I commute to work by light rail. I have a folding bike and all, but it's 0.8 miles to the North Avenue Light Rail and 0.7 miles to the Cultural Center Light Rail. When I get off the rail, I can orient myself by glancing around and spotting the building I work in. The light rail shuttle (light rail is down right now in that area) is about 4 feet from the parking lot; the light rail station is about 150 feet away.

Problem is pulling the bike from the garage and getting changed at work seems to be a wash versus just walking it to the station. On the other hand, the bike goes FAST; maintaining 15mph on a bike is a leisurely walk, and any form of running (6mph, 8mph...) would be better spent beating Lance at a track run. Seriously, if I wanted to expend that much energy, I'd race cars on my bike.

How short does your commute get before you start just walking it? Is there a distance where it's too annoyingly long to walk, but too short to bike without wasting a bunch of time gearing up?

At least I've put a bunch of miles on the Vibram FiveFingers I got.

Why do you need to wash after a small bike ride. Just shower before you leave and dont sprint.

I don't understand the problem. Walking and biking are about the same... Which would you prefer?

Are they actually the same? I could not walk .7 and .8 miles in my climate in work clothes and not need to change. I'd end up arriving less sweaty during the warmer months by riding than I would if I walked.

My previous commute was about equal riding vs. driving, primarily due to far-away parking options. I saved $300 yearly on parking and about $4 weekly on gas. My current commute is not equal, riding is about 50% longer than driving, parking included. I now bus on the way in with .4 and 1.2 mile connectors, and ride back 9 miles. The bus lets me not have to shower on arrival.

You could ride back occasionally, if you need to justify the bike.

Why would you change clothes for those distances?

Under a mile, and I would definitely walk. Unless there were someplace fun to ride nearby, for after work.

Agreed.

You're over-thinking it. Just ride.

this is too confusing.

why not skip the rail all together**********

How about riding to a station that is further from your house or work? As far as walking vs. riding for me it's a matter of time. That sounds like a 12-15 min walk depending. The ride should be just a few minutes. Your preference.

Wrong definition of 'wash' cowboy. But it's good you practice proper hygiene; Ioz still insists he just had a bath last month.

Yeah the climate is making things insane, I've considered walking it in shorts and swapping to proper pants at work--but then why not bike it?

The real problem is nearly-a-mile is too far to walk, but walking around to the garage adds 2-3 minutes. Getting changed adds maybe 5 minutes (though I used to CFD it in 81 seconds flat--yes I'm slow), folding the bike up takes some time (I'm slow). In the end it's some 8-10 minutes, and it's a 15 minute walk at best. It can actually take less overall time to walk it than bike it. Of course if I have to turn around--say the light rail's down like it was Friday--it's a hell of a lot faster if I've got a bike on me.

I could drive to the light rail station (it's park-and-ride) but the parking lot is small--there's space for me, but why take up a parking spot all day that somebody else could use?--and it's not even a mile, driving that is stupid.

So my bike doesn't eat my $70 pants that I paid $24 for like it did with the $40 ones that I paid $30 for.

Vicious 16.5 mile bike ride that takes an hour and a half at least, maybe 2 hours; versus a 50 minute walk/light rail (with a 26 minute light rail ride in there); 35 minutes bike/light rail (not counting the 10-15 minutes messing with the garage or getting changed); versus under half an hour driving it, if traffic doesn't get bad.

Traffic home the one time I was forced to drive was horrible, but traffic out wasn't bad--lucky me, it could have been reversed and I'd get to work late. The rail is far more reliable.

Not following this at all. Is it possible you could diagram it on Google Maps?

I love to commute by bike, but what you are doing seems like a lot of hassle for the short amounts of time you are biking. If it were my commute, I'd walk to & from the light rail station, especially if a .7 mile bike commute is 'eating your pants'. Just not worth the hassle. If I rally wanted to ride, I might ride to the light rail & park my bike there (not a nice bike, but something that won't kill you if it gets stolen, since it's only .7 miles), then walk in from the light rail to the office.

You could always ride next to the light rail and get on/off when needed/wanted. That's what I do and you'd have infinite possibilities.

I hate the car now. I was recently stuck in a 70km (50 mile) traffic jam. Late at night, when there's little traffic, one can easily average 120+mph and make the trip in around 45 minutes. It took 5 hours in the traffic jam (with 6-speed manual ... ouch on the leg muscles). I vowed never to drive again and to take the train instead. Next time, the train was delayed, overheated, broke down and was overcrowded (and not cheap.)

Some days I miss US prices. I'd kill for $50 jeans. Levis 501s start at 99€ (130USD) over here.

Chain rings do not like pant legs. Not to mention all that black grease on the chain.

It's turning into a lot of hassle for a small amount of on-bike time. Though being stuck at work with no car and everything a mile or two away isn't any fun either; at least with a bike I can go out to lunch.. if I want to hassle getting changed. On the other hand, paying for lunch all the time is expensive; I should bring sushi.

Geeze, 120mph? Too fast. Train ride is nicer, but yeah when the train fails it fails spectacularly. Light rail here is the same way, it's either running or it's not but when it runs it runs on time. I mean it's not Japan, but you could reasonably set your watch by the rail to within a minute or two.

1. Keep the folder by the front door instead of in the garage.
2. Roll the pants legs up to avoid the snagging and smudging.
3. Ride while standing instead of sitting to avoid wearing out your pants material.
4. You could always invest in another folder that folds a lot quicker.