It's why I use a bike rack; I have 3 kids to fetch each day at two different places, plus being about 30km away from work. Anyway, I park 16km and bike the rest :-P at least it's that.. I can't do 3hrs commute either.

I really don't know why I like to ride... but it's good for health :-)

Because my bike is always at the ready. No batteries to fuss over, or oil changes. Cold weather only means more layers of clothes and watery eyes.

Boy, we're getting politically correct.

Is "court appointed cyclist" super polite for suspended/revoked driver's license?


Anyway most commuters do so for a number of reasons, and the poll might have made more sense if was "check all that apply".

I would have checked a number of answers, but the one that started me bike commuting 5 years or so ago (lost count) was a refusal to support the Middle East petrocracies.

I would have chosen "the worst day riding is better than the best day driving" if it were an available option.

I just like to go biking.

+100.

I chose it's good for my health, which is kind of a marginal reason, and I like my ride.

There was no choice for "It's cheaper and faster than the subway," which along with "I like my ride (better than riding the subway)" are the primary reasons.

I didn't choose "I can't afford a car," though it's in some sense true, since as a New Yorker, the calculus for car ownership is different, and the cost is quite different. Here, a car is an extravagance that most live quite happily without, rather than a necessity one is deprived of.

All well and good to say, but reality is a bit harsher.

Having ridden through freezing rain on stormy nights, I can honestly say that the worst day riding is much worse than a terrible day driving, maybe even worst than the worst day driving. Doesn't mean I'll give it up, but I'm realistic about it.

You mean contiguous U.S. The farthest you could move from Florida within the continental U.S. is probably Barrow, Alaska, as Alaska is quite definitely part of the North American continent. Heck, we make up, like, a full quarter of the continental U.S. You have no idea how many Ebay sellers I've argued with over this.

Yes, you're correct in the strict sense of the term. On the other hand, it looks like "continental U.S." is used interchangeably with "contiguous U.S.," at least according to Wikipedia.

Contiguous United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I agree, though, that "contiguous U.S." should be used for clarity.

I started when I was in college. I had a really good job in an office at night, went to school in the day and couldn't stand the totally sedentary lifestyle. I rode my bike to work some recreation into the routine. The other benefits became obvious and I have seen no reason to quit.

Marc

For me there's also a little bit of "I hate driving, so I ride my bike whenever practical/possible."

The court appointed thing was meant more to lighten things up.

It is not far off of what got me started bike commuting the first time back in 2001. I had just bought a house and immediately lost a job (company went under) The choice was paying insurance and registration, or the mortgage, and the first new job didn't pay as well as I had been getting. The car cot put in the garage. and I put my 300 lb azz on a new KHS A-Lite 500. That bike did cost a half year of keeping the car legal, but it was worth it, because i like to ride too, even though it was pretty grueling getting back to it.

In '06, another job change created a situation were a long commute (50 miles) where public transit (Commuter and Light Rail) became an option, but only if supplemented by a bike. I dusted off the KHS, which had been sitting for three years. Eventually traded it for a Trek7.2 because I preferred a non suspension bike. I now commute by road bike and am down to 210 lb.

Simple.. saves gas money for our RV! Need all the help we can there. Oh and I guess exercise and feeling great before work and unwinding after.

I get to work in a much better mood when I bike vs. drive.

+1!


1!
Checked 2 & 3, but I'd add "because I don't like traffic & road rage".

Many reasons - I like biking, good for the environment, get my exercise in (too much sitting at my day job), saves money, etc.

Some of the great things about biking are how versatile, liberating and humane it is. I can hop on the road and ride fast for vigorous exercise / endorphins. I can take a rail-trail or MUP and ride at a more mindful pace while I observe the ducks, trees, cars, people... I can hop off the bike and walk for a bit on a sidewalk if there are barriers to bike travel. I can make eye contact with other travelers. I can wave hello to people I see regularly. People sometimes ask me directions at stop lights or I chat with other cyclists while we wait for the light.

I'm a big fan of the author Paul Theroux. In his travel books, he writes a lot about why he prefers "overland" travel over air travel (overland being most forms of travel where you actively see what you are traveling through). A plane is faster than a train, but you mostly see a layer of clouds below the plane. A car is usually faster than a bike, but you need to have a certain focus on other cars and road users, which detracts from your ability to mindfully observe your immediate environment.

Traveling by bike, however, strikes the perfect balance between being able to mindfully travel through the environment, while also being able to reasonably travel to places within a much larger radius compared to what you could walk to. Commuting as passenger in a bus, car, train, etc. is preferred over driving due to the ability to freely immerse yourself in observing and "being" in your immediate environment. But, you have much less freedom over when you travel, how fast you go, spontaneous route changes, etc. You might also have issues with people feeling that you stare at them too much if you are sitting in one place on a bus or train.

I don’t fly (at all) when I travel, and when asked about it, I have many reasons why I prefer to drive, or take the train to my destination. The most cogent answer, which usually ends the discussion is that I can take much more stuff “overland,” including my bicycle and/or riding gear (to rent a bike) so I can “immerse myself in observing and ‘being’ in my immediate environment" when I arrive.

For me it is the adventure!
Every journey, everyday is different by the route I choose or the weather. Like any outdoor adventure, what you wear must be selected carefully. Your equipment must be in order. My location from work offers many choices across two cities by country road, city streets or a network of community paths. To add to the adventure I have spotted, Ducks, Rabbits, Wild Turkeys, Cranes, Coyote, Deer, Artic Owl, and more. I have talked with many people from time to time along these trips, something that never happens in a cage, (car).

A friend of mine asked why I ride my bike to work. I replied, knowing he is a dedicated golfer, if you could play golf on your way to work everyday, would you?
He then understood why I do what I do.

If the poll wasn't closed already, I would have voted 1,2,3,8.

I enjoy riding, it's good for my health and great exercise, it also makes work much more bearable because I come in to work in a much better mood and if I'm having a rough day at least I know I'll get to ride my bike home at the end of the day.

I enjoy riding. We're also a one car family and the wife gets priority since she takes the children with her in the morning to school and daycare. My ride to work is 15-20 minutes. If I were to take the bus it would likely take close to 2 hours. I'll take my bike any day even in crap weather.

Because the guy that drives the shuttle from the train to the office does so in a way that makes me nauseous... Plus we have 4 trains but only 3 shuttles, so if I need to work an extra hour I have to get to the train on my own. Commuting by bike, for me, is not super convenient but it does save me $2 a day and is free exercise.

I commute by bicycle because:

1) PARKING!! My job charges $5/week for employee car parking, and the parking downtown is metered. So, naturally, I have to really hunt for a parking spot whenever I drive to either of those places, each being about 4 miles from my house. Bicycle racks, however, are free and readily available. If you want to reduce the amount of cyclists in your city, make them pay to park!

2) I hate going to the gym. Hate it.

3) The view from cycling on side streets is so pretty! And I can take all my stress out on the pedals.

4) Cycling allows me to enjoy the beautiful Florida weather! I've ridden in the pouring rain, freezing cold, and blazing sun, and really enjoyed myself.

5) Motorists are nicer to me on a bike than me in my car. Maybe I just haven't been riding long enough, but that's what I've experienced so far.

6) I used to take the bus to work, but one of the morning bus drivers really annoyed me.

Cheap
Health
Enjoy riding