Some benefits of commuting
 

So I've started biking to work 4-5 days a week for numerous reasons. It's actually been great and I was compiling a list of the benefits I've seen so far. I'm lucky enough to have showers at the office I can use so that helps out a lot! I'm one month in now and I started looking at some figures.

biking to work stats

6 miles each way

38.28 lbs carbon per day reduced from the air by not driving

585 calories burned per day

1.97 gallons of gas each day saved ($180 a month saved!)

$15 a month insurance discount for limited vehicle usage.

So all in all I'm easily saving over $200 a month, helping to clean the air and getting a great workout. No looking back now. :thumb:

2 gallons of gas to go 6 miles? Heavy traffic or do you drive a bus?

You only get 6 mpg?

Good for you, man. I salute you.

Here's another benefit you didn't factor in:

Y'know how you'd drive home from work, all aggro & frustrated... from the job, from the commute, from the money you owe... etc? That'll soon fade to a distant hum in the back of your mind.

Me, I bike home from work, I'm just happy to be there. Whatever I dealt with on the job is long ago & far away.
In fact, I've come to see work as a necessary break... It keeps me off the roads during the really hot part of the day.

Oh - One downside to bike commuting... If your commute becomes long enough, you'll easily offset your gas savings in groceries. I go 27 miles in the mornings, then 28 in the afternoons (motor traffic avoidance route takes me a mile out of my way.) I save BIG on gas, but I eat like a TdF contender... I wish I could get my commute down to six miles each way. Oh well, retirement's not far off.

Ride to work >>> Work to ride.

Keep it up!

One benefit to me was that I don't have much time for gaming anymore. I like online gaming, but have not logged on once since I got back into biking and started commuting. I am actually canceling my subscriptions today!

Another for me is that I get to set some personal goals and achieve them. Bike to work once....bike to work 2 days in a row....bike to work 80% of the time.....90%.......only drive when there is a reason.....bike in inclement/nasty weather.....lose weight......hit 300 on the odo......400.......500......

I added a couple extra miles to my home leg today, even though it is monsoon like out, so that I can break 600 on the odo a couple days early. The 600 is since the last week in May, so, just under 2 months.

pretty much, it's a land rover which estimates 10-12 mpg but sitting at lights and all the stop and go to /from work when i average it out it's about 6-8 mpg on avg. It's a Gas *****.

Yeah, I think you might be exaggerating a little on your mpg.. unless you're driving an exotic Italian sports car or something.. My car's got a turbo which uses a little more gas than most normal commuter cars and I still get around 19mpg in crappy L.A. traffic (which is one reason why I don't commute in it)
*edit-you posted your car info while I was posting this..*shrug*

For me, some benefits are
-exercise (big one for me since I hate going to the gym)
-saves gas (I probably save at least $150/mo in this alone, although I pay $70/mo for a bus pass for non riding days)
-less stress from lack of sitting behind the wheel in traffic
-i get home faster after work on my bike than in my car, 13 miles one way (rush hour traffic really sucks in l.a.)
-fun

also it's not an exaggeration on the mpg because my drive to work is 10 miles each way. I cut it down to 6 miles biking by using a bike trail that takes me 3/4 of the way to the office.

How in the hell do you burn 290 calories riding six miles?

Ain't that the truth! I'm having a really hard time consuming enough calories each day to make up for the riding expenditure :eek:

I will be happy to be at that point because it will mean that I have achieved my weight goals and can stop w/ the 1800-2200 cal daily nonsense :)

I commute just under 5 miles. Now a tank of gas gets me through a whole month. The real benefit is psychological, since I can't remember the last time I filled it up. I have spent way more on bike gadgets, gizmo's, and clothing than I will have saved all year. Only way I can make the next year or two come out positive is if I categorize bike stuff as recreation, entertainment, or health maintenance, which wouldn't be inaccurate. It took me a few decades to finally get in the situation where I live close to where I work, nothing is going to stop me from enjoying it now.

dude, I don't know. I plugged in the numbers on some site and that's what it told me? freakin ball bustin.

Oh yea, to the OP: Another benefit is some freakin' awesome legs, and as I hear tell, chicks really dig that :thumb:

I love the gadgets and shiny, too, but I love saving dough. I get to satisfy my gadget fix soon, though, since I will need fall/winter gear, and next year, wife and I are adopting a child, so I get to buy 'biking w/ kids' stuff soon too!!

The best benefit of bike commuting is getting to ride your bike every day.

that seems reasonable to me. I track my calories pretty closely and I'd estimate ~45 per mile (personally)

Wow . . . I guess I burn a lot more calories than I ever realized.

That makes sense. I kind of wondered about the fuel use in your original post too.

Now yer talkin'. Remember, if the kid gets a new bike every couple of years, so does Daddy! Never mind Daddy didn't outgrow his last one, fair is fair.

+10

x2. The gas money and environment are second to having fun before and after work (and occasionally on break).

Wow! My ride to Caltech is exactly 6 miles!!! This is awesome.

Thanks for the info!

According to my heart rate monitor, I burned about 945 calories on a 20 mile ride earlier this week. That works out to roughly 47 per mile, so it sounds reasonable to me as well.

Always great information as found in the feeds. Cycle Commuting has many benefits those mentioned are only scratching the surface. Though all that has been mentioned holds true extending life, saving the environment, Enjoying life at your own pace, experiencing the scenery that otherwise would just fly by in your cage going 60+ miles per hour. Besides the simple fact that there is also a sense of accomplishment, whether you climbed a hill without stopping, or just hit a milestone like the 600 miles on the Odo. Giving you something to strive for also opens up the possibilities.