If we're changing the argument to travel according to lesser carbon dioxide production, than cycling is a poorer choice than walking calmly, which is itself a poorer choice than teleporting.

Millions of folks outside the U.S. commute 1 to 2 miles. Perfect distance for riding. That said, I think you're over-complicating things. I assume you wouldn't drive a Formula One car to work and wear a fire suit, helmet, gloves, and driving boots? Why do that with a bike?

Get a good upright city bike, forget the helmet and other complicated gook, and enjoy riding and arriving refreshed and sweat free.

My coworkers have been arguing in a lawyerly fashion whether taking a longer route can be counted as commuting for the purpose of honestly logging Bike Month miles; also whether a round trip counts as two or one.

Town up and over a Peninsula ..Apartment on back side , now own house on the near side. Short distance home from the Pub Is Better.

walk

I like this plan! Based on your logic, my "commute" to the train station (1 or 1.5 miles depending on which one I choose) is pointless. I have been trying to ride just so I can get home sooner than waiting for the bus. Or make it easier to do post work errands a little too far from the train. Or make it easier when I am out late.

I do have a townie bike with upright bars, no special clothes required. I also have a helmet.

Walking is too annoying! It is not that it is so far. But that is a 30 minute walk! I get my walking miles in from the train to the office. Biking is half the time, even with lights!

That's why they started counting multipurpose miles. I log a lot of those: 3 days a week, I drop my backpack at work, meet my buddy for a training ride on the ARBT, and then ride back to the office. Makes sense to me.

OP is overthinking this too much...I don't see any problem with a short commute, just ride you bike and don't worry about it.

It takes me about a couple of seconds to lock or unlock my bike. If you walk 50 meter/second you should really sign up for the Olympic Speed Walking team.

Since I cycle commute for fitness (in cycling clothes and on a road bike), IMO 10 miles is a minimum. My shortest route is 14 miles, and I expand it during the nice weather. I also have the option of the Commuter train home.

Totally agree. It takes me 30 seconds to drive to the bagel store. Should I even bother looking for my keys and wallet, putting on a clean t-shirt, and worrying about finding a parking spot?

I don't mean to analyze you, but I think you might be suffering from depression. No kidding. For me, the best cure has always been getting on a bicycle, whether for ten minutes or ten hours.

Only A/O x 3? Beats my old boss who usually had a GCS of 11. I'd knock him down to 10 but I never had the nerve to see if he would obey my commands.

Time to quote Grant Petersen: there are no junk miles. Not all rides have to be a race or a workout. :)

Once you start feeling warm and just about to break into a sweat, take a break by the side of the road, relax and have a drink of iced water. Drink enough to cool down. Wait 5 mins.. then get moving again.

Years ago.... my wife and I had apartment about two miles from where I worked. Since she had a car, I sold mine and just walked to and from work.

I like how BikeJournal defines things: one commuting day is defined as the round-trip from home to work and back. Just riding one way counts as half of a commute. And for those who are sticklers about non-"gratuitous" riding, there is the term "Most Direct And Safe" -- not necessarily the shortest possible route, but the shortest reasonably safe route one could take.

That said, I do like how the generally-agreed definition of commuting miles here on BF is whatever you ride between leaving home for work and returning home. Just as you might optionally run errands or take the scenic route in your car, so you ought to be allowed to count deviations from your MDAS route as part of your commute.

I hope the coworkers in question are also bike commuters; if they don't have a horse in this race, their judgments can be ignored. :)

Well, this is a biased sample. Riding easily in the morning shouldn't make you sweat. Take the long way home and ride hard.

I have an 8 mile commute, though I frequently take the bus and chop out all but 1.2 miles. Ah, but half of that 1.2 miles is a twisty turny down hill through a park. Hoo Ha! More frequently, I will ride the entire route home.

I would still ride, just do it at a leisurely pace....I would wager that despite you feeling like you are keeping up at your fast pace, that from the cars perspective you are still a slow moving object to avoid...I doubt whether going from 16mph to 8 Will make it all of the sudden more difficult for them...I think that's in your head.

Good point. A no-sweat pace on a 40lb Dutch upright is closer to 12 mph though so even less of a difference.

Most of my transportation riding is on bikeways or MUPs. Otherwise I make liberal use of sidewalks and other options for staying out of the way of cars whenever I can. I'm not a fan of angering motorists by asserting my rights to get in their way and even less so of those who won't realize I'm in their way.

I did this about a year ago. In fact, I changed jobs and moved in the same weekend. If I hadn't moved, I would have been 2 miles from work. But the new home is 10 miles away by the shortest route. My safer route is 12 miles, but many days I make it 13+.

Or a skateboard?

I think you are neglecting the carbon costs of the energy consummed in teleportation technology. Just because the energy is produced remotely does not mean there is no carbon cost. Burning coal for electricity is NOT carbon neutral. :)

+1 - you have a good excuse to act on the +1 part of the N+1 formula - so use it.

I would only add VINTAGE to "upright city bike" ...

Lose the Strava for the commute travel; if the street is a hassle without pushing yourself hard, rethink the sidewalk route using a relaxed pace. Rethink helmet wear.

I thought the OP's point was to get to work without hassle and sweat, not get a workout.

He asked, "What would you do?".

I answered.

really cant change the weather if where you live is Hot and Humid. you could move..

needing tour electronic toys* seems Irrational to me .. good luck wit figuring it out for yourself .


now go back to work I suspect most posts are from those Jobs with a computer in front of you.

On a 1.5 mile ride to work? Good grief!

It takes me a few seconds to operate my lock. Riders commonly faff around with pant legs, removable lighting, panniers, helmet. This all takes time.

Wow, thanks for the replies. I think. There seem to be two types of posters on Internet forums, regardless of topic. Those that understand this is a leisure activity (posting on forums, not biking) which can result in knowledge gain, but doesn't have to; and those who get angry at any use of the technology that isn't strictly for the acquisition of new information.

This forum seems to have more of the latter.

Of course I can figure this out for myself. I'm not stupid and this is not even a 1 on the scale of things I worry about. This is the online equivalent of mentioning to a biking buddy "hey, I bike to work but man it's annoying that in a 7 minute bike ride I get to work sweaty, almost seems not worth it!". This isn't a cry for help, I don't need you to tell me that I'm doing it wrong, it's just a conversation.

I also find it humorous that someone recommended wearing bike cloths, and every post after that assumed I was wearing bike clothes for a 1.5 mile commute. Do you guys even read? I put on a helmet, and I tie my leg up so I don't fall. And yes I track everything on Strava because I like to see a snapshot of all of my riding, even short ones.

I will keep any future posts on this forum to a strictly informative nature. Thanks to those who contributed casually and within the scope of the question.

Uh oh. I hope I didn't say anything wrong. ;)