Am I a spoiled Bike Commuter?
 

I have been commuting to work by bike 3-4 days a week for about 8 months now. I read the threads in this post and I'm beginning to think I may be a little spoiled.
A little about me. I have been riding a bike for about 9 years after "growing out of it" as a teenager. I have done many weekend 60-70 mile rides and a number of week long tours. I moved last spring about 3 miles from work and decided to start commuting. I work as a charter bus driver for a large university. I take students on field trips and take student-athletes to other schools for their games
My commute is 2.7 miles. About a third of that is on a bike path and through the university's dairy farm were there is no or very little motor traffic (Or pedestrians for that matter). Because of my flexible schedule I can usually avoid any rush hour.
Once I get to work I can park my bike inside the garage and out of the weather. Besides our mechanics watching over my bike I can park it were there are also cameras watching. I usually don't even lock it up. If my bike is getting dirty or salty from the roads I can wash it in the bus wash bay. I even keep a chain cleaner and other supplies at work.
I then change into my uniform. A company delivers them and picks up our dirty ones at work so all I have to do is bring socks. I leave a pair of shoes at work so I have very little to carry with me to work. If its really hot out and I need to clean up I have soap and a towel in my locker too. Oh did I mention we have a shower at our garage.
If I have an overnight trip I drive to work because I have too much luggage, I am a bad over packer. But I also bring my bike. If I take off the front tire and lower the seat I can fit it in a luggage bay under the bus. This has given me the chance to ride in cities like New York ,Toronto, Chicago, Indianapolis and many other cities that have colleges with athletic programs. I often see coaches out for morning jogs when I go for a morning ride.
So am I really spoiled or does everyone have it this easy. I want to hear how nice some of you have it getting to work, no complaining.

you are spoiled, no doubt about it. When I was in college many years ago, my commute was mostly on a bike path and that was really nice.

I'm trying not to harbor pure unadulterated, supersaturated, and intense hatred for you!

My only hope is that you'll keep your bike unlocked until that final blessed day!

Hey there Zirger726!

I was just kidding!

You're such a lucky dog! I'm afraid that all you'll get from most here is jealousy and envy. You're truly in a very unique situation.

Glad to see that you truly appreciate it!

Good Luck! :thumb:

- Slim :)

my commute is almost the exact same distance as yours .... i cross 2 good sized parks and deal with few cars ... i get to store my bike inside and normally don't lock it up .. plus the weather around here has been unusually dry

You've got it pretty good. But then again, so do I. I work in apartment management, so I have access to the apartment laundromats, and after a rainy morning ride or super hot sweaty ride I'm able to wash and dry my clothes and have them fresh for the ride home.

I live in the subtropics of Texas. It hasn't dropped below 40 here all year. I win.

As far as perks go the OP's situation sounds ideal. I think the only thing I could ask for in his position would be for the commute to be slightly longer!

There are plenty of things I could gripe about my commuting situation, I'll abide by the rules and only say the positives about my commute:

* sometimes my route in includes a 1.2 mile ride through Interlaken Park, a wooded ravine with a very quiet road on it and views over the city and Lake Washington to the Cascades beyond.
* there is a shower and a large locker room full of empty lockers so I can stow however much gear I bring in
* there are bike cages at work, the one I use is so underutilized that I'm totally comfortable leaving my bike unlocked and all my lights and even my Zimbale 18L saddlebag on my bike for the 13+ hours I am away from it.
*it never gets too terribly cold here, the rain usually is pretty light, and my routes largely protect me from the wind.

Oh, I am just teasing mostly. My ride is under 2 miles between work, school and home. I don't have to worry about "kitting" up or anything extravagant. For example, today I rode my M80 in, wearing Sanuks, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The temp outside is in the 60s, no rain but just enough cloud cover to make you appreciate the peaks of sunshine. I get to set my bike behind me so it's never exposed to potential theft, vandalism or weather.

The professors at the university know I'm a baby when it comes to my bikes, so they usually allow me to bring them into the classroom or, if worse comes to worse, I just put them in the department chair's office because I've worked on that relationship with him.

I don't think spoiled is the right word, but lucky is definitely up there. Must be cool to have your "work" being the actual "travel." Then you get a day "off" to do fun stuff. Usually the destination is the "work" portion of the trip.

One of the artists I represent is a flight attendant, and can adjust her schedule very easily. Say she wants to spend the weekend in Paris; just schedules her last shift on Friday to end in Paris. Mini-vacations whenever she wants is pretty cool in my book!

That sounds like a nice situation. My commute doesn't come with as many perks but it's really easy too. I commute about 4 miles round trip and get to park right beside my desk. Sometimes after work I will go for a little ride around town to get some more time on my bike.

