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One year of cycling to work

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Re: One year of cycling to work

#141

Post by alistairSH »

VyseofArcadia wrote: post #58
izym wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When do you get in though?

8:30. My hours aren't all that terrible, but after burning the candle at both ends for the better part of a decade of grad school, I'm a little worried about burning out.

Cycling might help with the burn-out. The exercise is good for you. Getting out of a stressful drive is good for you. Etc. Even if the ride is a bit longer, it's probably a net positive. Especially if you end up at the gym or jogging anyways - you get to double-count the bike commute as part of your workout.

You didn't mention riding after dusk as a problem, but there are plenty of good bike light options available now. LEDs and batteries have come a long way in the last 5-10 years and small, rechargeable lights are now powerful enough to provide adequate lighting for nighttime commutes (some are even bright enough for daytime use - so cars see you better).

Re: One year of cycling to work

#142

Post by maw »

ggregoire wrote: post #45

I've always used a bike to go to work, but now I'm in Mexico City. Too many cars, too much air pollution. Cycling here is bad for your health. The public bicycle sharing system is really good and cheap. Some parts of the city are bike friendly. But the air quality is just so bad. The trucks that spew black smoke continuously. The buses that have never been controlled in 50 years. The SUVs traveling at 100 km/h on the…

Between where and where? A lot of the obvious routes are terrible, but you can go a long way in this city zigging where everyone else zags.

Avoid the bike lanes for the most part, though. You're probably in more danger in one of our bike lanes than out of one, due to all the morons blithely going the wrong way in them.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#143

Post by alistairSH »

simonbarker87 wrote: post #29

I live 1.2 miles from my unit/office. When looking for premises we actively looked for somewhere close to where us founders live so we could bike

I live about the same and walk. It's fantastic. Coming from a 12 mile (30-40 minute) drive, with occasional bike commuting, it really was a game-changer for my sanity. It helps that I walk across a golf course, so it's fairly quiet and green (vs city streets).

Re: One year of cycling to work

#144

Post by troncjb »

sandover wrote: post #138
troncjb wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you don't wear a helmet, don't worry about it, it doesn't mitigate that much risk. The exercise benefits of biking do way more to increase your life expectancy than skipping a helmet does to reduce it. This is very, very stupid advice.

It sounds like you're not informed. https://www.vox.com/2014/5/16/5720762/stop-forcing-people-to...

> Helmet proponents are right about one thing: If you're in a serious accident, then wearing a helmet makes the odds of a head injury significantly lower — by somewhere between 15 and 40 percent. (This is why ER doctors and brain surgeons are so pro-helmet — they've seen firsthand what happens in helmet-less accidents.)

So this is why most of us wear a helmet. The logic is not "so few people get in accidents that if I wear a helmet it is likely to be overkill!". The logic is "if I get in an accident I will be very glad I am wearing this."

Generally, you prepare for the worst, not hope that you are on (typo) the right side of statistics.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#145

Post by _trampeltier »

Fricken wrote: post #32
sheepz wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You would think so, but my commute to work is a little over 3 km and I used to drive a car to work, until I realized how ridiculous that was. I know co-workers who live even closer and still they drive.I live in a small town, but people still use cars for everything although we have good bike roads.

I went from a 16 km bike commute to a 3 km one, and 3 km isn't far enough. I usually leave early to spend a little more time on my bike. On an average day the morning ride is the best part of my day.

3km is not so much. From spring to fall I also use my bike for going to work. One way is 21km and it feels great. Often In the morning I would like to make an extra round.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#146

Post by kyoung18 »

sandover wrote: post #126

I've been cycling to work in downtown LA for nearly 8 years, 4 miles each way. I'm faster than a car over that commute. The weather is fantastic, and I am physically in great shape. Mental benefits are huge. I've gone about 15,000 miles in dense urban environments without any accidents of any kind. There are a number of keys to this: - Think like a driver -- it helps to be a good driver first - Think, period. Don't l…

I once crashed head-first at 20 mph into hard asphalt. Point of impact was at my right frontal lobe. My helmet cracked. If I wasn't wearing one I'm sure it would have been my skull instead.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#147

Post by sandover »

wbkang wrote: post #136
troncjb wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you don't wear a helmet, don't worry about it, it doesn't mitigate that much risk. The exercise benefits of biking do way more to increase your life expectancy than skipping a helmet does to reduce it. This is very, very stupid advice.

I totally agree. "Cyclists without helmets triple their chance of death by head injury" https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/10/15/cyclists_without...

Look at it in terms of effect on life expectancty.

The risk of death from 1 hour of cycling reduces life expectancy by about 24 minutes. Wearing a helmet probably changes this by a couple of minutes.

- http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/06/13/bicycling-the-safe...

- https://nwurban.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/cyclings-impact-on-...

1 additional hour of sitting and watching TV in the evening, in an already sedentary life, probably has a similar effect on life expectancy.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/get-up-get-out-dont...

The exercise you get from that same session of cycling for 1 hour INCREASES life expectancy from 3-9 hours.

- http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2013/03/minutes-exercise-longer...

- WHO study, http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/exercise-l...

Re: One year of cycling to work

#148

Post by NotQuantum »

I've got a relatively short bike commute that takes around 20 minutes. By car it's a bit more due to traffic. I get some serious benefits from biking everyday. I'm always alert and awake when I get to work, I get the bare minimum exercise in for the week, I don't have to drive my car.

I'd highly recommend biking to work if your local infrastructure is accommodating.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#149

Post by froindt »

troncjb wrote: post #131
sandover wrote: post #126

I've been cycling to work in downtown LA for nearly 8 years, 4 miles each way. I'm faster than a car over that commute. The weather is fantastic, and I am physically in great shape. Mental benefits are huge. I've gone about 15,000 miles in dense urban environments without any accidents of any kind. There are a number of keys to this: - Think like a driver -- it helps to be a good driver first - Think, period. Don't l…

> If you don't wear a helmet, don't worry about it, it doesn't mitigate that much risk. The exercise benefits of biking do way more to increase your life expectancy than skipping a helmet does to reduce it. This is very, very stupid advice.

To throw an anecdote in, my brother was riding straight through an intersection on green when a driver turned into him. Witnesses said he flew up around 10 feet, up and over the car, and completely shattered his helmet when he landed. He got out of the hospital after 2 days with 3 broken vertebrae. He likely would have been in for over a week if he hadn't died. That helmet made all the difference.

Yeah it's still probably a net increase on your life expectancy to ride without a helmet compared to driving, but most people wear seat belts even though almost every mile driven doesn't result in a crash.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#150

Post by troncjb »

maw wrote: post #135
troncjb wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you don't wear a helmet, don't worry about it, it doesn't mitigate that much risk. The exercise benefits of biking do way more to increase your life expectancy than skipping a helmet does to reduce it. This is very, very stupid advice.

Citation needed. (FWIW, I always use a helmet except when I use shared bikes, which is rare, only a few times a year. I get on one of my own bikes, helmeted, hundreds of times a year.)

I really don't need to cite anything to tell you that if you get in an accident you are better off wearing more protective gear. I don't care that very few cyclists get in bad accidents compared to walkers and joggers. I care that if I am in an accident, my brain doesn't become a smear on the pavement.
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