"inner tube" is a semi-permanent fixture on your grocery list.

You know which people on the MUP will wave to you and which won't.

You also know what kind of bike they ride.

and I thought for sure I was a commuter.

My inspection lapsed for 2 months. I noticed the month on the sticker and my brain took several minutes to process that the sticker said "10" and it was now "12."

And my 2006 Tacoma, picked up in October of 2005, has 13,000 miles on it and still smells new.

You're also a hard-core commuter when you're riding your bicycle on surfaces that are so icy, even pedestrians avoid them.

You recognize all the homeless guys in the area because they wave to you every morning. (luckily they dont recognize you without your helmet)

Dont change your oil every three months. It is a trick.

. . . Your commute goes from 12 miles each way to less than one mile and you are not happy (and gain 10 lbs).

. . . You know the pleasure of getting home in 1 hour during a rush hour snow storm, when drivers are taking 2-3 hours to do the same distance.

. . . People stop asking "did ride today?" when the weather is really bad, because they already know you did.

. . . You are upset when the forecast was -20F and it is only -16F.

Paul

If locals out walking their dogs wave at you like they know you and you're 20 miles from home.

When you can't remember when there was no such thing as "hard core commuter".....

... when you pass all the roadies on their super-light carbon fibre race bikes because you put in more miles than they do.

Or when a "serious" cyclist friend finds out you ride and asks if you want to go on a "serious" bike ride of 15 miles if the weather is ok, then you laugh at the look on his face when you tell him you do that every day, all year round, rain or shine.

That's the one.

You can't remember the last time you drove.
Buy some Mr.Tuffy Tire Liners and Forget about purchasing an inner tube for years to come!

You shout at the television during the Tour de France, "Yeah, but try that with a rack and panniers!"

walking anywhere on the left side of a road, against traffic, feels very wrong...

These are great!! Another favorite of mine... the uppity-up office ladies ask (behind my back, of course) when I am getting my license back.

In our area of rural/suburban Pa, I guess everyone who rides a bike (and not dressed in lycra) has a DUI.

Ignorant Iraq/Afghan war supporters, arrgh!

...When buying gas you feel the urge to blow chunks.

I beat my commute time record this weekend carrying a heavier-than-usual load. 8:45 for the 2.28mi run with a long slow climb at the start and a big short climb near the end. Never got it under 10 with a load before.

Laptop, tablet, uniform, a book, towel and various toiletries in two backpack-turned-homebuilt-panniers on a Trek 7100. I'm guessing the 8MPH tailwind helped a bit, but it's usually dead calm or 3-5MPH tailwind for that part.

--- When the only contents of your desk drawers are tubes, tools, brake pads, granola bars, water bottles, a change of clothes, and headphones.

--- You wash your bike shorts in the bathroom sink

--- You have at least one stretch of road you are continuously thinking about how to get faster on

--- You get bored and start commuting blind folded

+1

When you do go to buy gas and find out it's $1.25 more a gallon then the last time.

HAHAHA! Too funny, I went to REI yesterday to get a couple pair of new bike shorts...My wife commented that she knew now where the gas money was going!

When you cannot afford to fix your car because you spend all your money on bike related goodies.......yeah, that's me

Overheard at a company meeting...

Boss; Oh By the way, any idea who keeps filling the suggestion box with cards pointing out new ways to justify putting a shower in at work?

You frequent the commuting and advocacy threads on bikeforums more than any of the others...

... you have no idea how much gas costs, and don't care.

... you build your own panniers from a couple backpacks (this one's for KD5NRH... oh, and 73 OM!).

... you post in the "You know you are a hard-core commuter if..." thread.