Author Topic: Bike into work every day in September  (Read 18207 times)

mindaugas

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #50 on: September 18, 2012, 08:07:57 AM »
that's a great commute, I remember when I used to have a nice short no excuses commute like that. I went from 18 miles one way to 10 miles, eventually I'll get closer but it will be a few years.

Yeah, I wish more people would commute to get a little perspective on what it takes. We have a 3' to pass law here in CO but I rarely  get more than 3 inches. That's on a 4 lane blvd at 5am with incredibly light traffic. But you know, the one guy in the left lane can't let the other guy in from the right lane over so instead they both squeeze by me. I spend a lot of time weaving in and out of right turn lanes as well trying to stay out of the way.

But at least I don't have to deal with this guy, who actually resides somewhere near MMM in Longmont.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFM5QiAd3QA&feature=youtu.be

TheDude

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #51 on: September 18, 2012, 09:36:34 AM »
Wow that's a bad video. I've had a few honks in Boulder County but nothing like that. Crazy we only saw 2min but that went on for 5min.

yolfer

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Re: Mid-point check it
« Reply #52 on: September 18, 2012, 03:39:55 PM »
We're at the mid-point for the month - how is everyone doing on this challenge? So far, I've stayed the course, taking the bike every day I've gone into the office. It feels great - especially getting up in the morning and knowing that the decision of whether or not to bike has already been made.

So far so good, I'm still at 100%, though I started late in the month so I'm going to continue into October. Luckily, we're having an Indian Summer here in Seattle. Beautiful cycling weather.

Tradies wife

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #53 on: September 20, 2012, 12:41:52 AM »
I'm riding more than I think I've ever rode a bike.
Today, well, playgroup is 19.2km away. So the car does come in handy. However, my daughters ballet class is only 2.5km away. So the bike is wonderful, and I don't have to worry about parking. Added benefit is being able to stop at a park on the way home for a play. If I took the car, we would just drive past it. So win win all round really. More fresh air and outside play for the kids. More money in my pocket, from reduced fuel bills and a bit of exercise for me too.
Yes, I could become accustomed to biking around town. 

mindaugas

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #54 on: September 20, 2012, 07:17:32 AM »
Tomorrow will be my last day of riding into work, I'm on vacation the last week. I used my car for errands and have used about a quarter tank. We made up for that in longer trips though on the weekends into the mountains but our fuel budget should be $100 less this month even with a long trip to the airport. I think the best part though is that this has really expanded my thoughts on bike commuting. I "thought" I was a pretty avid commuter but I never really used my bike for errands. After I get back I'm going to get a bike trailer and better equip my mtb for around town. Winter is coming, but that will just make riding more badass!

Mrs MM

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #55 on: September 20, 2012, 09:00:29 AM »
These stories are so inspiring!!  Wow.  It's great to see people change their mindset about biking and noticing all the positive returns (like not worrying about parking and finding parks on the way home). 

Yesterday I biked (as usual) to pick up our son from school.  After school, we biked to the park and played for almost 2 hours with a bunch of other kids.  As we biked home, my son got tired and wanted a snack, so we stopped in front of a house to sit down and eat.  It turned out to be the house of a girl in my son's class, and she came out and the kids talked and played for a bit (incidentally, she was trying on her mom's wedding dress for a "formal bike night" here in Longmont).  They invited us to hang out and have drinks, but we needed to get going.

As we biked further along, we biked past a park where more kids from my son's class were playing.  He stopped to say hi to them and have a quick chat. 

As we biked more, we went past another friend's house (who was also getting ready for bike night) and we stopped and chatted with them for a bit.

Finally, we were on the last leg of our bike ride and I saw a neighbor out watering her plants who I hadn't seen in a while, so we yelled out greetings as we zoomed past.  To add to the magic, it was one of the most perfect weather days ever.

Talk about a great way of connecting with your community!!  Unfortunately, we were too tired after that to go out to bike night, but my son and I sort of had a 3-hour bike night of our own.  :)

yolfer

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #56 on: September 20, 2012, 04:26:18 PM »
These stories are so inspiring!!  Wow.  It's great to see people change their mindset about biking and noticing all the positive returns (like not worrying about parking and finding parks on the way home). 

Yesterday I biked (as usual) to pick up our son from school.  After school, we biked to the park and played for almost 2 hours with a bunch of other kids.  As we biked home, my son got tired and wanted a snack, so we stopped in front of a house to sit down and eat.  It turned out to be the house of a girl in my son's class, and she came out and the kids talked and played for a bit (incidentally, she was trying on her mom's wedding dress for a "formal bike night" here in Longmont).  They invited us to hang out and have drinks, but we needed to get going.

As we biked further along, we biked past a park where more kids from my son's class were playing.  He stopped to say hi to them and have a quick chat. 

As we biked more, we went past another friend's house (who was also getting ready for bike night) and we stopped and chatted with them for a bit.

Finally, we were on the last leg of our bike ride and I saw a neighbor out watering her plants who I hadn't seen in a while, so we yelled out greetings as we zoomed past.  To add to the magic, it was one of the most perfect weather days ever.

