white_feather

I don't exactly know how to phrase this question. What is your purpose for commuting? There are days when I commute on my 1X7 geared Trek in which I kind of ride a little fast but still enjoy the views, other days I ride my Schwinn Caliente with aerobars and haul butt to work. Still yet there are days when I ride my Kona singlespeed beach cruiser and suck up at the sights. Does my questioning sound correct now? I was just wondering what other peoples 'purpose' in commuting is. Basically what kind of commute do you do.

echotraveler

not really...
but i commute for many reasons...
most importantly getting in and out of work, then all the advantages like abandoning the car obsesed mentality. Giving myself sometime to think and excersise stress/ toxins out of my body.
Not sure about using othe bikes, cuase i only got one.

coffeecake

Because it's faster than driving the car, keeps my weight down, has cardiovascular benefits, and shocks my extended family.

d2create

I like to ride my bike.
Commuting lets me do it during the week rather than waiting until the weekend.

UmneyDurak

No purpose really. I commute by bike on my rest days, on motorcycle otherwise.

m4ximusprim3

I commute to exercise, so I hurt by the time I get to work, and then I limp home. I've got an older 96 cannondale aluminum with 25c gatorskins that weighs like 25 lbs, so I just hammer like crazy on my heavy ass bike.

It makes weekend rides on the light bike seem much faster

tjspiel

too lazy to check the bus schedules.

Artkansas 

I ride through a park on my way home. There are two enormous boulders at the entrance which prevent cars from coming in. If I drove, I couldn't get between them.

Lightingguy

1) Riding time, if I didn't bike commute, I'd get significantly less time on the bike
2) Beats sitting in traffic in a car on a nice summer morning AND afternoon.
3) Certainly more scenic, as I sometimes do a short detour onto the boardwalk for an ocean view in the morning and for the Parade of Thongs in the afternoon.

SB

white_feather

Cool. All good answers. I love the look on peoples faces when they find out I'm 42, never had a drivers license and I ride year round. Some of them look as if they've just been hit by a board right across the face.

PaulH

Too lazy to drive, except on weekends when the traffic jams go away.

Paul

beingtxstate

b/c I feel like it. Sounds 'quipish', but it's true. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't. Call it an expression of my free will

MNBikeguy

I don't have the grad school credentials required to 'decipher' the friggin bus schedules....

coffeecake

It's easy, bus leaves every fifteen minutes except after five pm, when it leaves every forty-six minutes, excepting the months of July and August when it leaves every fifty-three minutes but not on Sundays or stat holidays, when it never leaves at all.

canyoneagle

1. I am a better person, employee and husband when I get my endorphins in the morning and evening.
2. At 43, I have to work harder to stay trim, and I do not function well with extra weight (see #1)
3. I like riding bicycles. The make good sense, and they are fun to ride.
4. I prefer open air to an enclosed cabin
5. I don't like high speed urban freeways, especially if I haven't driven my car lately.
6. I think commuting solo in a car is wasteful and unnecessary (and don't get me started on solo SUV/big vehicle drivers). I do have a public transit option where I live, which is nice. This has not been the case in other places I've lived.
7. I like exercising and sweating, and I have shower facilities at work.
8. I far prefer to bike to work and have the dual benefit of getting my daily exercise while getting to and from work. I get home on my bike far earlier than if I drive home, change into my trail running clothes and go for a run.
9. one les car..............

MNBikeguy

Interesting. Are you in Ohio?
Why no drivers license? I'm very curious as to how you do this.
Limitations? Obstacles?
There are some here that don't drive by choice, but that piece of plastic still sits in their wallet.
Let's hear your story!

10 Wheels

I commute to a bicycle ride.
I am ready and warmed up when it starts.

Doohickie

I don't like to exercise. Part of it is that it just seems silly to devote a good portion of my day to pay a gym a bunch of money to expend a bunch of energy. There is only one kind of exercise I can make myself do: Cycling. By commuting I integrate that exercise as a regular part of my day.

That said, I get other benefits out of it too including the financial savings of not driving my car as much. Then there is the relaxation/recreational factor. The wife says I'm generally in a better mood when I ride. I agree. Depending on the weather and the day, I take different bikes and ride fast, cruise, whatever mood suits me. Either way, I'm still putting my miles in.

EDIT: I usually commute to my group rides too, 10 Wheels. Again, it seems silly to drive yourself to the start of a bike ride.

d2create

I would give you the same look.

Jim from Boston

What he said, and more, including answering that perennial question on foul weather days, "You didn't ride in today, did you?"

caloso

Too cheap to pay for parking, too antisocial to take public transit, too lazy to walk.

mikeybikes

The purpose commuting is to get from point A to point B.

Your means of commuting are entirely up to you.

paul2432

This has always stuck with me:

A Zen Teacher saw five of his students return from the market, riding their bicycles. When they had dismounted, the teacher asked the students:
"Why are you riding your bicycles?"
The first student replied, "The bicycle is carrying this sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!"
The teacher praised the student, saying, "You are a smart boy. When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over, as I do."
The second student replied, "I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path."
The teacher commended the student, "Your eyes are open and you see the world."
The third student replied, "When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant 'nam myoho renge kyo'."
The teacher gave praise to the third student, "Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel."
The fourth student answered, "Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all beings."
The teacher was pleased and said, "You are riding on the golden path of non-harming."
The fifth student replied, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle."
The teacher went and sat at the feet of the fifth student, and said, "I am your disciple."

Paul

gamester

1> Exercise
2> Agree with earlier post- I'm generally in a better mood when I ride
3> I love the feeling of "sticking it to the man" and not paying for parking, insurance, upkeep etc.

corkscrew

I commute because I have a job. I just happen to get there via bicycle.