Ten reasons why I should ride my bike to work.

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I am trying to get myself stoked to ride to work, so I decided to write up a list of reasons to commute – this is more for me than it is for you. If you can think of any more reasons, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

1. My little 1998 Nissan is about dead. The fuel injector is about to go out, among other things. I haven’t been able to drive it on the highway for a year. It has 137K miles on it and every time I take it in for an oil change, my mechanic tells me it’s about to die and I need a new car.

2. My work is less than 7 miles from home. Plus it only takes me 15 extra minutes to bike there than it does to drive. The only downside is less sleep, and the cold air in the morning.

2. My work is one of a handful of “bike friendly” destinations in this city. There is almost always a bike parked out front. A couple of my co-workers also commute so this always makes me feel guilty when I drive.

3. Gas prices have shot up to $3.70 a gallon. DUHHHH.

5. I only work 4 days a week at the most. If I ride to work, this will give me almost 60 extra miles on my legs.

6. There is no snow or ice on the ground. We haven’t had much of a winter, but we did have tornado’s hit less than 30 miles away last Friday. Regardless, this weather is ridable.

7. Riding bikes makes me happy, therefore I am in a better mood at work. I can even ride more miles after work if I feel like it.

8. All that good shit about helping the environment.

9. I have six bikes to choose from and two of them are my official commuter bikes. Dominic just spent 6 hours building this up for me the other night.

After agonizing over gear ratios, I settled on a 40x18 cuz I gotta climb

10. I work in a fucking coffee shop – it doesn’t matter if I look like crap when I get there.

So I rode to work yesterday morning and it was a breezy 30 degrees when I left the house but I made it to work 10 minutes early. When I got off, it was damn near 60 degrees and I was loving it. Perfect.

Today I was off, so I took the road bike out for some miles. It was windy as fuck, and I thought me and my carbon were going to blow right off the road at some point. I busted out 60+ miles. I hate my road bike right about now. I am itching to get out on the trails and #occupyMTBseat. Soon the trails will be open for riding. I have a date set to ride the Mohican trail in April, that will be fun.

In other news – the MOBO board accepted our proposal for Kid’s Night this summer. Dominic and I will be coordinating the program. We are so super psyched to be a part of this. This gives me something positive to focus on for the entire summer – instead of some stupid ass bike racing bullshit. KIDS + BIKES = RAD

I’ll leave you with this video Dominic recorded of himself last month. He decided to eat two ghost peppers and capture the moment.

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About Judi

Bicycles are my salvation. They are my way of life. If you don't like it, then you can go straight to hell. Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

68 Replies to “Ten reasons why I should ride my bike to work.”

  1. Commuting is rad and good time to be on the bike,.,,Look in to one of the Ergon packs for your stuff,,, you can ride extra miles to and from work and the bag does not bug you at all… Not the biggest fan of ran but it is what it is.. I repair appliances so I don’t care if I smell bad,,, crawling around peoples laundry rooms..etc… who needs to smell good.. plus driving sucks,,,save the money for race fees…

    Kill it

  2. I commute to work by dragging my ass out of bed and walking across the parking lot to whatever crappy trailer I am working in that day. But first I ride the twelve miles round trip to the beach to check the waves and to keep me sane.

    But what can I say? It’s Florida and I don’t start work until nine.

    Different circumstances.

  3. I have cycle commuted for 7 years now & the car seems like a pain in the ass these days. In fact I got rid of mine and bum rides off the wife when I need to. I rolled to 847 miles for the year so far today, not bad for a middle aged fat guy.

  4. Number 7 is by far the best. Seven miles round trip for me, up a steep hill home. Any day I’m on a bike is better than any day I’m off one.

  5. All right Judi! Your shop is a great ride destination. I’m hoping to be in town for St. P’s day weekend and I’ll stop in and say hello. I may have my green bike with me, new tire and all.

    Commuting is like free training time right? Or free leisure time!

    Let’s hope the trails are dry next weekend so we can thrash.

