Cycling to work

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Cycling to work

Post by ace »

Does anyone here get to work by cycling? with the unbelievably high cost of gas and the rising price and hassle of public transit, I've been thinking lately that it might be time to look at my grade school method of transportation.

My biggest concern - besides the notoriously dangerous roads, is the sweat issue. I wear a suit to work and the only solutions I can think of are either wearing Under Armour underneath my suit, leaving a weeks worth of clothing at work (which means bringing home a weeks worth of clothes at the end of the week), or getting a bicycle garment bag.

Any suggestions?
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by sixteen-bit »

How far is the commute and are you comfortable with sharing the roads with 30, 40, 50? mph traffic? After that I'd be concerned with how long it would take each way: Are you willing to trade your time commuting for some money saved?

Will the weather be predictable enough that you'll not get caught out in a storm?

edit again: Have you considered a moped/scooter? Some of them will squeeze 80-100 miles from each gallon.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by JuddWack »

When I first moved to San Diego I didn't have a car for the first 7 months. I was riding my bike 3 miles each way and I never got sweaty because it's flat land and just not hot that early in the morning. I'd say the bigger problem is keeping the suit looking nice. It did suck sharing the road with crazy california motorists though. I began dreading the ride after a few months because it did get scary.

I know a guy here who was carrying a suit in his backpack and would change into at work. I have no idea how he kept it looking nice but he said it worked well.

I would go with sixteen-bit and get some kind of bike. Depending on how far your commute is I'd say you could pay for the bike in the first 6 months with the money you save on gas. No sweat and your suit will still look pretty nice.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by ace »

sixteen-bit wrote:How far is the commute and are you comfortable with sharing the roads with 30, 40, 50? mph traffic? After that I'd be concerned with how long it would take each way: Are you willing to trade your time commuting for some money saved?

Will the weather be predictable enough that you'll not get caught out in a storm?

edit again: Have you considered a moped/scooter? Some of them will squeeze 80-100 miles from each gallon.
I live roughly 2.8 km from work and there is one short stretch of road that is up hill and very congested, but if I leave early enough I can probably beat the traffic.

I had thought about getting a moped, but the costs for that will certainly add up when you factor in initial cost, gas, parking and insurance.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by S. Thompson »

I'd love to do this, but I can't stand mornings in the slightest.

I guy I work with switched over from driving a pick up truck to a Geo Metro (with an 8 gallon tank) and he says he's saving a lot of money on gas.

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Re: Cycling to work

Post by sixteen-bit »

ace wrote:I live roughly 2.8 km from work and there is one short stretch of road that is up hill and very congested, but if I leave early enough I can probably beat the traffic.
Oh I'd say go for it then. You could probably even walk it :P
Shame about the scooter though. Here we can get free parking in many areas around the city, insurance is dead cheap and a basic bike, kit and license you could probably do for less than £500.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by Jeeba Jabba »

I biked to work and school.. and everywhere else.. for about a month. If not a little longer.


Only because my car was broken.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by Specially Cork »

I walk outside my apartment, hail a taxi, sit in it for 10 minutes, pay the guy a dollar, and walk into work.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by Lartrak »

I walk outside my apartment, hail a taxi, sit in it for 10 minutes, pay the guy a dollar, and walk into work.
You might note he was asking for advice, as the costs of taxi travel in China clearly don't apply to somebody in Canada.

Honestly, sweat shouldn't be much of an issue when you're cycling less than 2 miles. I might suggest trying a trial run with a garment bag before you actually do it though.

BTW, I don't see how gas costs can be problematic.. Assuming you can get 20 miles to the gallon, that's like 1 gallon a week. Even if gas went up to $10 a gallon, that wouldn't be to terrible. However, it might be nice to bike anyway, if just for the extra exercise and invigoration.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by Specially Cork »

Lartrak wrote:
I walk outside my apartment, hail a taxi, sit in it for 10 minutes, pay the guy a dollar, and walk into work.
You might note he was asking for advice, as the costs of taxi travel in China clearly don't apply to somebody in Canada.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by mankrip »

Chinese taxis FTW.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by Specially Cork »

I think the point I made was pretty clear anyway.
In a country that is well-known for its bicycle users, and under a socialist government that lends itself well to good-quality public transport...I'd still rather not do either.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by mankrip »

The city where I live is small enough for me to go anywhere by walking. Not having to use a car, a bus or even a bicycle gives an incredible feeling of freedom.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by Calavera »

Lartrak wrote:BTW, I don't see how gas costs can be problematic.. Assuming you can get 20 miles to the gallon, that's like 1 gallon a week. Even if gas went up to $10 a gallon, that wouldn't be to terrible. However, it might be nice to bike anyway, if just for the extra exercise and invigoration.
Lol, yeah good point. It would only be 3.5 miles a day round trip. So even if you worked 7 days a week for an entire month, it would only be about 100 miles a month. So in an average car you'd only have to fill up once every three months!
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by butters »

Calavera wrote:
Lartrak wrote:BTW, I don't see how gas costs can be problematic.. Assuming you can get 20 miles to the gallon, that's like 1 gallon a week. Even if gas went up to $10 a gallon, that wouldn't be to terrible. However, it might be nice to bike anyway, if just for the extra exercise and invigoration.
Lol, yeah good point. It would only be 3.5 miles a day round trip. So even if you worked 7 days a week for an entire month, it would only be about 100 miles a month. So in an average car you'd only have to fill up once every three months!
You're forgetting an important variable: traffic lights.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by Prophet][ »

I used to ride to work when I worked in the city. Bout a 22km trip each way. I just my clothes in a backpack and had a shower when I got to work.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by cak! »

Prophet][ wrote:I used to ride to work when I worked in the city. Bout a 22km trip each way. I just my clothes in a backpack and had a shower when I got to work.
not everyone has a shower at their place of employment...in fact I'm willing to wager most don't.

also whoever said something about sweat not being an issue after 2 miles...i ride to work sometimes and after two miles in 90 degree heat i sweat a bit and its pretty flat for the most part...i don't do it very much because of that reason alone. the only way around that is to bring a change of clothes.

now let's talk about mopeds...they're a great form of transportation, but with gas prices at an all time high people are willing to do ridiculous thing to combat them...a co-worker of mine had just bought a moped about 2 months ago, and one day after work he went to go home and it was gone...someone picked it up and threw it in the back of their truck we believe...a motorcycle you don't have to worry about that really because of the weight but mopeds are light and small...so if you choose to go that route always park it in sight or in a guarded parking garage.

there i feel like i contributed to society a little bit with this post, have a great day.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by butters »

I'm thinking about picking up a bike myself now. I found a route through residentials that gets me almost to work, and it's only 2.5 miles.
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by Jeeba Jabba »

cak! wrote:
Prophet][ wrote:I used to ride to work when I worked in the city. Bout a 22km trip each way. I just my clothes in a backpack and had a shower when I got to work.
not everyone has a shower at their place of employment...in fact I'm willing to wager most don't.


Mine does.. but only because we work 24-72 hour shifts. :lol:
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Re: Cycling to work

Post by ace »

Mine does, but so do all police stations.
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