Commuting - First ever commute today - awesome!

I finally went ahead and decided to ride to work today. 9 miles each way in Houston traffic. I've been putting it off for a while now thinking that I either needed a new bike or more time or wait to move to a new neighborhood, blah blah blah. Anyway, I finally went ahead and bought a messenger bag and some safety lights and went in today on my (racing) road bike and all I can say is that I wish I had done it sooner.

My whole reason in doing this was to get some cheap miles in on mornings when my running club doesn't meet. I also go to the gym at work in the morning on those days, too, so I left the house at 5:00am this morning and peddled in the dark. Not a problem - no traffic and good roads - and quite refreshing before I hit the weights.

I was more anxious about the ride home and turned out to be rightly so - the heat was tough and the traffic was much worse than 12 hours earlier. It took me a while to get out of downtown (stoplights at every intersection) and onto some side streets but once I did it was quite a workout keeping up with traffic and exactly what I was hoping to accomplish with the commute.

Can'y wait to do it again and can't imagine doing it on a different bike. The skinny tires and high gears made a difference in fighting my way home.

Congratulations!

I'm on my third week commuting and loving it.

Nice work, getting started is the hardest part. I have been riding to work on and off since 96'. The last 2 years have been a constant 2-3days per week, year round. This morning when I got up, it was dark and cold, I forced myself out of bed knowing that that was the hardest part of my morning commute, getting up. I always feel like I have accomplished something by riding to work, which is 40km one way, and I get a lift home. Keep it up, the extra miles add up after a while.

CHEERS.

Mark

Congrats, keep it up!

I've been commuting for almost a year...and love it!

Nice work, getting started is the hardest part.

Actually, I would say the third week or so is the hardest part -- once the
novelty wears off. You wake up one morning feeling too tired to make the
ride; you feel virtuous having done it for the last ten or fifteen workdays,
you think you'll take a relaxing day off the ride. Then the next morning
you find you're in a rush and don't have time for the ride. Then, before
you know it, a couple of weeks have gone by without the bike commute.
So you commute a couple of days, but then something comes up again...

Rain can also be a disincentive, particularly if you don't have the gear,
but I don't know if that's a problem in Houston or not...

You know you're a bike commuter once the novelty of it is barely even a
memory: you ride in the rain; you ride when you're late; you ride when
you're tired; and when getting to work in any other way is itself a
novelty. You know you're really a bike commuter when that
latter novelty is an unpleasant one.

Congrats on the commute! Welcome to the club.

I have felt the way that bluejack does many times and I make my self ride. When I get to work I am so happy that I did. It just does not seem the same to me when I drive instead of bike.

Welcome to the group! I have been off and on commuting for over 35 years but this year I have made a commitment to average 3 times a week. Like the others said it gets easier but you have to try to be consistant. I find it helps to prepare everything the night before so you are not running around in confusion in the morning and forget something. Good luck.

I'm axiously looking forward to starting my commute at the end of next month, once my company moves to the new building. The current drive is 44 miles round trip, and no good roads to bike on. I never see any bikes while I'm in my steel box and with good reason, traffic is crazy on Woodward Ave. here in the Detroit area.

The new distance will be a mere 3 miles one way with plenty of good routes. Motivation shouldn't be a problem, as I'm usually on my bike any chance I get.

Actually, I would say the third week or so is the hardest part -- once the
novelty wears off. You wake up one morning feeling too tired to make the
ride; you feel virtuous having done it for the last ten or fifteen workdays,
you think you'll take a relaxing day off the ride. Then the next morning
you find you're in a rush and don't have time for the ride. Then, before
you know it, a couple of weeks have gone by without the bike commute.
So you commute a couple of days, but then something comes up again...


Bluejack, that is exactly what I needed to hear right now. I'm approaching my third week, and already I can begin to hear that whisper in the back of my mind saying, "You know, it would be so much easier to just drive in." You've motivated me to make it at least one more day.

Bluejack, that is exactly what I needed to hear right now. I'm approaching my third week, and already I can begin to hear that whisper in the back of my mind saying, "You know, it would be so much easier to just drive in." You've motivated me to make it at least one more day.

A lot of people commute a set number of days per week, rather than every single
day. The important thing is to have a routine and stick to it. And the good news
is, if my experience is any guide, the routine really starts to feel normal after
another week or two.

One thing that helped me, psychologically, was to accessorize. I got some nifty
cycling gloves, I got clipless pedals with cleated cycling shoes, I got various
reflective bands, I got a messenger bag (although I don't like it much, still
looking for a good one), and, of course, I got the all weather gear. I still get
that original rush of novelty when I bike to work in a total downpour and
arrive safe, warm, and dry at the other end, to the astonishment of all the
steel-box commuters. (I didn't get all this stuff at once, I bought maybe one
small thing every week or two over a period of months: each purchase gave
me a little more motivation to keep going. It's a silly trick, but it worked for me.)

I must note that some commutes might just not work for some people. I have
seen people on this forum talk about commuting 25 miles, each way. That's
pretty hard core. I don't think I could do that. I worked with a guy who did
that, all year round. I was in awe of him, but I don't think I could have
been him.

Now, my commute is actually too short, however -- only 2 miles. I wish it
were longer so that I would have more cycling time!

One way to stay motivated is to get a cyclo computer and track your progress in Excel everyday.
Personally, I track the following:
% weekdays biked
Average speed in
Average speed back
Time in
Time back
Total commuting miles for the month
Gallons saved
$ spent on bike vs $ saved

The miles really do add up and you can get crazy with charts and stuff....
Since I did this I am eager to reach the magical 100% weekdays biked to work... my best so far this year is 95% in April (21 out of 22 days).
I have commuted to work 68 times this year, for a total YTD of 1200 commuting miles. It is the equivalent of 48 Gallons of gas I did not have to buy, and with the toll I save each day, it brings me $572 closer to a new bike.
Overall, since 1/1/04 I have shaved 17 minutes out of my RT commute, my average speed went from 12 to 14.5 mph...and I lost 20 pounds in the process....

So, come rain, wind, heat or snow, I bike my way to work, pushing myself to make it there faster... or just taking it easy an racking up the miles....

Next purchase, a HR monitor.... :)

One way to stay motivated is to get a cyclo computer and track your progress in Excel everyday.

Excellent! I love it!

Welcome to the club! And don't forget to treat yourself with some of the money you save by not driving.

I Agree with NY commuter- good to make it a game.

My fave game is to track miles to an imaginary destination or route. Last year I "biked to hawaii"- 2400 miles of commuting. This year I am "biking the Tour De France" - at least in mileage. I know its corny, but I use MS streets and plot my miles at the end of each week- its just another fun way to appreicate every mile.