I love cycling to work. I avoid road rage and replace it with my daily exercise. Overall it saves me tons of time and makes me a happier person all at once. Add to those wonderful things that I also save money and it’s really a no-brainer for me. Every time I share with someone that I bike to work I’m greeted with shock and dismay. How do you do that; aren’t you smelly at work? Isn’t it dangerous? For many, seeing a different way to do things (like taking two years off in your 20’s to travel) is scary and therefore they’re unwilling to give it a try. For the rest of you, keep on reading.
By the way, this week is bike to work week in the USA. Go ahead, give it a try, now is the time.
There are a few things you need to be sure of before hopping into the saddle:
1. Endurance. Make sure you can bike that far in one go, and that you’ll still have energy at the end of the day for the return trip. I find that my energy levels are higher when I exercise but I still have to take my mileage into account. My current ride is about 7.5 miles each way. At one point in DC that one-way distance was closer to 12. It might take time to work up to doing a round-trip multiple times in a week so be sure to try just one day first, or even a practice ride over the weekend.
2. Scout a route. For me, I prefer sidewalks because there aren’t cars. Still though, I usually try to ride on the right hand side of the road so that cars trying to enter the roadway are looking my direction. The route you drive might not be the best route to take on a bike. Seek roads with less traffic or wider sidewalks, many areas even offer bike trails. You may find that your bike route is shorter on the miles.
3. A person is smart, people are stupid. Same rules apply to drivers. You can never be sure what they are thinking or doing or whether they see you or not. Be careful. Check out the League of American Bicyclists five steps to riding better.
4. Know what you need. Invest in yourself and your gear, but first figure out what it is you actually need. If you bike a couple of days with a backpack you’ll soon feel the need for a rack system to put over your rear tire. Don’t just go out and buy all the stuff first, instead get to know what you have and buy it for yourself as a reward. You’ll be more likely to ‘use it in good health’ rather than to regret all the cash you threw down. (Just for the record, you don’t need a $1500 bike and a lot of spandex. My bike cost me just $100 on Craigslist, I’ve been using it for years, and a normal wicking t-shirt does me just fine.)
5. Shower before work. Many office buildings have showers, you just need to ask around and you’ll eventually find them. If not, try to find a gym nearby…some even offer ‘shower’ memberships to cyclists. Don’t be that gross guy in the office.
6. Enjoy! A few of my favorite things: the morning mist on the ranch I pass at the start of my morning ride. The kids waiting for the school bus. People walking dogs. Time yourself and make the ride into a race, try to beat your speed from the day before. Whatever it is, just make sure you enjoy the ride.
Biking really is a nice way to start and end a day. My 7.5 mile commute, in traffic, takes about 20 minutes and will take about $3 in gas each day. My bike ride takes about 25 minutes (I tend to ‘avoid’ traffic signals) and costs nothing. I love it, and you will too!
jade says
Totally agree- we love biking! Unfortunately my work is almost 40 miles away or I would definitely bike to work. I’d love to save all that gas money and not be stuff in traffic!
Danny says
hmmmmm. 40 miles? yeah, that’s a bit far I think. Clearly its time for a new job 😉
John in France says
In honour of the Bike to Work week in the USA, I have read your article!! Luckily my office is 30 metres from my home, so I happily walk to work every day!!!
robin says
I live 19km away from where I work and the road goes over a mountain so no way will I be making use of any of these tips anytime soon, but I enjoyed the post!
Megan says
I would love to ride a bike around the city – I think I’d be terrified of traffic, though! Sydney drivers are pretty crazy.
I know they say you never forget how to ride a bicycle, but I beg to differ – I practically lived on my bike as a kid but these days, my balance is way off!
Danny says
get back on….it’ll come back!
The Travel Chica says
I used to bike to work when I was living in the US, and I loved it. I miss being able to bike everywhere now. I’m happy to see people like you promoting bike to work week.
Jeremy Branham says
We have numerous people in my office that bike to work. Where I live, we have MILES of trails so it is very easy to commute by bike. It’s a great way to get exercise. When I lived closer to work, I even biked to work a few times. And we do have showers here which help!
Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista says
I enjoy bike riding but don’t ride too work very often. I work only about 2 miles from home so I don’t really have any excuses except it makes my eyes water which then makes my make up run 🙂
Danny says
not that I know anything about makeup but maybe hold off and put it on at the office…..again, I don’t know these things but maybe 🙂
Scott - Quirky Travel Guy says
If I had to leave my house for work I would definitely bike. Traffic in Chicago is so bad… more people should commute this way!
Renee says
Very worthy endeavor…..I commute via bus, but a lot of people who ride with me bring their bikes with them so that they can get around downtown.
Andrew says
My bike to work is about a mile. I love it.
What a cool idea of bike to work week. My commute in the US was 17 miles on highways. I don’t think I could have even physically biked that far at the time. Though now MAYBE: 🙂
Christy @ Technosyncratic says
I almost got ran over by a bus while biking in San Francisco (literally – I fell and the bus nearly drove over me!) so now riding my bike in the city is something I rarely do. Give me a leisurely bike ride in the countryside any day, though! 😛
Danny says
oh man…. and in SFO? It is something that can certainly happen but jeeeze, talk about a close call.
Sophie's World says
I bike to the train station, then take the train to work, ’cause it’s 40 kilometres. Still counts, right?
Danny says
I think that counts!
plh says
I have been biking to work for about 8 years. I find most people react with admiration rather than shock and dismay. It is the best thing I ever did for myself. I am 63 years old and in better shape than many friends and acquaintances who are 10 or even 20 years younger. I save thousands of dollars per year not owning a car. My wife owns one so I should say WE save thousands of dollars per year. When I started bike commuting I was overweight but now I am not. My legs are such that I can wear a kilt proudly!
I ride about 14.5 miles round trip. The fist time I did it I said to myself, “OK, self, we are going to be a good do-be and BIKE TO WORK!” I had been doing some recreational riding at tat time so I was not “right out of the box” but even so, my first time by the time I got there I thought I was going to dro-o-o-o-p DEAD!” But now I barely notice it.
My (incomplete) advice:
Have a COMPLETE set of clothing to change into at work in case you are caught in a downpour or other unforeseen catastrophe. I mean everything right down to the skin + shoes & belt & other accessories.
If your workplace lacks a shower, or if you don’t feel like arriving early enough to take one, find a place at work where you can take a brief sponge bath. If you have a private office you are in business. Use towelettes AKA “baby wipes”. This will be fine unless you are a person who perspires a lot. I that case, someone else will have to advise you.
Push yourself into more and more extremes of rain and cold. There is a lot of good equipment out there. For rain shoe protection such as Taiga’s Dry-Foot cycle gaiters (https://www.taigaworks.ca/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=65) are a must have. When it gets really cold you can use Pearl Izumi Lobster Claws. When it gets really, really cold use a battery warmed glove liner under them. Also a ski mask in addition to the balaclava you use for only one “really” of cold.
Snow and Ice: I don’t do it. When there is just some ice patches on otherwise clear road I use a trail bike with wide knobby tires.
Danny says
Very happy to see and hear how well the bike has worked for you. I agree with everything you’ve said and commend you for your actions. The only edits I would make to your advice is to plan on taking a shower once at the office and to do the ride over the weekend the first few times.