jimmuller 

Hi, Papa T, and Jim FB. I was pulled to this thread by JFB's reference. I've commuted by bike in the past, but for the last 5 years or so have done so religiously. This year I've ridden 8000 miles, 3/4ths of which were commuting (all on vintage road bike, I should add). Rode the 16 miles home last night in a pouring rain. But I just take it all for granted, which is why I haven't sought out the Commuting forum. If I want to ride, I just do it.

But all that is just for introduction. What I really wanted to say was this. There is a Good Ride Today? thread in the 50+ and another in the C&V. (I hang out in the C&V most of the time.) JBF has already mentioned the MetroBoston thread. They are all different. The C&V version had absotively posilutely b-e-a-u-tiful photos from riders around the world, places I'll never get to see, let alone ride in. The 50+ usually usually has exactly what you describe, simple statements of people's daily accomplishments. I post pics there occasionally, but most people don't.

So why the differences? I think it reflects priorities. For many of the 50+ members riding at all is a big deal. Many are recent converts back to cycling which they last did decades ago. And of course as we get older it gets harder. In contrast, the C&V participants ride the bikes they do because they appreciate the aesthetics of older designs. They like the color, the detail work, the colorful history, etc. So it is natural that they would post pics and ride descriptions.

Anyway, that's all I have to offer. Just ride and enjoy. Post your own pics and descriptions of smells. One of the neat things about my ride last night was the illuminated fountain my front wheel threw up in front of the bike. I got no pics, sorry.

lost_in_endicot

The only goals I set for this year were to ride to work more often, and shoot for 1000 commuting miles. I did ride to work more often this year, but I'll fall a little short of the mileage. I'm at 814 miles, with 6 work days left for the year.

I am pretty pleased that I came close to getting where I wanted to be for the year. I also lost 30 pounds, and I feel pretty good about that, too. I've found that riding to work is a real pleasure.

I think next year's goals will be the similar- ride more often, and 1300 miles.

mcours2006

I think just like other endeavours you might engage in such as fitness, health, weight loss, etc., it's natural that one sets a goal. It keeps you focused. Does it take some of the enjoyment out of it? I don't think so. When I'm riding my bike I'm always in the moment.

To each his own.

wsgts

Great thread.

No idea what the total of just commuting miles are, but total of all miles this year is 1926 as of today, and I still got a couple more weeks to go. My total goal was 3000, so going to fall way short. Taking it easy since I broke my shoulder on the road bike - ice accident on New Years day this year.

Safe miles!
T

Dave Cutter

I love this thread! I am retired now... so no commuting. Also no year-end review, or self-assessment ether. Nice to be able to access my 2015 cycling!

I only drove my truck about 2000 miles this year (I just went outside and checked the odometer)... about the same as my bicycle miles (2035.39).

I switched to a phone app to monitor/record my cycling mileage this year. I've already renewed (paid for) next years app use. The app's are great for cycling. It doesn't matter which bike I use. Whether it's my daily rider, the rain bike, or taking the vintage bike out for a ride with the wife for an ice cream cone I record the ride.

I only added one new bicycle to my herd this year! That other bike... is only temporary. OK.. I may not have the bike buying under control. But that was never a goal.

I had decided last year to do more destination cycling/riding this year. And I did... but I have room for improvement in 2016 too. I'd ride somewhere fun, an event or something... then post a picture with me and/or the bike on my favorite social media site. I think I helped encourage others my age to try cycling for fun.

I rode more long rides. It is pretty easy to log 2000 miles. It can be done at 5 1/2 miles each day (even on a trainer) or a few (20) weekend century rides that includes meals and beers afterwards. I aimed for something down the middle. I rode a lot of 40 mile rides... and some really short winter weather rides. With an average of 22 miles per ride. But not one century (not even a metric). In 2016 I plan to ride a century.

Jim from Boston

@jimmuller did not describe a unique element of that Metro Boston thread that makes it so amiable and collegial. Several of us post frequently, and we all know of each other, as well as the region, though we may ride in different sectors. For example, I do occasionally catch jmm’s concurrent ride descriptions on the Fifty-Plus Forum and the Metro Boston thread, and the comparisons are amusing; the Metro B posts are so much more descriptive and personal.

I have described the Metro Boston thread as “apres-cycling,” like apre ski, where we get together after riding to exchange stories and pictures, and occasionally razz each other.

Papa Tom

Yes, I started the "Long Island: Good Ride Today" thread to get the same kind of discussion going as in the "Metro Boston" thread, but I still like yours better.

Anyway, this side chatter is cutting into the OP's topic, so I'm going to shut up now.

johnlp37

My main goal for 2015 is to ride every day I commute. Almost there. After bike commuting every work day for a couple months I quit considering driving. I don't think of it as an option anymore. I will also ride 10,000 total miles this year. Not sure I'll do that again. Good year for me. Goals for next year are quality over quantity and more hiking.

