There are lots of reasons for you to be commuting by bicycle, but many of you who could cycle to work are still burning expensive gasoline to get there. What’s it going to take to get you out of that expensive car and onto a high-precision, environment-friendly, health-enhancing bicycle? How about some money? Not just gas money, either. Read on. This post might change your life in a dozen healthy and bank-account enhancing ways.
More than half of Americans live less than 5 miles from the place where they work. That’s easy striking range for a bicycle. Studies have shown that trips of less than 3 miles are often quicker by bike, and urban trips of 5 to 7 miles usually take about the same time. Here are more statistics to consider:
According to the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, 25 percent of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40 percent of all trips are within two miles of the home, and 50 percent of the working population commutes five miles or less to work. Yet more than 82 percent of trips five miles or less are made by personal motor vehicle.
I’m one of the many people who live about five-miles from my place of employment. Traveling five miles to work takes me only about 25 minutes. This is only about 10 minutes more than it would take to drive to work in good traffic.
I have commuted to work by bicycle since 1998. Making the change from car to bike seemed so difficult and intimidating, until I made the change. Looking back, I wonder why it seemed like such a difficult decision.
[My trusty Trek 7900. I purchased it 5 years ago for $500]
I admit that cycling to work is not for everyone. Many people live long distances from their place of work. Many people need to transport several children or heavy equipment every morning and evening. Some people really do have physical limitations that make bicycle commuting impossible. But chances are that many of you who are reading this don’t fall into any of these categories.
Many millions of Americans are terrific candidates for bicycle commuting. Some of you can even combine use of a bicycle with public transportation, stretching your transportation access across your city. Where I live, for example (in St. Louis, Missouri), you can roll your bicycle onto a light rail train or place it on a rack in the front of a public bus. This has allowed me to quickly “bicycle commute” to places 10 or 15-miles away from my home.
I’ve tried to anticipate many excuses for not cycling to work. People who having tried bicycle commuting yet will resist the thought. Many of you just don’t want to consider this healthy and cost-saving change. Why? Because it’s a change . . . Check out these lists of responses to the most common excuses for not commuting by bicycle, here and here As you can see, they’ve anticipated your main concerns. BTW, there are TONS of good bicycle websites out there. You have no excuse for lacking information on how to buy a bike, how to repair it and how to enjoy it.
I started commuting by bicycle because I was compelled to work especially long stressful hours for several months straight. After several weeks of this crushing work, it became apparent that I was not getting enough exercise and that I was feeling over-anxious while sitting at my desk. I decided to run an experiment one morning: I hopped on my bicycle and rode to work for the first time. It felt a little strange and I felt out of place rolling up to my office building on a bicycle—it even felt a bit embarrassing. After all, this is not how most people who work in office buildings get to work. Not in a conservative city of the American Mid-West, anyway. I quickly got used to this change, though. I have been commuting by bicycle ever since. In fact, when I die, they will have trouble prying my handlebars from my cold dead fingers.
Statistics show that only 2% of Americans take the opportunity to commute by bicycle. Here’s another interesting bicycle statistic: Nineteen percent of those who rode their bicycles to work reported that their commute was the most pleasant activity of their day. In contrast, only two percent of workers who drove to work liked that part of their day. The advantages to commuting by bicycle are numerous. The exercise of cycling to work lowers your stress level at work. You will find that you no longer need to make time to exercise, because you will be building your exercise into your day, making exercise a natural and sustainable part of your life.
Oh, yes. I promised to tell you how to make money by commuting on a bicycle . . . If I walked up and handed you $200 would you consider that to be a significant sum of money? Of course you would. You’ll save significant money by cycling to work. You’ll no longer need to purchase gasoline for your work commute. I’ve calculated that I save at least $200 per year in gasoline costs because use a bicycle instead of a car. Imagine filling two gallon-sized milk cartons with gasoline every week. I save that much gas every week, even though I drive an efficient car that gets almost 30 mpg. You might save much more than that.
