Commuting - Why Do You Commute On A Bike?

Im curious what peoples motivations are for biking to work. I am without a car right now and rather than buying one I may purchase a bike to commute on. My reasons would be general exercise, financial, and better for the environment. So why do you Commute?

Please feel free to add your own reasons and ill try to update the poll and make them choices.

Happy Holidays,
Joe

You left one out.

The fifth option: BECAUSE I LOVE TO RIDE!

Man I missed this "duplicate" ...

Now it looks to be deleted... All of that good typin for nuthin.

Ah well... Nuf to say I started comuttin as a way to get some slower riding in for my sport-cycling. Now I ride to work every day... So does the wife... Never miss a day if we can. Only morning rain or evening thunderstorms stop us!

I am angry with myself if I don't. Plus when I watch the nutty motorists from the bike lane, I just shake my head..What have we done to ourselves...
Today's accident near my plant..Some idiot racing a curve too fast and landed into a wash. Oil pan split and oil all over the place. By tire tracks, must have been going 70 mph. Good for him had his seat belt on. Was in a company truck..New year, probably a new job needed for that chump.
....... an Adddendum... I voted for general exercise. But by the tempo of my reply guess a close runner up is for the environment. Petroleum is the opiate of civilization. It is an addiction. Ruins the environment and causes international confict the way gold did during the Colonial era of world history.Plus the pace and competitive aspects of the auto age is destroying our mental health, yet alone our physical deteoriation.

jbushkey

Don't feel bad. Eventually, when you do get sucked in, you will realized that it is really better than not...

My favorite time of year is when DLS hits and I'm forced to ride home at night. The smells at night are sooo much stronger than during the day... People grilling in the back yard... The night air and the scent of flowers and trees in bloom seem sooo much stronger... And XMAS LIGHTS!!! Neat!!! Of course I live in an area that doens't get snow...

To add to prestonjb's post. There is something magical about freshly fallen snow with the moon or your bike light illuminating your way home. Crisp temperatures make the sounds cut through the air for miles. The smell of wood stoves... Well heck. Commuting year round really is an experience that will get under your skin.

Have fun!

I just enjoy riding & thinking, sometimes I get a breakthrough solution or new approach to some difficult case at work. Also, if you ride much, you produce a need to clean, repair & maintain your cycle. Always fun to do maintenance & adjustment or rebuild & restore some old classic rescued from the thrift store. Don

I voted for general exercise, but my motivation is more likely a combination of all of those factors. Plus, riding outside sure does a good job of waking me up in the morning (esp since I commute on a fixed gear!)

coz cyclin ownz j000000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started out doing it for exercise. I figured, "hey, I spend a couple hours commuting by bus/train anyway, but this way I can use some of that time for getting in shape." Of course, I fell in love with it immediately.

Then I realized I was also helping the environment, which was a plus. Now, I can't help but think of how each car commuter puts an average of 2 tons of pollution into the air each year in Atlanta. Makes it hard to go back to driving, even if I can.

I noticed that I was getting to be a better cyclist and enjoying it more. If I ever want to start touring by bicycle or riding in a club, I'll be more prepared.

Finally, the money I save is absolutely ridiculous.

What can I say? I can't vote for everything...

:D

Everything except the training. I played competitive sports well into college, and have absolutely no interest in training for anything ever again. If I though of riding as training, I'd stop riding immediately.

Exercise, Environment and Financial in that order for me. Oh and one less car :)

You left one out.

The fifth option: BECAUSE I LOVE TO RIDE!

Ditto! :D

Financial, enviromental, exercise and fun.

jbushkey

Don't feel bad. Eventually, when you do get sucked in, you will realized that it is really better than not...

My favorite time of year is when DLS hits and I'm forced to ride home at night. The smells at night are sooo much stronger than during the day... People grilling in the back yard... The night air and the scent of flowers and trees in bloom seem sooo much stronger... And XMAS LIGHTS!!! Neat!!! Of course I live in an area that doens't get snow...

My route is downwind of the Milpitas, Ca garbage dump. I wish I could smell the flowers and trees!!!!

I commute on a bike to get where I am going.

