Does anyone here commute to work by bike?

JTE83 said:

Do you commute to work by bike? How far is your ride? How long does it take you? Do you slow up traffic and annoy drivers going to work? Do you end up smelling at work or can you change and shower? Have you ever been late?

I just got hired for a job that's 16 miles away from me. I guess I could bike & drive, but I never tried it before. It would be an excellent daily workout.

Check out the Commuting and Road Safety Forum (How far is your commute).

JTE83 said:

Do you commute to work by bike?

Every day.

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How far is your ride?

28km each way

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How long does it take you?

Depending on wind, betwenn an hour and an hour fifteen.

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Do you slow up traffic and annoy drivers going to work?

Slow down, no although I'm sure some think I do. Fact is I've yet to come across a motorist that can't get past me yet inevitably every motorist is held up by other motorists and traffic lights. Cyclists do not increase congestion, they decrease it.

Some drivers get annoyed but that's their problem and their blood pressure, not mine. I suspect that a lot of drivers out there are jealous of cyclists.

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Do you end up smelling at work or can you change and shower?

I shower and change.

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Have you ever been late?

No, in fact I keep better time than public transport users and motorists. My journey is entirely predictable, congestion and pulic transport cancellations are not.

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I just got hired for a job that's 16 miles away from me. I guess I could bike & drive, but I never tried it before. It would be an excellent daily workout.

Yes it would, that's what I find anyway. Don't rush in to it though, make sure you've got all the angles covered and have all the gear you need before taking the plunge. Make sure you have adequate end of trip facilities, secure place to leave the bike etc.

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t279326-the-commute-thread--mileage-time-weight-terrain.html

Interesting data that people was generous enough to share.😄

Use ... the ... SEARCH!!!😄

JTE83 said:

Do you commute to work by bike? How far is your ride? How long does it take you? Do you slow up traffic and annoy drivers going to work? Do you end up smelling at work or can you change and shower? Have you ever been late?

I just got hired for a job that's 16 miles away from me. I guess I could bike & drive, but I never tried it before. It would be an excellent daily workout.

Commute by bike? Yes.
How Far? 3 1/2 miles.
Do I slow traffic? No.
Do I annoy drivers? Every chance I get.
Do I smell? Yes, like a flower. Do I shower? No, sometimes change shirts.
Have I ever been late? For what.

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Do you commute to work by bike?

Yes

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How far is your ride?

10 km one way

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How long does it take you?

25 min there, 20 min home.

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Do you slow up traffic and annoy drivers going to work?

Rarely. Most of it is bike paths, or back streets. Only 1km on main rd.

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Do you end up smelling at work or can you change and shower?

No shower at work, so the last km is riden slowly with the arms in the air. I also stick my head under a tap, and change clothes.

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Have you ever been late?

Never on bike. My riding time only varies by 2-3 minutes. Driving time is heavily dependant on traffice and can be between 10 minutes and 40 minutes.

Yes, I do most days or walk otherwise!

On the way to work it takes around 20 mins because I have my daughter with me and things can get a bit hairy on the roads. 🙁

On the way home without my daughter it takes me around 5 mins!

JTE83 said:

Do you commute to work by bike? How far is your ride? How long does it take you? Do you slow up traffic and annoy drivers going to work? Do you end up smelling at work or can you change and shower? Have you ever been late?

I just got hired for a job that's 16 miles away from me. I guess I could bike & drive, but I never tried it before. It would be an excellent daily workout.

I started commuting one day a week (casual Friday's)...it is about 22 miles, and the majority of the ride is on a bike path with some back streets until I get close to the office...

I ride somewhat easy, and just wash up and spray on some deoderant when I change....

Jay

JTE83 said:

Do you commute to work by bike?

Yeah.

JTE83 said:

How far is your ride?

14 miles each way.

JTE83 said:

How long does it take you?

Just under an hour.

JTE83 said:

Do you slow up traffic and annoy drivers going to work?

I try not to slow traffic or annoy motorists but if I occasionally do, too bad for them. I have just as much right to use the road as they do.

JTE83 said:

Do you end up smelling at work or can you change and shower?

I clean-up, apply deodorant and change when I get to work. Ten minutes after I get to the office you'd never know I got to work via bike.

JTE83 said:

Have you ever been late?

Not because of the fact that I ride to work. I'm usually the first person to the office.

for me, cycling to work just doesn't make any sense. my business is right across the street from my home.

philso said:

for me, cycling to work just doesn't make any sense. my business is right across the street from my home.

Hilarious comment!

My biggest issue is what bike to ride....

My MTB gives me an upright position and I feel a little more at ease if I carry a messenger bag and wear long pants...

