Commuting - "I would but" (rant, feel free to ignore)

ok,

I show up on a bicycle.

I don't talk to you.

I don't look at you.

I'm sorry if you feel threatened by me or whatever,

but you REALLY don't need to come up to me EVERY SINGLE DAY and tell me why you "can't" ride a bicycle in. I will not shove anything I do in your face, but I will most certainly not get off my bicycle to see another perfectly healthy (well, ok, healthy enough to ride a bike) person give me a line about how they "just couldn't possibly" do it and tell them I agree with them, or give them absolution for being lazy.

Really people, if you want absolution, go see a priest or a shrink.

I don't care if you chose not to ride, but I'm not going to feed your delusion by telling you it's not your "fault" that you chose ANYTHING you chose to do or not do.

ok, sorry, done ranting.

-- James

This is a fun game. I think you should sit down with this person and really talk with them about why they can't commute by bicycle. It's what they want anyway and ignoring them isn't working. So have a chat. Have many chats. Help them out. Come up with even more reasons why they can't ride to work. Things like:

"Rain is highly toxic. Some people melt when exposed to rain water."
"If I were you, I wouldn't even leave my house when it gets colder than 60F."
"You couldn't possibly ride five miles. It hurts!"
"Yes, you would sweat. Of course the stench would be terrible."
"Wind knocks me over all the time."
"Just yesterday a motorist threw a grenade at me."
"I agree. Nobody rides in L.A."

Just be helpful.

"Just yesterday a motorist threw a grenade at me."

This has happened to me. However, I wasn't on a bike at the time.

This is a fun game. I think you should sit down with this person and really talk with them about why they can't commute by bicycle. It's what they want anyway and ignoring them isn't working. So have a chat. Have many chats. Help them out. Come up with even more reasons why they can't ride to work. Things like:

"Rain is highly toxic. Some people melt when exposed to rain water."
"If I were you, I wouldn't even leave my house when it gets colder than 60F."
"You couldn't possibly ride five miles. It hurts!"
"Yes, you would sweat. Of course the stench would be terrible."
"Wind knocks me over all the time."
"Just yesterday a motorist threw a grenade at me."
"I agree. Nobody rides in L.A."

Just be helpful.

That made me laugh like all hell. I'll have to use that line at work next time I get the "excuse monger" talking to me. :p

Hooah :(

Well, Thanks for your service. I hope things are a little calmer for you now.

-- James

Just out of curiosity, what is a legitimate excuse, to you? Here's mine: I live 25 miles away from work, with a 3,500 elevation gain in one 8-mile segment, and grades of 10-20%. It takes me almost 2 hours to ride home, and it is an ass kicker. Not something I could manage often, certainly not daily. To commute both ways would take so much time out of my day that I could do little else. I'm one of those who wishes I could commute, and misses the days when I could.

Of course, those grenades are also a big deterrent.

Not many can to 50 miles daily for a week so your excuse is valid. I would personally move closer to work or just ride twice or three times max a week to work, rest driving.

Just out of curiosity, what is a legitimate excuse, to you? Here's mine: I live 25 miles away from work, with a 3,500 elevation gain in one 8-mile segment, and grades of 10-20%. It takes me almost 2 hours to ride home, and it is an ass kicker. Not something I could manage often, certainly not daily. To commute both ways would take so much time out of my day that I could do little else. I'm one of those who wishes I could commute, and misses the days when I could.
I'm sorry, your commute is making me drool. But yeah, that would be difficult to do even a couple of times a week.

I'm sorry, your commute is making me drool. But yeah, that would be difficult to do even a couple of times a week.

For me it would be difficult to do even once :eek:. Two hours? Damn.

My commute is 18 miles, and while there are some minor ups and downs along the way, I don't have a 3500 ft climb.

"It's too ********* HOT!"
Some days I tend to agree.

"It's too ********* HOT!"
Some days I tend to agree.
I'd rather have the heat of earlier this week 100+ then the thunderstorms tommorow. Dang thunderstorms always come at commute time and stick around for hours.
:mad::mad::mad:

This morning I happened to walk in the building with one of the new attorneys and she was asking me how my ride was and then she asked me what I thought about the Tour. She said she just got her new Velonews...

What? You get Velonews? So you must ride a bike, right?

"Well, yes. I used to ride alot. Not so much anymore."

Have you ever thought about riding to work?

"Nope. I'm just too vain."

