I've been sport/road cycling since '68, so that's 43 years. I've been able to bike-commute to work at all of my previous jobs, but only the last two months at my present job.

1. I wear lycra cycling shorts w/crotch pad under mountain bike shorts (when commuting).

2. From 1968 to 1985 I used clips/straps; from 1985 to 2011 I used some form of clipless pedals. Started with Aero-Lites (remember those?), now use SPDL's for road/sport and mountain bike SPD's for commuting (Crank Bros. Egg-Beaters on my fixed gear bike, SPD's on my mountain bike).

3. I ride almost as fast as I used to, now limited by advancing age (I'm 61) and fatter tires on my commute bike.

4. Skinny, high pressure fast tires are still on my road/sport bikes, 16" kinda fat Schwalbe Marathon tires on my commute bike (DaHon Curve 8 folder).

5. It no longer bothers me when fast racer-types pass me while I'm riding my commute bike.

6. Add ons on my commute bike: Rack, rack trunk with pump, tubes, tire levers, wrench for rear wheel. Lights, Garmin 800 computer (which also transfers to my road/sport bikes.

7. Thankfully I've never been attacked by flying donuts, and I know I look funny on my folding bike (tiny tires, long seatpost and steering tube), but it doesn't bother me. I will not live forever, but I'm not sure when I'm going to die.

I have no idea how many miles I've ridden in my lifetime, but at a conservative estimate of 6,000 miles a year that's 258,000 miles. I have ridden 52 California double centuries, but no doubles on my commute bike!

Rick / OCRR

Note: I ride 7 mi. to work + 10 riding on the Metro (train); that's why I ride a folder to commute.

Two words:

Toe clips.

Two more words:

(No straps)

I'm with you in spirit if not in all the details...I'm very Fred except for the clipless pedals.

I've found that after I started commuting I may ride more, but I ride less for fun. I hope to add more fun miles next year.

I do a similar kind of commute to you - I ride about 3 miles, take the train, and then ride about another 5 or so to the office. I'm lucky I have a folding bike, which is really nice to ride and also practical. It's still a pretty nice looking bike, but I have to say, I got it for the folding capacity more than anything.

I ride zero for fun. Last time I went on a ride just for fun was, well, probably college. 1987 maybe?

Having started cycling at the relatively late age of 49 it's hard for me to empathize. I'm still getting stronger and faster (and I cheat to add speed to that). I can't take the cat6 stuff seriously because I know there are cyclists who could blister my regular routes at 30mph, but still I don't want to slow down and hope I never do.

On the other hand, with regular clothes platform pedals and 20 pounds of fredly bling I'm square in your camp!

1. Never wore cycling shorts, don't ever plan to.
2. From 1979-1984 clips/straps. 2008-2011 Powergrips, planiing to go to toeclips/straps again.
3. Never been a speed demon.
4. Schwalbe Marathon Plus 26x1.75
5. Exactly
6. More than half the weight of my bike (an Xtracycle--2008 Kona Fire Mountain) is add ons: the Freeradical, front racks & panniers, handlebar bag, rearview mirrors/turn signals, lights, seat bag, trunk bag mounted on the top of the front rack, 3 frame bags, bell, 2 locks, and fenders.
7. Ayuh, except for the living forever part, already lasted longer than I expected.

Not sure of my "verifible miles", I was car(e) from 1979-1984, rode everywhere I went, didn't ride from '84 to 2008. In 2008, I started commuting ~12 miles a day, 4+ days a week. I got rid of my (ex)truck in Jan.

I started out riding in high school and never wore cycling shorts. I rode a steel 24" Huffy 10sp pretty much daily. It was way too small for me, but I didnt know that at the time. I never worried about how fast I went, I was just out to enjoy the scenery and get out of the house. My tires weren't very skinny and I think I ran them around 50psi. I have no idea how many miles I rode back then, I had no computer and didnt really care.