Using your car less often will result in other cost savings: fewer car repairs, fewer oil changes and possibly a discount on your auto insurance (based on a smaller number of commute miles you’ll need to report). But there’s even more. You can cancel that expensive health club membership, because you’ll be getting great exercise while you travel to work. If your employer pays for your work-related parking, consider relinquishing those privileges in exchange for cash; why would your employer care whether it pays your “garage” money to you directly? I did that for years at my previous employer, thereby “earning” more than $1000 per year. If you pay a daily fee to park your car, it’s even easier; every day you hop on a bike and pedal to work, it’s like you just paid your self the amount that you would have paid to park your car (at $10/day, that adds up to $2,500/year). And here’s another thing to consider: because you’re much less stressed after cycling to work, you can quit seeing that expensive therapist so often. Free mobile meditation time! Here’s another thing to bank on: if there is a God, I have no doubt that He/She approves of you riding your bike. At least you’ll never find anything about driving a car in the Bible . . .
When you start commuting by bicycle, you might encounter some minor obstacles. For instance, when I was hired at my current job, the manager of the large office building told me that no bicycles were allowed in the building, including in the parking garage. In other words, the official policy was to allow large pollution-producing machines in the garage, but not an environmentally-friendly bicycle. I solved that problem by simply talking to a person in charge of the garage. He invited me to ignore the official policy and I now lock up my bike next to a stairway in the corner of the garage. You might hear similar silliness. Don’t be deterred!
If you’re new to bicycle commuting, there are various approaches to changing clothes when you get to work. Here are some ideas on changing into work clothes. I highly recommend not riding to work in a business suit, especially when it comes to long commutes in hot weather. Rather, take your clothes with you in a backpack or in bicycle panniers (bags that hook onto the rear rack of a bicycle). When you roll up your clothes, they really don’t get wrinkled. Amazing little trick!
A lot of people assume that you need to take a shower when you get the work. I find that taking a shower before I start my commute works great, at least for my 5-mile distance. For insurance, use deodorant, but smell has never been an issue with me—yes, I’ve asked my co-workers! When I arrive at work, I use a towel to quickly dry off, hitting my hair quickly to avoid “helmet head hair.” I usually cool down while looking through my mail. I’m lucky to have my own office, so I simply close my door while I’m cooling down and I eventually change into work clothes.
I admit that on some occasions I don’t actually cycle to work. For instance, I sometimes need to appear in court wearing a suit (I’m an attorney). On those days, I often drive to court. I also avoid riding when there’s ice or snow on the ground. There are many people who are braver than I am in this respect. In fact, there are bicycle websites from some of the colder states where people excel on riding bikes on ice and snow. I suspect that co-author Grumpypilgrim will supplement this post with a few of those sites where the authors even give advice on how to ride when it’s less than 20°, less than zero or less than 10 below. That kind of talk amazes me. It makes my toes feel frozen just thinking about it. On the other hand, I will ride a bike whenever the high temperature is at least going to be somewhere in the 20s. In many cities, most days qualify. The trick is to dress in layers. It really works. There are also some special gloves and head coverings that keep you warm when others can’t believe you’re out there on a bicycle.
Oh, yeah . . . “But what if it rains?” Here’s a little secret. It won’t rain. Ignore those “60% chance of showers” forecasts. For those times when it really rains, you’ll get wet. Big deal. Get a cheap riding poncho and have a towel ready at work. Here’s the real trick. Every morning, assume that you’re going to ride your bike to work. Know that you will ride unless there is a great excuse not to ride. Don’t wake up wondering whether you should ride to work. Yes, you’re tired. You stayed up too late last night, you think your bones hurt and you’d rather hop in that gas-guzzling monster and listen to your expensive car radio, you think. Once you’re on the road on your bicycle, though, you’ll feel the breeze and you’ll see and hear sights and sounds of real people. You’ll be energizing and tuning your muscles so that when you’re on foot later that day, you’ll bound up stairways, ahead of all of those slow grunting people who fell to the temptation of gasoline. When many of those high-stress car-sitting-overweight-lazy-arterial-plaque-laden types are hospitalized for their strokes and heart attacks someday, you’ll still be zooming around with your muscle-powered high-precision two-wheeled rocket. Isn’t this alone a great reason to join the ranks of the ecologically-friendly road warriors?
