Members with cars who commute to work on cycle in winter - how do you do it?

[bigup]

i mean, wake up from a nice warm bed, have a nice hot shower get changed into bike gear and face the cold wet world on a miserable dark morning on the way to work.....

ive been doing it for 2 weeks now and finding it hard not to take my car into work instead lol

i have a mind battle for 5 mins of bike vs car, bike wins however as im doing this for exercise more than anything, we dont have showers at work so a wet wipes wash down is all i can have but seems to be working

just wanted to know what makes you cycle into work instead of taking the car in winter...

 

[TheDoctor]

Well, in my case it helps that I can get home quicker by bike than by car.

 

[I like Skol]

Where shall I start?

• The sense of achievement
• The fitness
• Arriving at work feeling ready to take on the world instead of feeling like you just want to crawl back into bed
• Watching the miles add up
• Feeling the speed as your super human legs propel you along faster than the traffic
• Knowing I can eat what the hell I like without getting fat
• Being able to justify my collection of bikes and constant tinkering
• Owning a low mileage car that will stay that way for many years to come
• Not being sucked into the new car for new cars sake trap that many people seem to fall for, why get a new car when you hardly use the old one?

There will be more if I think for longer

EDIT: By the way, I work 12hr shifts and have to leave the house at 5.45am when on days. It was great a couple of winters ago when the temps dropped to -10°C to -12°C!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Because I'm a fat knacker and cycling when it's brass monkeys outside makes the flab fall off.

 

[MikeW-71]

It isn't even cold yet

Get the clothes right and I find it very invigorating. Nothing like a crisp winter morning when the sun is out for a 20 min ride to work. It also keeps the weight off and the fitness up. Just be aware of ice.

 

[avsd]

I leave my car at work. So when I wake up in the morning I have two choices

Wake the wife and ask her to drive me in
or just get on my bike.

This means I only commute four full days a year. It also means that I have the car available to do business trips when I need it

 

[potsy]

• The sense of achievement
• The fitness
• Arriving at work feeling ready to take on the world instead of feeling like you just want to crawl back into bed
• Watching the miles add up
• Feeling the speed as your super human legs propel you along faster than the traffic
• Knowing I can eat what the hell I like without getting fat
• Being able to justify my collection of bikes and constant tinkering
• Owning a low mileage car that will stay that way for many years to come
• Not being sucked into the new car for new cars sake trap that many people seem to fall for, why get a new car when you hardly use the old one?

I can agree on most of those points, there are just 3 exceptions

 

[Davidc]

The OP says how:

Get bike out
Get on bike
Point in right direction
Put feet on pedals
Turn pedals
Steer bike to work
Park and lock bike
Go in
Get changed

Will that do


That's how I remember it, and all on autopilot. Some years since I did it regularly, and that was on days I wasn't the person who had to take their car in, so I didn't have a parking space, and I certainly wasn't paying for parking, that made it easier.

 

[gbb]

How far do you commute bigup ?

 

[Cuchilo]

I work from home so don't really need to go anywhere but I do just because its fun . I check on my chickens and collect the eggs but they are only a mile away and I can go when ever to do that but im up and out the door no matter what the weather ( so far ) Ive just hit 500km this month on strava just because its fun and im never cold . Too hot is my problem but then girls have been telling me that for years

 

[bigup]

7 miles each way. Baby miles compared to you lot though

I'm trying though

 

[I like Skol]

It isn't even cold yet.

I'll second that. Just the tail end of summer really.

 

[Hip Priest]

It was tipping down today, so I wore my waterproofs, cycled in and quickly changed at work. My colleague drove in, walked 10 minutes to the office and had to sit in his wet trousers all day.

 

[400bhp]

I suspect you might not have the right kit. Right kit = enjoyable commute.

 

[mcshroom]

Make sure your bike is ready to go the night before. If it's easy to get out the door with the bike the rest takes care of itself.

For me, the fact that the route I would use in a car jams up as soon as the fell roads get shut helps as well.