Commuting - Bicycle Commuters

Does anyone in this forum use a bicycle as transportation?

If so, please explain your reasons for being a non-conformist. As a red blooded American, It is not just your right, but your duty to drive an automobile, and pollute this beautiful land of yours with the foreign oil of middle eastern countries.

Please explain your non-conformist actions in this thread.

trolling I see

No sense of humor, sigh....I see.

I know you are just kidding (at least I hope you are). I commute first because I like to ride, second because of the exercise, 3rd because I don't think it is good for this country to be so reliant on oil, fourth because of the environment, and fifth because I am just plain crazy :D

No sense of humor, sigh....I see.


ooops I wasn't fast enough must work on typing skills :D

:beer:

As to the oil problem: The good news is we have more than a 1,000 year supply of coal reserves. Bad news is we may have to use it! Don

No reason to use coal when the nuclear option is available. That should last us until fusion is ready...

As for why I commute:

1. I HATE driving!

2. Not willing to support American energy dependency.

3. Rudimentary public transportation in my area.

4. Excersize.

Hate driving.Hate buying foreign oil.(Now, well over $2.00 in California...) Love the riding via bike past stalled traffic.My bike does not pollute....Makes me feel more energetic at work. Biking makes me happy... Exercise. ....And because I am a non-conformist and people think me nuts. You can tell by my T shirts, I am proud of that claim.

Cars are like drugs. By driving, one gets almost immediate gratification, at a price. Its hard to say hi to the neighbors, much less stop and talk with them. The sights zoom by, too quickly to appreciate them. If a wrong turn is made, or a shop is passed, its a chore to turn around in a car. The sun is an irritant, coming through the window. Being stuck in traffic, is grumpifying. You have to stay on the bleedin roads! Where the heck is the adventure in driving. On a bike, if I come to a fence, I heft it over. Try that with a stinking car!

I could easily go on. But I'll pass to the distiguished cyclist, from...

I commute by bicycle simply because it's the best option. I am not spending upwards of $20,000 (and another $5,000+ per annum in running costs), on a car just so I can sit in traffic all day. Sure, I'm glad it doesn't pollute, but sometimes I really question whether our species in all it's stupidity really deserves a better world anyway.

As far as the enjoyment side goes, well, I suppose it's more enjoyable than driving the commute, I definitely enjoy riding, but most days I can think of plenty of places I'd rather be riding.

As I get older, I appreciate the exercise benefits, more and more. I also find myself amazed at the fun I continue to have when riding, even though I've been doing it for years. And it's nice to be able to do at least some of the work, on your own vehicle.

Does anyone in this forum use a bicycle as transportation?

If so, please explain your reasons for being a non-conformist.

Please explain your non-conformist actions in this thread.
An Okie, I see. :D

Just funnin'. I ride for any and all reasons: enjoyment, exercise, health, cost savings, convenience, environmental concerns, freedom from the car-only transportation system, irking conformists, the rush it gives me, the high that lasts for hours, etc. Part of the reason I do it is because so many people don't think it can be done.

1. I like riding my bike.

2. It's faster and MUCH less aggravating than driving and spending 75% of the time in the car waiting for gridlock to clear.

3. I own an SUV so it's nice to go as long as possible between fillups (I average about one tank every three weeks :D )

4. An extra hour of saddle time in addition to my usual training is never a bad thing, especially in the winter when there's not a lot of daylight to train.

5. I like offending motorists with my spandex-clad buttocks. :p

1 It's fun, and sometimes an adventure.
2 It's the only way I would ever get any significant excercise.
3 Much faster when there is snow or ice.
4 Saves about $10/day, mostly in parking.
5 Protects my car from dents, salt, rust.
6 My car is a big Mercedes S-class, so it is nice to only fill the tank once a month.

Paul

I like commuting, because this way I am certain to get the exercise I need. It is a nice benefit to be able to enjoy the scenery on the way and to save a bit on the budget. It would be ok with me if the only time we used cars was for looooong trips.

