hunterseeker

I've only come back to bike commuting recently, and probably wouldn't have dived right into it were it not for a lengthy transit strike. The strike was about 4 months long, and lots of people took to their bikes during that time, although I'm not sure what proportion of people actually kept on.

I think there are lots of people who have tried cycle commuting, but I'm not sure why some of us decide to keep doing it, and some of us decide to stop. I do think there's often some kind of "hump" many of us have to get over before we're truly hooked, and not everyone decides that they need to get over it. So:

I'm interested in hearing what helped you decide to begin cycle commuting -- and what initially kept you going, especially during or after times where you might have been discouraged or tired or unable to ride, or just in a position to choose something else that seemed more convenient, more pleasant, or more necessary at the time.

Why did you keep doing it? Your reasons for continuing to commute by bike now are probably a little different from the reasons that kept you going earlier -- but that's just my guess. I'm especially interested in the reasons that mattered when cycle commuting was still relatively new to you, and other options were still pretty fresh and attractive in your experience: what helped you get over that hump?

aturley

Fat programmers.

When I was in high school, I did this summer camp, and one of the things they did was they took you to see people who did things you thought you might be interested in doing when you "grew up". So naturally I went to see the programmers. Eeww. I promised myself that I would never be an obese, Doctor Pepper can stacking, cave dwelling, computer-generated art loving programmer.

Anyway, staying in shape was no problem when I was younger, but when I got out of college and got a job I realized that I would start getting pretty unhealthy if I didn't start moving around. So that kind of made me actually start riding to work. I was helped by the fact that the weather here is wonderful almost all the time.

andy

Chris L

Quite simply my love of biking. I can think of nothing worse than not getting my daily fix.

HardBall

I'm a programmer and do not resemble any of these things. I'm not obese, never stack Dr.Pepper cans, do not dwell in a cave, and I think computer generated art has no soul. Remember one exception negates the stereotype. :-)

LittleBigMan

I would like to say it was for my health. Maybe I thought it was.

But I distinctly remember having to give up my car to my wife.

What got me over the "hump?"

The Matrix. I took the red pill.



(And those hills give me a rush, man.)

blwyn

I knew it was the only way I would get in shape for the big ride I wanted to do later that summer.

urban_assault

It all started with a hospital stay...ok, here is the short version.

Went to the hospital.
no insurance.
got out and bought Huffy to get back in shape.
Lost 30 pounds over the summer.
fell in love with cycling.
Bills to pay.
Truck repossessed.
oh well, who needs a car anyway.
used car payment money for new Cannondale road bike.
All bills paid off.
Bought GT mountain bike.
didn't need a car anymore.
bike commuting is freedom.

chewa

I've always been quite keen on commuting but as I get older and slower, it gets harder.

What keeps me going just now is you guys "sob, sob" ...group hug..., and I'm in the lucky position that I now feel guilty when I don't cycle.

Richard D

I think I reached 30 and realized that puppy fat had merged seamlessly into middle-aged spread and decided I needed some exercise. As someone who apart from walking found exercise a for-letter word I was a bit stuck as what to do, particularly as I couldn't see that I had much free time to do it in. My wife had mentioned the idea of getting bikes for going out on a Sunday afternoon, one of my colleagues cycled into work on a daily basis, and some how I came up with the idea of cycling.

Since giving up riding when I was 9 or 10 (had a nasty fall) I'd only been on a bike once in the last 20 years on an afternoon ride on a bike trail whilst on holiday when I was 14 or 15, but I thought it couldn't be too difficult...

I've never had a car (tried driving lessons at 18 and hated it) and don't miss it.

I think the odd day I catch the train and am reminded of how unpleasant massed school children are helps keep me cycling in.

Richard (who confesses to cheating and only cycling some of the way this morning, and joining the train for the rest)

fietser_ivana

Well, as much as I ranted about the bad quality of bike paths in and outside cities, it is conducive to cycling ..

Where I live at the moment some 40% of all transportation is done by bicycle, which would have made it eligible as the 'Bicycle City' of the Netherlands if it wasn't for the dire state of the bike paths..

Another city close-by with more money and asphalt bike paths got the honour instead. Apparently they see # of bike paths as a measure of quality.

But everybody rides the bike.... INSIDE THE CITY THAT IS!

My commute to the elementary school was longer than to the secondary school. Some 15 minutes compared to 7 minutes if I remember well. Everyone came either by bicycle or foot.. I cannot remember than ANYONE ever was brought to school, bar some pupils that were a bit sick perhaps and couldn't cycle. In winter those from far away (some would come from places at 15K distance) would catch the bus, but many would still prefer to cycle because of the infrequency of the bus .

Afterwards my 'commuting' distance was always short, just to the railway station. Only when I started studying in 1987 I would cycle a bit further to the nearest station at 10K and leave the bike parked. Most others though would think that 10K is too far and take a bus. As soon as students received a free bus & rail pass in 1992 (dang I graduated that year) they massively stopped cycling and hitch-hiking home, but mobbed the public transport system.

