But it's so hot!!!

Love
- Leaving for work early, taking the long way, and watching the sunrise with Mt. Rainier in the background.
- Having more energy for my kids when I get home.
- Feeling the sun on my face and the wind in my hair on a beautiful summer day.
- Riding in the rain, somehow it just makes me feel that much more alive.

Hate
- Getting a flat tire when I'm in a hurry
- Bonking
- Drivers buzzing me (luckily it doesn't happen that often)

Love
- the wake up the ride in gives me
- the smell of the bakery on my route in
- light sprinkles while riding home (hasn't happened this year yet)

Hate
- swallowing a bug while riding full speed, that hurt!
- being stung by an unknown bug, probably a bee, in the dark
- trash in my path, especially broken glass

I love:

Prospect Park in the morning at the beginning of my commute
Prospect Park in the evening at the end
The climb up the Manhattan Bridge
The NYC skyline

I hate

The smell of garbage
The 1st Avenue bike lane
Being sweaty at the end
The fact that this was post 3800

Love:
-that 2/3 of my morning commute is on a gravel access road with no other people, but populated by: chipmunks, woodchucks, muskrats, ducks, herons, snakes, snapping turtles, deer, otters, coyotes...
-that i saved about $5k in gas last year
-that i've gotten my flat fix down to about 5min
-that i stay in shape by the very act of going to work

Hate:
-the uphill right hand blind curve on the start of my route, where drivers feel compelled to use the shoulder as another lane until they see me
-the days where snow builds up enough that there's no shoulder and i have to drive (55mph county route, last stretch)

I Love:
-Getting a morning rush of exercise on the way in to work...ramps up my energy for the day, and I feel much happier!
-Being able to notice small details, like seeing a young fawn standing at the edge of the woods as I pass by.
-Not having to ride in blizzard-like conditions (unlike [MENTION=297562]dramiscram[/MENTION]...where's that snowblower bike??) :-P
-That feeling you get when riding on roads before most of the traffic starts in the morning. Quite "Zen".
-Not worrying about what happens if my battery dies/engine seizes up/tire blows out.
-Riding on a vehicle whose only monthly payment is a little maintenance/feeding the engine.
-The focus riding gives you...sharpens the mind just as much as it does the body.

I Hate:
-Our lack of good cycling infrastructure here in SC. It's the only way to get some drivers to pay attention.
-Drivers who tell me that bicycles are illegal on the road. Apparently we don't like reading things down here.
-Summer. I was born here, but I've never enjoyed the summer (also doesn't help that I'm a Clyde).
:lol:

I hate:

* The headwinds
* The broken roads I have to ride on

I love:

* The downhills
* The coffee roasting place on the way into work
* The smell of cheerios baking that starts about 1/2 into work
* The ride itself

WoW!! You must have ridden rather than driven a heck of a lot of miles last year!

Using approximate national averages for mileage (~20) and gas cost ($4) he must of ridden about 25,000 instead of driving... Geeze about 70 miles per day, every day, no breaks. An amazing accomplishment.

At least I'm leveraging my bicycle mileage with the bus; every 20 miles of bicycling saves me about 100 miles of driving because I ride the bus the rest of the way. The bus is free for me.

yes, but i also figured in the wife being unemployed and not having the use car to pick her up (one car family). so i kinda cheated. :)

Hate:
I hate winters in the mid-west because I can't ride.

Love:
Whenever I'm on the bike.

Love:
1) Catching a green light on a downgrade and being able to hit the 'afterburners.'
2) Arriving at work in a good mood.


Hate:
1) Dealing with two roundabouts: one right after the other. (Not so bad now that school is out for the summer).
2) Icy conditions
3) Jerks (on two legs, two or four wheels).

Yes, AFTERBURNERS !!!

Like:
1. Uphill time trial to the work.
2. Downhill all-out sprint back home.
-With occasional traffic light drag race vs. some boy-racer in his old VW Golf (wish I have a camera when these happen).
3. Being faster than the morning rush hour traffic.
4. Stepping out into the fresh air after a day behind the desk.
5. Headwind.

Dislike:
1. Bonehead maneuvers by other road users, especially motorists (especially bus- and taxi drivers)
2. Stepping into the stagnant, oxygen-lacking air of the workplace.
3. When my light's battery unexpectedly dies in the dark.
4. An occasional city-dwelling fox who doesn't take a look when crossing the road.
5. Headwind.

I Love...
... when my fellow cyclists talk to me when we're stopped at lights. Yes it rarely happens in NYC but when it does it's such an amazing treat!
... little acts of kindness from motorists. It's good to be reminded that they too can be kind and considerate humans.
... cycling across the Brooklyn Bridge at night! Looking at lower Manhattan is my "Holy **** I live in NYC!" moment on the regular. :D
... racing the BDQN trains across the Manhattan Bridge. They usually win but once in a great while I do! :p
... that feeling of accomplishment when I beat my best time to work or school.
... how cycling always makes me happier then when I take the subway.

