Commuting - Woo Hoo! First Bike Commuting Day!

Well, I took the leap outta the stinkin traffic! 15 mile bike commute (each way) and everything went perfectly. Rode the bike to the gym, cleaned up and I still got to work in plenty of time.

I did feel a little self conscious in the cycling clothes going up the elevator to my office, but I was at work so early there was only one other person in my dept.

Now I hafta buy more lights so nobody runs me down on the dark rides home at night. As a lurker for the past few weeks I wanted to thank everybody on this forum for the advise and courage to get outta the car.

Congradulations!!!

I am also goaling to start this week. Let us know how it goes for you.

Huff

I'll be starting as soon as the tires and lights I ordered arrive and I get some fenders. I can't wait! Congrats on your start!

Awesome! Glad you made it safely and with time to spare! Wow 15 miles! People drop their jaws when I tell them I ride 10 miles to work. You rock! I have a cateye light (cheapy $5 on REI outlet) that is getting flaky on me and I am interested in getting this light: http://www.bicyclelights.com. I have been commuting to work for over a year now. Cold days are hard and I am now cylcling in the rain where before I had my wife drop me off @ work. Not sure how much ice / snow I will be doing. We shall see :0) I am in awe of those who can do it 365. That is my goal... slowly steady wins the race in my book.

I can never overstate being as visible as possible. I put a bunch of reflective stickers on my helmet and bike. I also wear a vest. When it rains I have a very reflective rain jacket. If anyone hits me they are blind. That is what I always say. I also have a blinky on the helmet and a larger one on the back of my pack.

Keep cycle commuting! :)

Good job on starting to commute by bike. That's an impressive distance. You'll be fit doing that!

Glad to hear we have another commuter among us... 15 miles is a pretty good way to ride, but the more you do it the happier you'll be that you've decided to do it. :)

Stinkin traffic indeed! Welcome to the ranks. What city do you commute to?
Tom

Great to hear! My commute is 15 miles each way too. It will keep you fit! I've been commuting with a Cateye LED and a Cateye halogen, but I'm going to invest in a better lighting system for this winter. The Cateye's have been ok for being seen, but they don't really help you see.

It takes a while to accumlate all the gear you'll need (lights, bags, clothing etc), but it's very satisfying in the end.

Excellent! 15 miles is good. I'm only 13+ round-trip. But it's enough.

15 miles each way is excellent. You rock. I ride only two miles to the railhead. I agree that you need to be VISIBLE at all times. The worst is dusk in the rain. Be very wary during those times. But I'm finding 9 cars out of 10 are yielding their turn at stops signs to let me continue -- though I thinks it is important to nearly stop first and acknowledge their courtesy with a nod. And never assert your turn over a car. You're the little guy with lots to lose, so let the jerks go (without any angry gestures). Many people just don't realize they have to share the road with bikes.

Congrats!!! keep at it, and you'll love it more and more. Don't give up on harder days, it'll make you stronger.

Hey, why don't you guys heep praise on me too? If I ride to work, and then home three times every day, I'll be comuting more than cjw14. Is that what it's going to take? Hmmm, he has the new commuter glory too. I'll juggle, as I ride! I swear, right now I can't juggle at all. Wait for future posts!

Congrats!!! keep at it, and you'll love it more and more. Don't give up on harder days, it'll make you stronger.

Strangely, the harder days seem to end up being my favorite. The days when I wake up and see cold, nasty weather and don't feel like riding, those are the days that i feel most proud of myself for riding.

Hey, why don't you guys heep praise on me too? If I ride to work, and then home three times every day, I'll be comuting more than cjw14. Is that what it's going to take? Hmmm, he has the new commuter glory too. I'll juggle, as I ride! I swear, right now I can't juggle at all. Wait for future posts!

LMAO :D

I commute from Aliso Viejo to Newport Beach - in California. Some really nice views on a great ride!

Ok, Ok icerat... if this was a competition you would be the winner. However, I did appreciate the well wishes because I am not getting them at work.

Last night I actually got hazed for covering the window into my office so I could change my clothes for the ride home. One of the women was "shocked" and proceeded to shout through the office that I was going to change in my office. I guess I didn't understand the big deal, seemed way better than the bathroom to me. Either way it was fairly embarrassing. Oh well, the ride home was great -- made it 20 miles just to get all my frustrations out.

Strangely, the harder days seem to end up being my favorite. The days when I wake up and see cold, nasty weather and don't feel like riding, those are the days that i feel most proud of myself for riding.

Yes, It always feel nice when I know I pushed hard on one day. You gain strenght from the exercise, and strenght of mind knowing you can do something you thought you couldn't.

In my mind, going out there when most ppl run for cover, and loving it is a strenght. though some will call it nuts. :)

Just did my first commute today. About 9 to 11 miles each way according to the mapping software, depending on how lost I was. This was from Park Slope in Brooklyn to Long Island City in Queens, avoiding major traffic. It was really inspiring. The morning trip took exactly the same time as the subway (including map reading stops). The evening took much longer as there were more evasive tactics required, plus it was dark. It was really wonderful though and I felt really good. This bike is my birthday present for my 63rd birthday, so it was even more inspiring. Good luck to you and keep it going! I am certainly going to try.

I commute from Aliso Viejo to Newport Beach - in California. Some really nice views on a great ride!

Hey neighbor! I commute from Mission Viejo to San Clemente. Let me know if you ride on weekends.
Tom

This bike is my birthday present for my 63rd birthday, so it was even more inspiring.

Wow, you are an inspiration! Congratulations on your first day of commuting, hope you enjoy many more. :)

holy cow... I seriously hope I'm still able to be riding/commuting at age 63. I've got quite a ways to go before I hit that age. I still laugh at people who tell me there's no way they could ride their bikes 10 miles or whatever. I have a 450 lb friend who's riding 5-7 miles a day and I've seen numerous other people here who are 40-50+ and/or who are or were at one point overweight. "I can't do it" really means "I'm too lazy and dependent on my car to ever do something like that". Their loss, that's for sure

Just did my first commute today. This bike is my birthday present for my 63rd birthday, so it was even more inspiring.

Great achievement - keep it going. I joined the (thin) ranks of bike commuters about 3 months ago, so am entering my first winter now, intending to go all the way, or at least all the way apart from days where the roads are icy (my office is at the top of a steep hill - so no way).

Would love to see more people on bikes. I often visit Holland, where it is commonplace, and I see families out cycling together. Even on a recent trip to a more culturally open/advanced (not sure what the right term is) city, Edinburgh, I saw more cyclists in 2 days than I have seen in 2 months in my city.