  6. I’m on the same program, basically. Got to train for the Barry-Roubaix in a couple weeks, and the Mohican long term, so the best way to get miles is to ride to work, then get some more after work. I HATE HATE HATE being cold in the morning…riding to work means leaving at 4:50 am…and that generally means cold this time of year. Today was an easy cruise into work…but the ride home was south into the teeth of a steady 30-40 mph wind with gusts to 57 mph. Not exactly fun.

    I laugh to myself when I think people are guessing I am doing it to be environmentally friendly…I love my gas-powered toys almost as much as my bikes.

  7. Having commuted to my previous job I agree with #7 too. However, with gas at $3.70 a gallon I would drive more. In California we are paying an average price of $4.40 a gallon.

  8. #7!!!

    GHOST PEPPER:

    “you’re a fuckin’ idiot!”

    “my ears are on fire… curse you ghost pepper… oh god… oh god… shut up, i want a new mouth… second wave… it’s no joke…”

    how long was dominic feeling bad?

  9. I was laughing so hard during the Ghost Pepper video that my wife came from the other end of the house to see what was going on. I hit pause to explain what I was watching, took a swig of beer, turned back to the laptop, and promptly spit my beer all over the kitchen counter. The look of panic on Domenic’s face… Indescribable. Hilarious. Pause the video at exactly 4:24, and you’ll see what made me waste good beer.

  10. looked like he was tripping, musta been really awesome the next day when that fire shot out of his ass!

  11. I hesitate to say this, Judi, because your posts and comments in general are so positive and inspiring, but it seems like this should be a list of ten reasons not to slap the shit out of yourself for not riding to work already. Just sayin’.

    Seriously, good on ya. The stuff you say makes me want to ride bikes more. If you ever meet me, I won’t hold it against you if you break my nose. But ride to work.

  12. Hauled my fat ass out of hibernation for the second time this year and rode to work. Fat power!

  13. I didn’t know it was Judi that posted this…at first, I thought it was just some complainer dude afraid his tea bags would stick to the saddle at dismount. Get a Brooks Swallow where they will swing to the side and if you shave them it will not feel so cold. That’s how I roll on a ’53 Paramount trackie, well I am not the one doing the shaving! It’s the hair that traps air that makes you feel cold as for the ladies and a finely landscaped pelt…just thinking about makes me feel warm…all over.

  14. Riding to work might end up being contagious too; maybe you’ll pick up another pedaling pal? Being able to tell all those “kids bike night munchkins” that you’re pedaling across town to work will be fun and will blow their minds open as to riding to get around. Congrats to you and Dom on doing that kids bike work. I’m lining up a mentor kid we have with a multi geared bike for summer, the little guy is stoked after doing some riding last fall and struggling on hills w/his BMXer. Help a poor kid ride this summer, it’ll feel good.

  15. I’ve been riding to work for the last 7 years and only drive on a handful of days. I’m not gonna lie, the shit gets boring to me… same god damn route every day. I’m much more of a mountain biker than a roadie, so my rad switch doesn’t really get flipped that often on the pavement. Anyways, among all of the things I really like about riding to work, there’s one that I’m really thankful for that I don’t think I see mentioned – weight management. If I didn’t ride to work, I’d have to be extremely careful about everything that I eat or else I’d be enormous. Not that I can eat whatever I want with the length my commute is now, but it definitely helps get my metabolism going twice a day. For a few years, my commute was longer yet still under 15 miles round trip and I drank beer almost every night and ate just about anything that came my way and I was still really thin.

  16. I’m not trying to talk you out of riding to work more often, but if it’s really a fuel injector that’s the problem, I don’t see why your mechanic thinks you should get rid of it. Injectors aren’t TOO expensive that I’d get rid of a car with 137k on the odometer. Especially if you or a friend can do it instead of paying for labor.

    Holy shit, I just checked ebay and they’re even cheaper than I thought. $35 for a set of four injectors. I have to wonder if there’s a lot more wrong with it if the mechanic is brushing it off so easily.

