Author Topic: First Bike Commute to Work!  (Read 2425 times)

JimJimster

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First Bike Commute to Work!
« on: April 27, 2018, 08:25:48 AM »
I guess after signing up for this forum and riding my bike to work, I'm officially a Mustachian!

My commute is exactly 5 miles and is about 90% paved bike trail. The trail runs through a beautiful state park for about half the distance as well. I only started reading MMM 2 weeks ago but I've made some radical changes in my life and the bike commuting is one that excites me the most because of the environmental, economical, and personal health benefits. My office has multiple private showers and space to keep my bike indoors. I've been working here for almost 2 years, why did it take me so long to ride to work?!

https://instagram.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/vp/5e8e5385f93ac1b60f0b33061baf4724/5B5FB974/t51.2885-15/s640x640/sh0.08/e35/30603898_193113337974302_7359541923301818368_n.jpg my ride.

Cheers to all my fellow bike commuters and Mustachians!

PlainsWalker

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2018, 08:53:33 AM »
Congratulations! Keep it up.
That is a great setup all around from the showers and bike storage to the route.

erutio

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2018, 09:32:24 AM »
Congrats!  Very nice to hear!
+Not having to deal with cars on the trail, +scenery, +showers at work, +indoor bike storage.  Sounds like a great set up you got there.

Oliver

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2018, 03:00:38 PM »
Nice! That sounds like a really lovely bike commute. And five miles is nothing to sneeze at for a first-time ride to work.

Optimiser

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #4 on: April 27, 2018, 03:05:12 PM »
Congratulations! It sounds like your situation is perfect for bike commuting.

GuitarStv

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #5 on: April 27, 2018, 03:14:14 PM »
It's a lovely time of year to start riding to work!

dougstash

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2018, 04:49:40 PM »
The more MMM and MMM forum I read the more jealous I become as to riding a bike to work.  Man that would be great a 5 mile commute through a state park on a bike every day.  Jealous for sure!   

meghan88

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #7 on: April 28, 2018, 06:44:46 PM »
Oh, you've got it good if your commute involves an off-road trail AND showers.  Next thing is to figure out your rain gear.  At least, pack an emergency cheapo plastic rain poncho.

Kudos for thinking outside of the box!  Your health, wallet and the environment will only benefit.

And that's a decent bike.  With that crate on the back, and a knapsack/backpack, you are all set to start doing groceries with your bike!

Cubert

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #8 on: April 29, 2018, 08:59:00 AM »
Congrats, Jim! That is a perfect distance for a bike commute! Mine is about 10 miles each way.

Whereabouts do you live? Weather good enough year round to keep it going??

Cali

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #9 on: April 29, 2018, 11:06:22 AM »
Well done! I wish I could bike commute!

Guizmo

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #10 on: April 29, 2018, 04:01:01 PM »
Just started riding to work last week, only 1 mile away!! I feel so guilty about driving, but I still have to when I have meetings out of the office.

hal

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #11 on: April 29, 2018, 04:45:44 PM »
Congrats! In building my biking habit, I found it really helpful to use a habit tracking app (or, more frugally, to track ‘streaks’ on a calendar or piece of paper).

Debts_of_Despair

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2018, 06:50:48 PM »
Well done! I wish I could bike commute!

OK, I gotta ask: why not?

Cali

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #13 on: April 29, 2018, 06:57:44 PM »
Well done! I wish I could bike commute!

OK, I gotta ask: why not?

Fair question. I live 32 miles away roundtrip and it would be all city streets with distracted people driving. I do errands without a car on weekends to make up for it a little bit.

GuitarStv

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #14 on: April 30, 2018, 07:25:54 AM »
My current bike commute is a 25 miles round trip.  It's entirely on city streets with distracted people driving, and I ride through snowy winters too.  It's actually not too bad once you get used to it (although I'd recommend that you work your way up to it over a while because you'll need a certain amount of strength/endurance, a lot of route planning, good clothing choice, and the ability to do roadside bodges/fixes every once in a while.  You're also going to want a road bike.).

Debts_of_Despair

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #15 on: April 30, 2018, 07:54:28 AM »
I'm at 27 mi RT which really isn't too bad.  Takes 45-50 min one way which is really only 15-20 min longer than driving.

acroy

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #16 on: April 30, 2018, 08:19:35 AM »
BADASS op!
Keep riding!

JimJimster

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #17 on: April 30, 2018, 10:53:26 AM »
Congrats, Jim! That is a perfect distance for a bike commute! Mine is about 10 miles each way.

Whereabouts do you live? Weather good enough year round to keep it going??


I'm in Indianapolis, so I think I could definitely swing it for a majority of the year. The winter will be interesting, especially since the commute is mostly on a paved trail (I'm guessing it's not cleared of snow). Going to go again at least once this week and scale up my frequency as weather permits and my body gets accustomed to it. Planning to get some fenders and rain gear to handle any precip.

honeybbq

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #18 on: May 01, 2018, 10:55:25 AM »

Congrats!

I bike commuted twice last week - first time this year, hoping to do 2-3 times a week thru the summer - it just turned nice here and I'm a fair weather biker. My commute is about 50% trail/lanes and the rest sharing the road.

My commute takes about 40 minutes for 7 miles due to some significant hills and dense traffic lights/stop signs, etc.

I ride the bus in the winter or when I'm not on my bike usually.

It's hard. One day last week I biked by a cop car... who was stopped and taking the statement from another cyclist who had clearly been hit by a car. Even in our hippie dippy town with lots of bike lanes - it's just not enough.

ScreamingHeadGuy

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #19 on: May 01, 2018, 03:15:14 PM »
You are a badass. 

Way to take advantage of your lovely park and trail system.

JimJimster

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Re: First Bike Commute to Work!
« Reply #20 on: May 01, 2018, 05:02:42 PM »

Congrats!

I bike commuted twice last week - first time this year, hoping to do 2-3 times a week thru the summer - it just turned nice here and I'm a fair weather biker. My commute is about 50% trail/lanes and the rest sharing the road.

My commute takes about 40 minutes for 7 miles due to some significant hills and dense traffic lights/stop signs, etc.

I ride the bus in the winter or when I'm not on my bike usually.

It's hard. One day last week I biked by a cop car... who was stopped and taking the statement from another cyclist who had clearly been hit by a car. Even in our hippie dippy town with lots of bike lanes - it's just not enough.

I hope you enjoy the weather while you can. Be safe out there!