Buddy system
 

I was on an elevator this morning and saw an advertisement for the local fitness center, on floor 9. It said, "Statistics show that people who exercise with a partner are more likely to stick to it consistently." They advised picking a buddy to exercise with.

When I saw this, it dawned on me that I always exercise alone as a bicycle commuter, and I've stuck to it consistently for a decade. Just as I thought about the bicycle commuters on Bike Forums, I wondered if you all rode alone as I do.

Next, I wondered if connecting with other bike commuters on Bike Forums was like having an exercise partner. Could posting on Bike Forums have any effect on encouraging bicycle commuters to stick with it?

Do you ride alone? Does Bike Forums stimulate your interest in bike commuting? Care to comment?

I wouldn't have even attempted to ride my bike to work if not for this forum. And I certainly wouldn't have tried to ride my bike to work IN THE WINTER. But now I have about 1500 miles on my commuter since New Years Day. So, yes, this forum has encouraged me to bicycle much more than I ever would have on my own.

A big thanks to all of you out there!

Walter.

Ditto on what walter46 said. A different mileage but the sentiment and reasoning for my commute are the same.
I would love to ride with someone else. However, I feel commuting by its nature is a solitary activity.
On the weekends I take my son along with me. Then I have short conversations while riding with a 3 year old. :p
Perhaps some sort of group ride may be in the cards for me eventually.

Most definitely. I'm even in the street now thanks to this forum!!! Wish I could find another female to ride with though!:( Plenty of skinny white guys (take that non racially and no flames pls.) on fancy racing bikes but no females.

I don't know anyone personally who bikes to work, and hardly ever see bicycles on the roads on my commute. Around here it is very rare to see bicycles as part of traffic, (as in riding in the lane) but this seems to work to my advantage because it really makes drivers take notice! This forum is the only way I knew that not only were there people actually commuting to work, but I could as well.

I also want to extend a big thanks to all the commuting buddies on BF! :)

BTW- I am a skinny white guy, but my bike's not too fancy. (yet!)

I would have to say that bike forums was a significant factor in my motivation to commute by bike. That and gas flipped over 2.00 a gallon. I do agree that the forum community does contribute to my continued efforts.

Not many people in the general populace commute by bike, so finding a buddy that rides at the same time, to the same place would be difficult.

I do like to ride [non commuting] with others. It seems hard to find people to ride with. I am considering joining the local cycle club. They seem pretty active and cater to levels from racers to mom and the kids.

Yeah-

I started out too poor for my own car and liking to bike anyway. Married a car owner and got to use that car (working a split shift and running errands in the middle of the day). Then I biked only during the summer when I worked full days, no errands. That was about 2 miles from home.

Next I changed careers and started working 4.5 miles from home at the University where they charge an arm and a leg for parking, so I started biking enough that we sold off the second car we had accumulated. During the four deepest winter months here in MN (Dec-March), I took the bus, but biked to the U most every other day of the year, too cheap to pay for parking, and only starting to become more of a "bike commuter" at heart.

Did some Googling one day and found BF Commuters, and now I'm hooked. I've only biked along with a couple of random strangers once or twice in the last 2.5 years, as far as our routes matched up, and usually bike alone. I'm always lurking around here, though, and this definitely helps keep me in the mood to ride (even though that's not something I need my arm twisted for).

BF Commuters ARE my riding buddy. :)

I have a co-worker who rides to work, and the racks here are almost always full, even in these dog days where the heat index is over 110 (107 today) and that has helped a lot. I definitley took a lot of inspiration from BF though, and surfing these forums made me think it was possible... I also chose the living quarters with a good bike route in mind, so that definitely helps. The free shuttle that drops me off across the street from work is a little too tempting on those really hot or rainy (or cold... haven't gotten there yet) days.

During the winter when I'm reading about lobster gloves, Nokians, and frozen drivetrains from our northern brothers and sisters, it makes it hard for me to complain about a little rain or fog. So, yes.

I work in a factory in a small town in Kansas,Out of 125 people I'm the only one who uses a bike to get to work. But as gas prices rise a lot of those folk who were givin me S**t about the Funny and Revaling Shorts,Jerseys and those shoes that "Clack" as you walk are starting to ask me if it really is cheaper and healthier to ride to work!! Its sweet Revenge to see "Bubba" pumpin up the hill to get to work on his new "Swchag-Mart Full Squishey,Beer gut hangin over the top tube,sweatin like a hog cuz the "Pick-em-up only gets 6 1/2 MPG!!!

Mabey I'll have a few ride partners soon:D :D

There are alot of bike commuters in and around DC, but I know very few of them personally. I like BF because no matter where we're located, we all meet here.

I think the forum encourages me. I never would have tried commuting as much as I now do had I not found this place. Thanks!

