chephy

Nah, it's no big deal (the snow and sub-zero temps anyways - it's not as though Toronto is particularly hilly... though it does have some elevation changes). You'd do it too if you lived here. And if I were living in Tampa Bay, reading about your adventures, and admiring your amazing commute (and having NO desire to actually try that myself ).

coldfeet

Excellent!

I have been late far fewer times than most of the others, despite living further away. Never failed to turn up, but once was hour and a half late in Winter when my freehub froze out. Found out at the bottom of the hill, grrr. Never taken a sick day either.

oldranger

With advancing age, I have realized another benefit to bicycle commuting. Biking to work demonstrates continued physical vigor and ability. Trust me, young'uns, this will become increasingly useful over time.

Most people are interested and curious, not hostile or adversarial.

benda18

true, i'll certainly engage with those who are curious and positive, but i savor the opportunity to tear into someone who is being a complete jacka55.

Jim from Boston

On last winter's worst day when I was tooling along nicely on my studded tires, passing cars that couldn't get up shallow grades, I accidentally knocked off my eyeglass rearview mirror. I thought it would be easy to find, and I especially wanted it to watch for cars spinning out, so I spent 45 minutes searching fruitlessly. Instead of triumphantly being the first one in, I caught grief because I was in much later than I usual and people got worried. That's how reliable my cycling transportation is acknowledged.

dynodonn 

Ahh, a situation like that would have me to put aside my luddite thought processes, pull out my evil cell phone, and call in to work. Too bad that being punctual on a regular basis would have drawbacks.

At least your co-workers were worried about you.

sggoodri

Tell her you're thinking of giving up cycling in order to have more time for base jumping.

caloso

I have to admit that I did catch a bit of crap yesterday when I was 10 minutes late for a meeting. I took a lunch ride to the river bottoms to get a feel for my new CX bike, ran through a patch of goat head thorns, and punctured both tires. I called in, let them know I'd be late, and really didn't miss much. Still, there were some raised eyebrows and snarky comments which I doubt I'd have gotten if I'd called in to say I had car trouble rather than bike trouble.

ItsJustMe

I've made it to work on my bike on several days that I would NOT have come in had I been driving a car. Rain over ice, couldn't even really stand on the stuff, cars in the ditch all over. No problem with my studded tires. If my route wasn't almost all rural I wouldn't have brought my bike either, but I was able to alter my route a bit and totally avoid town, and almost all traffic.

aley

We have a high enough proportion of bike commuters that I rarely get comments.

The first time all six of us who ride at least sometimes rode on the same day was in the early summer. At the time we had 19 people in the company, and I made an offhand comment to the CEO that he needed to fire somebody who didn't ride so that we'd have a third of our workforce on bikes. He growled, "I'm thinking about it," glared at one of our techs, and stalked off. I've been more careful about what I say since then.

I get the occasional offer for a ride home when it's raining or snowing, but most people know that I'm not likely to take them up on the offer. The only time I've accepted a ride home was when I got to work and found that my frame was broken.

nashcommguy

Noticed that, too. Decided NOT to correct it, but probably should have. Afterall, one should be able to use proper punk-she-ay-shun, yes?

JoeyBike

I got you beat!

A former commute to a job where I worked for 15 years involved crossing a short bridge with pedestrian walkways both sides. The bridge was maybe 200 feet long and flat. Our brilliant citizenry took great pleasure in tossing glass bottles from their moving cars against the concrete walls of the bridge so that all of the shards would fall into the pedestrian crossing/bike lane. I would have to shoulder my bike across some of the bridge on a regular basis.

So I created a push broom with a telescoping handle. About once a month (or more if needed) I would leave home early - push broom, dust pan, and two rear grocery panniers lined with trash bags at the ready to clean the "Idiot Bridge". Some days I would sweep up 50 lbs of glass!

My reward for this self imposed community service was motorists driving by assuming I got caught drinking and driving yelling out of the window: "THAT'S GOOD FOR YOU YA DRUNK!"

trekker pete

I think you should keep a bottle of jack daniels in your bottle cage just to fuel the rumors.

trekker pete

Hope your life insurance is paid up. Those studs aren't gonna help much when some moron in his tahoe takes you out in the middle of a triple axle.