I love the speed that I can get out of my road bike and the ability to 'stay with' traffic better, but I just don't always trust rush hour motorists and the MTB bike gives me more options if I have to 'ditch' I can jump a curb....

That is why I dont complain about my hybrid ....well, yes I do.

My thursday messenger bag weights 14 pounds!

It was a long way home today

JTE83 said:

Do you commute to work by bike? How far is your ride? How long does it take you? Do you slow up traffic and annoy drivers going to work? Do you end up smelling at work or can you change and shower? Have you ever been late?

I just got hired for a job that's 16 miles away from me. I guess I could bike & drive, but I never tried it before. It would be an excellent daily workout.

Yes, I commute to work on my bike a distance of 5 miles one way and it takes me about 50 minutes or so. Drivers tend to notice me because, so far, I'm the only recumbent rider in any given area and people often react to recumbents as though they are seeing a UFO or something!😄 I shower in the morn before leaving for work, so I smell just fine once I get to work, and, so far, I've never been late!🙂 I ride a compact-long-wheel-base recumbent which is fine for riding in heavy auto traffic! So far, none of those rubber-neckers in those autos has crashed after having seen something as though they'd seen a UFO or something!!😉

JTE83 said:

Do you commute to work by bike? How far is your ride? How long does it take you? Do you slow up traffic and annoy drivers going to work? Do you end up smelling at work or can you change and shower? Have you ever been late?

I just got hired for a job that's 16 miles away from me. I guess I could bike & drive, but I never tried it before. It would be an excellent daily workout.

16 miles is a lot to do twice a day, every day. Two or three times a week would make more sense unless the ride is an easy ride, you are very fit and have a really good bike. Allow yourself about an hour and a half, depending on lights and traffic.
Traffic does slow other traffic. If you went by car you would be taking up five times as much road space, probably for the same length of time. Neither motorists nor cyclists like being slowed down but we all have to live with it and by not driving you are reducing congestion and therefore helping speed things up.
Don't hammer to work. Pace yourself, and don't arrive hot and sweaty. I think that people who use public transport tend to smell more than cyclists.

I ride to work every day, now. It's about a whopping 5 mile commute, round trip. Takes about 15 minutes either way, 10 if I'm pushing myself.

While I have showers here I don't usually use them. I just bring my deodorant with me, and I do wet my head to comb my hair. I also have a complete change of clothes which comes in a backpack with me.

Tim.

Don Shipp said:

Don't hammer to work. Pace yourself, and don't arrive hot and sweaty. I think that people who use public transport tend to smell more than cyclists.

I agree with the above statements. Why I cannot follow such good advice?

Three days in a row smelling like ammonia is taking a toll on my social life, but the rest of the faculty do not mind 😄

I love to commute, but always find myself running late and jump into the car. Once my Serotta is built, I'll have additional motivation to start early!

iamtim said:

I ride to work every day, now. It's about a whopping 5 mile commute, round trip. Takes about 15 minutes either way, 10 if I'm pushing myself.

While I have showers here I don't usually use them. I just bring my deodorant with me, and I do wet my head to comb my hair. I also have a complete change of clothes which comes in a backpack with me.

Tim.

How far is your ride?

20km each way - I cycle almost everyday. I feel antsy and annoyed on a day that I have to drive.

How long does it take you?

30-40 minutes (road bike).

Do you slow up traffic and annoy drivers going to work?

Most of the streets are 4 lanes, so I don't think so. A good part of the ride is on a freshly paved highway with a 3m shoulder. Once I get into the city I can move faster than the traffic, so if anything they are in my way.

Do you end up smelling at work or can you change and shower?

I go to the gym first, and shower/change there.

Have you ever been late?

The ride is very predictable.

It would be an excellent daily workout.

It is - if you can manage it you should do it as often as you can. 🙂

My daily commute is about 15 miles round trip. I do not annoy motorists, I consider that bad manners. No shower at work, so I pull the Superman/Clark Kent Routine, in the summer it's shorts and an athletic shirt or bright sleeveles
s jersey, in the cooler weather, casual clothes, in colder weather I wear a blaze
orange shirt or sweatshirt. I pedal at night, so all bikes have generator lights, flashing lights on the rear of the racks, I wear reflective leg bands, a reflective
vest with very wide stripes. I am a helmet fanatic.

Do you commute to work by bike?

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Yes, 3 days a week

How far is your ride?

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7.5 miles each way, with a nice descent on the way in (and a good climb on the way home)

How long does it take you?

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About 23 minutes- quicker than the bus

Do you slow up traffic and annoy drivers going to work?

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No- Boulder, CO is a bike friendly place and I'm never the only bike commuter on the road

Do you end up smelling at work or can you change and shower?

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I keep clean clothes at work

Have you ever been late?

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I'm in academia- late??

From the front range,

Bud