There are plenty of legitimate excuses. I think the OP's point is that those who offer up pre-emptive excuses for not riding when we don't even talk to them about bicycles are sick in the head. This sort of happened to me for a while, but everyone has stopped by now -- after a year and a half of daily commuting.

The funny things that people say to me are, for example when it's raining: "Don't you get wet?". Or when it's cold: "Isn't it cold?" Um, yeah. It sure is all that.

I think rain CAN be a legitimate excuse. I like riding in the rain, but it's hard for me in storms. My glasses get covered in water and I really really need good vision for street riding. I can understand if you're riding on the shoulder of the road or something, you'd be okay.. but I'm looking out for cars 6" to my left, people preparing to cross the street legally, illegally, and checking mirrors in cars to make sure I don't get doored.

Just for my safety alone, I think it's a legitimate excuse. Now, if they say that on a sunny day or "chance of light showers" day, screw that. Ride!

Just be glad to have someone around at work who kinda seems interested. I do construction work and after communting for 6 months, everyone is still asking me why I ride my bike if I dont have a DUI.

People must think that bikers are like vegetarians; pushy, aggressive, and intolerant of anybody who doesn't do what they do.

I'm sorry, your commute is making me drool. But yeah, that would be difficult to do even a couple of times a week.

Yeah, it's absolutely beautiful! Just not commute-friendly. Fortunately the good of this location outweighs the bad about living far away, and I'm a homeowner, so not too excited about selling just to live close enough to commute to work. I suppose I could just quit work... :D

Or that we're anti-car. Some are I'm sure, but I'd imagine that most are not. We're just pro-bike. At least I am.

People must think that bikers are like vegetarians; pushy, aggressive, and intolerant of anybody who doesn't do what they do.

You mean vegans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan). My girlfriend is a Lacto-ovo vegetarian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacto-ovo_vegetarianism) who also eats fish (don't ask me I don't know) and doesn't bat an eye as she makes me a cheeseburger while wearing leather shoes.

My coworkers don't even show enough interest to make excuses. Of course, to most people in these parts riding a bicycle to work is the most idiotic thing one can do. :lol:

People must think that bikers are like vegetarians; pushy, aggressive, and intolerant of anybody who doesn't do what they do.

I'm a vegetarian and am none of those things.

ok,

I show up on a bicycle.

I don't talk to you.

I don't look at you.

I'm sorry if you feel threatened by me or whatever,

but you REALLY don't need to come up to me EVERY SINGLE DAY and tell me why you "can't" ride a bicycle in. I will not shove anything I do in your face, but I will most certainly not get off my bicycle to see another perfectly healthy (well, ok, healthy enough to ride a bike) person give me a line about how they "just couldn't possibly" do it and tell them I agree with them, or give them absolution for being lazy.

Really people, if you want absolution, go see a priest or a shrink.

I don't care if you chose not to ride, but I'm not going to feed your delusion by telling you it's not your "fault" that you chose ANYTHING you chose to do or not do.

ok, sorry, done ranting.

-- James

I don't really get this response at work. I work in IT, where eccentricity is expected, in Unix systems administration, where the most eccentric of the eccentric reside, so cycling might not seem so unusual compared to the guy who's built a veritable shrine to Darth Maul in his cubicle, or the guy with the shrill staccato giggle which can be heard the entire length of our large floor, or the woman obsessed with backup systems hardware (that's a good obsession to have represented in one's workgroup, by the way).

For the most part people wander in to see which bike I've ridden. The favorite is my little green 1969 Raleigh Twenty. My coworkers are ho-hum about my road bike, although some of them comment on the jersey/shorts combination I wear when I ride the road bike in.

If someone did approach me with the lines you've described, I'd talk to them about how they could commute by bike if they set it as a goal. Luckily Atlanta has good train service from the four directions, so I might show them, as an intermediate commute, how to get to the station nearest them. (a person in Dunwoody might feel intimidated by a full commute into downtown, but they could certainly bike to Perimeter Station).

I had one coworker compliment me on riding my bike to work. She seemed very impressed and I said "Well, don't be so impressed. It's just riding a bike to work."

"Yes, but I can't."

What, ride to work?

"No. I can't ride a bicycle."

Oh.

Just be glad to have someone around at work who kinda seems interested. I do construction work and after communting for 6 months, everyone is still asking me why I ride my bike if I dont have a DUI.

+1 on that. Construction work can be tough for commuting, especially if you convene on-site and not at a central office or the like...most panniers can't handle the weight of a loaded Knaack box....;) I eventually had to quit the job so I could ride more!