  17. I been riding my s/s everyday now for 1 year and loving it. 6am start and 6 months of the year its dark. 10 miles each way on lumpy, shitty main road with fast traffic and potholes but I’m happier for it. I dont look forward to getting outta bed in the mornings but once I’m on the bike its ok. Plus I’m getting 100 miles a week which means more beer and maintain a respectable fatness.
    I ride in my old roadie gear and change in the toilet when I get there.

  18. you had no issue busted out 60+ miles in wind.

    riding to work is less than 7 miles.

    duh…

  19. with such a short commute i’m surprised you don’t already ride your bike to work. i know from living on both ends of the spectrum (ie: from being able to ride to work with a decent commute to having to drive to work in an industrial area due to an extremely long commute on dangerous roads) that riding is much better for your state of mind. there are always annoying things to deal with in traffic but on a bike you can hop on the sidewalk or turn down a side street to get away from it. get the bike commute happening. you’ll feel great about it for many reasons.

  20. Judi, you don’t need any other reason than just to do it.
    I haven’t had a car in two years now since my lady got side swiped on the freeway and totaled out her honda. She started driving my dodge then we traded in that pos for a cr-z. She’s an accountant so she has to drive all over to different clients. Up until four weeks ago my commute was 2+ hours one way. It included bicycle to train to subway to bicycle then the opposite. Somedays it just was bicycle to train to bicycle.
    Now it is 7 miles one way and I love it. Yeah it can be boring but I find I see really rad shit as I pedal along. Plus it gets rid of all stress on the way home.
    My girlie and haven’t had an argument since I started this job because by the time I get home all I’m thinking about is food and beer, not what was wrong with my day and what I can’t get done because I don’t have time.

  21. Good grief, I can only imagine the Burning Ring of Fire that must have ensued after eating two of those peppers. I hear they can do anus transplants now though (since I’m sure his must have melted).

  22. Great stuff. Would love to circulate. Too many expletives though. Shame.
    p.s. – not a prude, don’t want to offend. Peace.

  23. all of your commuting stories get me even more stoked, so thanks so much for sharing them!

    i used to commute more last summer, but schedule changes made it so some nights i had to close up and i didn’t want to ride thru the ghetto at 11pm. then other shit came up and after a while i just drove every day. i am honestly ashamed of driving those little 7 miles each way, when i read all of your commuting stories.

    the car’s immediate need is a fuel pump ($200), new rotors ($200) and new tires ($200) – and all of that money just isn’t worth putting into the damn car.

    and yes joe, i agree, the commuter needs a fender.

    as far as the ghost peppers go, dominic was sick for about 3 days – the toilet survived too, just barely. and he got zero empathy from me!

  24. Pingback: ten reasons i should ride my bike to work (a couple days a week) | The Adventures of Urbanbigfoot

  25. After you ride to work for a while it will soon seem strange to drive. Go early and ride through car washes and drive-thru’s for coins. 97 cents today on the way in today.. Tax free!!! Weird but fun. The thrill of the find..

  26. i’ve commuted by bike everyday for the past four years (before that i used the bike off and on depending on jobs and daylight) and i’ve become so spoiled by the mobility i have that i even consider having to take mass transportation a major indignity. i’ve had very few profoundly miserable days, uncomfortably wet or cold days, yes, but it’s mostly awesome. icy conditions are the only exception.

  27. Of course riding is the best way to go, but the cheapest most environmentally friendly car is the one that you already have, is paid for, gets regular maintenance, AND that you still don’t drive very often. If the main structure (engine, electrical, suspension, and body) is still good, the fixes you mentioned are all wear items. The weather is getting better, keep riding and take the money you save to do the fixes over the summer. Get yourself a Haynes manual. You and Dom could probably get the fuel pump done in half a day. Rotors and pads should be pretty cheap as long as there aren’t other issues with your brake system. If there are no fluid leaks on the brakes, it’s really the same as doing disc brakes on a bike. If there are any fluid leaks, take it in and expect to pay. Drum brakes are a little more complicated, but still not too bad.

