Biking to work

[Keweenaw4310]

Does anyone bike to work?

If so, how far is your commute? How long does it take?

With today's fuel prices, it's a great way to save money.
It's also a great way to stay or get in shape. Part of the time would have been spent driving anyway, so it's a nice way to use time that would have been spent travelling anyway.

[guest]

I agree Tom but unfortunately it is also and EXCELLENT way to get killed or mamed in the age of idiot drivers who devote their attentions toward yapping on the cell phone, playing their Ipod, and driving with their "me first at any cost" attitude. I wish bicycle path provisions would be incorporated into as many roads as possible and make bicycling a welcome new addition. Perhaps in some areas this may be possible but even out in the country where we live, it is terribly dangerous to ride a bike in the road the people drive and the log trucks.

[Keweenaw4310]

You bring up a very good point. It isn't possible for everyone to do it safely. My 15.5 miles is made up of dirt road, then 6 miles of road with a large paved shoulder. A few miles through several towns which have large paved shoulders or wide open sidewalks.

There is a stretch of a couple of miles that I need to get through in both directions with only a 3' paved extended shoulder then a dirt shoulder. I have a rear view mirror that I check regularly. If I see or hear a large truck coming, I get away from the road but keep it rolling as fast as I can. A quick check to traffic before I merge back closer to the white line.

North of me, where there are narrow roads with no good shoulder, we've had bike/car accidents. One last summer was fatal. The guy was hit by a truck/camper combo. He was left of the white line, a large truck swerved to avoid him and the truck/camper nailed and dragged him. He lived long enough to say how stupid the accident was and faded out while waiting for help to arrive.

I have off road routes to and from work but I usually stay on the roads to minimize time. Off road my travel time would be about 1 hour 45 minutes instead of 55 minutes.

[ducati996]

I like to show up to my clients smelling clean and daisy fresh - not perspiring
and mangy looking :) But with the price of oil these days, I'm inclined to skip the showers and peddle to my appointments. If they get offended then so be it....I can just say I save a lot of money on my car insurance by switching to GEICO... ROF

Watching Lance complete another title, it inspires me to perspire......

Duc

[Keweenaw4310]

I like to show up to my clients smelling clean and daisy fresh - not perspiring
and mangy looking :) But with the price of oil these days, I'm inclined to skip the showers and peddle to my appointments. If they get offended then so be it....I can just say I save a lot of money on my car insurance by switching to GEICO... ROF

Watching Lance complete another title, it inspires me to perspire......

Duc

That's another point to consider. "work" means something different to all of us. In my case, I don't deal with outside customers. Most of what I do is over the phone or on a computer. I do have a place to change and shower at work. Some people have problems with perspiration smell worse than others and need to deal with that in different ways.

I am trusting my wife to be honest with me in telling me that I'm dealing with my outward appearance and smell appropriately. Sometimes a person has a hard time detecting that themselves.

Saving's of gas isn't what motivates me to bike to and from work. It's more a matter of staying in shape. My clothes fit better when I stay fit and I am able to run and bike in races and other fun outings. Saving fuel costs just help to justify me buying bike parts and clothing for biking.

[ducati996]

Keweenaw4310,

I know you are serious about Bicycling and I'm not trying to demean
it in anyway - just so you know

I wouldn't trust my wife in her evaluation of my personal appearance.
She has a great sense of humor and would set me up, and tell me
I look great and send me out with a big crotch stain for laughs...
That's why we get along so well..... ROF

I try and keep in shape with a decent amount (time permitting) of weights, light running, and some mixed Martial arts - contact sport a few times a month is all I can do. Not getting younger plus energy levels dropping and commitment level stretched too thin...

Nothing that saves gas which Bicycling would do !!

[professor]

Tried biking the 5 miles to work but coming home a sweatball after sweating on the hot days at work is not appealing. Do use the bike on my morning week end pilgrimage to Sears or HD and Dollar General ( for the shop's supply of pretzels and peanuts at DG). Plus, it is easier to predict rain for the next hour rather than the next 8 hours.
There is a thing to consider also- a flat bike tire or some other problem would probably result in a "Tardy" entrance to work. A more likely event on a bike than a car.
I bought an old Honda trail 90 years ago to zip around and go to work on but it was neither fish nor foul- too fast for the shoulder of the road but too slow for traffic. So there it sits awaiting the end of civilization in the old garage.

