Goriot

Been wondering-
How much of the enjoyment about your commute is down to the joy of biking (feeling the breeze and getting a work out while getting to work, saving $$), vs the joy of not being a car (finding parking, paying for parking, getting tickets, stalled traffic, road rage, accidents, spending $$).

Second-
What is the favourite part of YOUR commute? Mine is the final hill getting to work. If all the lights align, I get a long pure uphill right up to the front door and like to see how quickly I can get to work without getting too sweaty.
EDIT: and have to stress the great downhill coast home!

GovernorSilver

For me, it's all about the joy of riding a bike. I finally learned how to ride a bike this year. Every bike ride has been a blast, even the ones in which I got bruised due to crashes and whatnot - part of the learning process I guess. I don't know if I can fully separate that from the joy of not being in a car - although now when I'm in a car, I feel like I'm in some kind of a cocoon that isolates me from the rest of the world a lot more than a bicycle does.

Favorite part is probably riding past the Jefferson and Washington Monuments, and through the National Mall. Riding along the Potomac River is pretty sweet too in the morning, when there's less traffic on Mt. Vernon Trail.

alan s 

When I need to check the Weather Channel for rain and temps rather than Google Maps for traffic jams.

BobbyG

Bike commuting keeps me reasonably fit which feels better than being out of shape. The mountain scenery here is beautiful and seeing it in an unobstructed 360-degree view is amazing. And there's the stress relief and mental decompression of riding. And not being stuck in traffic (unless I ride through downtown).

Gresp15C

For me, it's just the enjoyment of biking, and getting outside. The best part is seeing the other people out there: So much variety in levels of ability, gear, and approaches to cycling. I get some smug satisfaction out of confronting bad / cold weather.

Secondarily, I'll admit that I enjoy tinkering with my bike mechanics just for fun.

vol

Motive to go to work

OnyxTiger

Cycling keeps me in shape, and shaving off the extra love I've accumulated.

Being outside on the commute, against the wind, respiration getting heavier, passing by other riders/runners... passing the occasional car... sprinting to get the stop light on a countdown... setting new PRs on Strava... seeing the average MPH, total time travel, avg watts, etc improving steadily over time... the burn just mildly getting to the legs, arriving at school realizing even while the numbers have improved, you're not nearly as sweaty/winded as you were when you first began this journey. The new gear you attain over the months... learning new things about bikes, and generally just knowing that you're not part of the majority who are contributing daily to pollution... it all adds up to make that momentary struggle pushing 20mph on the commute all worth it, when nothing else matters, when there's no room to think about any of the other stresses in life, at home, worries about schedule conflicts and deadlines, etc.

Cycling keeps me sane. Commuting keeps me cycling.

San Pedro

Keeping me from getting too fat without changing my diet.... Really, I like the thinking and just physical movement a lot, and the feeling you get when you're going fast which is a result of personal effort.

One of my favorite parts of commute is this turn really close to my house that I take on my way back. It's kind of banked and there's a small hill to go down to get to it, almost no traffic, I can see past the curve, so that all allows me to take the turn really fast and I always get a thrill there.

Jim from Boston

Best part of Commuting and your commute?

I would say that the enjoyment is the fitness factor, and the favorite part is the varied nice routes and terrain; interesting urban and suburban, residential and light commercial streets, with slight to moderate hills (for Metro Boston), especially early in the morning well before 7AM.

I frequently post,

bmthom.gis

I like being on the bike. I don't hate driving, I just usually love being on a bike more. I consider my comute fairly boring in terms of scenery, unless I take a detour to the riverwalk greenway, however that is closed until further notice.

Supermau

I started commuting simply to get more time on my bike. At 30 miles RT that works out to be a decent ride. I only work two days a week, if it was every day I don't know if I could pull it off. Generally it's great fun but some of the adventure has worn off since I started almost two years ago. It's become a bit mundane and I miss riding with no particular place to be - something I have little time for it seems. I save $20 in parking, but I spend more on food because I don't want to carry too much of a load. It still works in my favor.

My favorite part of the ride is probably the halfway home point - I'm out of DC, past the busy MUP, and more on my own winding through suburbia.

One oddity I've noted about myself is that the worse the weather is the more I want to ride. It doesn't make logical sense but I think I enjoy the challenge and the lighter traffic.

Phil_gretz

I'm glad to not be driving my car every day. Commuting in DC traffic makes you understand why rats gnaw each other's heads off when caged and packed tightly.

My favorite part of the commute is when I see my wife riding toward me 1/2 way on the way home each day. She makes a U-turn and we ride home together and catch up. Priceless.

mcours2006

1. I hated the commute by car. I'd been doing it, on the same route for the last 20 years. I've seen the volume of traffic on this route go from being pretty light, to quite heavy in the first ten years, then construction hit and it was heavy for two years. After that it was great, but volume has been steadily increasing the past few years. Damn urban sprawl!