It's still like that... very few folks ride to the railway station and I never see hitch-hikers anymore :-( Apart from cycling, I'm an avid hitch-hiker (abroad) and this is a bad situation as mostly former hitch-hikers give rides to current hitch-hikers.

To make another very long story short.. everyone has a bicycle here, everyone uses it for inner-city transport, but any distance over 5-10 K is considered to be TOO FAR AWAY to ride. People do start liking to ride recreationally in the forests e.g. for which they buy a twinny load for the car, load the bikes and go to a trail...
But commuting is a rare thing.. when I worked at a distance of 7K, I was the only bike commuter between 4 able-bodied men.. all had lame excuses.
1 said he practiced martial arts 3 times/week so didn't have time to commute by bike (fair enuf)
1 said that when he rode the bike he'd be all sweaty when at work and he didn't like to spend the time to shower (perhaps I'm a pervert or perhaps I don't shower enough?)
can't remember the arguments of the others, but the one from my own city just said he was too lazy.

So, while most people may commute inside cities (good situation!) it drops to perhaps 10% outside cities.. and probably even further when the distance is over 10K still a better situation than in other countries..

And we have the flattest country on earth!!!!

Ivana

MichaelW

Although Ive always ridden, I never commuted in London. It just never occured to me. After a few years of taking the underground, I just got fed up with behaving like cattle. I dredged out my bike and just rode it. The first few rides were terrifying, but I learnt to plan a better route very quickly.
What kept me riding was the sense of freedom . Every ride was an adventure and I could explore the city on my own terms. The health benefits were a nice side effect, and the money I saved was useful. Like many beginers, I was loath to spend good money on good cycling equipment.
Now its just what i do. I dont need a reason to keep cycling, any more than I need a reason to breathe

mike

Never had a car! An adult who "never had a car". Can you imagine?

See that, my fellow Americans? If our European cousins can do it, so can we. Let's be inspired by Richard D and our other global friends and, if only a little, bust loose from the culture of automobile dependancy.

mike

Oh, my GOD! A message from Ivana in Nirvana.

Check this out, my fellow Americans, "40% of all transportation is done by bicycle in the Netherlands">

Oh, so THAT is why we have legs; for mobility! Eureka, legs aren't just for walking to and from the car anymore!

I know some people who use their legs so little, they could consider having them removed to lessen the weight and get better gas mileage.

chewa

I can second the fact that the dutch don't travel outside cities much by bike.

I remember being lost once (sometimes dutch cyclepath signs are designed to confuse) asking a dutch guy on a bike where Leerdam was and he said "It's five hours on a bike , I think", when in fact it was only 30km away. He had no conception of how long it would take to get there by bike.

fietser_ivana

Mike, I never had one either.. albeit I do have a drivers' licence.
Getting to learn how to drive is very expensive here.. prior to 1 exam you need some 30-40 lessons which were already 20$ each 20 years ago.. so will easily be 40$. So, just 1 exam will put you back nearly 2000 USD. It took me 8 exams (a lot , but not unexceptional) to get the license.. with 10 lessons in between. So that was an additional 4500 USD.. I would guess that about 1/3rd of the examined pass their first exam.. 3 to 4 is quite normal.
I know at least 10 people who never took driving lessons, among which a family of fairly fanatical cyclists.. 2 of 3 kids never took lessons (only the oldest) because they didn't fancy driving..

Yet, while I was fantasizing about how I'd get a license plate with my initials (we don't have free choice) when mine would come up, I always considered it a waste of money to have a car. I would frequently drive my parents' car though.
Since then i could have had 2 cars for free but politely declined.. the taxes are very high, even when you don't drive at all.. and I feared that it would make me start driving a car too much.. by then i was already in the fanatical cycling mode..

Ivana putting a perspective to why a lot of people don't own a car or even have a license.

MichaelW

The Netherlands sounds a bit like Japan. Everyone cycles the few km to their railway station, or around the city centre (on the sidwalk, not the road). They dont go far or fast, and dont or can't mix with cars on the road.
Both these countries have a dense pattern of developement. I dont think you can successfully encourage mass cycling, if you build low density cities. If people live close to there they want to go, you dont need space bewteen them to place your cars. When 1/3 to 1/2 of city landspace is devoted to cars, destinations get pushed further apart.

LittleBigMan

I understand, but I don't count it as "cheating" anymore.

I found out that I am not yet strong enough to maintain 140 mile weeks continuously, without burning out. I need to be creative by alternating 28 mile days with non-cycling days, or by shortening my rides by hopping the train.

My goal is to improve my endurance to handle the full mileage on a continuous basis, but for now, I have to settle for 70-mile weeks, on average (sometimes more, sometimes less.)

Yes, the train is my friend, sometimes! (I get to recuperate and sometimes do a little walking...)