  28. yea fuck it. I roll the southbound slicer across 89a rollers to Rottonwood as much as I can. that 18 miles to he’ll is the only heaven I see for 15 hours each working day I die. bike rides rule.

  29. 11. You already have to donate that time to the commute in the car, why not ride & do something you enjoy on the bike. Killin 2 birds w/ 1 stone.

    I commute in some nasty shit weather in the 7000 ft elev. Get panniers (Axiom waterproof are as good as & less than orteilebs)& stuff em w/ all the gear to get you through a wide range of temp / conditions. Leave them packed & on commuter, that way in the AM when conditions look iffy you know your covered & dont have to round gear up (1 less thing to make you pussy out). Fuck cycling shoes..they will get cold, platform pedals w/ waterproof hikers are unstoppable & safe. Have a cheap, durable commuter bike (Surly cross check w/ fat touring tires works for me). You will have less anxiety when cinders and snow accumulate on bike, & super affordable drivetrain upkeep. Baby wipes rule. You are worth as many obnoxious blinky lights as it takes to get the point across. put car keys in ice water in freezer..ensures resolve in AM (works well w/ credit cards also for finance). “Be More”.

  30. We’ll all be bikeing to work (those few that still have jobs, anyway) if The Annointed One doesn’t lift his oil embargo.

  31. @joe, you do realize that the US is producing more oil than it has since the early 2000s? For the first time since 1949 we are a net exporter of petroleum. Gas was more expensive at the end of Shrub’s term than it is now, and even so, the president has little power over gas prices. The current rise in prices is due to speculators and saber rattling with Iran. Our demand is actually low right now. Do you ever even do any fact checking on the lies you parrot?

    Here’s a start from a nice simple conservative paper:
    http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2011-12-16/us-oil-boom/52053236/1

  32. Consumer reports (hardly a right wing publication) listed gas prices on January of 2009 (when the Kenyan started running our [my] country into the ground) at $1.85. That’s double what I paid today.

    When the shit started getting spendy, all y’all on the left blamed Bush and his alleged oilman cronies. Well there ain’t been no oilmen (some would say ain’t been no MEN) anywhere near 1600 PA Ave. in fucking years. But your Boy King’s Secretary of Energy been quoted as saying ten dollar gas is what this country needs.

    And in case you ain’t been paying attention, when energy costs spike, EVERYTHING (food, booze, bikes, you name it) costs more.

    Fuck, boy! Buy a God damned vowel, why don’t you.

    I mean, Damn, dude! Are you better off now than you were when that Marxist piece of shit community organizer started stinking up the Oval Office?

    Jesus tittyfucking Christ. The truth is to these lefties as sunlight is to vampires. Bring me some wooden stakes and a BFH.

  33. Take your blinders off, dumbass. Gas was well over $4/gal (and over $5 in some places) during the summer of 2008. You don’t get to start the clock whenever it’s convenient for you. The same thing that caused that spike is in large part causing the current one: Speculation on the global market. Quit ignoring facts. I’m sorry they don’t fit your narrative, that what it is. You can spout your Fox news talking points all you want, but all they do is make you look like a simpleton. Production is up. Exports are up. Imports are down. It’s pretty fucking simple. Of course it has an effect, but it isn’t caused by what you want it to be caused by. Stick to thinking about bourbon and your fixed gear.

  34. Who you callin’ “dumbass”, dumbass? When your hero King Barry Hussein put his hand on the Koran in January of 2009. gas was around a buck eighty a gallon. Now it’s double. And King Barry Hussein’s Secretary of Energy been quoted that he’d like to see ten buck gas. These are hard facts. Plain, unvarnished truths. All the namecalling and temper tantrums in the world will not change them.

    Jeeze, sunlight to a vampire, I’ll tell you what.