Some people think that riding a bicycle requires the purchase of expensive equipment. Not true. A brand-new quality bicycle can be bought for about $350 at a bike shop. If you want to really load up your bike with accessories, you can pay another $350. Common accessories might include a high-quality light for night riding, panniers, odometer/speedometer, bike lock and helmet. Don’t forget the helmet! Alternatively, there are many people out there whose garages contain un-utilized bicycles. Ask your neighbors and friends if they want to sell a bike. Probably every other adult in the country has a used bike they’re willing to sell cheap. If it’s not in perfect shape, take it to a bicycle shop for a tune-up or learn to do this yourself by referring to one of the many great bicycle repair sites on the Internet (e.g., see here or here).
Don’t be intimidated about buying a new bike. Just go to your neighborhood bike shop, do some test riding and buy yourself a name-brand bike. There are several styles available (mountain, road bikes or hybrids) and they are all far better (and almost always cheaper) than anything you could have bought 20 years ago.
The main caveat on buying a bicycle is to avoid cheap bicycles sold by stores such as Kmart. You find that these big store bicycles are not nearly the quality as bicycle shop bikes and they tend to be rather heavy, which can affect your enjoyment of your ride. Here are some other tips on bike equipment. The bottom line on bike expenses is this. If your car needed a $500 repair, you’d just do it. After all, it’s your transportation, you’d think. Compared to the suction that cars do to your bank account, bicycles and bicycle repairs are laughably cheap. Think of your bicycle as your transportation and the costs of owning/operating/repairing your bike come into context.
I do much of my commuting in the dark, especially in the winter. For those of you who want to ride at night, please remember that unless you take serious precautions, you will be entirely invisible to the people driving motor vehicles. Therefore, I recommend several measures. First of all, wear reflective clothing. Make sure your bike has reflectors on the back and front. In fact, I wouldn’t feel safe riding a bicycle without high-quality lights on the front and back. Decent quality taillights can be bought for $25 or more. To get a real headlight, however, you will need to spend at least $100. I’ve use lighting products manufactured by a company called Niterider. These are top quality lights that cost about $300. Luckily, lighting technology is improving month to month, and new lower-priced higher-efficiency lights are constantly entering the market. Keep in mind that you might not need lighting equipment unless you plan to ride in the dark. I probably ride 500 miles per year in the dark, sharing some busy roads with motor vehicles. For me, then, there is no option.
One more thing about riding in the dark. On those nights when I need to work especially late, I experience a special treat riding home. Clean crisp night air fills the quiet city after the fossil-fuel commuters are long gone. The breeze is magic and, as you sail through that quietude, you too will think magic thoughts.
Safety should be a huge concern for those riding bicycles. You are extremely vulnerable out there, mixing it up with speeding vehicles made of heavy metal. You need to constantly operate your bicycle with the assumption that someone will not see you, even in the daytime. You should assume that cars will occasionally do boneheaded things like suddenly turning in front of you. On the other hand, I have been delighted with the number of motorists who recognize that I am out there and who consider my safety needs. In almost ten years, I’ve traveled almost 13,000 miles, without an accident. I try to return that consideration by obeying the traffic laws (bicyclists riding on public streets are required to obey the traffic laws).
In almost ten years of riding, I have had thousands of motorists respect my right to share the road with them. This doesn’t mean that I hog a single lane of traffic, however, holding up dozens of cars. Bicycles are much slower than cars (usually), and I don’t want to make enemies. I typically travel at about 11-18 mph. Although I have a right to the road, I try to let faster vehicles have their way, eventually. There are many websites that discuss strategies for how to share the road with motorists, such as Trailnet and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin (or see here, here or here) Before assuming you know how to ride a bicycle in traffic, it is critically important to review the information on websites like these. I don’t mean to frighten anyone away with the dangers of cycling. After all driving a car is dangerous, as is crossing a street on foot. When you get into good habits, they tend to take care of you.
One of the main ways to be safe is to plan routes that avoid heavy traffic. You’ll find that you can ride your bicycle as fast (or faster) using side streets rather than those congested main roads. I highly recommend this strategy. Here are more tips on planning your route) In my opinion, one of the most important ways of being safe on a bicycle is to avoid traveling during the middle of rush hour. Something happens to the brains of motorists during rush hour. They become obsessed with getting where they’re trying to go, picking up their kids, making dinner, everyone else be damned. You’ll find cars cutting in and out and otherwise driving aggressively. You’ll also find that there’s more exhaust out there in rush hour; it’s both annoying and harmful to your health. You’ll avoid all of these problems if you can stagger your ride to avoid the peak of rush hour and to choose a route that avoids the main roads.