I hate...
... when cars rush by me hit a puddle and spray me.
....when classmates ask me if I'm worried about being hurt or killed while cycling and then state I must be crazy to cycle in NYC.
... when people all most door me hear me yell as I swerve and don't apologize.
... taxis whether yellow, bright yellow green, black or grey. I hate em! Hate them so much! :mad:
... that the NYPD occupies bike lanes in non emergency situations.

Love: That my commute is only 3 miles, on those hot days riding into work

Hate: That my commute is only 3 miles, when I head for home at night. I love riding at night, as the traffic is very light and the city (Bend, Oregon) is so serene, and smells good of juniper and ponderosa pines.

Love:
Old Bikes, new bikes, early morning autumn-spring-winter-summer rides.

Hate:
Cars.
Incivility, forum pedants- Q) " Im looking for a new bike with drop bars . . . " . BFp A) "You need to get flat bar and set it up properly"
Q) "I'm looking for a flat pedals for my . . . ". BFp A) "You need to learn how to use clip-ins"
Q) "Im looking for an inexpensive rechargable light for my . . . ". BFp A) "you are delusional if you dont get a generator wheel and . . . "
There are always a few. Very annoying. :crash:

Bike manufacturers web sites that don't have a thumbnail index page to narrow down what you are looking for, instead opting for having you click on each name to try to find something like you are looking for. Fuji for instance . . . Very frustrating :(

:beer:

I love:
Cycling to work
Arriving before co-workers who drive
Incorporating exercise into my daily routine
Not paying for gas but maybe once a month
Being outside

I hate:
The fact that this winter doesn't want to end. I am not asking for anything crazy and would settle for mid 40's (Fahrenheit). Nights are still low 20's. Bah!

Love
... riding on deserted patches of road and clearing my mind of everyday troubles
... riding in challenging weather (rain, light snow, etc)
... early morning and late afternoon rides (sunrise and sunsets)

Hate
... heavy vehicular traffic
... pedestrians taking up sections of MUP or road, especially ipod zombies
... flats and break-downs, especially at the beginning of the ride

...and obviously, hate not being able to ride!

Or a bee getting stuck in a helmet vent and stinging you on the forehead. (Though I'm sure getting stung on the eye would be just as fun.)

I love

.... thinking your extra fast and that your ride was no big deal (and then realising the wind has been at your back the entire time)

.... getting up that big hill that seems impossible when your tired.

I hate

... couples holding hands and taking up both sides of a bike path, oblivious to everything around them.

.... cars that are severally confused by the presence of a bicycle.

Love:

-observing the ducks and birds in the marsh area on the first :15 minutes of my commute.
-"magic hour" lighting at the end of the day on my ride home. Sometimes I stop to take a photo.
-my work hours vary, but I'm starting to recognize some of the people I encounter on my commute and say hello or wave.
-passing cars when car traffic is bad
-tailwinds
-saving money on gas and not contributing to car exhaust in the air
-getting exercise while traveling rather than sitting and getting a stiff back
-more opportunity for interesting experiences & observations. I used to bike commute into San Francisco daily. As the sun was setting, while riding on the golden gate bridge, I passed a guy biking with goggles and a cape and he had a backpack with a small dog in it - and the dog also was wearing goggles and a cape. More recently, I took a trail shortcut through the marsh on my way home and encountered cops heading out to remove homeless people that were sleeping in the marsh. I definitely have more "interesting moments" when I cycle to and from work.

Dislike:

-any significant wind that is not a tailwind
-debris and broken glass in the bike lane, especially on my way to work when this makes me anxious about getting a flat and then being late for a meeting.
-stoplights that don't detect my bike. I recently contacted a city traffic department staffer about one particular light and he said this: "you just don't have enough ferrous metal on your bike to set off the light." Cyclists in my area get $500 fines for running stoplights and stop signs.
-Running late and having to get dressed really quickly when I get to work and then scrambling to my first meeting while still a bit sweaty and then realizing my sweater is inside-out in the middle of the meeting...
-professional dog walkers on the bike path walking five dogs at a time, all on retractable leashes...
-trying to pass pedestrians with loud headphones on

I love:
enjoying my ride so much that I miss my turn and have to cycle farther.

I hate:
getting annoyed that I missed my turn.

Love-
Being on a bike.
Going downhill.
The smell of Lake Merritt.
Getting exercise.
My own personal transport. I don't own a car so its bus or Bart(train) for me.

Hate-
My current grips are hurting my hands.
Buses.
Horrible International Blvd. Potholes.
Not having a front brake on my bike, skidding to a stop sucks.