What makes you happy when commuting?
06-05-19, 01:42 PM
#126
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I'm not always sure my heart surgery worked. According to the surgeon I'm supposed to be having a phantom recurrence and I still get symptoms from time to time - far less often and less severe than before. But I can still trigger it, usually. Today I couldn't. I pushed hard and felt great!
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06-08-19, 07:59 PM
#127
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The scent of honeysuckles along the MUP that constitutes the majority of my 20 mile commute.
Chuckling at the surprised responses when I reply 20 miles to questions of how long is my commute to work. OK, a bit of smugness is there, too!
Chuckling at the surprised responses when I reply 20 miles to questions of how long is my commute to work. OK, a bit of smugness is there, too!
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06-10-19, 08:23 PM
#128
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Seeing other cyclists commuting. It reminds me that there are a lot of us around here who are doing it! It's a bit of a community feel, I guess!
06-10-19, 11:38 PM
#130
Senior Member
06-11-19, 07:13 AM
#132
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So I've got that going for me.
06-11-19, 08:03 AM
#133
born again cyclist
nothing puts a grin on my face while bike commuting like a ripping tailwind.
it's like riding an e-bike without having to purchase one.
it's too bad those 20+ mph winds exactly at your six o'clock are so rare.
it's like riding an e-bike without having to purchase one.
it's too bad those 20+ mph winds exactly at your six o'clock are so rare.
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06-11-19, 08:22 AM
#134
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Moving slowly
When I was a kid, I so loved long car rides, because I could be free to observe everything.
As an adult, when 99% of the time I am in a car, I'm driving.... my attention is completely held captive by this weird combination of a) occupation with driving rules and safety and b) the massive over-stimulation of constantly flying around at speeds of 30mph+. I became aware that I had become de-sensitized to the world around me that I used to enjoy as a kid riding shotgun by decades of fast speed travel in the driver's seat.
One of the things I love most about commuting on my bike, and just riding in general, is that I don't feel like the world is whizzing past me anymore. Even when taking a fast bike ride, it sometimes leaves me feeling a little sad that I don't have more time to look around as I go, even to stop and poke around or enjoy a stream in the park.
It's delightful to become re-sensitized by means of slowness. It's like waking up after a frustrating dream, or coming out of a depression you didn't realize you were in.
As an adult, when 99% of the time I am in a car, I'm driving.... my attention is completely held captive by this weird combination of a) occupation with driving rules and safety and b) the massive over-stimulation of constantly flying around at speeds of 30mph+. I became aware that I had become de-sensitized to the world around me that I used to enjoy as a kid riding shotgun by decades of fast speed travel in the driver's seat.
One of the things I love most about commuting on my bike, and just riding in general, is that I don't feel like the world is whizzing past me anymore. Even when taking a fast bike ride, it sometimes leaves me feeling a little sad that I don't have more time to look around as I go, even to stop and poke around or enjoy a stream in the park.
It's delightful to become re-sensitized by means of slowness. It's like waking up after a frustrating dream, or coming out of a depression you didn't realize you were in.
06-11-19, 12:27 PM
#135
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I was happy to use one of the spare batteries I carry with me on my way in this morning when my helmet light conked out. And I was happy I had a spare charger at work so I could recharge the battery before the trip home.
06-11-19, 12:33 PM
#136
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When I was a kid, I so loved long car rides, because I could be free to observe everything.
As an adult, when 99% of the time I am in a car, I'm driving.... my attention is completely held captive by this weird combination of a) occupation with driving rules and safety and b) the massive over-stimulation of constantly flying around at speeds of 30mph+. I became aware that I had become de-sensitized to the world around me that I used to enjoy as a kid riding shotgun by decades of fast speed travel in the driver's seat.
One of the things I love most about commuting on my bike, and just riding in general, is that I don't feel like the world is whizzing past me anymore. Even when taking a fast bike ride, it sometimes leaves me feeling a little sad that I don't have more time to look around as I go, even to stop and poke around or enjoy a stream in the park.