I've noticed some defensiveness among my friends/acquaintances, but they always seem relieved (and maybe a little scornful) when I tell them that I generally don't ride in the pouring rain or in heavy snow-- then it's public transport all the way. I think that some people feel guilty (for whatever reason), and the self-righteousness of some of the cycling brethren doesn't help matters.

Never had someone make a preemptive apology, though. Weird.

I'm one of those who wishes I could commute, and misses the days when I could.

Just not enough to move your house and job closer together...

As soon as someone starts the sob story, my brain shuts off. I literally stop listening to them and walk away shortly afterwards. To listen would mean I'd be forced to call them on their lame-ass excuse.

Not many can to 50 miles daily for a week so your excuse is valid. I would personally move closer to work or just ride twice or three times max a week to work, rest driving.

No, it's not valid. I live 25 miles from work and I commute daily. No, I don't ride 25 miles one way though. I drive 11 miles to a park and ride the remaining miles. Works great. Maybe he could do something similar to make his commute more bearable.

People must think that bikers are like vegetarians; pushy, aggressive, and intolerant of anybody who doesn't do what they do.
Bull****. Just because you've only had those sorts of experiences with vegetarians or vegans doesn't mean that all (or even most) are like that. I never advertise my vegetarianism, but I still get a lot of **** from many meat eaters when they find out. If anything, meat eaters tend to be worse, because they have the weight of mainstream society behind their dietary choices. :eek:

People must think that bikers are like vegetarians; pushy, aggressive, and intolerant of anybody who doesn't do what they do.

What the heck kind of vegetarians are you hanging around? Not all vegetarians/vegans/cyclocommuters/Christians/Jews/Mormons/Republicans/Athiests/Liberals/Democrats/Libertarians/Muslims/straightedge/random minority are militant.

I am of Mexican blood, Jewish heritage, agnostic mindset, cycling transportation, omnivoric habits, and whatever else you want to classify me as. I am loud and outspoken in may of my ways, not militantly so (unless it comes down to whether you should get frequent massage or not)...but you can't judge any other Mexican Jew who doesn't practice a religion, rides a bike, and eats both plants and critters by me.

So don't hold a random subset du jour to some arbitrary ideal.

Most of the time I get more questions that general statements of why that person wont ride. I had one person ask how many miles I commute while waiting at a red light one time and then remarked:

"How can you do that? I'm scared I'd be hit by a car!"

People must think that bikers are like vegetarians; pushy, aggressive, and intolerant of anybody who doesn't do what they do.

Sorry but every one I've run into was downright nasty.

No, it's not valid. I live 25 miles from work and I commute daily. No, I don't ride 25 miles one way though. I drive 11 miles to a park and ride the remaining miles. Works great. Maybe he could do something similar to make his commute more bearable.

That's how my previouis commute went also. I had to drive 17 to bike 12. Before I left that job I was beating traffic to the office!

Sorry but every one I've run into was downright nasty. Biker or vegetarian? :D

"How can you do that? I'm scared I'd be hit by a car!"

Everyone on this forum probably feels this way...

Difference is that cyclists are still out there doing it. Scared or not. I am not going to tell a person like that any of the stories I have or any of the ones I have read on here...they'd swear off riding a bicycle all together.

I like telling car drivers about the revenge stories I read about here. :)

I live 22 miles from home and commute by car, but this year/winter through spring I think I will be able to find someone to take my son part way so I can get in some decent riding. I also hope the road will be fixed so a certain pinchpoint will go away.

In my case, there is only one way to work unless I want to go about 100 miles out of the way. :)

Steven

Excuses are like armpits. Everyone has a couple and they all stink. :D

Seems like odd attitudes all around. I don't see how others at work or elsewhere have any standing to comment on another's transportation. Fortunately everyone where I work rides and/or kayaks to work. Murphy yesterday drove to work (long way - staying with his mother who needs help), biked to my house, got in his boat, returned to work, then reversed this odd commute in the evening. Interesting!

I've run into more than my share of unsolicited-excuse makers. I developed the technique of turning it right around. As soon as they start I get started with... "did you drive in?... wow!, do you drive in every day?... I don't know how you do it, I couldn't do it, I'd be too scared of hitting a pedestrian or a cyclist... what about when its raining? I couldn't do it, I'd too scared of my car rusting.... and when it's hot? aren't you scared of your car overheating?... what if you got a flat tire? wouldn't you have to get out and change it?... I couldn't drive every day, I'd be too scared of turning into a fat lazy couch potato..."