Here’s another advantage of riding a bike to work: you can become an amateur anthropologist. When you get on the elevator on your way up to your office, the well-dressed people will glance at you wearing your bike clothing and helmet. They sometimes treat you with some condescension because they assume that you’re the delivery guy. These are the same people on the same elevators that will treat me as an equal when I’m wearing a suit. By the way, the janitorial staff and other hourly workers will often find you to be more accessible than when you’re wearing your real business clothes and strike up some enjoyable conversation with you.
If you’ve got children, you might still be able to bicycle commuting into your life. When my two children were very young, I pulled them to their preschool in a bike trailer designed for that very purpose (I used a Burley trailer, though there are other good brands too). It was a 2-mile commute and it only took a little bit longer than riding without the trailer. Now that my kids are older, I still have that bike trailer, which I use for hauling groceries home (the grocery store is only about 2 miles away, which amounts to a 12-minute ride each way). I’ve often cycled home from the produce market loaded with two huge watermelons and other produce. You’ll amaze yourself with the amount of groceries you can fit into a trailer (unless, of course your children are strapped in!).
I still have a car and it is often indispensable. As you can tell, though, the bicycle has worked well for me. I am amazed at how often a bicycle can get me from here to there quickly, cheaply and with free exercise built-in. My children are now aged seven and nine, and they are starting to build up some good stamina. This will only increase the number of troops that are feasible by bicycle (they seem to enjoy trips of up to 3-miles each way, and they’re getting more ambitious each month).
The bottom line? There are millions of you out there who would benefit from bicycle commuting. Not only would you benefit form the freedom of biking. You will probably never go back to commuting by motor vehicle.
For a few months in college, while I was between cars, I was "reduced" to riding a bike to class. On the whole, I enjoyed the experience, but there were times when I ended up a sweaty mess. I learned a lot about the geography of the area, and also confidence, stamina, and *humility*. I prefer biking for leisure, on trails without cars. I would not feel safe enough biking to work, because of the automobile traffic.
I gave up my car a few months ago and love being car-free. My commute to work is 10 miles each way. I ride on the sidewalks on a Specialized Sirrus, which completely rocks as a city bike–and have also used it on club rides. Thanks for your post.
Hey Erich, good for you for biking to work!
Here is a church you would probably have no problems joining: The Bike Church
The building manager trying to keep your bike out of the parking garage is so bogus. The only reason that cyclists' requests for basic facilities seem so outlandish to some is that the extent to which car travel is subsidized is totally invisible to most people. If the other employees where you work are getting free parking, they are getting a bonus that you are not receiving. The amount of that bonus should be reported to the IRS, and you should receive an equivalent bonus to offset the cost of maintaining your bike and equipment. I could go on and on about the impact of car-centrism on air quality, land use, health of individuals and communities. Suffice it to say, someone should be paying you for not adding to traffic and taking up space in the parking garage.
In Santa Cruz and the Bay Area there is awareness and efforts to encourage cycling, but there is still a long way to go. For instance, because I have an office downtown I pay a parking offset fee of around $500 a year. I bike or walk to work (it's less than a mile), and clients visit my office around twice a week on average. OK, I did actually drive to work and park downtown twice in the past year, to drop off furniture and equipment. Still, $4+ per trip parking costs seems a bit steep, considering that we still have to pay the meter or the parking lot attendant.
But keep on biking, the intrinsic rewards are most important anyway!
Erich, you mention that taking the leap into bicycle commuting seemed daunting and that it took you some deliberation to take up the habit. It seems to me that individuals flirting with bicycle commuting shouldn't worry about "becoming" a full-fledged bicycle commuter, and instead take it one day at a time. I suspect the average American has a bicycle in their garage at home, probably even a helmet, and could take up the practice slowly if a total leap into bicycle commuting seems extreme. Imagine what would happen if all of those Americans who live within 5 miles of their workplace bicycle commuted even just half the time! Even if they always drove on rainy or cold days, they would enjoy savings, and reduced environmental and infrastructural impact!
