The thread is about labels for actions, not labels for people. Whether or not you choose to have "commuter" as your primary identity, I certainly hope that you don't refer to your every action as "commuting".

Just trying to lighten things up. That didn't work!

Hope the rest of your day goes better, expecially your commute!

You have more than one??? I'd say you were cruising...

There can be shades of gray in almost every aspect of life.. So, for our business, I commute (?).. to a computer store 12 miles away , instead of driving the car.. . I consider it work related.. If it's in any way a work related bike trip, it'd consider it a bike commute.

Even under that definition my riding is still 100% commuting. Unless you count the 50 foot detour that I take into a store on the way home sometimes, or the 1/4 mile ride down the road and back to check an adjustment I just made.

I believe Shakespeare wrote a play that covers this thread.

Agree 100% with the OP. Otherwise you might as well call me a roadie.

On a somewhat related note... I ride exclusively on roads, wear lycra when appropriate, I like to go fast, and I go on long rides just for the fun of it. But I never post in the road forum because I feel like I'm just not part of that culture.

xkcd?

Jes... jes it is...

you missed my point. I wasn't implying that you can't commute by car. I was saying that if you can go anywhere by car that is called commuting can be by bike as well. It's all semantics.

Bring it!

My understanding was that going to work and back by car is commuting. Going to the store, the movies, etc., and so forth, is not.

I guess my understanding differs then.

LOL, no 1's enough for me!

Post 15 exists to clear up that confusion.

Er, come on now. Pawns point was that he considers it a commute when the destination has a purpose, IE going to the grocery store to get groceries, or your job to work. It's ridiculous that you are twisting that into him calling a training/recreational ride a commute.

Maybe we should change the name of the forum to "Cycling to your place of Employment" to clear things up for you whiners. As far as I'm concerned, you can argue the semantics of "Commuting" all you want, but it's pretty clear that the spirit of the forum is transportational cycling (I think I just made that word up).

ok.

...my name is Jeff S as well. coincidence.

Technically unless you're working at the Inauguration, it's not commuting.

On the other hand, the word choice managed to convey what the poster was trying to communicate. So I'd say from a communication standpoint, - mission accomplished !

As far as whether or not it belongs in this forum, I'd also say yes. Part of the value of the forum is being able to to tap into the collective knowledge that exists here. That knowledge extends beyond the narrow definition of what "commuting" is.

WTF cares what it's called...it's all riding a bike. Y'all are gonna tick me off and make me put my boot up your butt...after which I'll prolly get sent to jail and hope that the warden COMMUTES my sentence.

I'm here all week.

So, by that logic, anytime you take your bike (or walk, for that matter(why not??)) for any purpose (ie; 99% of trips), it is a commute. Bzzzzzz. Wrong again.

People, there are many dictionaries out there. Some of you may have actual dictionaries in your houses (not online!?!?!?!????). Open one up, and look at the definition. The key is _regularity_ in the travel. Let's not start making up our own definitions of words for our own purposes.

Now, I'm tired of this. I need to commute to the bar for a few.....

I thought the purpose of this "Commuting" forum is to discuss bike-related topics, accessories, and issues that are commonly encountered by people who are commuting to/from work (?) In other words, a commuter bike will most likely be outfitted differently than a time trial bike or a touring bike (even though there may be some similarities between all three, and you could certainly commute on a racing bike or a touring bike).

Whether or not you actually commute to work doesn't matter - just as long as you're interested in discussing issues/gear that are commonly used by commuters. I work from home, so technically I don't commute anywhere. However, I do use my bike to buy groceries, run errands, meet friends, visit family, and to visit clients (for work purposes). In other words, I try to ride my bike in almost all instances where 99.9% of Americans would just drive. As you can guess, my bike has lights galore, a rack, fenders. Everywhere I ride, I wear a reflective vest, LED leg bands, etc. In fact - if you took a look at my bike you would probably guess that I commute to work every day via bike (even though I don't).

Thus - like most car-free individuals and utility cyclists, I am keenly interested in all commuter-related issues and discussions. Whether or not someone's riding can be defined as "commuting" kind of misses the point.

But... but... Shakespeare not only did that, he actually made up the words that went along with the definitions he made up... and after he did so, he was considered one of the greatest bards of the English language. Shouldn't we all aspire to be like the great ones?

"Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commuting

This debate is as old as the dictionary.

Side 1: "The dictionary says this word means xxx therefor any other use is EVIL."
Side 2: "Get a life! You understood what I said."

These two sides do not listen to each other so this argument never ends.

Fortunately they'll all be tired of it by Monday. (And we'll be on to the next senseless argument!)