GeneO 

It is fun, I get free exercise time = car commute time = 1 hour, I can do it on trails so often am greeted by wildlife, and I don't pollute as much. I don't really know if it costs me less in the end though. It is the only way I can keep my weight down too.

wolfchild

7 years ago I decided to do an experiment and start riding my bike to work. Back then I had no idea it was going to transition into a car-free lifestyle...I do it because it's fun , saves me money, feeling of freedom and independence...Gridlock makes driving miserable, it's a lot more enjoyable to be on a bike.

mstraus

1) Commuting by bike helps improve my mental and physical health. I feel better when I ride regularly and helps me lose/maintain weight, reduce stress, etc.

2) I enjoy it - gives me something to look forward to.

3) Its a practical, cost effective commute method for me. I have a car, but with tolls, parking, gas driving to work is prohibitively expensive for me. I also HATE commuting by car - the rare cases I do it are usually very stressful and commute time is unpredictable with traffic. Mass transit is a fine option for me, cheaper than driving but not free, its also not quick, about the same time as biking and less predictable due to traffic, delays, etc. Biking takes about the same amount of time every day, independent of traffic (+/- a short time for wind, lights, how hard I want to ride on a day, etc).

I am not sure if I really save money over mass transit, when I factor in the gear I buy, maintenance, etc. but that is partially as I choose to spend money I am saving on bike gear. I am sure if saving money was my primary factor I would have different spending habits on bike gear. Still WAY cheaper than driving would be.

ThermionicScott 

Feels good, man.

illdoittomorrow

-cheaper than dirt
-it's fun
-no point in me trying to find a parking spot on site for yet another gas-powered parade float when it's not necessary.

HawkeyeCubs34

It's nice to kill two birds with one stone: turn your commute into your workout. My Garmin says it burns about 1200 calories (27 miles round trip). It doesn't suffice for road racing training but it's still a great work out. I don't like to commute with my road bike since it's more prone to theft as I have to leave outside my office. It also doesn't take pot holes too well. I use a Specialized Sirrus, which yes, is also a very nice bike and prone to theft, but it has a back rack for my tremendously heavy U-Lock and better handle's Chicago's punishing potholes. I take a street in Chicago known as Elston Ave., and like many other posters on here, my commute takes about as long to drive as it does to bike. I often snicker at the cars who are in a traffic jam on the wretched Kennedy Expressway. If I am feeling tired or sore from weight lifting the night before, I can bike to an EL station and lock it there. Saves money for gas and parking. Just an easy 3.5 mile ride one way.

boattail71

[QUOTE=HawkeyeCubs34;17027435]It's nice to kill two birds with one stone: turn your commute into your workout.

Agree. No brainer for me - After work, I gotta do an errand across town and I still have to get a workout in. Why not ride (and maybe ride hard) to the errand. This saves time - two bird thing.

Fun? I'm jealous of you all that honestly commute for "fun." I've been commuting approaching five decades now; it's never been FUN for me necessarily. Have I ever had fun on a ride/commute. Ya, I guess, but am I in such a minority to ride for a workout and an errand and for time and convenience first? It's so much less hassle in a mid-sized town (car vs. bike): Easier/faster in rush hour. Easier to park. Faster on short errands. If these points are the factors in making commuting "fun" then I'm on board with the "fun" folks. Commuting for a workout? Yes, sometimes. Convenience/ease? Absolutely. But fun? . . .

Stick in the mud or honest?

Mr. Hairy Legs

Traffic is often horrendous where I live, and I simply don't have the patience to sit in it. Also, I have a sedentary job and just don't feel good without the exercise my bike commute gives me.

FBinNY 

I came back to commuting for a number of reasons that just came together.

I started 5 years ago on July 4 as an Independence Day celebration, and decided to declare my independence from Middle East oil. The goal was one month, then it became the summer, then I figured until Halloween or Thanksgiving (depending on weather), then with a warm fall said I' d keep it up as long as weather permitted, which took me through the winter and I certainly wasn't going to stop in the Spring.

But other factors played into the decision. I wasn't getting in as much riding as I wanted, and that made weekend rides tougher, plus a longer recovery time each Spring. Commuting ensured 15 miles/day at least. Also for the 1st time (at almost 60) I tested high for Cholesterol, so it was drugs or the bike.

