djork

Do you get that often, especially from people at work? I feel almost undeserving since I don't see it as a big deal, and especially considering that many here ride more than the 9-10 miles (one way) I ride. I think I would be impressed by those who ride over 10 miles each way.

What do you say when people tell you they are impressed with your commuting? I usually try to brush it off, saying it's nothing, that it's only about 10 miles.

ratell

I have a hard time also and usually end up saying something like, "It helps that the bus is slower. Riding means I get to sleep in."

tjspiel

Your reality is different than theirs.

To a person who runs marathons a 3 mile jog is nothing, -barely worth the bother. A person who doesn't run at all may not even be able to make it 3 miles without stopping to rest.

My commute is only 6 miles. When people ask how far I ride to work, I tell them. Some will be impressed and others will say: "Oh, well that's not too bad." I'm guessing their reaction depends on whether or not they can visualize themselves riding that far to work and back every day. Some can. Some can't.

If people seem impressed I just shrug and say that I'm used to it. If they say: "Oh, that's not so bad", I agree with them.

electrik

It's all part of their rationalization that riding a bicycle is too difficult for them so that they don't feel guilty about taking a car a few miles. Just keep telling them how you did it, maybe it clicks.

philski

I just tell them it's my thing, it's what I do. Just like another coworkers' thing is flying airplanes, another lead singing in a band, another flying model aircraft. We all have hobbies, this is one of mine.

FunkyStickman

Had someone today tell me he was impressed I rode in the cold. But, he also commented that he noticed I was well dressed, and had my face covered up.

My usual response is "I'm crazy, but I'm not stupid. There is a difference."

EKW in DC

I do get that fairly often, although since I've been at it a couple years, most people here at work usually seem to mention it only when the weather or road conditions are less than ideal now. Like you, I try to downplay it. My usual response usually involves some mix of the following:

It's faster and cheaper than riding metro (which = more sleep for me)
It's good exercise
It helps to wake me up and get the blood flowing in the AM, kinda like a cup of coffee

genec

Better than a cup of coffee!

unterhausen

I have the opposite issue, the two guys I work with most closely ride more than me. If I don't feel prepared, I drive in. And then I have to look at their bikes all day as a silent mockery of my unworthiness

no motor?

I'd love to hear that now, it's going to be a while until I'm riding anywhere.

scroca

Nobody ever tells me they are impressed, so I assume they are not.

Some people tell me I'm crazy though, so there's really no secret what they think.

AdamDZ

It used to be like they were thinking I was nuts, in particular in bad weather, rather than being impressed By now, most stopped asking if I rode today, they know the answer.

webtwo

I get comments a lot, as I am the sole regular bike commuter. I usually tell people how much better I feel when I get to work and when I get home. I ride 30 miles round trip most days in conjunction with the train and in the summer I ride the full 78 miles round trip a couple days a week. I also get strange looks when I ride to my local fruit market or grocery store wearing my helmet and bike clothing. Our culture will destroy itself. I am totally convinced of that.

hhnngg1

More impressed by far by diehard snow-cyclists, even those that go only a mile.

I've got an 18mile one-way bike commute in Norcal, and that's easy stuff compared to snow cycling in the winter!

pallen

I get it too. I dont know if they are impressed, mostly they just think I'm nuts. I'll say, "its just 10miles each way" and they reply "OMG 10 MILES ARE YOU KIDDING? EVERY DAY? IN THE COLD???" (we're talking Texas cold here). I just usually reply with something about how when you start doing it, your body adapts really fast and 10 miles becomes really easy, and something about how much fun it is. Its like I'm talking about life on a different planet.

On a related note, the kids watched Wall-E at home last night. The fat lazy people hovering around in their chairs so they don't have to walk is our future

1fluffhead

I used to get it all of the time, then the people I work with realized/accepted that was the way I got to the job. Now they are more surprised if they see me show up to work not in cycling gear. The first question I usually get is "Are you ok?" Which makes me chuckle to myself a little because they think something must be wrong for not biking.

Jim from Boston

Other people telling you how impressed they are with you biking to work

After 25 years of year-round commuting 14 miles one way, I still get compliments. I've even been called a "saint," though there are better hardcore, non-commuting roadies where I work. When I "brush off," I point out that I usually take my bike home on the train. When I revel in the compliments, I call myself The Road Warrior.

One of my great motivations to ride through almost anything, like today's snow emergency, is to hear that perennial question, "You didn't ride your bike today, did you?".

FunkyStickman

I get that all the time!! Anytime it's overcast, or windy or cold, I get 5 people asking me "I bet you didn't ride today!" And of course, I usually did.

Bud Bent

I've been surprised at how many comments I've gotten. People in this shop who had never said a word to me the entire time I'd worked here had all kinds of comments and questions after I started riding.

My first week of riding, one co-worker asked me where I rode from. When I said Crowley, he said, "Are you crazy?" (My house in Crowley is 12 miles from the shop in Fort Worth where I work.)

kikoraa

Same thing here. I'm in GA and it rarely drops below the 30's. I just moved so my commute dropped to 5-8 miles 1 way depending on which job I'm going to. Also on a MTB with road slicks I would love to find some old cheapo bike on CL.

Andy_K 

I hear that a lot, often from the same people over and over. They seem to always assume that I am making a sacrifice for some greater goal, usually presumed to be either the environment or weight loss. This persists in spite of my explanation that I just enjoy it more than the alternatives.

See also: https://www.yehudamoon.com/index.php?date=2010-04-22

djork

Come to think of it, maybe they're impressed not so much with the "great" miles I ride as with the type of traffic I ride in. I think there may be a hidden "you're nuts" to be riding with so many cars around you. I work in a fairly bike-friendly city with bike lanes in some areas, but it still amazes people that I'm brave, daring, or crazy to ride in the city with cars around.

I'm not a hardcore commuter by any means, but people I work with are still impressed

exile

I usually have people telling me how crazy I am. It would have been nice to get a compliment every now and then.

neil

I also try to brush it off. The only other bike commuter on my floor was surprised to see my helmet last week, since he's a summer-only guy. I just explained that I'd spent $100 on studded tires and now I have to use them.

In fact, it had been a couple weeks since I'd been biking. I'll bike in the winter, but rarely when it's cold (I bottom out around -10ºC/14ºF), and there'd been a lot of fresh snow right before the cold snap, another one of my no-go conditions. Of course, the first day I chose to ride it was raining, so that probably increased the bragging rights.

Ira B

Impressed?

Heck, they think I am deranged.

This can be most useful at times.