Yet for all the sense it makes- the savings, the health benefits- the world of the typical American worker seems designed to antagonize bicycle commuting. No wonder it never occurs to the average person to bicycle commute- we look at bicycles as childish toys, and seem to suffer from an extreme case of functional fixedness when it comes to this potentially very useful machine.
But bicycle commuting has either gained a modicum of recognition, or it just flourishes in unexpected spots. I live in Columbus, Ohio, where the city has a surprisingly well-tended route for bicycle commuters- I remember marveling at the way the city had marked it with route numbers and signs that made it look like a miniature highway. I don't know how many average suburbanites use it, but I do know that university professors seem to adore bicycle commuting on it. Hopefully more cities will take the trouble to promote commuting on two wheels instead of four.
In Germany, in general, people bike a lot more, but I think biking distances like 5 miles to work is still the exception. When I was a kid I biked to school every day, which took me between 5-10 minutes (I changed school and we moved a couple of times), which is ok, but 5 miles every morning? Eeek! 😀
After graduating from school I stopped biking for a couple of years, because the distances grew considerably and I had to use public transportation and I also just didn't feel like biking anymore. A couple of months ago I bought two used bikes, one for at home and one for biking from the train station to work and I realized I totally love biking. Walking is so tremendously boring and slow, how could I ever give up biking and turn into a pedestrian? So, after discovering the joys of biking again I bought a new one for making trips and as far as now it works fabulous. In fact, in two hours I will make a short trip with a friend. 🙂
By the way, years ago I did an internship in California and I think I remember this
Nobody except me biked there so it was no problem with getting a free place on the rack. It's a pretty cool idea, because they don't have it here.
I didn't own a car until I got a job that required me to regularly travel to a rural factory. One of my college apartments was 6 miles from school. It was a 25 minute bike ride. Cold didn't stop me, but I did use public transport when the roads were icy or the standing wind chill was below 0°F. The bus took between 40 and 60 minutes, including an unreliable transfer at a very windy intersection), so I had to walk the half-mile to the nearest bus stop before 7 to reliably make my 8:00 classes.
St. Louis City has recently been adding marked bike routes along some roads. Basically, where a road is wide and bicyclists had no problem before, a bike lane appeared. Where the roads narrow, the bike lanes end with no indication of what a cyclist is supposed to do. To keep going straight, we choose between getting honked at, or cited for riding on the sidewalk by the bike cops who ride on the sidewalks along those routes. They're no fools; traffic laws are for civilians.
As Erich mentioned, I'm a huge fan of bicycle commuting, so here are some more tips to supplement Erich's post:
1. If biking to work seems too daunting at first, then start by using your bike for short errands after work and on weekends. If you're just going to the grocery store, the post office, a retail store, to visit a friend, etc., then you won't need to worry about any of the things that might deter you from biking to work. Then, once you get in the habit of doing these short errands on your bicycle, riding to work will seem much easier.
2. Put a rear rack on your bicycle. Just about any brand will work fine for commuting, and will enable you to carry your stuff on your bicycle instead of in a backpack on your back. Many people use panniers, but on my commuter bike I've installed a large plastic milk crate on the top of the rack, held on with plastic cable ties (also known as "zip" ties). I can carry an amazing amount of stuff in that milk crate — books to the library, two large bags of groceries, or even a suitcase that meets airline carry-on limits. If you prefer to use panniers, Ortlieb waterproof bags are a great choice: they are built like dry bags that kayakers use to keep their stuff dry, so they are totally waterproof.
3. Put fenders on your bike. A good set of fenders (I use full-coverage SKS fenders, but Planet Bike makes good ones, too) will greatly reduce your worries about riding in wet weather.
4. When riding in traffic, try to behave like a car as much as possible, so drivers can more easily anticipate what you will do next. Drivers are relatively good at avoiding collisions with other drivers, because they can anticipate the behavior of other drivers, but they are often surprised to see bicycles on "their" roads and won't always know how to react. So, the more you behave like a driver, the easier it will be for other drivers to avoid hitting you. For example, one common mistake cyclists make is to weave around cars that are parked at the curb. Don't do it! Instead, hold your position at the edge of the driving lane and ride in a straight line — just like a car. That way, drivers can more easily see you, anticipate what you will do, and safely pass you. Think of yourself not as a cyclist, but as the driver of a slow-moving vehicle — a farm tractor, for example.