You know I wish it was for some knoble cause like the environment, or something Ken Keifer said or wrote, but none of the things mentioned fit. I started as an alternative, and then I saw it as a way of being civil disobedient. If I dont' drive, I don't have to pay for tabs on a car, or the taxes on a car, or the insurance on a car. No it wasn't finacial for my pocket book but that I could make a difference in the corporate pocket book. One less car isn't going to do that, but, like Ken, I can imagine a world where there are few cars and more bikes. I know that is a utopian/romanitc dream.

I like the exercize, I like being on the bike and outdoors. I like the "uniqueness" about getting to work and having someone ask "you rode in this?" I like the mental benefits, having discovered that it is something that helped me get through a break up with a girlfriend after 5 1/2 years.

There's a spiritual side to this too. Taking from all sorts of religions, the circle represents all sorts of things that I can key on, and when I am out there pedaling I can get into a zone, that is very meditative. It puts me in the elements, pitting man and machine against time, wind, elements.

Finally, why commute? Cause it takes too long to rollerblade.

If I were to put them in order of importance, 1st would be general exercise, 2nd to help the environment, 3rd financial, and 4th training for other types of cycling. But also there's the convience of not having to find parking! or some chump hitting the car!

Ah the sweet smell of civilization :rolleyes:

I just hate the subway - and on my bike, the only New Yorker I have to smell is me! ;)

Commuting helps me spread the word on riding, It's easy to get people at work to ask questions when one shows up in lycra

This is a great thread! I started because I wanted the exercise. I have a six mile round-trip commute, and I thought back then that if I could do that every day, I would get buff quick. I quickly learned how easy three miles were, so now after I get home, I go back out and pound out another 15-25 miles. I just fell in love with it all- it's such a simple thing, turning your legs and going wherever you want. People at work and school sometimes feel sorry for me and offer me rides, and I have to laugh at that. When I'm riding, whether it's 10 or 60 degrees outside, I am in my own little world. I often look at the poor souls in cars, stuck in traffic, worrying about where they will park, and paying all of that money to do it, and I just laugh. They don't get the simple satisfaction that comes with being all alone on the road, smelling the smells, and enjoying the outdoors. Call me crazy, but I feel sorry for them.

Partly for the exercise, and partly to avoid having to own (and more importantly, maintain) a second car.

And mainly beacuse I love cycling. :D

You know I wish it was for some knoble cause like the environment, or something Ken Keifer said or wrote, but none of the things mentioned fit. I started as an alternative, and then I saw it as a way of being civil disobedient. If I dont' drive, I don't have to pay for tabs on a car, or the taxes on a car, or the insurance on a car. No it wasn't finacial for my pocket book but that I could make a difference in the corporate pocket book. One less car isn't going to do that, but, like Ken, I can imagine a world where there are few cars and more bikes. I know that is a utopian/romanitc dream.

I like the exercize, I like being on the bike and outdoors. I like the "uniqueness" about getting to work and having someone ask "you rode in this?" I like the mental benefits, having discovered that it is something that helped me get through a break up with a girlfriend after 5 1/2 years.

There's a spiritual side to this too. Taking from all sorts of religions, the circle represents all sorts of things that I can key on, and when I am out there pedaling I can get into a zone, that is very meditative. It puts me in the elements, pitting man and machine against time, wind, elements.

Finally, why commute? Cause it takes too long to rollerblade.


My short answer was almost a long one like this-- it's almost "financial"-- but it isn't. It's about independance, freedom, rebellion, all of that. And there's a certain mysticism about it, although I think it has to do with chemicals released as a result of exercise. I actually crave my bicycle, if I can't ride i feel strange.

Financial reasons, it's good for my health, it's good for the environment, I've grown to love it, it takes me from one point to another, I get to see places I would have missed otherwise... you name it.

But perhaps most of all because I can now go and spend my money on bike related stuff and tools! :beer:

--J

You need an "All Of The Above" choice.

I wanted to experience the city intimately, I needed to wake up, it clears my head for the day, things at work seem easier after a winter or summer commute, its thrilling to move with all the cars so close together, I forgot what winter is really like, cars in Chicago are a pain in the butt to own and maintain, people think your nuts.