GovernorSilver

My first goal was to learn how to ride a bike. I'd kinda sorta wanted to learn but wasn't really serious until my brother-in-law's failed attempt to teach me. That goal was finally accomplished on May 10, 2015, which was the second time I took a "how to ride for adults" class.

My next goal was to start commuting to work by bicycle. This was accomplished in June, 2015.

Next goal after that was continue commuting without death or injury. I failed in that I fell a couple of times due to bad turns and my foot slipping off a pedal, thus sustaining some bruises. But I didn't die so that overall goal was met.

For next year I want to get better at changing to the left lane for left turns. Most of the time I either got lucky and was allowed by a motorist in the next lane over to cut in front. I need to get better at getting into more advantageous positioning.

I'd also like to do a century ride and also the ride to Purcelville (seems to be a rite of passage for cyclists here) but that's kinda OT because it's not commuting.

valleyrider

I keep track of mileage for two reasons:
1) So I can show people (namely cousins who proudly ride the "Coal Train" and other community members who see bikes as only annoying recreational machines) that bikes are actually economical and useful.
2) So I can prove to myself that I am capable of pushing myself and can discipline myself to get out of bed an hour earlier in the mornings.

Mileage total (commuting only) for the year: 1,354 miles
Car miles saved: 2,372 miles (this is more than the bike miles because wife and I share a car, and there was quite a while when she needed it for work, so she would have to drop me off at work and pick me up at the end of the day, thus riding bike saved twice the amount of car miles)
Gallons of diesel fuel saved: 74 (We drive a diesel VW Jetta that gets ~43 mpg, if we had a less fuel efficient car then this number would be much higher)
Money saved based on average fuel price for the days I biked: $190.09 (Diesel fuel is also at the lowest price it has been since 2008, so this would be higher if the price actually reflected the cost)

The bike was a gift, so every penny saved is another penny in our bank account (and another penny I can spend on the bike and bike-specific things)!

I have only been biking for just over a year (I started December 15, 2014) and I didn't track any mileage before March, so everything is actually higher, but I don't feel like doing math to guess how much higher. I'm an internal accountant by trade and do enough math at work.
I also use my bike to work as training for Cyclocross. I did three races this year, and plan to do a full season next year, maybe some road races as well.

Today will probably be my last commute. My RD cable either pulled out of the STI or it snapped (haven't gotten a chance to look yet), but I might zip-tie the RD and go singlespeed for a couple of workout commutes. We'll see. I don't know when I will have time to fix that.

PS: My average speed has gone from 10mph last December to ~ 17 currently. Not that this matters much, but since I am using it as training this is a happy thing. Plus, I have 500' of climbing in my 7 mile commute, and generally have 20-30 lbs of clothing, food, groceries, work stuff in my panniers when I ride. So I feel pretty good about that.

PPS: Also think about the savings in Insurance costs for a car, and the purchase cost of a vehicle. If we were to buy a very cheap new car ($2,000) just for me getting to work and insurance on it (assuming the same $630 we pay for our current vehicle), that is more savings of $2,630. I did just get a motorcycle (for free from a brother) though... Insurance on that was $300 I think? But still, big savings!

RubeRad

Nice savings analysis, don't forget that if you report your lower car mileage to your insurer, you may fall into a bracket that reduces your rates somewhat.

The Quiet One

It was a disappointing year. It was going great until I was bitten by one of the cats and got an infection. I had to go on some nasty antibiotics and ended up so nauseated, I couldn't ride. Then I had to have surgery to remove cysts blocking my tear ducts and lost some more time. I set a goal of 1000 miles but only made 720. Better luck next year, I guess.

Papa Tom

You're the second person I know who suffered one of those serious cat-bite infections this year. The other person ended up in a hospital. Have the felines all joined some terrorist operation, and should we stop allowing them to pass through our borders?

Rick@OCRR

I had a commuting goal of 3,000 miles but fell short . . . and checking my records (yeah, I keep an excel spreadsheet) I commuted 140 days in 2015 @ 19 miles per day which comes out to 2,660 miles.

I only commute Mon./Wed./Fri. since I have club training rides on Tues. and Thurs. evenings. I missed a few commute days but not many.

I thought there was a way to check on Strava to find out how many commuting miles they show for me but now I can't find it.

My totals for the year so far (won't change much now!) are: Total miles: 12,238. Total feet of climbing: 905,545.

Total centuries 33 (counting double centuries as only one) and eight doubles.

Overall a good year; a couple of weeks lost due to sickness but thankfully no bad crashes or serious long-term illness issues.

Rick / OCRR

Bikerdave222

Im guessing about 2500 miles this year. I think that is good for my first year commuting. I will see about increasing it next year.
Im going to do the excel spreadsheet too starting in Jan.