5. If the road is too narrow for cars to safely pass you, then TAKE THE WHOLE LANE. This is a hard thing for inexperienced cyclists to do, but it is critical if you want to stay safe. Of course, you never want to swerve into the path of an approaching vehicle, but if the road is too narrow for cars to safely pass you, then (just like any other slow-moving vehicle) take the whole lane, preferably by riding directly in front of a car driver's line of sight — i.e., a bit to the left of the center of the lane (or a bit to the right of center if your country drives on the left). Forcing drivers to stay behind you until it is safe for you to move over and let them pass is much safer than allowing them to squeeze past you and possibly hit you or push you off the road.
6. If you think you are "too busy" to bike to work, then remember that every minute you ride your bike is a minute of exercise. Thus, if you spend 15 minutes driving each way to and from work, and 30 minutes in a gym on your lunch hour (for a total of one hour commuting time plus exercise time), but you would spend 30 minutes bicycling each way to and from work instead of driving (again for a total of one hour), then you have gotten an extra 30 minutes of exercise without any increase your total time spent. If you would normally spend one hour in a gym on your lunch hour, then biking to work will give you that hour of exercise, and you'll gain the 30 minutes you would have otherwise spent sitting in your car.
7. The biggest key to losing weight through exerice is to have *regular* exercise. That means exercising a little bit (i.e., 30 minutes or more) every day. Bicycle commuting is a great way to get that regular exercise.
8. Cyclists are happier than drivers. Whenever I ride, other cyclists almost always give me a friendly nod or wave. Drivers, by contrast, often give each other "the finger." So, fight road rage: ride a bike.
9. If you can't bike all the way to your workplace, and if public transportation is inconvenient for you, then simply "drive & ride." This is especially useful if you live in a distant town or suburb, and work in a downtown urban area: you can drive to a suburb near your workplace, park your car for free on a residential street, and then bike into the downtown to your job. This will save you the downtown parking fees, give you some of the health benefits of biking to work, yet still give you the flexibility of driving. If your bike doesn't fit inside your car, then outfit your car with a bike rack. Alternatively, there are also folding bikes (e.g., Brompton, Dahon, Xoots, etc.) that will fit inside almost any vehicle or subway car. When searching for a surburban location to park your car, look for one that is near a bike path that goes into the downtown — you'll love not having to deal with downtown traffic.
10. Winter biking need not be any more unusual than winter skiing, ice skating, running, etc. In fact, an aerobic activity like biking actually requires very little in the way of extra clothing. I can bike comfortably almost any winter day (down to about 0 degrees F) with the following outfit: a long-sleeve synthetic zip-neck top, a lightweight wool or fleece sweater, a nylon windbreaker jacket, a pair of lycra tights, winter ski gloves, a neck gaiter (a fleece tube worn around the neck), a wool skull cap (underneath the helmet), face mask, wool socks and hiking boots. If ice and snow are a problem in your area, then get studded bike tires. You can make your own with a pair of old mountain bike tires and some small sheet metal screws, but the process is very time consuming. A good pair of studded bike tires (e.g., Nokian) will be expensive ($50-100 each), but will last many seasons, and will more than pay for themselves in the long run. Just don't roll studded tires across any wood floors! One thing I enjoy about winter biking is rolling up to a stop light, all toasty and warm from pedaling, and seeing people shivering in their ice-cold cars. Plus, the time drivers spend scraping ice off their car windows and waiting for their cars to warm up is time I can spend riding, so biking can be even more time-effective in the winter than in the summer. And I never have to worry about having a dead car battery or getting stuck in the snow: my bike goes through anything. Bottom line: if you've never tried it, give it a shot — winter biking is easier and more enjoyable than you might think.
11. If you ride on salted roads in the winter, then don't use your good bike. Salt will destroy a bicycle, especially a good bike with expensive, finely-tuned components, so get a 'trashbike' for severe winter riding. You can find trashbikes at garage sales, thrift stores and department stores. Walmart will often have great end-of-season prices on cheap bikes in the fall — exactly when you want to buy a trashbike for the winter!
