Why did you start cycle commuting?

[redjedi]

My commute is about 3.5 miles, which takes at lease 1hr on public transport, using 3 different buses, and on one occasion it took me over an hour and a half.

I got fed up of waiting for upto 30 mins for the first bus, only to find it packed to the rafters (also hot and smelly in the summer).

A couple of work colleagues also cycle so I treated myself to a cheap MTB for my birthday in April, and haven't looked back since.

I now get home in around 20 mins, I've lost a load of weight and I feel a lot fitter.

I absolutely hate it when I take the bus to work now, and spend most of my time watching cyclists fly past me, wishing it was me

 

[LOGAN 5]

Ken Livingstone subsidised London fares way back in the early 1980s but after complaints from residents in Bromley and intervention from the Law Lords it was deemed illegal to subsidise transport from the then rates. So fares went up massively.

I started cycling to work after that and never looked back........

 

[trio25]

I started taking my bike on the train as it was quicker to cycle the mile at the other end than walk. Then one day I couldn't be bothered waiting 30minutes for the train so I cycled the whole way. Haven't looked back since - it's what keeps me sane.

 

[monnet]

I always wanted to commute by bike but rarely had teh opportunity given the nature of my previous jobs. I was lucky in that I usually had the chance to get out at some point in the day for a 'proper' ride. Recently I started a job with more conventional hours so, fearing I wouldn't be able to ride during the week at night (except on the turbo) I started commuting (7miles each way, which is about ideal I think). I started on my old (13years) 'winter' bike with a rucksack and have just upgraded to something more modern with panniers.

I love it. It keeps me fit. It's faster than any other method of transport. Like someone else mentioned, dealing with muppet drivers has done wonders for my anger management. It keeps me sane, something which was revealed recently when I had to get a lift in to work for a week while I made sure I was fully recovered from a viral inection- it drove me mad, even on the days when the drive took the same time as cycling I couldn't bear all the stop start of the traffic. And I felt tired and grumpy at work and then felt uninspired to do anything when I got home. Thankfully I'm back on the bike now andit feels great.

 

[mikeitup]

Moved work to a place that had showers. Also got a house with a garage at the same time. Like Magna, kids came along, severely curtailing my spare time for exercise so commuting seemed like a 2 birds 1 stone situation. Tried it tentatively. Loved it.

I can't say it saves me much per year when balanced against the money I spend on accessories and maintenance. But I feel fitter and more alive than ever.

I've always enjoyed exercise but unfortunately eating and drinking too! Cycling counters this and commuting adds a practical benefit. Never been on a club run in my life, maybe this year, but this place gives me a sense of community that I also like.

My resolution's still going strong! Cycle when I'm able to!

I did it using the work cycle scheme (£500 interest free loan paid back monthly via wages). Need to get fit cos of my high bp and fed up with shite public transport. Love it, even in wet and windy conditions.
Looking at a 50 mile club run this weekend. I do a 4mile commute each day (2 mles each way. easy!)

btw, is your sig from Robocop?

 

[Kirst]

I started commuting by bike last June after joining my employer's bike-to-work scheme. I live in the southside of Edinburgh and work on the west side (Chesser) and the bus route involves going right through the centre of town. Despite absolutely nobody at all wanting them, central Edinburgh is now being dug up for a tram line and it's already causing horrendous delays, and what should be a 30-40 minute bus trip is taking a lot longer. So I'm going by bike and it's taking 30 minutes max.

Trouble is, we've had a lot of icy days and windy days lately and I just don't dare on those days. The wind lifted me and the bike across the road the other week and nearly threw me under a bus, so I've had to give it a miss a few times.

 

[515mm]

Why start? A pal of mine (who works with me on a Saturday) bought himself a road bike - he used to cycle a lot when he was a teen and he started bringing it into work. He was so enthusiastic and cheerful when he cycled in, it reminded me that I used to occasionally(read - in the summer!) commute 14 miles each way when I worked for Oddbins 7-8 years ago.

I had a spot of sciatica last January and my (excellent) chiropracter suggested I cycle, cycle, cycle and cycle a bit more to prevent a reoccurrance of the injury. I cleaned and lubed my old Cannondale MTB, fitted a pair of slick tyres and mudguards and started riding in; almost a year ago now. Thanks to cyclescheme, I now ride a fine van Nicholas titanium road bike and four of us - me, Lardyboy(pal), my boss and a customer who is now also a pal are in training for three summer sportives. Quite a journey.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

I realised that in the summer I was driving home with a view to getting on the bike as soon as I got there. Once I got used to commuting regularly, I got the winter kit and carried on.

 

[bazzadigz C+]

Phew where do I begin? it all began at the end of 2004 for a few test cycles, i'ld normally do 100odd miles per month on it (about 5-10 commutes/month). We all know what happened in July 2005 so i decided to do it full time!

Main Reasons

1, To save money (Like F**K it does!)
2, To get off the tubes (i was tired of standing next to the sweaty bloke in the Summer!)
3, To stop giving the governement more money! (work to earn money, spend money to get to work!)
4, To lose weight! down from 21st to 17st!..want to lose another 2 this year!
5, To bomb dodge!

I used CyclingPlus to learn and understand cycling! RIP my dead old friend

 

[andygates]

I started because everyone rode to school or walked. I just never stopped.

 

[John the Monkey]

1, To save money (Like F**K it does!)

That sound is a thousand people nodding in agreement

 

[John the Monkey]

You could get a really nice bike for £1800 Crackle.

And dress top to toes in Assos (or Rapha)

 

[andygates]

That's me, that is.

Back to saving money, I got together a very convincing case for a £300 overdraft back in my inpecunious days, by comparing the price of a bike+salad to the cost of a bus season ticket for my commute, and demonstrating that after 3 months, it would be paid off. It convinced my bank manager...

 

[simoncc]

I stared cycle commuting when I was seven and started at junior school. I hated the slow bus ride to school which took a convoluted route around two housing estates to pick up all the local children and decided to go more directly by bike, a 20 inch wheeled scaled down version of an adult bike. In every year since I've never used motorised transport to get to work for more than five or six days a year, 1993 excepted when I briefly commuted from Manchester to Chester by train.