matimeo

Does lurking around on the commuting section of bike forums help you stay motivated to commute every day to work?

In a general sense, what types of things do motivate you? I know there are some obvious ones like exercise, but I was hoping for some ideas that are a little more out of the box.

Kojak

We have one car and my wife generally takes it to work (unless she's commuting on her bike). I don't need motivation, I usually don't have a choice, or at least the choice I have is to take the bus which would be $5/day and take about 3 times longer to get to work, and to get back home. That said, when we did have 2 cars, I rode anyway. Clears your head in the morning, washes away the stress in the evening, saves on parking.

Steely Dan

the best motivation is not owning a car.

if i don't ride my bike into work, that means i'm taking the train, and while taking the train isn't necessarily the end of the world, it costs me $4.50 roundtrip.

if i bike, then my journey is free. and biking is almost always loads more fun than sitting on the train.

and considering that the train and bike take about the same amount of time, door to door, i figure i might as well get some exercise in while i'm going to work instead of sitting on a train wasting my time and getting fatter.

matimeo

Make me think of this

machinestatic

My commute to work by bike only takes me about 15-20 minutes. A few days ago I took the train for the first time in a couple weeks, and at one point the train stopped underground in between two stations for no explained reason... for over 15 minutes. That was good motivation to bike the next day.

wolfchild

My motivation comes from within. It's always been that way, not just for cycling but for all things in life. I am stubborn and I don't give up easily.I love to challenge myself. If I want to do something, I just go and do it. I don't need internet forums to motivate me or approve of what I am doing. Internet is just for entertaiment, research, relaxation. Ask yourself this question: How did cyclists motivate themselves to ride before the days of internet forums ??

tjspiel

1. every day you ride your bike, stick the money you would have spent on gas, bus fare, parking in an envelope. After a month or two, get yourself a present.

2. Use an online mileage tracking site.

3. Sign up for a charity ride, race, triathlon, duathlon sometime in the future and use your commute to help you get ready.

4. Plan a bike trip to some fun destination that would require you to ride 50 to 150 miles. Again, use your commute to help you get ready.

5. Find a bike club and do some rides with them. Get to know other people that ride frequently and/or commute


Probably the best long term plan is to find a way to do it on a regular basis. Either decide you're going to do it everyday or pick specific days you're going to ride like Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Even if it's just one day a week, pick a day like Tuesday and do it every Tuesday. What you don't want to do is make it a "Game Day Decision" because it's too easy to wimp out.

After awhile you don't even think about it. You just get on your bike and go.

Booger1

When I ride to work and open the doors,people come in,I whittle on stuff and people give me money.......That's enough motivation for me.

The rest of the time I ride so that I DON"T have to think about whittling on stuff for people,I'm busy trying not to get mowed down.

MK313

I like to track my mileage on buckeyeoutdoors.com (any similar site will work. I set a goal at the beginning of the year & track it as I complete it.

Also, I pack everything I am going to take the night before. I make it so that all I have to do is grab my pack & go. Nothing worse that getting ready to go & then remembering that you forgot something & having to drive anyways.

bhop

Not having a gut or heart attack is my main motivation. Fun is next on the list. ... or maybe the order should be fun first... anyway.. Saving gas money is another. (I save $150+/mo.)

slcbob

My motivation for commuting is to get to work to get paid.

My motivation for commuting by bike is that is is more fun/healthy/green/economical/quick/predictable/stress-relieving/fun than all the other options.

fusilierdan

Not having a car sure helps with motivation. I could use a vehicle from the family buisness and do some days but when I was using one last spring I developed a pain in my left hip. It disappeared after I started riding everyday. After a ride I always feel better and more relaxed. On a sunny day it's fun on a rainy day it's nice to overcome the challenge. Hopefully next Spring I can explain how much fun it is riding in the snow and cold :-)

Easy Peasy

I'm motivated because commuting by bike is a high for me. It just makes me feel good, so it quickly became an addiction.

consumes

i love that matimeo.... overall .. for me its a great stress reliever

Andy_K 

What motivates me is that I love riding my bike.

david58

^ This

urban rider

Commuting to work can improve your mood and it beats caffeine.

urban rider

Forgetting your underwear is bad too. Pack the night before.

Joemess

Yes, it does improve my mood. The rest, well that's just crazy talk.

ThermionicScott 

I'm not gonna lie, getting to bump the "mileage" thread is part of it. I do enjoy the exercise and the things I see along the way, too.

aggiegrads

Before riding becomes habit, it does sometimes require motivation,even for those of us who love riding no matter what. When I first started, I would make a Ulysses pact with myself. It goes like this:

1. Take all of my ironed clothes to work.
2. Pack my bike bags the night before.
3. Basically, do anything I can to make riding easier and driving harder.

It is a lot easier for me to get motivated at 8PM the night before than 5AM the morning of - so I make my decision the night before in such a way that is harder to back out of.

I might also commit myself to someone at work: "Ride in today?" "Nope, I have a doctor's appointment during my lunch hour so I drove today. You'll see me on my bike tomorrow."

This might not work for you, but it works for me.

vtjim

I motivate myself by driving to work once or twice a year.

making

Always have everything at work you need to work, even if you forget everything (it has happened to me), rotate occassionally.

I get everything ready to go the night before, except my clothes in my panniers, they wrinkle.

We are suppose to be parking in a new parking lot, I keep telling myself to drive in so I can see where it is at. Oh well, maybe next week.

It's not just a ride to work, its an adventure.

I am a cold temperature wuss though, I bought a balaclava last week, maybe this year...

smasha

it keeps my body in good health.

i'm going through some tough times right now, and riding regularly is keeping me from falling into a deep and dysfunctional depression.

from my high-density suburban home, i can bike to most places in the city in less time than it takes to WAIT for a bus.

it saves me a bit of money to not have a car. it saves me a LOT of frustration to not have a car (NZ motor vehicle inspections are every six months).

it saves me $135-185/month to not have a bus pass. two years after i started riding "for real" it was easy to justify a bicycle upgrade and i STILL saved money.

what is this "caffeine" you speak of?

for me, taking a bus a few times a year is a very good reminder of why bikes are better.

muu

I do find it frustrating now when I have to drive to work -- it's quicker, sure, but all these other cars are in the way and caged in there you have less sense of what's going around you and all. Also the mounting frustration that you can't go as fast as you can/want on the vehicle.

Of course, I'm probably lucky that there's a lightly traveled side road that almost takes me straight to the office from home, with (relatively) courteous drivers all around.