Having TYPE 2 Diabetes, riding and a sensible diet is how I defend against the dreadful side-effects of the disease.

* From my house, it's just as fast or faster than a car. And it's free to park. And it's more enjoyable. (When I have to drive my car it's like paying $9 to have a slower and less enjoyable commute.)

* With a simple detour, I can go from commute to training session. Can't do that in a car.

* I'd rather fuel my vehicle with local farm products than enrich the House of Saud.

* I'm beginning to enjoy being known around the office as that nut who rides his bike in the rain and the dark.

* I enjoy wearing the same size Levis as I did in college.

It's FUN!

I'm addicted. :D

i like riding. and i want to be sezy!!!

When I fill the office with self-righteously indignant rhetoric about the state of our country and how the car is the major destructive force in it. I can point to my years of bicycle commuting as my own contribution to bettering the situation. Also it's fun being the office freakazoid and I'm the only guy over 40 whose waist size doesn't match his age.
Bike commuting is fun and even when the weather is not so nice. There is something refreshing about being in the cold and rain and still functioning...wait I'm preaching to the choir
Ride On!!!

just make sure you have gloves.. god.. the other day it was like 40... and man.. my findger nails hurt like hell!!!

I started commuting because I couldnt afford a car. I moved across country without doing much research and had to take a 45% paycut when I got to New Mexico :eek:. I was getting really tired of the bus with its 40 minute wait between routes and going all over creation out of my way. I looked into getting a bike. I stumbled into this site and found out people were commuting more than twice as far as Id have to go. Went down to the LBS.. got a bike Now Ii love riding and wont take the bus even if its raining. It had never crossed my mind to bke until i couldnt afford a car.

If we could just get more people to give it a try.........

Mainly I just enjoy riding. Also, being a mechanical type, having a bunch of bikes to maintain is just another plus. Everybody would profit from a bicycle commute but realistically we won't see it happen. There are about 100 people in my office, the State pays $2 daily for using other than SOV auto commute & the most we ever had was 7 one fine day a few summers ago. In the Winter, there are just 3 regulars & even we don't ride every day. Don

Does anyone in this forum use a bicycle as transportation?

If so, please explain your reasons for being a non-conformist.

I'm not a non-conformist. I think eveyone should be like me.

Bike commuting is fun and even when the weather is not so nice. There is something refreshing about being in the cold and rain and still functioning...wait I'm preaching to the choir
Ride On!!!

Someone once told me that there is no such thing as bad weather, just different kinds of weather. I think there is allot of truth to this, and I enjoy riding in it in different ways.

* it's fun!
* otherwise i probably never make it through a week of work
* i like "experiencing" the weather rather than complaining about it like auto commuters (snow)
* it keeps me fit (i train but can't find time every day)
* it's environmentally friendly and i like not supporting the waste of driving a mass of metal and burning lots of oil
* people think i'm crazy and weird, and i like that
* it's something i plan to do my whole life - if i'm still enjoying life at 90 i'll be on a bike!
* bike commuting reduces stress rather than increase it (traffic in a car)
* i save money on gas, parking, etc.
* with the bike i have the freedom to go wherever i want... unrestricted by traffic -- and i know how long it will take me
* every day is an adventure as i see all kinds of things from the seat of a bike i never would in the cage of a car

P.S. i've even been "bike commuting" for my 2-months time working in another city 200 miles away -- Monday i ride the bike with my big backpack 10 minutes to the train station, ride the train 3 hours, then ride 5 minutes to the office. then i ride the bike to and from the hotel, office, store, gym, etc. then back to the train and home!!! (oh, and the bike-train takes about 20 minutes longer on the 3 hour car trip when there is no traffic... and there usually is - my coworker spent 5 hours in the car last week for the return! ah, the beauty of bike-train in Europe!)