  35. …yup…joethefuckingpoliticomedian swings for the fences & kinda, sorta, maybe if he’s lucky, dribbles it past the mound…

    …dude, if you ever have a argument as per current political agenda (& you usually don’t), you manage to piss all over it before you ever get the thought out of your head with all your constant ‘kenyan/communist’ rhetoric…

    …hard to take a man for anything but a fucking clown when his every political discourse is hinged more on what he thinks of as his witty repartee but which is in fact not even original thought…

    …admit it, dude…you latched onto ‘facts’ that foxnews fed you…you didn’t research ‘squat’ yourself…

    …i’ll let el jefe discuss socioeconomic strategus with you but i’m here to point out that when you talk politics, the solid base on which you stand is nothing more than your big clown shoes…

    …stick to bikes, joe…you found your niche, as have we all & i can respect your personal cycling acumen but when it comes to politics, your bulbous red nose ain’t from drinking whiskey…

  36. So you’re saying gas prices HAVEN’T doubled since the Community Organizer in Chief began to rule? Interesting. And I suppose Energy Secretary Stevie Ray Chu doesn’t want energy prices to become prohibitively high.

    Tell me where I’m wrong. Show me the facts. I can get insults from any random bum.

  37. Perhaps you haven’t hear the new rule here at DC:

    He who troubleth our house with talk of politics shall inherit a swift ass kicking.

    Seriously. No one wins in political discussions, and it’s boring for the rest of us. Go back to your corners kids (MSNBC or Fox News, depending on your inclinations). No one gives a shit about your opinions on gas prices and who is responsible for them.

  38. Yeah, I guess I was pretty loaded last night. Hair of the dog, anyone?

  39. D2, werd. I’ll leave it alone, then. Couldn’t resist.

    joe, calling me ‘boy’ is a good way to get my ire up. We’ll call it even on the name calling. Hair of the dog.

  40. Some villages have idiots.
    Some websites have trolls.

    On DC, Joe is the resident Idiot/Troll. Very entertaining in a “I’m glad I’m not that stupid kinda way”

    I can be an idiot myself here but no matter what retarded comments I make, joe never fails to make me look good in comparison.

    And the best thing about Joe’s comments is BGW’s analysis:

    …yup…joethefuckingpoliticomedian swings for the fences & kinda, sorta, maybe if he’s lucky, dribbles it past the mound…

    BGW +10 that was a fookin’ thing of beauty.

  41. Thought we had abandoned politics as a topic. Jeeze, and you call ME an idiot.

  42. Personally, I think the abscence of political talk in these parts is somewhat humorous. I mean, when I started coming here in late ’07, the anti-Bush crowd was QUITE vociferous. Now, since we’ve suffered through 3-1/2 years of a guy who, in my opinion, is an even WORSE speaker (and I was no big fan of Mr. “Nucular) and worse president with NO REAL PLAN (algea for fuel, really?) and are looking in the face of yet ANOTHER trillion dollar deficit…why not ramp up again? C’mon jefe, I know you are up for it! My only wish is that it not denegrate into the incendiary trash-talking and personally-insulting ridiculousness that ensued before…or is that possible in this day and age? I find that actually respecting opposing opinions goes a long way…

    Joe…just a suggestion…call Mr. Obama by name rather than the insulting tags you seem to find so humerous. We all know who he is (well…to some degree, anyway…)and he is the president of the country. It wouldn’t kill you to show some respect, even grudgingly.

  43. You can’t deny I’ve been far more civil to the incumbent than the anti-Bush crowd was to his predecessor. But in the interest of comity I promise to make a good-faith effort to honor your request.

  44. I can’t count the number of times when something comes up on this site or somebody posts here and I say to myself, “I wonder what JoethePlumber’s take is.” I can’t count because it is not possible to count to zero. Why do people feel compelled to comment on every fucking thing? What drives that? Maybe nobody to share their thoughts with on a person to person basis? the mistaken belief that people give a shit what they think? maybe something more psychological, deeper and darker? Either way, it is sad. Equally pathetic is the thought of said person waiting around for responses so they can comment again. Has anybody ever changed their mind because of internet forum arguments?
    P.S. ALL POLITICIANS SUCK!