Talk about a great way of connecting with your community!!  Unfortunately, we were too tired after that to go out to bike night, but my son and I sort of had a 3-hour bike night of our own.  :)

I love how stuff like this happens while biking or walking! It would never happen by bus or car. Just today I was riding my daughter to daycare and we bumped into a friend who has a son my daughter's age. She was excited to see her friend's "papa" and we set up a playdate for the afternoon.

corcoran

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #57 on: September 21, 2012, 10:30:34 AM »
Wow, apparently there are some crows that are anti-Mustachian!

Biking to work this morning I crossed an intersection and all of a sudden a large object slammed into the ground right beside me! Miniscule pieces of the object hit me (tiny tiny pieces, I'm more than okay.)  I looked back at it and realized a crow had been sitting on a streetlight and was flying away squawking about. He had dropped a pine cone or something from on top of that streetlight!


mindaugas

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #58 on: September 21, 2012, 10:38:10 AM »
At least it was just a pine cone

Tradies wife

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #59 on: September 21, 2012, 04:27:53 PM »
Wow, apparently there are some crows that are anti-Mustachian!

Biking to work this morning I crossed an intersection and all of a sudden a large object slammed into the ground right beside me! Miniscule pieces of the object hit me (tiny tiny pieces, I'm more than okay.)  I looked back at it and realized a crow had been sitting on a streetlight and was flying away squawking about. He had dropped a pine cone or something from on top of that streetlight!

That crow has shocking behavior! Glad yo are ok. Thinking back to ravens from a while back. They are smart things, get bored and make their own fun apparently. They used to remove the seals out of windscreen wipers, and try removing the seal out of windscreens..... better to be on a bike sometimes! We had to cover our windscreens with a blanket to prevent (or delay) them entry to the bits they wanted. 

The biking is going great. This challenge couldn't have come at a better time for us. Spring is here, and we have a new family bike to be super keen about. It's starting to become a habit to grab the bike and go, rather than the car. The kids are happy traveling in the bike. A bit funny but they are getting their own mini mustashe's as they tell people that they don't need to cross the road ect, because they have a 'cargo'.

I'm still getting a lot of stares, and people asking if it is home made or just saying that is a great idea as I ride past. DH thinks we should sell a few! Not a bad idea really.

It's the weekend here, and last night my daughter said to me "What are we going to do tomorrow mum?" as always I said "we will leave that up to tomorrow honey, go to sleep". She has made plans it seems (at 5years old). "Mum, it might be nice to ride down to the coffee shop to get a cappuccino at a cafe then ride to the park for a play". No car mentioned, the bike it seems has it's own draw cards.

Tradies wife

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #60 on: September 22, 2012, 04:24:56 PM »
Still biking it. School holiday's are upon us, and the weather is beautiful. My hubby has pulled the pedals from my daughters old bike, creating a balance bike. My son has borrowed a balance bike from the toy library. We decided to walk them over to the park on their bikes. Boy did they fly, I was running beside my son just to keep up. Anyway, balance bikes are awesome. We noticed my daughter pulling her legs up, resting her feet on the bit that the pedals once were, and coasting. Coasting a lot. Coasting and turning. So was my son!

To cut a long story short, it took one afternoon with my five year old on her balance bike, before we ripped the training wheels off her bike, and she was riding without them. We rode around the block a few times, to the park and back again a few times and then to her nan's to show off. She probably rode 6km (or around 3.5miles) on her bike! We are so proud of her. She is a cautious type, and the balance bike really was that link that made her feel like she could shed the training wheels. Had I read MMM's comments on kids riding bikes before getting the kids bikes, I would have gone from a balance bike to regular bike right from the start.

Cars didn't venture anywhere yesterday, it was one huge family bike day.


Use it up, wear it out...

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #61 on: September 24, 2012, 09:15:14 AM »
Hey everyone, just checking in as we enter the final week of this challenge.

Biked into work again today - in fact, I've gone everywhere by bike for more than a week now. Today, I left the house late, and so was late to work - but I refused to give in.

I love seeing the Statue of Liberty each morning as I ride over the Brooklyn Bridge.

yolfer

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #62 on: September 24, 2012, 04:13:01 PM »
Hey everyone, just checking in as we enter the final week of this challenge.

Biked into work again today - in fact, I've gone everywhere by bike for more than a week now. Today, I left the house late, and so was late to work - but I refused to give in.

I love seeing the Statue of Liberty each morning as I ride over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Keep it up! I'm still at 100% but I started late so I'm going a week into October.

Tradies wife

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #63 on: September 24, 2012, 06:04:34 PM »
Well, I know that I HAVE to use the bike now. Not that I've wanted to jump into a car at all to be truthful. My hubby has taken my car for the week. Leaving me with the F250 work truck (AKA the monstrosity) that I hate driving. I can't park it anywhere. Reversing is an issue. Turing circle is humungous. All valid reasons why my hubby needed my car in the city. Give me a bike any day.

So yeah biking is pretty much it for us, for a while. No cheating unless we need to go to hospital. Hopefully that isn't on the cards.

