yeah I've got a bike...

[Xiorell]

So I have rode my bike to work every single day since I've had it (after usually walking), I've heard alot of "Oh I've got a bike" usually followed by "a really good one", sometimes followed with "all suspension and the rest of it"



However I am yet to see anyone ride to work, even in this nice spell of weather, many of the people who've said this have meantioned it's in the garage/shed. several of them I know live closer to work than I do, but still drive in.



I'm just wondering, do you guys hear much of this or is it more likely I work with a lot of particually lazy ass people?
I'm thinking the "I own a bike" thing is a bit like having a gym membership and not using it, hoping that just holding membership will magically shed the pounds and rip those abs.

 

[mcshroom]

I used to hear it all the time, but a couple of them have now just started riding in

I like to think it's partly because they have become used to (fat and not massively fit) me cycling in every day so it doesn't seem as strange.

 

[edindave]

I think it's quite a big lifestyle change to start cycling to work. Distance isn't necessarily a key factor. People tend to be creatures of habit and habits can be hard to break.

Took me a while to start cycling to work, all 2.5 miles. Before that I used to drive or take the bus. Driving meant getting into work ridiculously early to get a parking space; the bus meant a 15 min walk to the bus stop, wait for the bus, then 20 mins on the bus. Or I could have walked the whole 2.5 miles in about 40-45 mins.

Then I discovered I could cycle it in 10 mins. End of story

I've been cycling to work for over two years now. Some people I sit near live closer than I do. They still drive and often feed a parking meter £1 an hour.

 

[Xiorell]

Then I discovered I could cycle it in 10 mins. End of story

lol that's awesome isn't it? I have been doing my commute pretty much as fast as if I get a lift in. faster if I take a different route on the way back than the one you'd take in a car (more down hill on way back on the "b route")

 

[andy0001]

I think it's quite a big lifestyle change to start cycling to work. Distance isn't necessarily a key factor. People tend to be creatures of habit and habits can be hard to break.

Took me a while to start cycling to work, all 2.5 miles. Before that I used to drive or take the bus. Driving meant getting into work ridiculously early to get a parking space; the bus meant a 15 min walk to the bus stop, wait for the bus, then 20 mins on the bus. Or I could have walked the whole 2.5 miles in about 40-45 mins.

Then I discovered I could cycle it in 10 mins. End of story

I've been cycling to work for over two years now. Some people I sit near live closer than I do. They still drive and often feed a parking meter £1 an hour.

totally mad isn't it, looking at a normal 8 hour day and five days a week is not far off £2,000 a year, not including the petrol, car insurance, mot, tax etc,
roughly a top of the range £3,000 plus bike and the hassle of parking every morning for the sake of habit.

 

[Nebulous]

I had a company car and paid 12p a mile for petrol for private use. Journey to work is 2 miles, so 48p a day cost.

Due to recession the company car went in May last year. I bought a cheap car for £420. I bought my roadbike in October last year, then in February having become hooked on cycling, and to some extent cycling forums, I sold the car. (got £650 for it) I bought mudguards for my old mountain bike, waterproof trousers and lights and started commuting.

To be honest it can be a real hassle. I've got to keep checking and checking I have everything I need with me, and still forget things. I have a long list of things I would still like to buy, that would put me well over what it was costing me to run a car. I have around 350 feet of climb in less than two miles going to work and it doesn't seem to get any easier.

Add to that the perceived danger, the dodgy weather, and the fact I work in an industrial area with a journey to the bank or other facilities, which I used to make by car at lunchtime, and I can absolutely understand why people don't do it.

I'm sticking with it - but the barriers can be higher than many enthusiasts would admit!

James

 

[corshamjim]

I agree that simply nipping in to town at lunchtime is a different proposition car vs bike. It indeed takes longer on the bicycle, but there are no parking problems at either end and getting stuck in traffic doesn't happen too often when on the bike.

The main group of people who own bikes but don't cycle to work where I am are the downhill MTBers. They simply don't and won't ride on the road - maybe it's too tame for them, or maybe the prospect of actually pedalling up a hill is just too much!

 

[Rouge Penguin]

I do at least twice a week. It's only 6 miles, 8 if I feel like a small climb to get the legs going.

Took a year of me badgering various department heads and eventually the ND to get the company to allow us to use the showers. Then the 8 people who wanted to use them didn't bother anymore. Idiots.

Burns the most calories exercising first thing, cuts down on ridiculous petrol costs and the weathers lovely. What's not to love

 

[TheBoyBilly]

If I may suggest that getting the right tool for the job will help too. A road bike is up to the job but a nice one will attract thieves in a bike rack outside offices etc. A decent folder with rack and mudguards will make life so much easier, especially those trips into town at lunchtime. As Nebulous says, preparing for the commute leaves you open to forgetting things but having a decent rack bag packed with all the things you need day-to-day should alleviate much of this problem.
You could always go down the BSO route but having a decent (and not necessarily expensive) bike will make the commute far, far more enjoyable. As for commuting in bad weather, I for one quite enjoy riding in the rain - but that could just be me, lol.

Bill