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Be happy Bike to work.

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Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#111

Post by UnFleshedOne »

andere wrote: post #105
tibbon wrote: post #45

I work from coffeeshops and such, which is inheriently flexible. I've started trying to walk or bike as much as humanly possible. It helps to have a terrible car that is frankly embarrassing to drive. I definitely feel better the days I walk a few miles.

Don't be embarrassed by a cheap or low-quality car. All that means is that you're more likely to not be paying monthly bills to pay off your car. That's a good thing to be proud of.

As long as it doesn't spew clouds of blue smoke every time you slightly press on the gas pedal. Those cars should be violently scrapped with prejudice! (and all diesel trucks too actually...)

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#112

Post by youngian »

jonotime wrote: post #63

My ride to work is over an hour each way. Been doing it every day for years here in the northeast U.S. A mostly residential route. Funny thing is if I take the bus, it takes the same amount of time. I started doing this out of a distaste for cars and statistics show that driving is actually much more dangerous then biking. Weather-wise, I far prefer snow to rain. The hardest part is cold feet in the winter - never fo…

Have you tried neoprene booties? They worked great for me in the midwest. My feet stayed plenty warm, and I didn't even bother to wear thick socks.

The hands were always my biggest problem.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#113

Post by eli »

syassami wrote: post #103
eli wrote: post #85

I know this is an uncool thing to say, but I hated biking to work in downtown DC. DC has done a great job adding bike lanes, but they aren't everywhere. I found it to be quite the opposite of meditative and I arrived at work sweaty and uncomfortable.

I alleviated my sweat problem when I biked to work by taking almost miniature bird baths in the sink, or using baby wipes.

I'm pretty sure I would need a change of clothes to be comfortable again.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#114

Post by jim-greer »

nicholassmith wrote: post #9

Please anyone reading this don't wear headphones, you've removed one of the most useful senses for knowing where there's a potential problem. I'd love to cycle to work, the only problem is it's a 160 mile round trip, so it's not too sustainable. I've thought about cycling the journey from my house to the train station but then I've got the additional problem of dealing with a bike on a busy train (two trains really),…

I compromise by only putting in one earphone, on my right ear that isn't facing traffic. I listen to podcasts generally, not music.

This is for a 3-mile commute to the Kongregate office in downtown San Francisco. If anyone here wants to ride with me from the Mission/Noe area sometime, hit me up.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#116

Post by pge »

eli wrote: post #113
syassami wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I alleviated my sweat problem when I biked to work by taking almost miniature bird baths in the sink, or using baby wipes.

I'm pretty sure I would need a change of clothes to be comfortable again.

definitely - I've been riding to work in DC for 10+ years, but a shower is definitely a requirement to do it year round. I'm fortunate to work in a building now with a shower, but before that, I just got a membership at a nearby gym. The gym membership was cheaper than parking or metroing every day.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#117

Post by grecy »

jgfoot wrote: post #77

I have been bike commuting for nine years. The biggest things that change since the initial rush of delight? First, as time goes on, you care a lot more about safety. Newbies may write about how they can meditate or listen to music while riding, but experienced riders know they must always stay alert. You shouldn't be meditating, you should be focused on potential dangers. Second, the weight loss? Not as big a deal a…

> Don't ask me the medical reason why, maybe it's the same phenomenon as when people who haven't worked out for years start a program and quickly lose 10 pounds of water weight but then find the rest is harder to lose

It's because the body is extremely good at adapting to whatever you do to it. Even if you were riding for a hundred hours a week at maximum aerobic output, your body would slowly adapt and you would stop making gains (getting faster, losing weight).

Over a long period of exercise, you have to constantly vary what you are doing to your body so it won't adapt and plateau. Keep throwing different challenges at your body, and it will keep adapting in an attempt to deal with these new challenges.

Try sprinting home from work at max output a couple of days a week, then intentionally go for an extremely long ride on the weekend at a sustainable pace. Don't do the same thing day-in, day-out

Also, eat less calories if you want to lose weight.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#118

Post by pge »

gst wrote: post #91
donretag wrote: post #55

Regarding the helmet: they truly are a no-brainer. Even the cheap 30 buck ones the OP talks about must meet the minimum federal guidelines for safety (in the US). No need for a more expensive helmet, which mainly provide less weight (avoid neck strain over long rides) and better ventilation. Helmets save lives and do not have to look dorky. But you do get a bad case of hat hair.

I don't want to discuss if helmets actually have any safety advantage (there are studies claiming both things). But I don't think that biking is a particularly dangerous activity. I don't wear a helmet while walking on the street or while driving a car, so why should I wear a helmet when biking?

It's my observation that blows to the head are more likely on a bike than in either of those situations for two reasons - the speed and the position. When you're biking, you're going much faster than you would walk (I commute every day and often hit 40 mph). Second, in an accident, you often to go straight over the handlebars - the bike stops but you don't. That means head impacts are common. Cars have the same issues, but they have seatbelts that keep you from flying through the windshield or slamming into the steering column. As for whether it's dangerous - in general I agree with you. I've been commuting by bike 2000 miles a year for 10 years, and have had only a couple of incidents, but when things happen, I'm glad I have a helmet. Similarly, I wear a seatbelt when driving, even though I've never had an accident that necessitated one.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#119

Post by agumonkey »

jgfoot wrote: post #77

I have been bike commuting for nine years. The biggest things that change since the initial rush of delight? First, as time goes on, you care a lot more about safety. Newbies may write about how they can meditate or listen to music while riding, but experienced riders know they must always stay alert. You shouldn't be meditating, you should be focused on potential dangers. Second, the weight loss? Not as big a deal a…

The constant need for focus was my biggest misunderstanding. I thought it would be like running, where you can listen your inner self, breathing, or enjoying the sight.

    20km/h : human radar scanning hidden corners. no more looking at girls or you'll hug trees.
    30km/h+: better have swift brakes, any surprise feels like a threat.
Somehow it almost makes biking moot as a vehicle, since there's no speeding bike only roads there will always be obstacles nearby (mom/baby, slow biker/runner, soccer balls). I really wish there was large scale plans to build bike pathways as those for tramways.

Re: Be happy Bike to work.

#120

Post by Xcelerate »

aw3c2 wrote: post #69
dripton wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I ride to work every day. Most of my commute is on a popular bike path. I always warn people before I pass them. Every few months, someone decides to do a U-turn or a left turn, without looking, right into my path, while I'm passing them, leading to a near-collision. So far, 100% of the adults who've done this have been wearing headphones. (I've had one kid without headphones do it; I said "on your left" and she got…

Correlation is not causation. I would much rather think that those people were distracted or something. Not giving attention to their environments. I CAN hear fine with my volume setting. Believe me. Listening so loud or with headphones that cut out other sounds is dangerous, of course. I was not talking about that and I thought I had made that clear. Just don't tell me that I cannot listen to music while biking. Unl…

Trust me -- I can text and drive at the same time. I'm a pro.
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