ItsJustMe

Did you read my post? I took a different route so that there was hardly any traffic. When I say hardly any, I mean I went 10 miles and saw about 3 cars, and those I did see were going really slow and moved all the way over to the far side of the road when passing me.

On my NORMAL route I only see maybe 10 cars in the first 8 miles, until I get to town, when I see another couple dozen and only get passed maybe 5 times.

Also, it's "triple axel" named for Axel Paulsen.

kmcrawford111

Did you try peeing on it? This hasn't happened to me yet, but in my Zinn & The Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance book, this is discussed. I thought that was pretty clever. Though I'd certainly hose the thing off once I got to my destination.

TwoHeadsBrewing

People at work thought it was cool when I was riding my bike every day. Then I got a new bike...then I sold my car. Some of them are seriously wondering about my sanity, or at least my judgement. But especially for my area, the weather is just too good not to ride all year round. The summers get over 100F, but that only matters for the ride home at the end of which is a glass of ice water and a climate controlled environment. In the winter it snows maybe once every 10 years, and the overnight lows are only around 35-40F. A few nights it will freeze, but it will rarely get below 25F...which is actually quite pleasant to ride in if you have the right gear.

The way I see it, if people think you're crazy because you don't fit the norm you are probably on the right track (so to speak). Just like how MOST American's are in debt up to their eyeballs right now, and I work on a cash only system. Might seem crazy to some people not to EVER use credit, but it seems crazy to me to ever pay a bank for acting as a middle man when I don't need one. If people think you're crazy then good!

gdpdl

I got a comment from my Senior Director about my commuting to work "d'ont worry, you'll be able to afford a car someday!". (I also got the same comment from the kid in the mail room too?).

I loved that the following weekend I saw the Director at a mall while I was driving my car. (Its a rather rare two seat sports car). If only I had a camera to catch the look on his face!!!

Its the attitude towards people that bike that I d'ont understand? I do not understand how people that live closer to my office than I do, own a car and pay for parking at the office. (Car +/- 250-500$/month, parking 120$/month, gas & maintenance +/- 200$/month) ... what 570 to 820$ a month??? I reason that I could probably buy a brand new bike every month for what they pay for their car in a month?!

I guess its a losing battle though ... these are also the same people that drive to the gym??? (And get on a stationary bicycle for a half hour to warm up)!!!!!

Noobert

TO the O.P. Ive been in the same position.

Bicycle Commuting provides a sense of pride different then driving a car.

Its funny how some (most) people think we ride our bike to work because we

a.) Got a DUI
b.) Can't afford driving

alicestrong

You could give them a copy of this:

https://issuu.com/cicle/docs/bicycle-lifestyle-guide

Then ask for a generous donation to the ride/ cycling cause/group of your choice...

Jim from Boston

Well said. I have thought on occasion that I feel pumped up, virtually "heroic" on my arrival. As I stride down the hall in my cycling clothes wearing my helmet, I think about that scene in The Right Stuff when the new seven Mercury Astronauts are striding down the hall, partially silhouetted in their space suits and helmets, with a heroic tune playing in the movie score (does anyone remember the name of that piece; I'll put it on my cycling playlist).

There's an answer to the OP's question, "Convincing People that I Chose to Bike to Work"; tell them you bicycle because you've got The Right Stuff.

irwin7638

I've never heard the DUI comment, but it never fails to amuse me when somebody who has known for years that I ride bikes all the time will offer a ride when they see me. Another funny thing is when somebody sees me at the bank or a store, will ask "How did you get here? I just passed you a few minutes ago!" Honestly, do they think we're standing still or riding backwards?

mrbrown

I tell them the sex is better too.

Matt1972

lol

ItsJustMe

Wow, "bicycle lifestyle", feeling heroic after a ride, etc? Really?

I just thought it was a sensible way to get to work. Paying for gas to haul 3000 pounds of steel around with me doesn't really make that much sense.

Nobody's ever offered me a ride, but if someone did, I'd say "No thanks. By the way, I've got a spare bike at home that you can use if YOU need a ride."