Mike

[Keweenaw4310]

The past few mornings, sweating sure wasn't a problem. When I leave my house in the morning it's been down to 41 degrees. After work it's back up over 60 and sometimes near 70.

Thought more about Chief's comment about cell phone use by drivers.
One good thing for me, there isn't any cell phone coverage over a good portion of my ride in. None near my house and very poor coverage on the narrow shoulder portion of the ride in. At least that's one less thing for the drivers to be doing.

[bontai Joe]

My commute is 50 miles each way, so it would require the strength of Lance Armstrong to do that every day. And if you ever saw me, I'll NEVER be mistaken for Lance! I probably outweigh him AND his bike 2 1/2 times. ROF

[itsgottobegreen]

I can't bike to work. No ten speed is going to pull a 7701 gvw 7 by 16' enclosed trailer full of landscape equipment.

I used to bike to and from middle school which was 4 miles. I used to be a little guy that got the crap beaten out of them, everytime I rode the bus.

Now What I can't stand is the dumb _ _ _es that ride their bikes down narrow curvy roads with speed limits of 45 to 50. The ones that have no shoulder. Its blacktop then trees or grass. I damn near hit a couple of biker riding down a narrow road last week. Came up over a hill in my dump truck and trailer. And there were a bunch riding down the center of the lane on a 45mph road. Thank god the brakes in my dump truck and trailer were just replaced. Or I would have had a couple of new hood ordiments. I laided rubber on the road with the trailer tires. :banghead3 So much for the new tires.

If you are going to ride a bike. Please do it on a road with a large shoulder.

[chrpmaster]

I bike to work every day! excersize bike that is. I work from home. :trink40:

Andy

[Ingersoll444]

I would love to be able to but 1) I bring my dauter to daycare every morning, 2) I am 20miles away from work. and 3) there realy is no safe way to get there from here.


IGTBG,
I understand what you are saying, but I also feel for the bikers also. The roads in the US are built so anti bikers, and walkers, you realy hardly have a choice. It is realy no wonder why as a contry we are so over weight. I live on one of those roads. It is realy tough to get anywere. You hate to have to DRIVE somewere just to go for a bike ride.

[Keweenaw4310]

I have a good route. It's because of the rural area that I live in. Low traffic.

I bike right up to the door of my building and take my bike right into work with me. I work with people in lower Michigan that couldn't even get close to work safely on a bike.

I leave my car at work so that I have transportation during the day. My job requires me to drive around the Upper Peninsula of Michigan quite a bit, so I need to have a car with me.

I do understand how bikes and motor vehicles butt heads on the road. A car or truck will always win the arguement. I have friends who tell me I am too skiddish on the roads. I use paved shoulders and stay as far off the roadway as the pavement allows. Even when I only have a gravel shoulder, I pull off the road at the hint of a truck or something pulling a trailer comes up behind me. I have a good mirror and constantly monitor it when I'm on a narrow road. I avoid certain roads that do not allow safe travel for me.

The friends of mine that say I'm too skiddish will bike well inside of the white line and "hold their lane" no matter what comes up behind them. They have the law on their side, since bikes really do have the right to hold that position - at least in Michigan and possibly all states.

I go by the laws of physics and not Michigan. A multi-ton vehicle travelling at 55 will flatten a 170 lb guy on a bike going 20 in less than a second.

[jodyand]

Im like Joe its 45 miles one way for me. Have to leave real early and then i would get home to late.

professor sell that old Honda trail 90 on ebay thoses thing go for a lot. :fing32:

[professor]

Jody- are you kidding? what's a lot?

Mike

[jodyand]

professor Heres one and the reserve isnt met yet for over $900.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-Honda-Trail-90-CT-90-1975-Honda-Trail-90-Only-621-Miles-CT70-CT90-CT110_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6708QQitemZ456453 1102QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW