wristwister

Here's the deal, I've been doing my work commute on the bike a few days a week for almost 4 months now. I REALLY enjoy it ... except when that alarm clock goes off in the morning. When I get up at 0-dark-30, the LAST thing I want to do is put on the lycra and get on that #@%&$ bike. My warm cozy car calls my name. Kicking back with a warm cup of coffee at my side, tunes playing on the radio, sounds REALLY good, and it takes all my willpower to force myself not to drive and to hop on the bike instead.

But here's the funny thing, within minutes of getting on that bike and peddling I love it and thoroughly enjoy the 15 mile commute, and think to myself how stupid it was that I considered NOT riding. Then all day I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike for the great commute home. This happens EVERY TIME! But it's like when I first get up in the morning I have complete amnesia about the joy of biking and the car taunts me. EVERY TIME!

Is this normal? Will there come a time when I spring out of bed, flip that car the finger, and eagerly anticipate the ride from the moment my eyes open? Or do all you commuters go through this morning hate-love ritual?

I'm concerned because as the mornings are getting darker and cooler I'm not sure my willpower will be strong enough to continue choosing bike over car.

Hot Potato

Its my alarm clock. It whispers..."take the car" in my ear as I sleep.

tjspiel

I don't spring out of bed period anymore regardless

There are mornings when it's tougher to get on the bike but I've been doing this long enough to know that unless I really need the car for some reason or another, I'll regret driving.

Sometimes I reward myself with a little pit stop before I get to work.

Commuter76

There are some mornings where I feel the same way. Like you, once I start riding I'm glad I chose the bike.

It was a lot more difficult the first few months for me. After about 6 months, I started trying to ride more days each week. Tough it out, you'll get into a good routine and won't be tempted as much.

Jay D

I'm guilty of this more times that I'd like to admit. But whenever I drove to work I always felt guilty as I would have loved being able to ride home.

woodway

Normal. Just get on the bike and start pedaling.

One suggestion - dump the Lycra and switch to wool. Easier to put on in the morning, and you'll be warmer when the rain returns. And as you and I know, it will return.

corkscrew

I have that same internal argument most every bike day.

Bike normally wins unless I have some heavy errands to run, or if its "rest" day when my body tells me I've ridden to much and deserve a day to be lazy.

Every time I drive though I'm so very tired during the day and regret not riding. The difference between me riding and driving is only about 40 minutes of sleep.

CbadRider

There is a reason why I get everything packed the night before I commute, and lay the bike clothes out next to my bed. I always feel better after pedaling a mile or so too.

echotraveler

keep it up, i bet you can, my GF once told me that we take 3 weeks to addapt into a new routine...your well over that period.

I can relate on your commuting back being exciting! getting out of work, excersice and at the same time, save gas, save the planet, being green....simply being cooler than all the hot heads around. lol

Jim from Boston

I'm a year round commuter in Boston for over 25 years and I always feel that way. I know I will always respond positively once I'm out the door and on my way. Particularly I am motivated to leave early to avoid traffic, and to get to work early so I can dig in before interruptions ensue.

There was a prior thread sometime ago about how people get up early. One correspondent had a similar practice to mine. Get up, get everything ready, and go back to bed for a few minutes. . To further refine this, get as much as possible ready the night before. Sometimes I can even get to work early enough, and if things are slow, I might get in a little nap, with the commute now behind me.

BTW, get enough sleep the night before, that is, do as I say, not as I do.

wunderkind

Nah... no problem here. I put my bike in the car (wife's) the night before. Prep my bags. So since I am already committed to doing it the evening before, I cannot see how I can just unload everything just to not ride it that day. Well unless if it is a downpour or something.

SlimAgainSoon

I'm that way, too ... if I take a few days off the bike.

If I ride everyday, though, then I wake up ready to ride. This applies for summertime only.

