do heavy road riding and ride tougher trails, you'll need two bikes.

In the end though, as you mention, I would absolutely not want to ride a mountain bike 17 miles with frequency. So you want a road bike. Next, decide if you want a road bike with flat bars or drop bars. Also decide how you want to get stuff to work. If you're not going to do it every day, and you have some storage at work, you can take clothes and stuff for your biking days when you drive. Otherwise, you'll have to go with a rack, panniers, or the backpack route (the last one will really suck over 17 miles). If you go with a rack or panniers, make sure that any bike you get has places to anchor the screws.

I went with a road bike because riding distance on a mountain bike would make me cry. I went with drop bars to get better leverage when accelerating/climbing and for better hand positions on long rides. I take a week's worth of lunches and clothes to work every Thursday (driving or backpack), so no rack/panniers. So that way, all I needed was a regular road bike, which you can get anywhere. Even if you make different decisions on those points, you'll find a bike.

So decide what you want and start looking! If you want to try Craigs, like someone mentioned, post here any bikes you're considering and people will proably give some opinions.

Thanks caloso. I saw that, but with 335 posts, and few relevant answers after 15 minutes reading, I lost interest.Oh yeah? Well, how about if people here lost interest in continuing to talk to new people about commuting?

:roflmao:

Just kiddin', that's never gonna happen. :p I'm really new to commuting too (10th one today! Am I a novice yet?) but I will say that being on a bike is so fun that it has overcome my distaste for waking up early in the mornings. Also, if this means that you're getting your exercise on the way to and from work, you won't (probably?) be wanting to bail on your wife and baby to go to the gym or whatever, PLUS you'll be saving your family money, PLUS you'll be healthier and hopefully have less stress. I hope your wife could see it that way. I feel for her and understand her wanting you home, but this just really makes sense, if you can swing it.

My only piece of advice for the speeding drivers on the farm road is, be as obvious and dorky looking as possible--definitely the hi-vis vest or AlertShirts. (At least, it's been working for me. :p )

Good luck!

A big thing... is the wife breastfeeding or is she using formula? My wife and I did formula for all our kids. She handled a lot of the day time feedings and the 3 or 4am feeding.. I handled everything up till midnight so she could go to bed earlier.

Even if she's feeding a breastpump can be used so you can be a part of the process and a productive partner in helping raise the kid.
Your experience isn't universal, and it's not necessary to include bottles to get to be a productive partner.

/counterpoint