Because I can.

My first post on pg 1 tells why I ride now, this one tells why I started:

Washington State has a Commute Trip Reduction program that pays you $1 daily each way if you use an alternate to single occupant vehicle for 40 % of your one way commute distance (car pool, bus, walk or bicycle ). Seemed like a waste of taxpayer money but many of my co-workers argued otherwise. I decided to get a bicycle, commute under the rules until I had saved enough money to buy new shotgun then write a thank you letter to the administrator of the program & copy the Governor. Once I started I was hooked & while I'm still in the hole $wise, the $300 to $400 yearly went for parts, bikes & gear. I have received up to $120 a quarter for doing something I really enjoy. I still think the program money would be better spent for police & fire but it's not my call so I just keep riding & take the money. I Never did get that new shotgun. Don

Complete commuting autonomy. That's my number one reason. I'm free of Metro delays, traffic congestion, parking fees, etc. I control exactly when I get to work and when I get home. I love riding past; the slugs, slow traffic, and Metro riders (although I am a big proponent of public transportation and do use it when the weather's bad). Not only is my commute reduced to about 35 minutes but I feel that I'm doing something productive in that time as opposed to simply sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. I also love the fact that by the time I get home in the evening I've already gotten my excercise in and don't feel compelled to rush out to the gym. It's also really great to feel that I've experienced things on my ride that most people just see from their window. I also like knowing that I'm helping to cut down on pollution.

(e) Because it's fun.

I ride to work because it's fun... A-D is just a sidefffect.

I love riding and now going to work is so much more fun. Every day is an adventure.

:)
Jay

Another reason I've probably already mentioned 1,000,000 times for "Why I commute on a bike" is that I enjoy beating the system.

There is a system somebody put in place that seemed to be a great invention, a boon to everyone: the auto-centric transportation design. But like many other sneaky things foisted upon an unsuspecting public have done, the auto-centric design forced people with two perfectly good legs to abandon nature's gift of ambulatory movement and become trapped in a dirty, expensive, dangerous alternative known as the motor vehicle. If it were simply a choice equal to personal preference, perhaps the car would be a great invention. But it's status as "necessity," rather than "personal choice," has ruined the novelty of it's genius and made it into an enemy of freedom.

My family has two cars. But I have sworn myself to maintain the beauty of motoring by refusing to be enslaved by it. As long as it remains a personal choice, I can more thoroughly enjoy it's benefits. The less I need a car, the more I love it.

Another reason I've probably already mentioned 1,000,000 times for "Why I commute on a bike" is that I enjoy beating the system.

There is a system somebody put in place that seemed to be a great invention, a boon to everyone: the auto-centric transportation design. But like many other sneaky things foisted upon an unsuspecting public have done, the auto-centric design forced people with two perfectly good legs to abandon nature's gift of ambulatory movement and become trapped in a dirty, expensive, dangerous alternative known as the motor vehicle. If it were simply a choice equal to personal preference, perhaps the car would be a great invention. But it's status as "necessity," rather than "personal choice," has ruined the novelty of it's genius and made it into an enemy of freedom.

My family has two cars. But I have sworn myself to maintain the beauty of motoring by refusing to be enslaved by it. As long as it remains a personal choice, I can more thoroughly enjoy it's benefits. The less I need a car, the more I love it.

I just have to point out that humans were riding horses and other beasts-of-burden prior to the invention of the internal combustion engine and rise of the automobile. :D

I wonder if there were folks back then that refused to ride horses or get into a wagon?

I just have to point out that humans were riding horses and other beasts-of-burden prior to the invention of the internal combustion engine and rise of the automobile. :D

I wonder if there were folks back then that refused to ride horses or get into a wagon?
That depends. If I lived miles from town, I'd have to ride a horse or carriage. If I lived in town, I could walk. Today, I can't even walk to the nearest store unless I'm willing to do it without sidewalks and spend an hour for the trip.

