I first started riding again six-and-a-half years ago (after a ~20 hiatus). My office location changed and I decided to try to ride to work. For two years I rode my bike to work most of the time. It was commuting that got me back on a bicycle, and during that time most of my miles were commuting miles.

My office location changed again, though, and while I remained committed to commuting, riding 16 miles one way takes a lot longer than 7 miles one way. Family commitments and other things demanded my attention during the time slot that I normally rode home, so I ended up switching back to driving to work for the most part.

It doesn't mean I've stopped riding. In fact, now I ride.... for fun. That might be a hard concept to grasp. I know that when I was riding to work, a lot of those rides were kind of grueling slog-fests into the wind, uphill, at the end of a long day. I don't force it now. If the mood strikes me, I ride to work. But mostly I ride for pleasure. I do probably about the same mileage per year (3000-4000 miles typically), and now most of my miles are at night with lights. I meet friends for rides or just ride on my own.

So if you get faced with the situation where riding your bike to work becomes a problem, don't sweat it. There's life after commuting.

I hear ya. But I'm still skeptical. I think I'll play it safe and keep riding to work!

Sigh... I went from biking almost exclusively to driving to work and having to drive to places I can ride my bike. It's just for one more year. It's just for one more year. It's just for one more year.

Car free for life, here. No bike = not going anywhere far.

- Andy

The concept that's hard for me to grasp is the dichotomy that some insist upon in this forum, that there is "riding for fun" and "commuting", but that they can't be the same thing. Riding for fun is tolerated for what it is, but commuting must be hard work, upright positions preferred, with the slowest tires and heaviest accessories one can procure, because "commuters don't care about weight" and "it's not a race."

I commute because it's fun for me and I'm noticeably happier when arriving at my destination. All other reasons are secondary.

Glad you're still riding, though, Doohickie. It's good when a person can bike-commute, but it's not always feasible.

Same here.

I ride for commuting and it is fun! Okay, there are some "not-fun" (scary!) moments but they are few and far between.

I also ride recreationally and I mix it up by commuting on Mon./Wed./Fri. and doing the evening club rides on Tues. and Thur. evenings.

On Saturday I usually do some challenging ride, i.e. several thousand feet and many miles on mountain roads, riding a single or double century, etc. Then on Sundays it's either recovery ride on my fixed gear bike or an easy club ride with a coffee shop stop in the middle.

Keep riding, keep it fun and throw in a lot of variety both from via bike choice and road/off road/MUP/Trail choice.

Rick / OCRR

I feel the same way about "racing" and "commuting".

Who/what makes up the competition for you in your commuter "races"? Are they aware that they are in a race?

I bike commute for pleasure. So that means that riding for pleasure and bike commuting is the same thing to me. I don't race, racing is in a different category then commuting.

My commute makes my day. Sometimes if its windy, raining, and I'm running late it does become a race. but most days its just plain fun. The days I have to take the car or scooter are definitely NOT fun. The only reason I have them is the fact that sometimes they are necessary evils.

+1. The only major difference I can think of is riding solo vs riding with friends. I still enjoy my commute and think it is pleasurable, and i enjoy my carbon bike in a different way and my mountain bike in yet another way. I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it.

oh come now, scooters are a blast

I can ride faster than crappy little 50cc thing.

I enjoy my commute by bike, but it's the same route EVERY DAY. Given the roads, there's not much choice in commute route. And there is traffic. Riding for fun might involve going on different routes or stopping for coffee or going somewhere pretty and not having to do battle with commute hour traffic levels.

I don't think my commute is *not* fun, but I can see the point.

My commute went from 8 miles to 16 each way and I've been averaging 2.5 days a week of commuting. It's not 100%, but it's better than always taking the shuttle.

Like Retired, over 65?

I now "commute" to an altered state of consciousness when I ride my bike.

You ride your bike to the bar?

I reduce my commuting time when our office moved closer to home, and have been riding other places more for exercise to maintain my health. That other riding is fun some times, and not so fun at others - just like my commuting miles.

I also commute to work, 31 miles round trip, because I love doing it. I did everything I could to enable me to do so. I'm now up to making that trip 3 times a week. Probably wouldn't want to any more than that.

Luckily my commute doesn't really involve much traffic at all. It's mostly rural. And I still love cars and driving, also, so when I do drive it's not all bad.

It's definitely nice to ride somewhere else for a change, though. I did 45 miles on Saturday which is my longest ride ever, to date, and it was a blast. For one thing I rode in areas with LESS HILLS than what I have to deal with on my commute, which was nice. Many more route options, also, as it was much more urban than the mostly rural commute.

I did 43 miles Sunday, and it was one of my longer rides if not the longest. It was pretty surreal at first as most of the ride was in a straight line on level pavement without many crossings. I'm so used to have to stop and start up again, as well as dealing with dog walkers convinced in their need to keep left that being able to ride in a straight line without having to slow down took some getting used to.

It's hard for me to find time to ride. Commuting is a big part of how I do it.

OTOH 16 mi one way would make me rethink.

See, that's kind of the point.... when I have a busy day and my commute takes 2.5-3 hours out of it, and I need to get home and feed my dogs and dang but that headwinds sucks, it's no longer fun.

Since I got my Fiat 500 Sport, taking the car is pretty fun, too.

I do a lot of that lately.


Downtown by doohickie@ymail.com, on Flickr