scroca

I don't disagree with any of this. But none of it has anything to do with a bicycle as an alternative to driving 1.5 miles.

The OP is talking about a 1.5 mile distance to work and whether it's worth it to ride a bicycle. If all you were trying to say to begin with was that we burn zero gallons of gas peddling a bicycle and emit no CO2, then fine, I agree. I didn't get that out your post that I quoted.

alan s 

Move 10 miles away from your work or get another job that is farther away. That way you'll have a longer commute.

scroca

Back to the original post: I'd either walk the 1.5 miles or extend it on the bicycle to make it worth it in terms of health benefit and justifying the preparation. Actually, I used to do the latter when my commute was around 10 miles one way.

Buffalo Buff

If you like biking enough to want to bike your commute, then do it. Pick a longer, less direct route to work and wear your cycling clothing so you don't sweat. Why do you need to post on a forum to figure that out. Your commute is too short? Then make it longer.

bikesd

How about a scooter, or roller blades? Faster than walking & no need to carry a lock!

jfowler85

If we're changing the argument to travel according to lesser carbon dioxide production, than cycling is a poorer choice than walking calmly, which is itself a poorer choice than teleporting.

CrankyOne

Millions of folks outside the U.S. commute 1 to 2 miles. Perfect distance for riding. That said, I think you're over-complicating things. I assume you wouldn't drive a Formula One car to work and wear a fire suit, helmet, gloves, and driving boots? Why do that with a bike?

Get a good upright city bike, forget the helmet and other complicated gook, and enjoy riding and arriving refreshed and sweat free.

Darth Lefty 

My coworkers have been arguing in a lawyerly fashion whether taking a longer route can be counted as commuting for the purpose of honestly logging Bike Month miles; also whether a round trip counts as two or one.

fietsbob

Town up and over a Peninsula ..Apartment on back side , now own house on the near side. Short distance home from the Pub Is Better.

rms13

walk

jade408

I like this plan! Based on your logic, my "commute" to the train station (1 or 1.5 miles depending on which one I choose) is pointless. I have been trying to ride just so I can get home sooner than waiting for the bus. Or make it easier to do post work errands a little too far from the train. Or make it easier when I am out late.

I do have a townie bike with upright bars, no special clothes required. I also have a helmet.

Walking is too annoying! It is not that it is so far. But that is a 30 minute walk! I get my walking miles in from the train to the office. Biking is half the time, even with lights!

caloso

That's why they started counting multipurpose miles. I log a lot of those: 3 days a week, I drop my backpack at work, meet my buddy for a training ride on the ARBT, and then ride back to the office. Makes sense to me.

wolfchild

OP is overthinking this too much...I don't see any problem with a short commute, just ride you bike and don't worry about it.

spare_wheel

It takes me about a couple of seconds to lock or unlock my bike. If you walk 50 meter/second you should really sign up for the Olympic Speed Walking team.

Jim from Boston

Since I cycle commute for fitness (in cycling clothes and on a road bike), IMO 10 miles is a minimum. My shortest route is 14 miles, and I expand it during the nice weather. I also have the option of the Commuter train home.

Papa Tom

Totally agree. It takes me 30 seconds to drive to the bagel store. Should I even bother looking for my keys and wallet, putting on a clean t-shirt, and worrying about finding a parking spot?

I don't mean to analyze you, but I think you might be suffering from depression. No kidding. For me, the best cure has always been getting on a bicycle, whether for ten minutes or ten hours.

Saving Hawaii

Only A/O x 3? Beats my old boss who usually had a GCS of 11. I'd knock him down to 10 but I never had the nerve to see if he would obey my commands.

jade408

Time to quote Grant Petersen: there are no junk miles. Not all rides have to be a race or a workout.

Shahmatt

Once you start feeling warm and just about to break into a sweat, take a break by the side of the road, relax and have a drink of iced water. Drink enough to cool down. Wait 5 mins.. then get moving again.

Dave Cutter

Years ago.... my wife and I had apartment about two miles from where I worked. Since she had a car, I sold mine and just walked to and from work.

ThermionicScott 

I like how BikeJournal defines things: one commuting day is defined as the round-trip from home to work and back. Just riding one way counts as half of a commute. And for those who are sticklers about non-"gratuitous" riding, there is the term "Most Direct And Safe" -- not necessarily the shortest possible route, but the shortest reasonably safe route one could take.

That said, I do like how the generally-agreed definition of commuting miles here on BF is whatever you ride between leaving home for work and returning home. Just as you might optionally run errands or take the scenic route in your car, so you ought to be allowed to count deviations from your MDAS route as part of your commute.

I hope the coworkers in question are also bike commuters; if they don't have a horse in this race, their judgments can be ignored.

Artkansas 

Well, this is a biased sample. Riding easily in the morning shouldn't make you sweat. Take the long way home and ride hard.

I have an 8 mile commute, though I frequently take the bus and chop out all but 1.2 miles. Ah, but half of that 1.2 miles is a twisty turny down hill through a park. Hoo Ha! More frequently, I will ride the entire route home.

12strings

I would still ride, just do it at a leisurely pace....I would wager that despite you feeling like you are keeping up at your fast pace, that from the cars perspective you are still a slow moving object to avoid...I doubt whether going from 16mph to 8 Will make it all of the sudden more difficult for them...I think that's in your head.

CrankyOne

Good point. A no-sweat pace on a 40lb Dutch upright is closer to 12 mph though so even less of a difference.

Most of my transportation riding is on bikeways or MUPs. Otherwise I make liberal use of sidewalks and other options for staying out of the way of cars whenever I can. I'm not a fan of angering motorists by asserting my rights to get in their way and even less so of those who won't realize I'm in their way.

mgw4jc

I did this about a year ago. In fact, I changed jobs and moved in the same weekend. If I hadn't moved, I would have been 2 miles from work. But the new home is 10 miles away by the shortest route. My safer route is 12 miles, but many days I make it 13+.

Or a skateboard?