I have several target people that I want to convince to commute by bike, especially my dad, who's 48 and lives only about 3 miles from work. He used to like riding with me when I was a kid, but hasn't done it in years. He basically never uses his car except to go to work and pick up a coffee on the way.

I think it would be good for him and easy and safe. How do you convince friends and family to take it up?

go with him on a trial run over the weekend. he probably doesn't realize how fast and simple a 3 mile commute would be. weekends are the best to test it out because the traffic is light and you're not in a hurry. good luck.

This might not work for someone who makes such light use of a car, but I convinced friends to use public transit this way: have the person put every last receipt for a car-related expense in a box for a month: every gas, parking, cleaning, insurance, car loan, etc. expence. Then point out the cost of cycling instead! (Or public transit, in my case that's $63CAD per month for unlimited travel).

I'm too new to biking to have converted anyone yet (give me time) but I have converted several people to public transit. It helped that I would arrive at work on time and rested in the winter... everyone else was late and tired from shovelling snowed-in driveways. :D

I have several target people that I want to convince to commute by bike, especially my dad, who's 48 and lives only about 3 miles from work. He used to like riding with me when I was a kid, but hasn't done it in years. He basically never uses his car except to go to work and pick up a coffee on the way.

I think it would be good for him and easy and safe. How do you convince friends and family to take it up?

Does your Dad have a bike? Maybe you could buy him one.

Make sure to get him something that you could use yourself if he doesn't want it, though. Kinda like buying your Mom a catcher's mitt for her birthday ("Gee mom, if you're not using your mitt tonight, do you mind if I take it with me to my game? I'll get it broken in for you..."). :rolleyes:

Does your Dad have a bike? Maybe you could buy him one.

Make sure to get him something that you could use yourself if he doesn't want it, though. Kinda like buying your Mom a catcher's mitt for her birthday ("Gee mom, if you're not using your mitt tonight, do you mind if I take it with me to my game? I'll get it broken in for you..."). :rolleyes:
Ya, my dad has a bike, a decent older Trek rigid frame mountain bike with slicks. I overhauled it and upgraded the shifters last time I went home, but didn't want to take the bike back with me, because I wanted him to use it.

go with him on a trial run over the weekend. he probably doesn't realize how fast and simple a 3 mile commute would be. weekends are the best to test it out because the traffic is light and you're not in a hurry. good luck.

I think the trial run is a good idea. There's nothing quite like "modeling behavior." I unwittingly convinced several co-workers to commute by bike simply by riding to work. First they laughed at me. Then they began to ask questions about bikes. Then they bought bikes and were riding to work themselves.

Cheaper than my car? Not the way I spend on bike stuff! :D But worth every penny!

I've been commuting by bike for years now and I haven't convinced a single person. I've given up. In fact, I'm going to try reverse psychology: if anybody asks me about it, I'll say, "Eh. It's not for you."

I'm lucky in that many people I work with commute on bike. Probably helps that I work in transportation planning :)

Blackberry has it. Just doing it... even though you live elsewhere and you Dad doesn't see you doing like your work colleagues would.

It's really difficult to convince anyone to do something if they don't want to. Have you asked him why he wouldn't consider cycling-commuting?

Maybe bragging about the cost-savings might help. But most people also are happy spending significant amounts of disposable income on their motor vehicles.

About the only one you may be able to convince him on is the health aspect.

I have friends who could quite easily cycle-commute but don't. Even though I visit them regularly at the top of the hill they live on, by riding there. Oh, and they are cyclists who tour. Commuting just doesn't fit their life priorities at present.

Maybe he would be up to riding his bike to work just one day per week, like on Fridays. That way, he could ease into it and maybe he'd do more.

But really, if he wants to do it he will. If he doesn't, he won't.

Blackberry has it. Just doing it... even though you live elsewhere and you Dad doesn't see you doing like your work colleagues would.

It's really difficult to convince anyone to do something if they don't want to. Have you asked him why he wouldn't consider cycling-commuting?
He thinks it's too dangerous, but I think my hometown is WAAAAY quieter and safer than here in Maryland. Plus it's completely flat. He needs more exercise but never can get into a routine because he's always working. I think cycling would be great for him.

If he thinks it too dangerous, why doesnt that stop him driving his car to work. He is just as likely to be killed driving as cycling.

Try riding with him on the weekend. Search for alternate routes, because the easiest and fastest car route may not be the easiest or fastest by bike.

Where I worked, I was the only person in my department to ride a bicycle for the first few years. I consistently rode, day in, day out, good weather and bad ... to the amazement of my coworkers. I also participated in a number of cycling events, some of which were written up in the staff magazine.

