It started on a vacation, doing the "bike down the mountain" thing in Maui. It brought back the pure joy of riding everywhere in town when I was younger, before the Car. (Why, oh why did I ever think cars were so cool? Oh, yes, that's right, teenagers are terminally stupid, and alot of that just carries with you as well.) I vowed to get a bike when I got home.
It was a "recreational" purchase...but then I got this crazy idea; I should ride it to work!
After a half a year of riding it, I bought a much nicer and more suitable commuter, though I still ride the faithful old "recreational" bike in from time to time. (And it fulfills my need to tinker with things, as the newer bike hardly ever needs adjusting, or breaks, damn it. How am I supposed to tinker with it if it is too well built to cooperate?)
So now, I love that over a year later I'm ten pounds lighter (doesn't sound like much, but I was in good shape to begin with. Much more and words like "skinny" or "emaciated" may apply) and my heart rate dropped by around 10 beats per minute less.
I also feel, on days when I commute (not 100% of the time, to be honest, but greater than half) that I'm doing something to break away from this car culture that I hate, and this carbon-fuel addiction that we have, and the damage it's causing. So my soul and my body feel great.
On top of that, people give me incredulous looks about riding ten whole miles (not that big a deal, guys), and it gives me something to ponder about the state of our culture.
Once in a while you see another commuter, and you wave and give each other the thumbs up...and though you share no words, you don't have to, because you know right there that you're sharing a feeling and an experience that all the people who won't break out of their cages for even one day a week don't understand.
How's that for a "why"?