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One year of cycling to work

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Re: One year of cycling to work

#231

Post by dte22 »

nsedlet wrote: post #124

I commute about 6 miles each way between Brooklyn (home) and Manhattan (work). I've been raving about it to everyone I know because it's legitimately changed my life. It feels amazing, saves money, keeps me in much better shape, gives me more energy at work. It's slightly faster than the subway, and significantly faster than driving/cabbing at rush hour. I also love that transit time is very consistent (even relative…

If you don't mind me asking, how do you deal with the sweat? Do you shower on arrival?

I would love to bike, but no showers at my current workplace :/

Re: One year of cycling to work

#232

Post by [deleted] »

ad_hominem wrote: post #164
sandover wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't ride in the door zone. Don't let cars make you ride in the door zone. Take the car lane instead. I've gone 15,000 miles safely in dense urban environments because I am heads-up about the 2 main threats: intersections, and the door zone.

Just be prepared to be ticketed by overzealous NYPD cops. http://gothamist.com/2017/04/28/nypd_bike_lane_tickets.php

[deleted]

Re: One year of cycling to work

#233

Post by soperj »

alsetmusic wrote: post #178
sandover wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't ride in the door zone. Don't let cars make you ride in the door zone. Take the car lane instead. I've gone 15,000 miles safely in dense urban environments because I am heads-up about the 2 main threats: intersections, and the door zone.

> Don't ride in the door zone. Don't let cars make you ride in the door zone. Take the car lane instead. Please don’t do this. During the time that I commuted on a bicycle, it was very frustrating when other cyclists didn’t follow the rules of the road (zipping through stop signs is another example). It causes resentment in drivers. This leads to aggressive behavior towards cyclists.

I don't know the rules of the road for NYC. Where I'm from though, you are supposed to take the lane. Quite frankly, it's insane not to take the lane, since people think they can pass you in their car, while staying in the same lane.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#234

Post by ocschwar »

Finnucane wrote: post #12
jordache wrote: post #7

that short of a commute? that's a no brainer for cycling to work.

Yeah, my ride is about 3 miles each way, so it's pretty easy. I live in the Boston area, so at times the weather can be rough, but it's manageable. If the roads are passable, I can ride (though it is in the 50s today here and expected to get near 70 tomorrow!). In the summer, when it's hot, I leave the house as early as I can manage. After eight years of daily bike commutes, the only serious accident I've had (i.e.,…

Medford to Haymarket commute for me, starting tomorrow.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#235

Post by stefan_ »

dte22 wrote: post #231
nsedlet wrote: post #124

I commute about 6 miles each way between Brooklyn (home) and Manhattan (work). I've been raving about it to everyone I know because it's legitimately changed my life. It feels amazing, saves money, keeps me in much better shape, gives me more energy at work. It's slightly faster than the subway, and significantly faster than driving/cabbing at rush hour. I also love that transit time is very consistent (even relative…

If you don't mind me asking, how do you deal with the sweat? Do you shower on arrival? I would love to bike, but no showers at my current workplace :/

Shower beforehand, keep an easy pace and when you arrive, do a quick clean with wet wipes if necessary. Depending on the distance and temperatures where you live, you might want to keep a change of clothes at work. Use panniers instead if you have a backpack to keep the back from sweating up.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#236

Post by RandallBrown »

s73v3r_ wrote: post #174
sandover wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wear a helmet too! But it doesn't change the truth of the sentence: "The exercise benefits of biking do way more to increase your life expectancy than skipping a helmet does to reduce it."

But that sentence doesn't make any sense! There is precisely ZERO reason to skip the helmet!

They're uncomfortable, mess up your hair, make you extra sweaty, and you need to put them somewhere.

None of these are good enough reasons to not wear a helmet while you're riding a bike, but any one of them would be a good enough reason to not ride your bike at all. That's the point OP is trying to make by saying you can skip your helmet if you want.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#237

Post by icc97 »

dte22 wrote: post #231
nsedlet wrote: post #124

I commute about 6 miles each way between Brooklyn (home) and Manhattan (work). I've been raving about it to everyone I know because it's legitimately changed my life. It feels amazing, saves money, keeps me in much better shape, gives me more energy at work. It's slightly faster than the subway, and significantly faster than driving/cabbing at rush hour. I also love that transit time is very consistent (even relative…

If you don't mind me asking, how do you deal with the sweat? Do you shower on arrival? I would love to bike, but no showers at my current workplace :/

I found a gym near my work. You can always cycle slowly from the gym to work.

You can also get an electric bicycle and use less effort so that you don't sweat.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#238

Post by rconti »

magic_beans wrote: post #179
tomca32 wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, subway being "wonky" lately is putting it lightly. I'd love to bike to work. When I lived back in Europe, I used to bike every day to work and back. However, biking in NYC is just insanely dangerous in comparison. I'm really surprised how people do it at all. There aren't real bike paths, and you're supposed to bike on the road right next to all the cars. That's constantly being just one small mistake away from…

I feel the same way. I would LOVE to bike to work in NYC, but I'm just too terrified that one wrong move will end my life. Several of my friends have been in close-call bike accidents. It's not something I want to risk every single day.

The closest I've been to death was in a car, but I still drive. And I bike commute.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#239

Post by monaghanboy »

kurthr wrote: post #82
monaghanboy wrote: post #76

I bike everyday to work in the South Bay, Silicon Valley area. Everyone I talk to here can't imagine life without a car, but I haven't had any issues; lots of bike paths here, and all groceries and the gym are just minutes away. Sometimes when it rains I carpool, and I see how annoyed and irate most drivers get when commuting. So I don't regret not owning a car. The downside is not being easily able to take day trips…

Which freeways do you cross under/over? How do you do it safely? I'd happily ride on trails or small streets (and have) , but most of the regular commute riders I know do ~30mi rt a day... most of them doing it more than 5 yearrs have been in an injury accident. Maybe cyclists talk about accidents more than divers, but the percentage certainly seems higher.

fremont ave., stevens creek trail, sunnyvale saratoga, homestead, and stevens creek blvd. are what I frequent most. I'm never on the road (going somewhere on my bike) for more than 25 minutes.

for safety, i guess i just try to follow the rules of the road (i'm not perfect though, coming from a background of not knowing how to drive).

I've never had an issue with general QoL while reading, people generally seem pretty considerate.

Re: One year of cycling to work

#240

Post by icc97 »

agumonkey wrote: post #223
nsedlet wrote: post #124

I commute about 6 miles each way between Brooklyn (home) and Manhattan (work). I've been raving about it to everyone I know because it's legitimately changed my life. It feels amazing, saves money, keeps me in much better shape, gives me more energy at work. It's slightly faster than the subway, and significantly faster than driving/cabbing at rush hour. I also love that transit time is very consistent (even relative…

Weather aside, if I had a clear way to secure my bike I'd use that everyday. Robbers are just too damn motivated.

I found that typically as long as the lock cost 10% the value of the bike then the lock was good enough
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