bike2math

I have three things I do to combat this feeling: (1) the dog gets walked first thing, this is largely because she then acts as my alarm clock, beating the digital version most days (2) I take the time to drink a cup of coffee, eat breakfast, and take a shower before I head out (3) the bike and pannier are made ready the night before so I don't have to mess with it in the morning, I'll go to bed late to make sure that any maintenance issues are settled before morning. Total time from up to on the bike is a little over an hour. Taking the car doesn't really get me out the door any quicker.

jeffpoulin

I don't even think about taking the car unless it's stormy out and my wife says, "Why don't you take the car today?" and I think "Hmmm, drive to work? Now there's an idea." Then I say, "No, I'll ride." and get on the bike as usual.

Doohickie

Then.... dress for comfort, kinda like this:



That's typically what I wear for the commute.

Alternately.... take a week off from riding to work. By the following Monday you'll be dying to get back on the bike. Sometimes you just need a break.

CliftonGK1

Doohickie, unfortunately we can only dress like that for a morning commute about 2 months out of the year, if we're lucky and have a good tolerance for a damp morning chill.

This morning when I left it was 54 degrees.
- shorts, short sleeve wool and knee warmers.

Doohickie

54? I'd dress like the picture above and wear a windbreaker.

coffeespecial

thank you for this thread.. i am a beginning commuter but lifelong avid cyclist. yet i thought i was a wuss for fighting myself in the mornings sometimes. now i feel better. EVERYBODY DOES IT...YEAH!!!

wristwister

Hey folks, thanks for the feedback. Glad to know I'm not alone in my morning internal debate.

Regarding my "lycra" comment, that one really wasn't a complaint. I've found that if I'm just going a few miles then any shorts/shirt will do, but when I do the 15 mile commute and push myself a bit (as I usually do), then the proper cycling attire makes a big difference. But I may investigate the wool as someone suggested.

Well, time to turn in. That #%$@ alarm clock's going off in 7 or so hours and I'll be going through the whole force-myself-on-the-bike ritual once again!

TamaraEden

I'm a beginning commuter and cyclist and I struggle with this all the time, not just mornings although I love the IDEA of riding often, my body can't yet handle it. But...I'll start commuting come the beginning of the school year which will force me into daily short rides if nothing else.

Sixty Fiver

ditch the car.

SingingSabre 

Driving to work takes me 35 minutes. Riding takes me 45. Driving costs me $5 or so round trip. Riding costs me...whatever I eat (which I'd eat anyway!).

Ride. 90% of the time.

hnsq

I have the exact same problem. I just picked up an outlet timer ($10 at wal-mart) and now a floor lamp in my bedroom turns on automatically at 6:00am. That, along with an alarm clock does a great job of waking me up.

wristwister

A Border Collie with an internal clock that goes off at precisely 5:30 every morning does the trick too. Nothing like being woken up by a wet tongue lapping at your face!

nkfrench 

Somehow when I have insommnia I lay awake (despite fatigue) 3 hours after going to bed, then wake up twice during the night, the alarm clock AND the floodlight on the timer pointed at my bed get reset. Those mornings it's hard enough to convince myself that I need to be EMPLOYED let alone sacrificing more sleep. I could just live in a cardboard box under a bridge instead of making house payments.

Those days I generally take the car and arrive 2 hours late, which means I have to work late, which means I eat supper too late and have trouble getting to sleep ...

Kimmitt 

Instead of telling yourself that you like it, try remembering how much you like it to motivate yourself.

noisebeam

I've never had a desire to motor to work. When raining or cold I really enjoy the variety. The (very rare) days I need to motor are the only days I have trouble getting out of bed.

Jim from Boston

Thinking about this thread this morning, I was motivated to get up about three minutes earlier than I usually do. Thanks.

cooker

Seventeen years of bike commuting, and now, the rare time I have to drive to work (about once a year, on days that I have to go to a distant or out of town meeting), I find it very unpleasant. You're stuck behind other cars and can't set your own pace, quite a few streets have turn and entry restriction signs that say "bicycles excepted", parking without a monthly pass is ridiculously expensive, and your legs are restless and want to pedal. No problems with a.m. motivation.

JPprivate

Actually, for me it's the other way around. In the afternoon, I sometimes just want to get home. But obviously I don't have a choice. Let's see how it will be when the temps drop.

Rhodabike

I love the morning part of my commute, it's getting back on at the end of the day that I don't like.

wirehead

Drive car to the point where you need to change the oil. Then tell yourself every morning "Hey, gotta bike in, forgot to change the oil."

Jim from Boston

Hi Rhodabike,

The joy of the morning commute is certainly a prime motivation to get up early and beat the traffic. Here in Boston, since I am a reverse commuter (from Downtown to the suburb), I have the good fortune to be able to bring my bike on a Commuter Rail back to Boston, and the train station is less than a quarter mile from work.

I note you post from Hydrocarbonville. How's the mass transit there?

srmatte

Last year was my first commute year. I lost same battle the week of Thanksgiving when the temps dropped below 25F. Didn't get on again until April.

Catgrrl70

Zero problems getting on bike these beautiful summer mornings. Sun wasn't quite up (for the first time this summer, fall is coming dagnit) this morning but it was warm. Then the sun sloooowly started coming out, Mt. Rainier was pretty and those 6:30 am rides with little traffic are terrific. My only issue with getting on the bike is too much rain (flooding streets) and snow/ice. Parking is so expensive it's not worth it and riding my motorcycle saves me time in the morning, but isn't much faster in afternoon traffic. OMG and the bus? Much, much slower than riding. Not even a consideration.

urban rider

Get rid of the car!! Thats what I did. Too much noise in the morning.




Gas, .69 cents the price of a can of beans

Booger1

Hardest part for me is getting the body going.Once that's taken care of,I can't wait to get out the door.