After a few years of this, more and more people started to ask me about cycling, we got a bicycle rack for our building, and by the time I left about half a dozen people were riding either regularly or a few times a week.

They just saw how much I enjoyed cycling, how fit I was, and how I was saving money ... and they wanted to be part of that. :)

He thinks it's too dangerous, but I think my hometown is WAAAAY quieter and safer than here in Maryland. Plus it's completely flat. He needs more exercise but never can get into a routine because he's always working. I think cycling would be great for him.

YOU think cycling would be great for him. Does he enjoy cycling too? Does he have a bicycle? When was the last time he used it? Does he really want to get more exercise?

If HE doesn't feel the need to get more exercise (a lot of people SAY they should exercise more but have no intention of actually doing anything), and if he has no interest in cycling, you've got an uphill battle to convince him of anything, and nagging will likely only make him dig his heels in and refuse even more.

The best you can do is to ride as much as you can, participate in events where he can come and cheer you on, exude enjoyment of cycling, and get fit . . . then if you're really lucky, perhaps your father will see how much fun you're having and how good you look, and he'll dust off the bicycle and take it for a spin.

I second the dry run on the weekend. I failed to convince my best bud to commute and live by bike. I another friend who I gave a bike to, bought another one last week and converted the first to fixie just today. He is so hooked, his girlfriend is becoming a bike widow. Sometimes riding will take, sometimes not. But showing the ease of your lifestyle will speak volumes to those skeptics watching you.

You could tell him that a lot of three mile short trips during which the engine never warms up are bad for his car.


Paul

Do a "dry run" to the coffe shop the next time you go home. "Dad want to go get some coffee my treat......No lets take the bikes it is not that far.....I ride to work____miles all the time...."

This might not work for someone who makes such light use of a car, but I convinced friends to use public transit this way: have the person put every last receipt for a car-related expense in a box for a month: every gas, parking, cleaning, insurance, car loan, etc. expence. Then point out the cost of cycling instead! (Or public transit, in my case that's $63CAD per month for unlimited travel).

I'm too new to biking to have converted anyone yet (give me time) but I have converted several people to public transit. It helped that I would arrive at work on time and rested in the winter... everyone else was late and tired from shovelling snowed-in driveways. :D

This is unique.

I've never met anyone that I've been able to convince in taking public transportation because once someone purchases a motor car, they stop buses and trains. On the other hand, you never have to preach public transportation to those who don't own a car and trying to convince the motorist to go back to PT is a waste of time.

I've never met anyone that I've been able to convince in taking public transportation because once someone purchases a motor car, they stop buses and trains. On the other hand, you never have to preach public transportation to those who don't own a car and trying to convince the motorist to go back to PT is a waste of time.

Its not easy. The things that help here are the winter snowfalls, the quality of our transit system, and the cost of parking. For some reason its the norm for most employers in Ottawa to charge for parking. I know some people who pay over $150CAD a month to park at work.

It also helps to be smug. What, you had a hard time getting here? I left a few minutes early and got here just fine! My conversion rate has dropped now that my commute involves falling out of bed and turning my computer on.

Ya, my dad has a bike, a decent older Trek rigid frame mountain bike with slicks. I overhauled it and upgraded the shifters last time I went home, but didn't want to take the bike back with me, because I wanted him to use it.


Don't forget to attach one of those atuomoblie cup holders to his handlebars so he can carry his coffe, in the special commuter cup that you give him. Go out on a weekend ride with him and stop for coffee.

You could tell him that a lot of three mile short trips during which the engine never warms up are bad for his car.

That's what I was going to say. My neighbour drives 1 mile to work every morning and after 5 years, his engine is almost toast.

He thinks it's too dangerous

He's not too afraid of going for a walk is he? Injury to cyclists in traffic parallel exactly the experiance of pedestrians.

He doesn't want to get sick does he? You can tell him there is a minimum level of physical activity that humans need to be healthy and riding his bike to work every morning will give him this without the hassel of trying to find the time to go to the gym.

You can't convince anybody to do anything.

The man I live with works in the same office I do. I ride to work. He drives. He even went so far as to buy a new bike. He still drives. And he's not an inactive person, either. He just won't ride his bike to work.

I have several target people that I want to convince to commute by bike, especially my dad, who's 48 and lives only about 3 miles from work. He used to like riding with me when I was a kid, but hasn't done it in years. He basically never uses his car except to go to work and pick up a coffee on the way.

I think it would be good for him and easy and safe. How do you convince friends and family to take it up?
You could tell him that I'm 45 and do it, and that my dad did it, too (he's 80 now.)