:D

Sorry but every one I've run into was downright nasty.

Every one *that you know of* that you've run into. There may be many that you talk to regularly that just do their own thing and leave you alone. Obviously there's some automatic bias in your sampling; you are going to notice the ones who are nasty more than the ones who just eat their damn food.

I get this sort of thing pretty often too. I don't understand why people feel the need to justify the fact that they don't ride their bike to work. But a lot of times when I tell someone that I ride to work they'll say "I would but..." or "I wish I could do that but..." or "I'd love to do that but...", followed be one reason or another that they can't ride. Some people have very legitimate reasons for not being able to commute by bike. On the other hand many of them probably could if they really wanted to. The thing is, they don't need to justify it with me. To be honest I don't really care and I'm tired of hearing why others can't commute by bike.

Seems like odd attitudes all around. I don't see how others at work or elsewhere have any standing to comment on another's transportation. Fortunately everyone where I work rides and/or kayaks to work. Murphy yesterday drove to work (long way - staying with his mother who needs help), biked to my house, got in his boat, returned to work, then reversed this odd commute in the evening. Interesting!

Off topic ... but a bike/kayak commute sounds sweet!

People must think that bikers are like vegetarians; pushy, aggressive, and intolerant of anybody who doesn't do what they do.

Gee, can't imagine where they'd get that idea. Just think how much worse the average person would feel about cyclists if they actually read A&S.

Off topic ... but a bike/kayak commute sounds sweet!

Last year I visited Seattle and spent most mornings at the waterfront watching a handful of people come in off the islands in their kayaks, then the ferry's (sp? sorry) would arrive and offload a peleton of bicycles before starting with the cars. Struck me as some sort of alternative commuter wonderland. I was so jealous.

Maybe you should start going up to the person every day and say something like
"Man, I wish I could drive my car to work, but the weather is too nice."

Unfortunately, I can't think of many excuses for not driving. Can anyone help here?

I'd rather have the heat of earlier this week 100+ then the thunderstorms tommorow. Dang thunderstorms always come at commute time and stick around for hours.
:mad::mad::mad:

we're gonna have fun this afternoon. I brought my zip-lock baggie to keep the cell phone and garage door opener dry in the downpour :)

Pre-emptive excuse making happens when people feel that what they're doing is somehow subject to criticism -- either that they actually get a lot of criticism, or (as in OP's scenario, as I imagine it) because they're comparing themselves with others and finding themselves wanting. You see this in so many areas, not just biking to work, but any lifestyle choice. In the US we live in a society where we still attach virtue to being physically active, caring about one's health, being somewhat abstemious rather than gluttonous or greedy...but where we also have the option of being sedentary, pork-rind-eating, Walmart-shopping, SUV-driving materialist greedheads. Marketing promotes the latter rather than the former because that's how you sell product, and so that's the way that most people go, but there's still this notion at the back of their minds that that's not a virtuous way to live. So when they encounter someone who is living in a way that they, in the back of their minds, consider more virtuous, they have this defensive reaction of pre-emptive excuse making.

I also find it irritating as all get-out, when I'm implicitly expected to validate these excuses, which basically adds up to saying, "I understand that while I can ride my bike to work, you -- with at least as many resources as I have, and no more challenges or issues -- cannot. The laws of physics, economics and traffic all work differently for you!" Forget that.

No, it's not valid. I live 25 miles from work and I commute daily. No, I don't ride 25 miles one way though. I drive 11 miles to a park and ride the remaining miles. Works great. Maybe he could do something similar to make his commute more bearable.

Thats what I do also. I drive to a point 16 miles from work and ride in from there.

I have been nursing a broken toe for the past 3 weeks, but I am ready to resume the ride next week.

I've run into more than my share of unsolicited-excuse makers.

You must be getting my share, because I have never encountered an "unsolicited-excuse maker" about bicycling.

Neither have I. Not that I would care if I did. The word ignore comes to mind in relations to this thread.

I had one coworker compliment me on riding my bike to work. She seemed very impressed and I said "Well, don't be so impressed. It's just riding a bike to work."

"Yes, but I can't."

What, ride to work?

"No. I can't ride a bicycle."

Oh.

I know I'm an old fat married cyclist but that struck me as an invitation to say.
"Well if you'd like to learn I have an extra bicycle if you want to meet up at the park and we can go for a ride together?"