It's delightful to become re-sensitized by means of slowness. It's like waking up after a frustrating dream, or coming out of a depression you didn't realize you were in.
As an adult, when 99% of the time I am in a car, I'm driving.... my attention is completely held captive by this weird combination of a) occupation with driving rules and safety and b) the massive over-stimulation of constantly flying around at speeds of 30mph+. I became aware that I had become de-sensitized to the world around me that I used to enjoy as a kid riding shotgun by decades of fast speed travel in the driver's seat.
One of the things I love most about commuting on my bike, and just riding in general, is that I don't feel like the world is whizzing past me anymore. Even when taking a fast bike ride, it sometimes leaves me feeling a little sad that I don't have more time to look around as I go, even to stop and poke around or enjoy a stream in the park.
It's delightful to become re-sensitized by means of slowness. It's like waking up after a frustrating dream, or coming out of a depression you didn't realize you were in.
I'm very motivated by novelty, and stymied by boredom on a bike, but I do have the motivation of commuting to work.
I have found that when I drive my frequent, decades-old routes I often notice things I had not seen before. I think it’s because I can look around at more than just the road surface when driving.
So when the commute [route] is getting too familiar, I just raise my head higher and look over a wider field of view….
I have found that when I drive my frequent, decades-old routes I often notice things I had not seen before. I think it’s because I can look around at more than just the road surface when driving.
So when the commute [route] is getting too familiar, I just raise my head higher and look over a wider field of view….
A local BF subscriber @rholland1951 who contributes hundreds of photographs to the local Metro Boston thread from the same 11-mile long MUP he rides, once commented something like that "just the lighting / time of day / day of the year makes the ride “different.”
So too does the direction, one way, or the reverse.
So too does the direction, one way, or the reverse.
06-12-19, 07:20 AM
#137
Full Member
The group of deer that ran out on the bike path near lake Ontario this morning. First time this happened. Just got this feel good vibe the rest of the ride.
06-12-19, 07:25 AM
#138
Zip tie Karen
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This morning, it was a bit over 60. But you know what? I was still happy about that.
06-12-19, 07:27 AM
#139
Zip tie Karen
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I ride at 5:45 am and 4:30 pm, and don't need lights in June.
It makes me happy to learn about your commute.
06-12-19, 08:01 AM
#140
born again cyclist
06-12-19, 10:59 AM
#141
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It was between 8:30 and 9:30 AM. I don't need lights to see then, but I like to be more visible then. And on my trip home too. With rechargeable batteries it's pretty easy to do, and helps me be more visible when I'm in the middle of a busy street waiting to cross to the other side.
06-12-19, 03:29 PM
#142
Senior Member
Happiness is an empty MUP, a nice view, crisp morning air and the knowledge that I'm not sitting in traffic.
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06-12-19, 11:36 PM
#144
Senior Member
Ah, today with a bit of tail wind I could hear the wheels rolling - no noise of air hitting around your ear. It was cool!
06-16-19, 07:05 PM
#145
Senior Member
Hitting it off with another cycling commuter...
06-16-19, 07:24 PM
#146
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It's always nice when I have a friendly conversation with somebody in a vehicle while stopped at a red light. My body art is sometimes a good conversation starter for the guys in a work truck.
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06-18-19, 09:14 AM
#150
aka Tom Reingold
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WNYC, our local public radio station, does pieces on commuting by public transit and everything else. Yesterday's story was about bike commuting. One major point is that in NYC, a bike commute uses a predictable amount of time. All other modes are wildly unpredictable, and it's necessary to allow for the unexpected. Some people add 45 minutes because it's so bad. Bike commuting is the only mode where that is not necessary.
Bike Psych 101: No Other Commute Beats The Sensory Experience of Biking
Bike Psych 101: No Other Commute Beats The Sensory Experience of Biking
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
