Why do you cycle commute?

[Heigue'r]

Reward of 15 quid per day that I do cycle which would otherwise be spent on fuel and public transport,If I do a full 20 days per month,its allmost the mortgage paid.This is not the main reason though.
It is fun and sociable at most times,so much more than the tube.I do enjoy the segment and strava side of it also,no one is racing but if you do get favourable conditions and have a pop to try and get in the top 10 or even go for a kom,usually a few more people will have had a go also on the same section which is even more fun when you know the people.
It is great for the health and when I combined it with a proper diet I was down to 88kg which was my lightest weight in probably 17 years,back hovering around 100kgs at the moment though and PR's on the strava are few and far between🤣🤣
Health
Feel good factor
Social
Fun
Money saved(very debateable)

 

[HarryTheDog]

15 years ago I was really fat and had just had a bad motorcyle accident ( off work for 8 months) . Started cycling to lose weight and gain some sanity. Lost 5 stone in a year ( diet changed as well) . If I stop commuting I get fat or I have to eat like a rabbit, so life sentence really as not a fan of salads. Harder now as I have moved house and its really easy to get on a train. However the train would cost me over 300 a month, ( at my last house it would have saved me nearly double that) also I am addicted to endorphins and get very grumpy if I miss my fix!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I hate traffic jams, I hate gyms, I love cycling.

 

[classic33]

Rail strikes, cycling to and from work when there was a strike, proved it was quicker door to door on two wheels. I then switched to cycling everyday.

Separate job, a bit out of the way and early starts/late finishes meant that cycling was the only viable means of travelling.

Will add that I'm not able to drive, so that was never an option.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Sadly I can't commute any longer (I now either work from home, or I fly to visit offices in other countries), but;
When I lived in West London I commuted because it was only 2 miles to the office. That distance made sense anyway (and there was no real alternative but the car)... a good mile of that distance would always be perpetual standing traffic that I could waltz past. So it was a non-decision really.

 

[byegad]

I've been retired for nigh on 14 yrs, but I found cycle commuting started and ended the day on a high, even if it was chucking down and there's a howling headwind, out and back.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I cycle because it's miles cheaper than driving. My recent ebike acquisition is a revelation as I've no need to change or shower at my destination, I just wear my normal office clobber and maybe an jumper and waterproof jacket this time of year saving 10 mins showering. The assistance strips another 25-30 of climbing out of my door to desk travel time, making it comparable to driving, not to mention parking by the front door, rather than a 10 minute walk from the car as I never plumped for the on site parking subscription.

 

[cyberknight]

Saves me £20 a weel in inpetrol, a bit of excerise and helps keep my mental state borderline sane.
Having said that due to floods my commute route is going to be a detour through the local town centre dodging fed up motorists and looking at 2 + hours overtime tonight as we had a breakdown last night so im debating whether to use the car or i wont get to bed till about 8. 30 am from a 7 pm start tonight .

 

[Jenkins]

Started years ago so I could have a cigarette on the way to & from work as I didn't smoke in the car. Ended up stopping smoking.
Began extending the commute a few extra miles so I arrived a bit knackered which took my mind off a colleagues annoying mannerisms - she left & I noticed I had lost a couple of stones in weight
Kept going and further extended the commute as I was getting fitter, the weight was staying off and it was form of relaxation ahead of work, winding down afterwards.
Most importantly I was and (mostly) still am enjoying it.

 

[Gekko21]

I've only been cycle commuting for 8 months. My company moved location to a different part of London. Previously, I was able to get one train door to door and I always get a seat on that train. I couldn't face the addition of getting the tube or bus across town, so I decided to stash a bike at the mainline station and cycle the last few miles. I've found a route that isn't too busy and takes me through Hyde Park so is relatively pleasant. It's nice to feel in control of my commute - as someone else said, you know how long it will take you to within about 5 minutes as there's little that can hold you up beyond traffic lights or a mechanical.

As I wanted to take my bike home over Christmas, I did the full journey to home and then back again on the 2nd Jan. It's 10 miles each way - I actually quite enjoyed it and it was quicker than the train / bike option. Thinking I might do that more often when the weather picks up. I met a guy in the lift at work yesterday who cycles 17 miles each way 4 days a week. I was super impressed at his commitment.

Cycling to work has made me appreciate the seasons - I'm constantly checking the sunset times and counting down the days until I'm commuting in daylight again :-D. I usually really struggle with winter but cycling and outdoor swimming has helped me embrace the seasons more. I don't mind commuting in the rain so much as it can feel refreshing, but I can't say I'm enamoured of the wind we've been having as those side winds can make me feel quite vulnerable in traffic.

