It’s been a while...
 

I wonder how many remember me. It’s been about 10 years since I was fairly active here, mostly in advocacy & safety.

A bit has changed over the last decade, including my recent retirement. I did it btw, commuted by bicycle for my entire career at the airline for which I worked. 35 years, all year ‘round.

Because the majority of my mileage came from riding to/from work I’ve wondered if I’d ride as much during retirement. I guess I’ll find out.

welcome back man. Congrats on the retirement!

Thanks!

Congratulations on your retirement!

thanks. Finally receiving the payout after decades of contributions.

Receiving a pension is unlike modern credit and more like the old layaway plans. You get what you’ve been paying for only after you made all the payments. It’s nice 👌

you'll likely lighten up on the advocacy & safety to be more risky in your atwill retirement rides. No longer will you have the worry to avoid injury as to not lose your job. Just avoiding a wreck from destroying your bicycle.

Welcome to retirement!!!

THE best (and most accurate) saying I heard after retiring was, "Retirement is the best job ever..."

I figure I commuted roughly 116,000 kilometres over the years on my bike. 1 bike I bought used rusted out, 1 bike was a write off after a car took me out but the replacement I bought for it (also used) is still good to go.

The ride to/from was often the highlight of my days

You are in a contributory defined benefit plan? I’m lucky in that mine is non-contributory.

Congrats on your retirement. Personally, during my working career, I did not ride much. But after I retired I did much more riding. Just a case of something new to do when retired, I believe. I hope you find new adventures with your bike in retirement. I can tell you for sure that the exercise you get is definitely worth it.

The Old Peddler

yup. Defined benefit. Old school. Back when they made sense for the company. All the new people are in defined contribution plans. I’ve always known how much I’d get so could plan accordingly

So do I. For 25 years, I rode every weekend but the last 10, it’s just been the commute. It’ll be interesting to see how the relative lack of structure will play into regular rides now

So you have to contribute to your D.B. plan? When union employees were allowed to participate, they had to contribute. Non-union employees did not (and still do not) have to. Our formula is based primarily on final average compensation during a certain period and years of service. While there is an on-line estimator, my exact benefit cannot be known because how much I make each year can never be predicted, especially since my yearly bonus can vary significantly.

We also have a great D.C. plan. The effective employer match is right around 20% of my contribution amount. It was 25% before I turned 50 and started making catch-up contributions.

If we had affordable health care in this country I might retire at the end of the year, at age 55. I have good coverage (including dental and vision) through work and don't pay a lot for it. That's a tough nut to give up.

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Yes

Ahhh... Canada... 🇨🇦 I love ya 😘

I'll be in Month 20 of Retirement in August. Was a full-time bike commuter while living in Atlanta for eight years but when moved back to Indiana became a frequent commuter during Spring - Fall for 32 years. My first year of retirement my total bike mileage was several hundred miles ahead of the last working year - I was able to make up the 1500 miles of commuting and then some!
Welcome to retirement!