But remember that people have to decide for themselves. It's they only way they'll stick with it. :)

That's what I was going to say. My neighbour drives 1 mile to work every morning and after 5 years, his engine is almost toast.

He's not too afraid of going for a walk is he? Injury to cyclists in traffic parallel exactly the experiance of pedestrians.

He doesn't want to get sick does he? You can tell him there is a minimum level of physical activity that humans need to be healthy and riding his bike to work every morning will give him this without the hassel of trying to find the time to go to the gym.

I think the Dad already is quite active. Just not by cycling.

I believe that his eyes would glaze over unless the information could be framed to suit his circumstances. And then only one aspect.

While all the statistical stuff is worth talking about among us, I think it is so esoteric that to use it any discussion with an uninterested non-cyclist (and even some of those who are cyclists!) might actually not be productive. It's the old "It won't happen to me" syndrome, I am afraid.

I think it would be good for him and easy and safe. How do you convince friends and family to take it up?

Forgive me for sounding cynical, but my experience is that you don't. All you can do is wait for the desire to naturally arise (if this ever happens), and help them out by offering advice or assistance whenever they need/want it. Sure, you can point out actual statistics to confirm that cycling is safer/faster/more efficient in urban areas, but the fact is that most people won't believe you because of the perception of "danger" or "slowness" or anything else. Even if they don't say as much, the look on their face will be inidicative of the fact they're unconvinced. Trying to push the issue will only make them more resistant to it.

Personally, I think you should target the battles you can win. Set an example by doing it yourself, and offer encouragement to those who show a desire to do it. Basically, let people discover it for themselves.

Usually being told to do something at gunpoint is pretty convincing.

Honestly I find that if you live near someone making the tide in a group effort is a good thing. If there's two of you at least the conversation is better.

If there's two of you at least the conversation is better.

I agree. You can be boring in the mornings

wait till its nice weather and try the old "it`s so nice and sunny we should get outddoors - how about we cycle in just today for a bit of fun"- don`t try and sell it as a lifestyle change involving exercise as people tend to avoid those.

You gotta make it look sexy. They use sex to sell everything these days, so it must work pretty well.

Steal their car.

Steal their car.
Hehe, I already have my dad's OLD car, I would feel bad about stealing his new one too :)

Maybe if all non-car-owning cyclists banded together and formed a secret society...

We could be secret for a few years, have secret handshakes, use our collective connections to get benefits for ourselves (nice chairs at work, rings to operate the soda machine, 912...), gain political influence, etc.

THEN, once we have an awesome secret society, filled ONLY with cyclists who don't own cars, we leak information about our existence. Of course, everything is denied publicly. We hire wackos to write books about us that go way beyond the pale. Accuse us of satanism, mayan calendar mysticism, orgiastic worship of the 13-tooth cog, etc. This will disguise our true nature. People begin to find out about us. But it's still all rumors. People will ask our members, fake-jokingly, "so, I see you on your bike all the time. does that have anything to do with your __________?" (insert here: awesome lovelife, swift and courteous treatment by various bureaucracies, fabulous wealth, great deals you get on everything you buy)."

When they ask us this, we can look at them slyly, and say, "I don't know, I think that I just have good karma from getting rid of my car. Your should try it." Then WINK. If they *DO* get rid of their car, approach them at night while wearing balaclava, black helmet, black bike gear, riding a *silent* black fixed-gear. Make sure they're alone. Invite them into the secret society. Tell them that it does really exist. Make them swear secrecy. If they refuse, shout, or resist, your accomplice in the bushes will shoot them with a tranquilizer dart and then douse them with whiskey.

One by one, our membership will grow. More people will come to associate the car-free lifestyle with wealth, power, luck, and mojo. Global warming will abate, republicans wouldn't be elected, and wars in places like Iraq and Afganistan will end, and not be repeated. American obesity epidemics will be slashed. Cities will not have noise polution. Roadways will be smooth. Rather than having a ghettoized bike lane, we will have ghettoized car routes, with large central parking lots to serve entire neighborhoods. So much space will be freed from our roadways that tree cover will double in most cities.

Life will be good.

Maybe if all non-car-owning cyclists banded together and formed a secret society...

We could be secret for a few years, have secret handshakes, use our collective connections to get benefits for ourselves (nice chairs at work, rings to operate the soda machine, 912...), gain political influence, etc.
I like your vision of utopia, dude. But mostly I'm excited about the nice chair at work. Perhaps there could be free pie for the fixie riders too?

How do you convince someone to try bike commuting?

Steal their car?







You have to want to. You can get the idea from a third party telling you about it but to undertake it is a matter between your bike and brain.