I can probably count on both hands the number of people I've seen biking since I started commuting about two months ago :( Having worked out for years (first as a runner, then biking), it's pretty easy for me to get into the workout mode.
But I will admit, if I had a bike buddy for my work commute, I'd probably take a longer route on the way home. As is, I just want to get back. If I had someone to hang out with, I'd probably have a reason to add on a couple of extra miles.

I had been commuting for 5 or six years before finding BF. I'd gone through the last two winters with 1 or 2 bus rides (snow too deep). Anyway, I searched for lube and eventually, after realising that was a bad search term, found BF.

It does help after a bad day, coming in here and reading some of the stuff. Also I think I have ridden more this year since finding BF, taking the scenic route on the way home, 50 mile ride to see what it was like etc.

I started cyclocommuting when I transfered colleges. I'm a cheap bastard and couldn't see paying the outrageous $1 parking fees :eek: (God, I'm old!;) ) so I started riding to school. Even getting body checked by a ped and then body checked by a car a month later didn't stop me. I found that I like it and I liked the solitude so I just kept on riding when I got out of college. Now, some 29 years later (God, I am old:eek: :eek: ) I'm still doing it. It's wonderful, it sucks, it's cold, it's hot...doesn't rain much thankfully...it hurts, it feels good, it's a waste of time, it'd be easier to drive, it's my time to reflect, it's fun! I feel all of these every day. I have for thousands of rides to work (I've ridden at least once every month since I started, including spending time in the hospital after getting hit by the car and a broken ankle). But I keep going, mostly because I'm a cheap bastard that can't stand spending good money on gasoline ;) But I never ride with anyone. In the thousands of times I've ridden to work or school, I've ridden with someone only 20 or 30 times. I just keep doing it because it doesn't feel right to not ride.

I only come to the Bike Forums to pass along my aged wisdom to you newbies:D

Did I mention that I'm really old? ;)

In terms of commuting, I have a group of about a dozen regulars (joggers, dog walkers, bus stop kids, cops, etc.) to whom I pass and say hi or stop and speak with each day. All the folks at work are basically in on it too because they keep bringing it up in conversation pretty much every day at some point. And yeah, I have all the folks here as well. I think the buddy system is pretty well set for commuters if they just look around them.

Am I alone? Yeah, pretty much.

In the past I've been commuting a lot with my partner (going the same place!! :)), but now we're on our own. :) These days I work with two other people, both of whom are cyclists (we actually teach bicycle safety to kids, what a job, eh? ;)). One of my co-workers actually rode with me a couple of times, since we head out from work in the same general direction. However, he normally takes TTC.

This forum is definitely part of the inspiration to keep going. :)

There is a person at work who lives about 5 km nearer work than me, and I have met with him once to ride the remaining 15 km. However he is often out of town on business. Once when I had traveled about 5 km I was hailed by a cyclist, who lives about 5 km the other side of work. He had had trouble sleeping so got out early on his bike. By the time we got to work he must have ridden about 60 km.

BF helped me curb my fears about riding the roads. I check in several times a week to get the latest tips and gadgets that are out. I appriciate the opinions on safety and it always helps me think about how to handle a situation in traffic. I wish I would react better in the those situations though.

Alone, always. I usually see someone once a month but am never on the same path as them.

Great thought LBM :)

I started commuting because a local mtn biker I admired did. After talking to her about her commute, I decided to give it a try... Our forum of locals had a commuting thread. The woman that inspired me went off with IMBA to build trails across the US and then the local site went down so I went looking for a forum to share biking adventures, bumped into BF and was ecstatic! :D

Yep... just like Glottus said, BF Commuters ARE my riding buddies :)

as well as buddies for fitness, talk about places, people, things like food, art, weather, bike bits, sharing all sorts of experiences... and lots of laughs too... it all helps me learn and grow... so...

THANKS to all of you... and Thanks Joe :)

That's just an awesome comment. :D

I'v mentioned in a few other posts that I don't know any other commuters, so yeah - I guess all of you are my "riding buddies" as far as commuting goes. It's definitely inspirational to hear about people that have been doing this for a *long* time, or people that have challenging or long routes. I dunno where I'll be in life in another 5, 10, 20+ years, but if I'm still commuting by bike at that point, I'll be happy.

I ride alone and have for years. My commute now is roughly a mile, one of my buddys here at work has seen me day in and out on my bicycle, and he "may" start riding with me. He's purchased a dept. store Schwinn, helmet and lock, but I'm not holding my breath. He only lives a few blocks from me, so it would be easy for him.

As far as working out with a friend helps you stick with it. I could see how that would be the case with a gym. I've belonged to different gym's before, but couldn't stick with it, especially in the summer. Sounds like effective marketing. Why have only 1 new member, when we could have 2

I'm a commuter. It's a way of life. Exercise is just a side effect. Now if I'd biked for exercise primarily, then mebbe I'd ride my bike less often...