Does anybody bike to work?

[GoldenGuppy]

Got a new gig... it's about 3 miles away from my home !!!!

I am thinking of purchasing a cruiser and just biking to work... mainly for the gas savings (I drive a G35c, which isn't the most gas efficient vehicle around) and fitness aspects of it. And since this time around I won't have to wear a suit and tie it seems very doable.

Am curious if anybody has done this and if it's one of those things that's easier said than done?

Thanks!

 

[ISAslot]

I've been doing it for 4 yrs now. 4 miles

 

[GoldenGuppy]

Awesome, what kind of bike do you have?

 

[RadioHead84]

I start work on monday and I am gonna try biking there maybe 2 times a week.

Its 22 miles away so an everyday thing might be a little overboard/time consuming.

Biking is awesome. Riding to work is great... You save gas, you feel better and awake when you get to work, when you leave work you get to have some fun right away, and its good for you!

 

[Koing]

I've been doing it for the past 9months. About 1.5miles to work, easy. I do it in a suit though . I have 3 bike locks at work

I have a Cannondale F1000 lefty with slicks.

Koing

 

[GoldenGuppy]

Awesome, thanks for the responses guys. Is there anything in particular I should look for in a bike then to cover my distance? I was planning on getting a cheapo 100-150 dollar cruiser (since that's what I'm used to in college... love the smooth ride) w/ some hand brakes and gears.

 

[RadioHead84]

Originally posted by: GoldenGuppy
Awesome, thanks for the responses guys. Is there anything in particular I should look for in a bike then to cover my distance? I was planning on getting a cheapo 100-150 dollar cruiser (since that's what I'm used to in college... love the smooth ride) w/ some hand brakes and gears.

at 3 miles you can really ride anything, whatever you will have the most fun riding. Practically a good hybrid bike would be the best.

road bikes are the most fun tho....but $$$$$

 

[apac]

About 3 miles each way on a 4 yr old mountain bike.

 

[MegaVovaN]

You can get a nice vintage road bike for $100-150.

I bet you will find this useful:
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=20

edit: Especially read thread "Advice for New Commuter

Road bike (even vintage) is much "faster" than a cruiser or mountain bike, but ride is harsh - only suspension is the seat. Hybrids, although I have no personal experience with them, are a middleground between mountain bike and a road bike: they are comfortable, not very fast but not slow either, and can't go to bad off-road trails.

 

[JulesMaximus]

20 miles round trip. Rode in 4 days last week, been bike commuting for almost 2 years now.

 

[thejnaitor]

I know this sounds weird, but I envy you guys that live 10+ miles from work. I live like 3 and that's not enough of a workout for me to consider doing it... I just get in as many miles as I can before I head into work.

 

[S Freud]

I do it, I live about a mile. Its really fast on my bike, maybe just as fast as driving, but I still do it because I like to and it saves money.

I would check out your local craigs list to look for an old touring/road bike or a cruiser. You can find pretty good deals there for $100-$150. Also check out ebay for some good finds, bikeforums.net has a thread in the classic and vintage section where people post good deals they find on craigslist and ebay. Very useful for someone looking for a new bike for cheap.

Good Luck and welcome to the club.

 

[us3rnotfound]

Isn't sweating an issue? I used to bike to work (about 2 miles) and I'd sweat some, so I quit. :/

 

[MegaVovaN]

There are multiple ways to solve this problem:

Take a birdwash (rinse your torso) in a public restroom when you arrive, then put on clean shirt on.

Don't pedal so fast that you sweat, dress lighter for cycling.

 

[RadioHead84]

also a lot of places have a shower you can use.

If you bring your work clothes and just try yourself down and clean up a bit you will be fine.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: us3rnotfound
Isn't sweating an issue? I used to bike to work (about 2 miles) and I'd sweat some, so I quit. :/

We have showers at work so I leave soap, shampoo, deodorant, shoes and a belt at work. I usually leave a couple pairs of slacks that I change out weekly so I'm only carrying my shirt, underwear and socks in a shoulder pack.

My commute is all hills so I definitely get a good workout riding to and from work. I ride a road bike exclusively and I'm getting pretty fast on it too.

I love it. I actually like riding my bike more than driving in to work in my car.

 

[txrandom]

I would, but I already get up at 6:30 A.M. to drive to class and then go to work. When fall classes start, I'll hopefully bike to class.

 

[illusion88]

I wish I could bike to class but I get off at 10pm and it's almost 30 miles away. Too dangerous to bike that distance at night.

 

[Tommouse]

Keep the posts coming, as I am thinking of doing the same. I am a bit leery of biking into downtown Boston though, don't want to be road kill.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: Tommouse
Keep the posts coming, as I am thinking of doing the same. I am a bit leery of biking into downtown Boston though, don't want to be road kill.

Did you read bikeforums.net commuting section I linked in my post above?

1. There should be alternative ways. Think differently, you don't have to ride on same roads as you do in the car. Keep in mind bike goes in many places where a car can't. You can cut the way through parks, smaller streets, etc.

2. There are rules for safe riding on the roads, off top of my head:
-ride the middle of the lane, never "hug" the curb - you will get sideswept by cars
-keep distance from parked cars, so you don't crash in a door that someone will open infront of you
-ride with traffic
-use hand signals, obey all traffic rules just like a car
-have helmet and lights

check out bikeforums.net and this site: http://bicyclesafe.com/

RIDE ON!

 

[JulesMaximus]

To anyone seriously considering commuting by bike I would suggest starting out small by doing one or two days a week. For tips and suggestions I would head over to Bikeforums.net and click on the Commuting forum. There are usually over 100 people browsing that forum alone and I'm a fairly regular poster over there. You'll find quite a bit if useful information there. Of course, I'm in the minority on the commuting forum because I commute on pretty much a race bike and many of the people there are of the opinion that if your bike doesn't have fenders and racks then you aren't a true commuter.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me. I'll try to help you out as best I can.

 

[cbuchach]

I used to bike to work, but I really hated being all sweaty when I got there; and it was a pain when it snowed.

 

[RadioHead84]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
To anyone seriously considering commuting by bike I would suggest starting out small by doing one or two days a week. For tips and suggestions I would head over to Bikeforums.net and click on the Commuting forum. There are usually over 100 people browsing that forum alone and I'm a fairly regular poster over there. You'll find quite a bit if useful information there. Of course, I'm in the minority on the commuting forum because I commute on pretty much a race bike and many of the people there are of the opinion that if your bike doesn't have fenders and racks then you aren't a true commuter.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me. I'll try to help you out as best I can.

bikeforums.net for the win.

Commuting, Road Bike and General forums are great reads!

The road bike forum can get a little elitist sometimes tho.

 

[FreshPrince]

that would suck...getting all sweaty and stinky before you even get to work?

I'll pass..

 

[MegaVovaN]

You don't begin to stink until few days later without shower...