It's the nasty cold that hit me... knocked me out for two days worth of work. It's the change in weather to cold and heavy rain. Put the two of them together and I'm sitting in my old VW Golf trying to get to work in about the same time as on my bike.

(If only that jackass ahead of me would look up and see the green traffic light HONK-HONK! Come on already! Text your friends on your own time!)

OK, I'll say it... driving to work is a pain. Once you get used to rolling through traffic and getting some exercise before dealing with the office... driving to work seems to set a bad mood for the day.

Suffering from B.C.W.S. (bike commuter withdrawal syndrome)

-3bikes

You're in L.A. What would you know about cold??

For me it's transitioning between jobs. I can't really ride because I have to go first to one job in the morning, then another in the afternoon, and I just can't deal with "freshening up" twice in one day. That, and I also have done something to my knee that riding severely aggravates. My last two rides over thirty miles resulted in me limping in, barely making it, with knee pain. And it had plenty of time to recover in between- a good 10 days. I think I'm gonna have to have a doctor look at it.

I've been off for over a week due to sub-zero temps and highs in the single digits. I'm not that crazy. Looking forward to starting up again once the ice melts.

It's so easy to fall off the wagon this time of the year. A couple of nasty winter days and you feel like hanging up your helmet till Spring.

Usually what I do in this situation is to make a Saturday or Sunday exploratory ride to work, just to see what the road conditions are like.

Usually, I discover they're not so bad. So I conclude: hey... this is a lot better than driving or getting the bus.

Then I'm back on the wagon.

I had to pick up my parents' car and drive it the same distance I ride everyday. It took 2x as long as on my bike I may have been the rain, I like to think that I forgot how LA traffic is. Maybe I should have taken one of my bike routes.

ya' if I don't ride to work, I am not a happy person. I am moving from one mile to work to about fifteen miles, It is going to be nice to have a nice length bike ride twice a day.

What killed me this year was I dislocated my knee in late September. The period from 9/15 to 11/15 is the absolute best here in Michigan and I missed it all. By the time I was ready to ride again winter had arrived. Now I'm struggling to find the motivation to ride through the winter again.

I'm a year round commuter, but winter is my sketchiest season. I don't like having my toes freeze and I don't like riding with slow, heavy studded tires.

No one is forcing anyone to commute. What helped me the most was stop listiening to the weatherman. That and getting the necessary clothing together. Take time off the bike as necessary. Because of weather or other such necessities I took about two weeks off (not in a row) from commuting.

I ride whenever I can. That said, there are days when my ride is just the 3 miles to the train station. My job was kind enough to lease office space right across from the train station at the other end. Somehow I still manage to get a little riding in, even in the most awful stuff. And I always feel better.

VW Golf? I don't get much time to drive my ol '89 Golf GTI 16v which has been sitting in my garage waiting for me to fix it up. I guess the next best thing to cycling to work is to drive that VW to work....vrooom....vrooom!

Hello and thank you to everyone who replied to my first post.

The weather eased up, my lungs did too, that nasty cold finally is coming to an end. That first ride to work after over a week of car driving was terrific. Even better was coming home going past three lanes of cars in stop and go traffic towards West LA. (Nice bike lane from Century City to Sepulveda Blvd). Yes... my mood for the work day was much, much better. On top of all this, the section of street I use in Hollywood has only three blocks left of repaving. Then smooth sailing on my trusted route. You see? Biking = Happy.

-3bikes