In the winter ... same as you. I don't want to, but five minutes into the ride, glad I did.

bkrownd

I have a terrible time getting up in the morning, with one exception: When I'm out in the wilderness living in my hammock or sleeping under the stars I get up at 4:30-5AM without hesitation. (way before dawn twilight) Living in a house sucks.

coldfeet

Oh this is so true. You could do what I did, get rid of the car. It has got to the point where it isn't a problem now. In Summer. Winter? 2 inches plus of snow? Well now... Do I want to get out and slog through an hour and a half of really hard work out? or do I want to schlep down to the bus stop and hope all the connections work and I'm not left on the train platform in -35C for 40 minutes? Hmmm... decisions, decisions.

Even then, I almost always regret not taking the bike.

EDIT: Hey, bkrownd, what kind of hammock? Hennesy?

pityr

I picked up a Trek Soho coffee cup for the bike last year. One of the best accessory purchases that I have ever made.

Kojak

+1

Car is gone, and I'd get significantly wetter walking to the bus stop, waiting for the bus, and then walking to the office from the downtown bus stop; I might as well ride. As long as there's no snow on the ground, I can cover the 3-6 miles (depending on my route) in 10-20 minutes. Because of the schedule, the bus would take me almost an hour either direction. If there is snow on the ground (pretty rare in the PNW) it just takes longer, but it's kinda fun on the mountain bike.

MMACH 5

I've had it happen when I'm working late and have to ride home after midnight.
However, it's rare in the mornings. In fact, my wife laughs about how hard I am to wake up on non-riding days, but if I'm bike commuting, I hop up and go.

bluegoatwoods

What you're describing is definitely normal. Unfortunately, it does get worse in winter simply because of the extra prep.

But just like most here, I just don't feel well if I give in to the temptation to drive.

scoatw

I don't have the luxury of deciding to drive in or ride. My car konked out on me three years ago and I've been riding since. All year. Once you get used to riding in winter it becomes a piece of cake. At least for me. I wondered why I didn't do it sooner. I learned what others did and now look forward to riding everyday cause I know I can. Winter riding is the ultimate challenge and its fun.

No Chain

I get this all the time. The car looks pretty inviting sometimes. However, I never regret riding and try to keep that in the back of my mind. A couple turns of the cranks and it's clear I made the right choice.

As other posters have said, routine and getting as much prepped the night before are key. If I don't have my stuff already packed in the morning, I won't ride. That's just the way it is.

Amani576

No... it's really bad when your alarm gets knocked out because of a power flicker in the middle of the night, and you wake up 22 minutes after the time you usually leave in the morning. That's when the car seems REALLY good. That was me this morning...
Luckily I don't own a car, and was forced to suck it up. My commute in was a freakin time trial this morning and I beat my regular time by almost 3 minutes.
But yes, some mornings the car or riding in one, seems nice. But, I love riding my bike too much for that to happen a lot.
37 days in a row today.
-Gene-

bkrownd

Yes, expedition asym, IIRC. Seemed to be the most popular model when I was shopping, before I ever heard of this new Warbonnet thing. https://www.pbase.com/bkrownd/hammocks

Quel

I keep a lot of clothes at work, and they are always dry cleaned. In the morning, all I have to do is hop on the bike and go. At home my stuff isn't that organized, and I have to figure out what to wear, iron shirts occasionally, etc. Easier for me to hop on the bike.

ItsJustMe

I used to have the same problem. I just had to flip the switch in my mind to where taking the car was the unusual thing to do, so that I would no more think to do it than the average person would think to ride their bike to work.
Now I only drive if there's a good reason to do so, like I have to go more than 3 or 4 miles out of my way, or have to pick up or drop off something that I can't carry on the bike.

CliftonGK1

I get up at 04:15 and take the dog for her morning walk. 7 days a week. Routine and schedule keep me from backsliding on Monday morning.
Get up.
Take dog for walk.
Come back and drink coffee.
Get on bike and go to work.