12. If you are dedicated to bike commuting, then regularly replace the tires and tubes on your commuter bike. Changing a flat tire is one of the few hassles of bicycle commuting, so minimize your odds of having a flat by riding on good tires and tubes.
13. In addition to carrying the usual tire repair items (a tire patch kit, tire levers and a tire pump), carry a pair of surgical gloves to keep dirt and grease off your hands when changing a tire. Latex gloves are cheap, but nitrile gloves are a much better value: they resist punctures better than latex and also resist degreasing chemicals, so they can be washed and reused many times. A box of 100 costs under $10 at Harbor Freight. Clean surgical gloves are also handy if you ever need to render first aid on the road. A pair will fit into any small container — for example, an old 35mm film cannister or an empty dental floss container.
14. I love riding at night, so, as Erich does, I use good lights, front and rear. Rear reflectors and blinking taillights are inexpensive and easy to find, while front lights can be divided into two categories: lights to be seen and lights to see. Lights to be seen are inexpensive — LED lights do a good job and cost about $20-30. Lights to see are typically more costly — $100 and up. One interesting alternative is the new Mini-Maglite LED flashlight. It uses an ultra-bright 3-Watt LED bulb that shines as brightly as a 10-Watt halogen bulb, and it stays bright for several hours on a set of batteries — thus equalling the performance of a $150 bike light. It only costs $25, but lacks a suitable bicycle mount, though a mount can easily be made with plumbing brackets from any hardware store. In addition to a bike light, another useful option is an LED headlight attached to your bike helmet. These are handy, because they shine in whichever direction you turn your head. They're available at any camping store or Walmart for $15-30. They are especially useful if you ever need to fix a flat tire at night, because they keep both your hands free.
15. Speaking of bike helmets, if you ride in extremely cold winter conditions, consider getting an inexpensive, oversized second helmet. An inexpensive, oversized second helmet is great in the winter, because it will have fewer vent holes, so it will be warmer, and it can be sized to fit over a wool cap. Alternatively, if you use your existing helmet, then remove the foam pads, plug the vent holes and install a windproof helmet cover. In my case, I buy a new helmet every few years, so I use one of my older helmets for winter riding and modify it accordingly.
16. If you live in a big city, investigate whether your city's traffic department or police department has a bicycle coordinator. This person will have a wealth of information about bicycle commuting, including maps, safety tips, traffic laws, bike clubs, etc. If not, the Internet has a ton of information.
17. If you get a trailer, get a Burley. Burley trailers will last a lifetime and, if you ever do want to sell it, will maintain a high resale value, so the net cost of ownership will often be less than if you buy a cheap trailer. Cheap trailers won't be as durable or as collapsible as a Burley, and they usually have a very low resale value.
18. Lock your bike well. If possible, lock your bike indoors, especially if you work in a downtown location, because bike thieves often need only a few seconds to break a lock and steal your bike. If you must park outdoors, use the best lock you can afford. For extra security, use two different types of locks: one cable lock or chain, and one U-lock. Different locks require different types of tools to break them, and these tools are heavy, so bike thieves usually only carry one type of tool. Using two locks usually means a thief will seek an easier target. If you don't like to carry two strong, heavy locks, then leave one of them locked at your workplace overnight instead of hauling it home. Other tricks to deter theft include wrapping your bike frame with black electrical tape (to cover over the brand name), "uglifying" your bike with spray paint to make it look undesirable, and obscuring the brand name of the brakes and derailleurs (again, with paint or by rubbing off the labels with fine steel wool). Most bike thieves steal bikes that have a high resale value or quality components, so anything you can do to reduce the perceived resale value will make your bike less desirable to thieves.
19. If you don't know anything about bicycle repair, then visit your local public library. There are scores of books on the subject. Bicycle magazine, for example, publishes a good one. You will also need to buy some specialized tools for bike repair, but the cost of the tools will almost always be less than the cost of taking your bike to a repair shop, so, again, the investment will pay for itself.
I've been bike commuting on and off for about thirty years now and I love it. I do own a car, but I've been able to cut way down on my driving by using a bicycle whenever possible. This saves on gas and car repairs, plus provides great exercise — definitely a win-win.