It's nice to eat whatever I want, not sweat any diets or drugs and feel better, all while thumbing my nose at OPEC. (I wasn't driving enough, so I cancelled the insurance and turned in my plates and when carless).

One nice thing about bike commuting, is that it makes you part of the community. Everyone recognizes and greets me wherever I go, making suburban NYC like a small town.

velomite

Honestly for me it's the cycling that motivates me to get out of bed everyday. Good stuff.

Sixty Fiver

Pure selfishness... I love cycling in all it's myriad forms and a bad day on the bike always beats a good day stuck in a car.

Leebo

I like to bike, very simple. Cross training for my mt biking. I get to eat crazy amounts of food( sort of) Beats sitting in a car in traffic. I bike commuted 2,200 miles last year. She like my sculpted legs. I average 2-6 one way trips per week, 18 miles one way. I takes only 15 minutes longer to bike that distance than to drive it. The kicker was when gas first hit $4.00 a gallon about 5-6 years ago. It was cutting into my beer and coffee funds( gasp), plus I like to bike.

Tundra_Man 

Not sure I can pin it down to just one reason. But the aggregate of all the reasons keeps me going:

It's fun.
I'm saving gas/money.
I get exercise.
I enjoy being outdoors.
It makes me different from most everyone else who drives to work.

Saving Hawaii

I bike to work in a relatively hopeless attempt to not be the lanterne rouge of the Bike Forum Commuters Club on Strava. Bike Forums Commuters | Strava Club

Other than that: it's fun, saves gas, simplifies transportation schedules in my 1-car household, and I've been losing weight. Normal reasons. It's also nice to do something other than driving to work as that's what I do at work too and I think it's a good lesson for my 3 year-old who comes with me a lot of places.

DVC45

I just plain enjoy it.

Panza

My motivation is that I enjoy riding bikes. The enjoyment of riding bikes fuels itself!

mstraus

Why can't my commute ride be just as fun as a weekend ride? Yea, maybe not every day is fun, but generally I ENJOY cycling and find it FUN, so no reason my commute can't be FUN too! It helps that I have some amazing scenery on my commute.

Do you ever ride for fun or enjoymnet, and NOT for commuting or errands? If so how is that any different?

I-Like-To-Bike

Who you calling simple? Ha, ha just joking.

Me too, I Like To Bike.

no motor?

#1 reason is health, but fun and environmental reasons are important to me too. I think I may have finally got a point where it's saving me money, but I don't want to point that out any more than I'd want to mention not having a flat in a while either....

joeyduck

I enjoy the feeling of being self sufficient in my commute. I started my new job out of grad school while my wife to be was out of town and I had free access to the car my first few weeks at work. I found the drive awful, 25 km (~13 miles) in ~55 minutes if traffic went well. If there was no traffic (I mean at 3-4 am) it was ~35 minutes.

I started multi-modal transit/biking right after my wife came back from holiday, but it was too long time wise as well. So I went only on bike and I did it in less than an hour. I was hooked.

It is as fast, if not faster than a car.

I am happier.

I love the fitness aspect.

The fun aspect (think endorphin rush).

It was consistent, no traffic snarls to slow me down.

Even though I spent a fair amount of money on the bike it was almost equivalent to a years worth of insurance.

No need for a second car or all the associated costs.

No need for bus pass. Bonus: not using the bus is better on my olfactory senses.

It teaches my son a life sport. Before he even learned to ride his bike without training wheels he asked if he could ride to daycare yet.

You get to see and notice so much more.



Overall, riding bikes is fun.

the sci guy 

-i like being outside
-i like saving gas and maintenance $$ on the car
-health
-pie

bbeasley

I just joined ^. I swim in the shallow end of the pool, Strava motivates the heck out of me.

Tundra_Man 

'nuff said.

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Hyperbole

I enjoy riding bicycles and being outdoors. A bonus being I don't have to ride the train.

jyl

Commuting by bike saves me about $1000/yr in gas and $3000/yr in parking. My door to door time is not greatly different from driving. I enjoy riding my bike, even more in bad weather, it makes me feel active and alert and alive. It helps keep me fit, although I need to do more for sure. On the flip side, I probably spend $300/yr on tires, tubes, bike maintenance, and the occasional clothing purchase.