I actually love biking around town with the kids. It's so much fun. I actually feel a lot healthier, physically and mentally for doing it. I don't think that this is a one month challenge for our family. More like a lifestyle that we choose to happily participate in.

Keep on biking, it is truly great!

Tradies wife

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #64 on: September 25, 2012, 06:23:42 PM »
Anyone else still completing this challenge?

Yesterday, took the kids to their grandparents for lunch, through the park and over to a friends to make a play date. Little break, then took everyone out swimming. Chucked one huge swimming bag and two children into the bike and off we went. Lovely.

Today, I've got work to do. I'm managing a buisness, as well as raising my two children and teaching as a casual. School holidays means no school days. However, it doesn't get me out of bookwork. I'm off to the bank today, grabbing some sprout kits for the kids to experiment with and off to feed some ducks.

I could seriously get used to this biking everywhere. The right bike for us has made a huge difference.

Tradies wife

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #65 on: September 27, 2012, 03:24:59 AM »
Still biking it.

The dreaded beast hasn't moved all week. YAY. We have had play dates, library, done errands to the bank and the post office, biked to parks and nature reserves. Fun.

Only a few days left until the end of the month. My car is now home. I'll be taking it up to a friends farm tomorrow, she lives too far away to bike it. But to be able to use the car one or two times a week max feels great.

In a week school holidays will end and the Kinder run means that the car needs to be out and about three times a week. :(

corcoran

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #66 on: September 27, 2012, 07:31:05 AM »
I'm still on board Tradies wife.  Only these 2 days left for the challenge; however I think I'm going to continue to ride as much as possible!

Use it up, wear it out...

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #67 on: September 27, 2012, 07:55:52 AM »
I'm still in - just one more day! I plan to keep biking steady in October.

kisserofsinners

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #68 on: September 27, 2012, 03:11:12 PM »
I'm most of the way through the month. The toughest part has been making sure i don't get tagged by street cleaning. This morning was tough as there seems to be extra road work in my hood.

There are really nice benefits. I love zooming past ballpark traffic; it's been the hardest part on my commute during baseball season and i'm glad to be done with it. I use the library by my work and it means it's much easier to get back and forth. It also extends my lunch picnic range.

Ottawa

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #69 on: September 28, 2012, 01:32:10 PM »
Just the ride home to go!  Of the 18 days I worked this month, I biked 17 (total of 272km biked!).  Sadly, just before getting home on Sept 4th, one of the rear spokes on my 30 year old Fiori bike broke (handed down from my dad!) and the wheel jammed in the brakes (on inspection all the spokes were in bad shape and the bearings were going too).  Thus I was unable to get bike fixed for the next day...and had to drive in to work on the 5th...HOWEVER...the following Mustachian story stems from the broken spoke!

One of my neighbours moved out on Sept 5th and left a very new 21 speed road bike out at the road FOR FREE!  I briefly abandonded my dinner to run outside wherein I quickly snatched it up - and rode it the following 2 days of the week to work.  However, I didn't like the road bike for commuting and decided to sell it on Kijiji (like Craigslist).  I got $180 for it!  That weekend I found a fantastic 20 year old Trek Multitrack 750 (on Kijiji of course) - asking $150.  I went and looked at it - it had almost never been used!  In fact it had about 100kms on it.  Everything was stock - even the rim stickers were clean!  Even better - back then these bikes were Made in the USA!  I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough.  I negotiated $140! 

I used the extra $40 I made off the free bike and bought a new rear wheel for my (now) old commuter.  This will now be the bike that I have vowed (thanks to MMM!) to ride through the winter in Ottawa!  If I can do this - so can most of our readers!  Should I throw down a winter challenge!??

carolinakaren

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #70 on: September 28, 2012, 02:08:12 PM »
Bravo for scoring such a great deal and biking to work nearly every day!  Where I live it's better to bike in the winter (Charlotte, NC)  because it so hot and humid in the summer.  I think you should throw down a winter challenge!

yolfer

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #71 on: September 29, 2012, 11:45:21 PM »
Should I throw down a winter challenge!??

Yes please! But it should be easier for me, in mild Seattle.

Awesome job getting to work (almost) every day by bike!

Skinnyneo

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #72 on: September 30, 2012, 04:54:23 PM »
Should I throw down a winter challenge!??

Absolutely!  This was a great motivator for me.

I rode 17 out of the 21 days I worked this month.  On the days I didn't ride I took public transit (using my GF's pass so I still wasn't spending money!).  I totaled 421.5km for the month.  That's actually a bit low as I forgot to load Runkeeper a few times.

Let's do it!  October and or Winter challenge!

yolfer

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Re: Bike into work every day in September
« Reply #73 on: October 01, 2012, 01:32:50 PM »
Congrats to everyone who completed this challenge! In fact, congrats to everyone who rode their bike at all, since that's awesome!

I started a week late so I'm still riding this week. The weather here in Seattle is BEAUTIFUL! Sunny and 70 today. I see no stop to the cycling, even when our 9-month rainy season starts :)