 

[12boy]

I've been told in work required stress classes that stress isn't caused by working hard. It is caused in a large part by feeling a lack of control over your own life. For me, commuting in all kinds of weather on a bike was asserting control over my life and the physical effort involved and simply being outdoors helped with the physical syptoms of stress. The strength and stamina resulting from riding always seemed to me like money in the bank which could be drawn upon in a crisis, and the prospect of an hour or two of pleasurable me time every work day made it easier to wholeheartedly do the things I had to do but found unappealing.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Why do I cycle to work (10 miles each way, every day, all weathers)? Not necessarily in order:

1) I enjoy it much of the time, I just like cycling and I have a nice route, much of which is very pleasant.
2) I get very grumpy when I don't exercise - this way I get exercise as part of my normal routine.
3) I have a sedentary, indoor job. Being outside brings me joy; just this morning I saw a buzzard, a thrush singing and heard a woodpecker drumming.
4) I hate the way cars overwhelm our existence. One less car on the road is a Good Thing.
5) Less carbon emissions
6) When the weather's awful, it feels like an achievement, even if it was really unpleasant.
7) it helps keep me healthy and justifies the consumption of heroic quantities of cakes and beer I might otherwise feel guilty about
8) Keeps me fit and capable for longer more fun rides evenings and weekends
9) Saved me shedloads of cash by ditching the 2nd car.
10) Everyone I know tells me how sexy I am in lycra

(I had to invent one spurious one to get to ten. Can you guess which?)

 

[overmind]

I have been cycling to work for about 20 years now.

I loved cycling as a kid. I bought a bike at University and cycled 14 miles a day to and from the University. But, since getting married I started getting the train to work and got completely out of the cycling habit.

Then after about 12 years I suddenly had the option of cycling again. I had been getting the bus to work. The service was very unreliable. Some days the bus would arrive in less that 5 minutes; other days a 40 minute wait. I used to start walking in frustration and often I would only see the bus when I had reached my destination, about 3 miles away.

I got an old bike from my sister and used that. I remember feeling really knackered for the first week but after 2 weeks I felt great. This must have been a combination of improved fitness and endorphins. After 2 weeks, I never looked back. I would cycle summer or winter, I did not care. I wear jogging bottoms and old t-shirts; with a big coat and a scarf on top in the winter.

I went through about 4 bikes in the first 10 years. The usual reason for replacing them was drivetrain/gear problems or badly buckled wheels. Several of the frames are supporting the concrete foundations of my garden shed.

More recently, I have become very interested in bike mechanics (via YouTube) and I now do all the repairs myself. I fix buckled wheels before they develop. I have replaced drive-trains, bottom brackets,headsets; everything basically.

At one point I had to get my car serviced at a garage in a remote location - 10 miles out of town - for a number of years. I decided to drop the car in the morning, then cycle 10 miles into town, then work, then 10 miles back to the garage to pick up the car, then drive back home. This led to an interest in cycling longer distances.

Whenever I have some kind of DIY job to do and I have to hunt around the town for supplies I always prefer to go by bike. It is just less frustrating. You can take all kinds of shortcuts and explore other routes.

Since then I have cycled: Southampton to Portsmouth return, round the IOW twice, around the Shropshire Hills, Bristol to Reading. Reading to London, Wembley to St. Albans and loads of local touring.

I feel 20 years younger than I am.

 

[Arjimlad]

Time-neutral exercise, plus this..

 

[raleighnut]

Why do I cycle to work (10 miles each way, every day, all weathers)? Not necessarily in order:

1) I enjoy it much of the time, I just like cycling and I have a nice route, much of which is very pleasant.
2) I get very grumpy when I don't exercise - this way I get exercise as part of my normal routine.
3) I have a sedentary, indoor job. Being outside brings me joy; just this morning I saw a buzzard, a thrush singing and heard a woodpecker drumming.
4) I hate the way cars overwhelm our existence. One less car on the road is a Good Thing.
5) Less carbon emissions
6) When the weather's awful, it feels like an achievement, even if it was really unpleasant.
7) it helps keep me healthy and justifies the consumption of heroic quantities of cakes and beer I might otherwise feel guilty about
8) Keeps me fit and capable for longer more fun rides evenings and weekends
9) Saved me shedloads of cash by ditching the 2nd car.
10) Everyone I know tells me how sexy I am in lycra

(I had to invent one spurious one to get to ten. Can you guess which?)

Yep number 9.