Not having to drive my car on that route is incentive enough for me to ride to work. I regularly ride 2x the minimum distance to work before getting to work.

2. The best part of the outbound trip is the last 2.5 km, which is a bike path through a hydro field. It is nice to get out of the traffic. The best part of the inbound trip is during onto my own street. I breathe a sigh of relief every time.

MulliganAl

Since I take mass transit and have a monthly pass I don't save anything on my commute except my sanity. :-) When I get close to the end of my day I just can't wait to get on my bike and start riding, it's so much more enjoyable then being trapped in a metal can stuck on the expressway (especially during the summer in Georgia) during rush hour. Sometimes I pass the house and just keep going until I've cleared my head then I head home feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

O-Yea, that final hill is an amazing sense of accomplishment, and in GA I have a few before I get to that last one. The other 'best part' of my ride is when I get past the inner city commuter traffic and reach the bike path, then I can really let go without fear of being hit by a crazy Georgia driver. That path will take me another 15 or so miles if I decide to pass the house and just keep riding.

locolobo13 

Road rage is still a factor on the bike. Lotsa people mad 'cause you're slowing them down. I've only been involved in a couple of road rage incidents in my car in my life.

Parking at work is no problem, but parking at various fast food places and other stores bike security is foremost in my mind. Had two bikes stolen in the last 5 yrs. Don't worry about that in my car.

As for tickets? It's kinda funny but the only traffic ticket I ever received was for riding my bicycle at night without a light.

Truth is I commute 'cause I like it. The early morning exercise seems to make me feel better thru the day. And it's just fun to ride. Plus saving money feels good.

AlmostTrick

How much of the enjoyment about your commute is down to the joy of biking vs the joy of not being a car.

I’d give this one a 50/50. Sure, the bike is loads of fun and I like “not being a car”, but I like a break from either, (riding/driving) so I mix it up.

What is the favourite part of YOUR commute?

The last half mile or so. I really enjoy the sense of accomplishment I feel for successfully completing yet another work commute under my own power… Something very few in my area would ever consider doing.

chefisaac

I think it's really awesome that you both commute. My fiancée and I try to do that on Fridays. I ride from my home to work in another state and she rides north to her work. After I get done, I ride north to her work and we ride home together to her house. It's a long ride for me but a lot of fun to ride together especially to commute.

chefisaac

I really love commuting. It's peaceful in the morning. I ride over a really big scenic bridge and riding into another state for work through the city is fun. On the way home, it's challenging in the city to get back over the bridge. Commuting has saved my life in so many ways. I've lost 140 pounds, I save $15 a day on tolls, parking and gas and wear and tear on my car. I do like that aspect of it all for sure. The best is dealing with the work stress. This job I have is the worst as far as the boss treats me like $hit so ..... Commuting is great for that.

Leebo

Umm, biking and not sitting in my cage (car) Going by people sitting in their cages, wishing they had a bike. Fresh air, birds, dirt paths, single track trails, checking out the runners and joggers. Getting awesome legs. Sunrise and sunset. Eating lots for lunch and dinner and not worrying too much about it. Enjoying nature and really seeing and smelling all that good stuff. Like roasting coffee, fresh cut grass, BBQ smells. The air after a spring shower. Some quiet time and some time to think. Taking 5 minutes to do some yoga stretching by a pond. All good. Ride, rest, repeat.

Paul W.

You are all lying to yourselves. You're addicts and I won't sit here and enable you. lol

Warning-Do Not Click on this link if you are on a work computer!
The Runner?s High: It?s Like Smoking Weed | High Times

According to a recent study, running creates an effect similar to cannabis: "If you have ever run, biked, lifted weights, or performed any kind of physical exercise, you may have noticed a sense of euphoria"

Yes, I'm a bikeaholic. It's all about the dopamine, man.

Seriously, biking to work wakes me up and gets me going better than coffee. The days I have to drive, I feel like a zombie for the first few hours.

SloButWide 

Same commute time, bike or car. In a car I have at least 10 stoplights on a 4 lane road passing several retail areas. On a bike I have two stop signs and three stoplights, with most of the ride on a multi-use path that winds through 4 city parks.

corrado33

One of the best reasons to bike to work. You never need coffee. (Especially when it's -20 F outside.)

caloso

Riding to work is not a reason to stop drinking coffee.

Goriot

I keep my reusable cup vertical in my bottle cage and sip coffee at all the stop lights. Got really used to it and on the road bike sometimes wish I could take a swig of joe

caloso

I have a Nissan Thermos tumbler that fits imperfectly but well enough into a bottle cage. On cold mornings, there's nothing better than joe on the go.