Anybody warm-up or stretch before they commute in the am? I've recently started commuting (end of 3rd week) and generally just hop on and go. It's a 7 mile commute one way and I do it 5x a week so I was wondering what the long-term impact may be (if any).

Thanks

Hop on and go. 37 mile RT commute, 4-5 days/week. Been doing it for almost two years and I don't seem any worse for the wear.

I'm normally a hop on and go type of person. But I live at the bottom of a hill, in the last building on a dead-end street. So I walk my bike the first block, up to level ground, before I go. I enjoy climbing hills during a ride ... but not until I'm warmed up first.

I also warm my car up by driving it, unless it's like -20 out. Well ... I'm not getting much use out of the car lately, to be honest.

Thanks for the input. I just realized after I posted that I suppose you could just take it slow for a minute or two and consider that a warm-up!

So - what about once you get to work? Stretch?

I take it easy for the first couple miles, then I start to pick up the pace

As others have said, hop on and go. No need to push too hard the first mile or two if you can help it. I always feel better after I get warmed up for a few minutes, but I don't do any strecthes - even after.

You'll probably get into better shape, lose weight and inches off the beltline, have more energy and generally feel better about yourself. If you drove to work before, you'll burn less gasoline than if you drove. And you might save some money, depending on how susceptible you are to N+1 Syndrome and Bike Accessory Addiction Disease.

Otherwise, long-term prospects for negative outcomes are minimal.