  45. …well, ya see, mothra, it all started back in preschool when that incident over spilled milk proved to me, at least, that there’s no crying over it especially after i was forced to give the other kid his cookies back……

    …so after years of counseling, i hit 2nd grade mentally fit & ready to take on the world & then that little playground incident with the firecrackers was made to look like i was to blame…hey, it was a joke & i said i was sorry about the fire…besides, the seniors all said the school needed a new gym…

    …now, at 13 when that ‘stuff’ happened with my 18 year old big sister & then needless to say, our foster parents got the authorities involved & took my camera away which brought me no end of displeasure & anger…maybe i am still working on those issues but dude, she was hot & the money was good for a 13 year old…

    …which led to the drugs but when a budding career is crushed, well that’s not really my fault, is it ???…i simple needed a crutch at that point in my life ‘cuz it’s hard to get booze at that age…

    …so, anyway ‘mothra’, maybe you’re right regarding all of us & for me personally at least, there is “…something more psychological, deeper and darker…” to my posting, so thanks for sharing…

    …call me if you think you could offer a little more insight…

  46. shhh…i’m trying not to jostle & wake her as i slide silently out of bed whilst waiting for mothra’s reply…

    …i’m hoping his internet reply will help change my life…

  47. FUCKER, you!!! Made me snerk booze oot my nose, eh. Thank the Lobster God it was lowgrade vodka.

  48. @sfb, nah, tired of having the same arguments with people, and I’ve got personally more important things to do. Finishing the dissertation being primary. If we were ever in the same room, I’d gladly share a beer and talk politics, but arguments on the intardwebtubes rarely do anything but follow Godwin’s Rule.

    That and bgw already took this on the absurd turn it needed (and that so many commenters here are adept at doing)

  49. But you guys have to admit that Dominic was funny as hell with that ghost pepper thing. Ghost Pepper. They come back to haunt you the next day.

    I have stayed away from DC for a couple days because all this bitch-fighting is bothersome, at best. But it is my reportorial duty to drop in and let loose the stunning scoop that BGW IS HIS OWN SISTER!

    That’s right, and I don’t like it, but the TRUTH must be told! Look at his avatar, for chrissakes! Sorry B (May I call you B?) but I could not maintain my journalistic integrity and let this shocking story go untold.

    Meanwhile, and on a more serious note, what has become of Old Triple Letters? He has been catching do much hell lately that I fear he may have…well, let’s just hope for the best.

    Your Brother In Lob, TJ

  50. …trailerpark cyclist…well, it certainly spices up those dull family reunions, ya ???…

    …hope ol’ triple f/t is just chillin’, finding a balance & workin’ it out…

  51. I will always laugh at anyone willing to inflict a ghost pepper on themselves. I like spicy food, and you wouldn’t get me near one.

  52. (Oh gawd, here I go…) sfb, actually algae is one of the only renewable fuel sources that has the potential to be upscaled enough to offset a substantial amount of our fossil fuel usage. Do a quick search on it. If it got the same subsidies that big-oil got, it would reach parity even faster. Also, Exxon-Mobil and a number of other oil companies are investing in the research. Algal biodiesel (and more refined products) make FAR more sense than corn or switchgrass based ethanol. There won’t be one magic bullet, and we will continue to use oil and natural gas, but if Republicans were serious about energy independence and security they would encourage the domestic development of the technology (Isn’t that truly being conservative?). But they aren’t. They want soundbites, and they want to win (and Newt wants a moon colony…) Blowing it off is truthiness, not science.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_fuel

    http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/410578/march-13-2012/indecision-2012—republican-southern-primary—simplified-speeches?xrs=share_copy

    politics off.

  53. I started commuting the 5.7 miles to school when I was 13 and have ridden in under 30 degree weather, just put on some warm clothes and go.