San Pedro

I put on less miles than I had hoped for mainly because I don't want to ride all the way to work in the rain (sometimes to the train station is fine), and this was a very rainy year here. Still it was good mileage, and I would have lost more weight was it not for spending 2 weeks back in the US and eating too many snacks (hey pancakes waiting for me at work right now).

valleyrider

Spreadsheets are the way to go!
I have mine set up with a macro so that when I turn my computer on for work in the morning, the spreadsheet pops right up. Then if I didn't ride to work I feel guilty, and if I did I just put a 1 under the corresponding date and the formulas do all the calculation for me. Very convenient.

mr geeker

I just did a quick bit of math and only counting commuting, I've rode around 2500 miles. Keep in mind I don't track my milage or number of days I ride, but I do ride most days and my round trip to-from work is 8 miles. Also I'm not above working 7 days a week.

Bizman

It was 5 years ago right about now that I said I am going to ride a bike everyday. Then on January 9th 2011 I said if I miss a day once in a while that would be OK and missed that day. On January 9th 2016 it will be 5 years since I missed a day riding a bicycle. I officially started commuting May 2013. In 2014 my total miles riding all my bikes were 7887. For 2015 I set a total mileage goal of 8000.

I calculated with 2 days to go I will have 8431 for 2015 riding all my bikes, about 7900 being commuting miles. For 2016 I will put a total mileage goal of 8500 for all my bikes. I have made a lifestyle change over 5 years ago and committed riding a bike more than I had been. This then lead to to using it as much for my transportation and including doing as much transportation for my business as possible.

I have been fortunately able to stick to meeting or exceeding my goals and it has taken allot of discipline to do it, it has not always been easy. It is easier to not ride and harder sometimes to make myself do it, but I am always glad to be doing it once I am out there. I have tried to eat healthier and maintain a weight of 130 lbs. I have done good at that too. If I have to assess myself I think I am doing allot better than some people in this world. I feel very fortunate to be able to do it, and with discipline plan to continue!

tarwheel 

I can totally sympathize with those who do not track their mileage, number of commutes, etc. However, I think it's wrong to assume that us "trackers" lose sight of the aesthetic, cultural and "data-free" aspects to cycling. I track mileage because it's something I've always done with exercise, going back to my running days in my 20s (40+ years). For me, it's a way to assess my progress, fitness and stick-to-it-ive-ness. I also have found in life that you achieve more when you set goals, even if you don't reach them.

However, I thoroughly enjoy the culture of cycling, the scenery while riding, the friendships with other riders, bike touring and other aspects that have nothing to do with logging miles and average speeds. I value the bike tours I took this year, and the numerous rides to coffee shops and restaurants with friends, much more than just accumulating miles. I also value the fact that while commuting I am one less car on the road. I am helping to relieve traffic congestion, improve air quality and conserve energy. The website where I track my mileage also estimates how much CO2 emissions I prevent by cycling rather than driving, and I saved 2.06 tons in 2015. To some or perhaps many cyclists, this isn't important, but it is to me, and it's another reason why I track my rides.

jimmuller 

Very impressive goals, impressive accomplishments!

rmfnla

And my response wasn't meant as a criticism.

People ride bikes for many reasons and those who want to track and measure are certainly free to do so.

I personally think there's too much of that that in the world, and I was saluting your casual approach since it mirrors mine...

Giant Doofus

I didn't set mileage goals for the year, aiming instead to ride a certain number of days. According to the rules of the challenge I entered, I had to go at least 10 km for it to count as a day of riding, so I tracked mileage to be sure I was good in that respect. My goal was 250 days. The results?

265 days of riding and
3808 miles total for 2015.

I didn't separate commuting miles from other kinds of rides. I'm very happy with this level of riding and plan to keep my goals the same for next year.

My non-riding bike goal was to gain skills and confidence wrenching on my own bike. I took an overhaul class through my local co-op and was able to rebuild one of my own bikes from the bottom bracket up. It was exhilarating! Now I can volunteer there on a regular basis to help overhaul bikes that are donated to the co-op. It really helps keep my skills up, and I'm slowly getting better at it.

somasanmarcos

As of today, I have ridden 4,612 miles this year. This includes commuting, quick errand runs, and fun rides.

ChicagoDan

I started doing this in the How was your commute thread, but I'll go into more detail here.

I didn't enter this year with much in the way of expectations. In 2014, I had a little over 200 miles on Divvy bike share bikes between my office and the train station. In April, 2015, I started commuting by bike from home to the train station, and only missed a few commuting opportunities after that. I will end the year with a little less than 3,000 miles.

The breakdown:


Total Miles: 2821.8
Commuting miles: 2571
Non-Commute miles: 250
Divvy miles: 371
Potential ride days(not PTO or holiday): 159
Days ridden: 141

I think I did pretty well in 2015!