That depends. If I lived miles from town, I'd have to ride a horse or carriage. If I lived in town, I could walk. Today, I can't even walk to the nearest store unless I'm willing to do it without sidewalks and spend an hour for the trip.

Yea, you have a point. I have to remember that I live in an entirely different world than most folks in the major population centers of our country. Here in Montana, were are only slightly more developed than 3rd world countries.

The activist of that era may have boycotted the horse due to the "pollution" they created as well. ;)

My family has two cars. But I have sworn myself to maintain the beauty of motoring by refusing to be enslaved by it. As long as it remains a personal choice, I can more thoroughly enjoy it's benefits. The less I need a car, the more I love it.

LBM, perfectly said. We also have two cars, both fun to drive, and I often feel like I'm diluting the fun when I do the lame slog to work or the mall.

I decided to try commuting a number of years ago and got hooked, I can't stop and don't want to.

...I live in an entirely different world than most folks in the major population centers of our country. Here in Montana, were are only slightly more developed than 3rd world countries.
LOL actually, you probably have a lot more natural, unscarred beauty to see, like the Rockies.

The activist of that era may have boycotted the horse due to the "pollution" they created as well. ;)
How do you like them apples? :D

I just have to point out that humans were riding horses and other beasts-of-burden prior to the invention of the internal combustion engine and rise of the automobile.

I wonder if there were folks back then that refused to ride horses or get into a wagon?

I like LittleBigMan's way of thinking. Let's not forget that life was a lot more of a hardship in every aspect when people were still using the horse and carriage as transportation. I don't begrudge them for it-they need any advantage just to get through each day's struggle. Besides, at least they were working in concert with nature, not to its detriment. I find my car a lot more fun to drive the less I use it too. It's funny that so many car commercials sell based on the "passions of the open road" and other emotional points. As far as I can tell 99% of most peoples' "driving" is really commuting. Wading through an endless see of taillights at a snail's pace for 1 to 2 hours each way-each day. I absolutely love riding past people stuck in traffic in their Land Rovers, Porsches, Mercedes, etc. Who looks the fool then for spending so much on a sports/luxury car when I blow past them on my $600 commuter bike? It dawned on me that that's a waste of my life, so I started riding. Most will say that they don't have a choice-a somewhat valid point. But it's about priorities, quality of life. In fact, I'll be accepting a new job this week partly based on the fact that I'll be able to continue to ride to work. It still amazes me that many of my contemporaries are shocked that I'm able to ride the meager 15 mile round trip to work each day. It's really a sad commentary on our health.

LOL actually, you probably have a lot more natural, unscarred beauty to see, like the Rockies.

How do you like them apples? :D

Your right. I can't complain. My new commute takes me along the Missouri River for about 5 miles. Much of it is still the same as when The Lewis & Clark Expedition passed through here nearly 200 years ago. My alternative commute route is shorter, but on the way home I have a clear view of the Highwood Mountains to the east, the Little Belt Mountains to the south and the Big Belt Montains to the west. It is breath taking.

Don't laugh about those "apples!" They are one of the "hazards" I have to deal with on my commute into town. It really gives new meaning to "HUCKs & STUNTS." :p

I enjoy the solitude of the ride. I can't stand driving in rush hour traffic. I can just feel my blood pressure rising. I'm lucky there's a bike path along a river that starts not too far from my home and passes within a few blocks of my office.

It's also partly financial. Bike commuting allows me to spend my money for things more important than getting to and from work. Bike commuting let me sell my car, so I can justify the cost of buying the kind of equipment that makes biking much more pleasant.

Since I started bike commuting, I need less sleep, weigh less, drink less coffee, and generally feel better. And when I have a bad day at the office, I can work it off on the way home.

Finally, I love it when my colleagues ask if I rode my bike when it is 10F outside.

thanks lots of great answers!!!! i wasnt able to modify the choices once I posted it says only a moderator can do that. I have been shopping!!!!! gonna get my first commuter real soon!!

Today, I read that tomorrow morning it will be warmer. When the sun comes up, it should be in the 40's at least. So I rode to work.
But as I crossed over the freeway, the traffic was barely moving and backing up.. I just said to myself, I could be down there..Tee Hee Hee..