The following photo is not Grumpypilgrim, but it COULD have been, had he thought of this first. http://www.groovygreen.com/groove/?p=1791
I live on a bike commute route. Some inventive bikes pass my house:
<img src="/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/BILD00091.JPG" />
This guy can see over those dark-windowed SUV's that hog the lanes. I haven't yet figured out how he stops at lights.
Grumpy is quite enthusiastic. 😀
Here's an article for Scientific American suggesting that if you are a cyclist who wears a helmet you are actually more in danger because motorists tend to drive closer to you. The researcher was quite dedicated, riding his bike long enough to allow 2,300 vehicles pass him. He was struck twice (though not injured) by two vehicles.
Another twist: if the motorists think you're a woman, they give you a bit more space.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=778EF0…
For cyclists who don't want to share the road with big dangerous motor vehicles, here is a site describing 6 long (more than 200 miles) trails. It makes you want to take a week off and explore one of them. http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001903.php
About 10 years ago there were tens of thousands of bikes in Beijing. Regular everyday bikes, tandem bikes, bikes pulling carts, and bikes with a covered rickshaw were seen everywhere. People were doing business out of these bicycles towing a wagon. There were roadways dedicated for bikes separated by a median strip and there were miles and miles of roadway streaming with bikes. Whole families were going not just around the corner, but across 80 to 100 miles to visit grandma in the nearby town. But as Beijing wanting to woo the Olympics to Beijing the government banned all bike traffic in the city and that was the end of the story. In many of the other major cities as the old China is being torn down to and a new and modern China is being built, bicycles have been banned and they are now paying for that with cities with a yellow haze over it that extends for miles around these major metropolis. By the way the nice blue skies over Beijing that is seen when you have the president or some other major dignitary is real and not touched up. The Chinese master this feat by shutting down all the industries in and around Beijing during that person’s stay in China. I am not sure what they will do when the Olympics are in town.
Even in the smaller cities the bikes are disappearing as more Chinese are becoming affluent and mopeds are becoming cheaper. But the price of gas which runs about $20.00 (This is roughly like paying a $160.00 in America for the same gas) a gallon so the situation is reaching a decision point of staying with gas using transportation or going back to the bikes.
By the way around where I live having a bike is asking for someone to break into your house. My friend has had 3 bikes stolen in just one year.
Scenes of bike traffic in China in Ted White's 1992 film "Return of the Scorcher" were tremendously influential on bike culture in San Francisco and central California in the mid 90's. The term "Critical Mass" as applied to a mass bike ride was coined from a description of how bicycle riders in Beijing communally choreographed their way through intersections.
It's sad to hear how much has changed on the other side of the Pacific in 10 short years.
I travelled to Beijing twice in the past 8 years, and watching the bicycles mix with the cars and trucks made me squeamish. And I'm a cyclist who often rides in traffic (in the u.S.). I could not count the number of times that a cyclist came within 6 inches of the side of a car or truck. I prefer them to be 3 FEET apart, thank you. They are some brave souls out there on those bicycles. I hope not too many of them get injured each day, but I fear the worst.
If you look at the scenes from China in "Return of the Scorcher", which I guess were filmed in 1990 or 1991, it's just bikes – hundreds and hundreds of bikes. That's a lot of change in 17 years, and not for the better IMO.
From PLAN B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, by Lester R. Brown
Great encouraging website! I started commuting last month using my second hand Wellington road bike coupled with whole body reflectors, tire patches, u-lock and cheap bike helmet, I became a road bike warrior. Seriously, biking gives you more health benefits, make you think better too. loving it every commute day!
Joan Lowy reports that the Obama Administration has given bicyclists and pedestrians a real seat at the table when it comes to transportation policy:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/14/bicycle-…
Here's a useful site for bicyclists: "How to not get hit by cars." Lots of good advice here. http://bicyclesafe.com/
This article at The Nation explores resistance to the rise of urban bicycling. http://www.thenation.com/article/163671/rise-urban-biking
The benefits of bicycling to work: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/cycling-to-work-means-better-health-and-a-longer-life-heres-how-to-get-started/2017/09/08/b48d13f2-72ed-11e7-9eac-d56bd5568db8_story.html?utm_term=.31023e38a232