About halfway through college, I moved out of my parent's house and into the one of the most uncycling-friendly cities I know of, leaving my bike behind. I didnt get back into cycling until about 3 years ago when my wife an I bought some cheap-o walmart bikes. Shortly after moving to Fort Worth, we discovered a lively cycling culture right in our neighborhood. We started riding more and quickly realized our bikes weren't going to last long.

Now, I'm almost 40, have lost about 30lbs since we started cycling.
I wear spandex on my daily commute because I have to change when I get to work anyway, so I figure I might as well be as comfortable as possible. Yes, I notice the difference in comfort.

I "clip in" with spd-sl shoes and pedals because I like the feeling of a very solid connection to the bike.

I push myself much more often than I did when I was younger because I enjoying seeing the results in being able to go faster and longer on my bike. I still need to lose another 20lbs or more, so I will continue pushing myself. I also like to go on a long bike ride with friends and not be in a hurry and just enjoy the day.

my tires are 28s - not skinny, but not exactly fat.

I don't care who passes me or who I pass.

I ride a steel road bike, but I try to keep it reasonably light. I pack as minimally as possible regardless of if I'm commuting, going for a fast ride, our going camping.

If I worried about my appearance I would never set foot out the door wearing spandex

i'm in my 4th year of daily bike commuting, 14-15 miles each way. i have absolutely no idea of my lifetime mileage, but i did A LOT of riding in my youth, then took a hiatus from cycling in my 20s, and now i'm back to the bike harder than ever.

1. i don't wear the skin tight lycra, but i do wear looser fitting (not baggy) athletic shorts and a t-shirt when i ride most of the time. commuting in my work clothes is not an option because i sweat too much when i ride.

2. all of my bikes have SPD pedals. i LOVE being clipped in! it makes me feel so much more secure and in control of the bike when i'm locked onto the pedals.

3. I ride pretty damn fast. not pro-racer fast, but fast enough for me to chase the cycling high.

4. i've got high-pressure skinny tires on my road bike and wider, lower-pressure slicks on my hybrid. different horses for different courses and different tires for different bikes and all that.

5. i don't like it when i get passed when i'm on my road bike (which is rare). when i'm passed when i'm on my hybrid (more common), i don't care as much because that's my slower bike.

6. i keep my bikes pretty slimmed down: just blinkies, water bottle & cage, and a small saddle bag tool kit. i use a backpack for commuting, so i don't have a rack/panniers.

7. i generally don't care too much about what other people think of me whether i'm on or off my bike. i've never lacked for self-confidence ("quiet arrogance" might be a better phrase). i do what works for me; i cannot be bothered with the opinions of others.

What I used to do is bike occassionally, when the weather was good. Never really made a habit out of it until I got fenders. Then I started to bike in regularly. After I bought studs, I started biking year round. That was 4-5 yrs back.

The only way for me to bike in everyday instead of the 3-4 days/week I do now is to quit golf and bowling.

Regarding pedals and the like, just last year I got the clipless version and have sandals to go with them. I use these on good weather days, but I mostly commute on my Breezer, with bmx style platforms and lots of utility gear. It has 40mm Marathon Plus tires and 60 psi in them. I don't mind going slow, either. Key thing is to get out there as often as I can.

I like all these responses. Bicyclists are so much a varied lot of people! In my original post I said that I'm just as comfortable in street clothing as in cycling shorts, but my wife theorizes that I may have been wearing the wrong size and/or brand of shorts. Also, I don't notice any difference in efficiency between when I used SPDs and now that I'm just using just platform pedals - I'm thinking it's because I may have never learned to spin in the SPDs correctly. If I go back to SPDs (they're still in my closet) and spend some time learning how to use them correctly it might be a good idea. I do like the security of being "attached" to the bike.

You have just describe what a commuter is all about in Europe... nothing wrong with that....

I used to stop one or two times during my commute to blow my nose. Now I just let the snot rockets fly, then wipe my nose with my glove. If they happen to land on me that's ok because I change when I get to university anyway.

Yeah I do that too now. I used to wipe my nose with a handkerchief I kept in my MTB shorts pockets.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and perceptions. Welcome to the forum where I hope everybody's opinion is welcome.