It's a really fortunate situation you are in, enjoy it all you can. Also, Ohio (at least in Canton) has been unusually mild this winter. You've got it made.

I'm one of the spoiled ones too. My commute is pretty long, 25 miles each way, but most of that is on a nicely maintained and scenic bikeway away from traffic. Here in No. CA only a few mornings in the Winter the temps drop below 30 for the ride in and it warms up in the afternoon for the trip home. At work I have a very secure bike locker (that I rent for $5/mo.) to myself right outside the entrance to my office bldg and full locker room with showers in the basement. I also have easy public transit option as a backup.

If that's not enough, the big boss also cycles and understands the occasional "need" to take off a little early in the afternoon for a longer ride home when the weather is exceptionally nice.

I've got it really good!!!

I'm spoiled. I have a 8.5 miles commute, relatively flat. It's mostly street, but they all have bike lanes. About 1.5 miles on MUP. I bring my bike inside at work and they provide shower as well as towels. I hate the soap in a dispenser so I bring my own. And I get to work my own hours for the most part so I don't have to commute in traffic. And to top it off, free meals are provided.

Envious of the fact you can take it with you to new cities once in a while and explore :) Would be even better if you lived further away from work and got to ride more ;)

You say "spoiled" like it's a bad thing.

Enjoy it!

Pretty nice, but 2.7 miles is a bit too short for me! My commute represents more in my day than just getting to and from work.

I agree. I would probably walk 2.7 miles rather than ride, though on a bike path it would be nice. It wouldn't give me any workout at all, though. Then again, neither would walking. Can you (O.P.) make a nice long loop going home to extend that?

I feel sorry for you, really. You only get to ride 2.7 miles to work. That's hardly enough time to warm up. Getting to ride in various cities is cool, though, I would enjoy that.

I've got a pretty ideal situation too. My commute is 30 miles round trip, enough to get a good workout every day. We've got a nice locker room and showers at my office. The building has a police many on duty all day and a security camera focused on the bike rack. The weather in NC is hard to beat. We get our share of heat and cold, but very seldom does it get very extreme, and spring and fall are incredible.

I'm a little spoiled to. I work at a hotel. I have and place to park my bike inside a locked storage room. I can use the computer to delete my video files on my go pro helmet cam. I also can shower. If the weather is to bad I can spend the night here. I have all kinds of tools I can use. A fridge, lockers, free breakfast, free gym pass and nightly rides home. Hehe its nice.

There is another bike path 1.6 miles from my house that runs along the Olentangy River and through the university. It runs about 13 miles ( 9 miles to the north of campus and 4 to the south). I have been known to leave work, pedal to the north end, and have dinner at a little beer pub and then go home. At any rate I can make the commute as long as I want, in practice I usually only add miles on the way home. It's a good way to unwind from the day.

And I thought I was lucky to have indoor parking and laundry at work..... At least no one else has mentioned a downhill commute with the wind at their back on the way in like I do.

Sounds cool zirger726. My motto is enjoy it while you have it. It really is cool you can take the bike with you to other places.

My commute is OK. Phoenix weather is great, usually. I can park my bike in an unused storage room near me at work. No shower but no big deal to sponge myself off and change. My distance is better for me tho, 4.6 miles each way.

With the OP having a 2.7 mile commute is a win to me, since they have a choice in making their commute longer if they chose to do so, and in being short enough if they have to get to work or home quick without much sweat. Most definitely spppoooiiilled. :D

I have a 16 mile commute to work, with roughly 1000' of climbing so it serves well as my training ride in addition to just getting me to work. Only 3 miles of my route are over city streets, the remainder is on a MUP with only 4 crosswalks.
I get to bring my bike inside and park in the warehouse if it's soaking wet, or in the empty cube across from mine when it's dry. I have a drying rack and a tabletop fan for my wet gear. I keep a bunch of clothes at work so I only need to bring my lunch on the way to work, and dirty socks/underwear on the way home. I'll drive once in a while to swap out pants and shirts.
There's a shower room in the warehouse, so I don't have to carry toiletries or towels back and forth every day. It's only a small converted utility closet with a single shower stall, a little shelf, and a mirror, but it's better than nothing.
I work for a fitness equipment company, so on days that I don't ride I can work out on our showroom machines.

Nice. I add miles too, especially on Friday return commutes. Less traffic + weekend coming up!

Well, my commute is longer - 8.5 mi. on the bike and 10.5 miles on the Metro Train, one way - but other than that, the OP has it much better than I do!

Okay, I can park my bike (a folder) next to my desk, but except for that . . . nothing!

Rick / OCRR