RainmanP

Started for weight loss/fitness then fell in love with cycling. After only a couple of months I would shudder in disgust at the thought to NOT riding to work, 22+ miles round trip, regardless of the weather. After more than a year, the last thing I think about at night is looking forward to riding my bike in the morning. While at work I am looking forward to the ride home. My only distress about riding is being forced to choose which of my three lovely bikes to ride each day.
Regards,
Raymond

Gus Riley

RAGBRAI got me started. I decided to train for it with my 8 mile commute to work. After the first ride I was hooked! I've done several RAGBRAIs since, both on my single and with my wifey on our tandem. Bicycling can be contagious!

Steele-Bike

What got you started?

Right after college I did not have the money to buy a car, so I saved up a couple of hundred dollars and bought a Hardrock. I still have that bike 8 years later.

And what kept you going?

Now that I have been out of school for a number of years, I finally have a good job, and have managed to save up a nice little nest egg. But, I still can think of enough reasons to warrant the purchase of a car. Cycling is just too much fun and great exercise.

bikeman

I started commuting to work 10 years ago to get fit, lose weight, save gas, (we could only afford one car at the time) and do good things for the environment. All noble things I think.

I've found as I get older the winters with early darkness, snowy roads, freezing temperatures, wind and ice scare me and I avoid commuting as soon as the time and temperatures change.Call me a wimp. I still stay fit by exercizing at the local gym to keep the aerobics in some sort of shape and the weight down.

I plan on commuting for as long as possible. I'm fortunate in that I have a less than 8 mile trip (round-trip with my shorter route). If I had a job in the downtown (I'm in a suburban area) I don't think I could do it since the distance would make it a close to 30 mile trip.

I do it because of the sense of freedom, fitness and financial savings. I personally like my car, but the bike is so much more liberating. Most people at the local stores and coffee houses that I stop at on the way to work are always jealous of my commute. I've had a number of folks of all ages and genders compliment me and say nice things about bike commuting. They usually make excuses like:

Have to dress in business attire for work and would find it difficult to tote the clothes.

Live too far from work,

Don't feel safe in traffic

Every other excuse in the book.

I'm ready to get back on the bike.

Jean Beetham Smith 

My commute began with a vacation in Bergen-op-Zoom, the Netherlands. We went to visit my daughter who was working there for 6 months. We really couldn't afford the trip, so to hold costs down we rented a "treker hut" at a campground about 10 miles from BOZ. We did take the bus when we went to the train
station in BOZ to visit friends on Texel, and on arrival and departure. My husband had been very nervous about not renting a car, but by the end of the trip he was quite convinced that it had been the wisest decision of our trip plan. We biked around BOZ, Hoogerheide, Huijbergen, Ossendrecht, & Woensdrecht. We amused the locals by wearing our helmets and utterly confused them with our fractured Dutch. All of the people at the campground were amazed at Americans spending a vacation there and were touchingly concerned about our welfare. We loved biking around and seeing groups of retired people riding around chatting and laughing (probably at us), teenagers riding holding hands, and the wonderful freedom of riding a bike on Dutch highways and bikepaths. Having been raised on a Wisconsin farm, I was utterly thrilled with being in rural Holland and seeing "New Holland" farm machinery being driven thru small Dutch towns just like it was in my hometown. So when I returned, and the animal hospital I had worked at for 17 years was closed; one of the things I looked for in my new job was to be close enough that I could commute by bike. When I was sucessful, I referred to that being the CrMo lining to the cloud of losing my job. My commute is my playtime, my personal challenge time, a focused activity, and increasingly a defining part of my life.

cyclezealot

Exercise, get my daily fix, avoid all the honking, dare-devil fools in their autos. From my less stressful bike lane, I experience the idiocy of the daily auto commute in their race to jockey one car length.
I take great pride in adding up my mileage in mile log and seeing if I can beat my previous record. So far I have saved about 7,000 miles from being added to my Jetta odometer.

aerobat

I've always had a bike of some sort or other, mainly for recreational cycling, although I did commute for a year or so when I was in the Air Force and newly married, my wife (now ex) needed the car to drive out of town daily.

I started riding out to where I work occasionally just for a ride, and then realized I could actually ride TO work.

Over the last few years it just built up 'til last year I rode far more than I drove. It was helped by having another guy at work who is a fanatical rider, presently the Provincial MTB champion in his age group, who became our cycling "guru". This fostered a sense of competition, to put on mileage, which helped too. My commute was at the shortest, 32km roundtrip, although I usually put on at least 40km. I've since moved, the distance is now 40km one way. I did partial commutes until the weather turned last fall, and I'll probably start out doing that this spring, but I definitely plan on riding the whole distance at least a few times.

What keeps me going? Fitness, and that sense of being able to do something for myself, being different from most others, saving money and doing something for the environment.

And as many others have said, I'm hooked on cycling just because I love doing it.

manderax

For me it is a need to experience the world as fully as possible... to feel the cold, the hot, the wind, the sun. To have a life more interesting, and less conditioned. Every ride is an adventure, not just a ride, and I treasure those adventures.

Manderax
I ride. I fall down. I get up.
Meanwhile, I keep dancing.