For 14 straight months I've been biking to and from work.  At least once or twice a month I might have to take the bus if the weather is bad, but usually it's not an issue.  The cost savings have been tremendous.  I also use it to get to other places so I don't have to take the train.  I've averaged out my cost savings (calculating how much I paid for car ownership for one month in Chicago) and have dedicated all of those savings to pay off my student loan.  Instead of 10 years, the loan will be wiped out in just a couple. 

 

If you are close enough to work, but still drive, you might find it worth it.  I know plenty of people who even live in auto-intensive cities like Detroit but are getting by a couple years without are car to elminate student debt or save up for a condo.

 

My company makes it pretty convenient.  We have a special wide elevator in our building for bikes, and every floor has bike storage.  But it's gotten so popular at my workplace we are running out of room for bikes!  Many other can participate but some are discouraged by safety during commute hours.  Interestingly, traffic moves alot slower downtown during rush hour, so a dangerous collision with another vehicle is unlikely.  However, pedestrian densities increase and jaywalking as well as other cyclists who are reckless have been the only problems for me. 

 

 

So any other success stories here?

You might like this blog from a Daytonian who commutes by bike to work:

http://myfiveminutecommute.wordpress.com/

I bike to work everyday rain or shine.  It's so close though that it feels silly not to.  There is no cost savings for me because my wife works in the same building on the same shift and drives in.

 

This will be my 2nd winter to ride, before I only rode when it was warm out.  My car is terrible in the snow, really really bad... in fact last year there was a week and a half that we were not able to use it at all.  99% of the trick is all about what you wear.  Dress in layers with a windproof outer layer and a sweat wicking base layer like under armor.  Get a good Balaclava, I used a cheap ski mask at first and there is no comparison.

 

I found that wide tires were not always helpful.  There were somedays that I was riding on 700 x 32 tires in the snow without issues.  Ice, ruts and packed snow is the biggest concern.  I seemed to have better luck if I peddled constantly instead of coasting.  You can also make DIY studded tires but I have not tried that myself.

I bike part way and bus part way. Bike racks on buses add lots of options.

I live too close to work to bike.

Telecommute -- work from home 3 days a week, office for 2.  Saves gas. 

I ride my bike almost every day.  If I had a better place to change clothes/clean up, I would ride in all types of weather but if it's really raining in the morning, I drive.  Slight rain I can deal with.

 

I don't save a ton on gas, but I save ~$80-$100 per month in parking which is huge.  Plus it's actually a bit faster to ride my bike than to drive, by the time you get to the car in the garage, exit garage, wait to get into traffic, etc.  Not to mention I can avoid another long light right before I get home by cutting through a walking path/parking lot.  My garage has a bike rack right next to the entrance (inside) so it's a quick in and out on my bike.  I am the only bike that's ever there though.

I ride my bike sometimes when going in on a weekend or at night.... when clothes don't make a difference.  I have never biked to work for regular business hours.  Plus, I need my car at the office during those hours anyways.  My job is just not amenable to a car-free day.

I drove my car to work today for the first time in probably three months.  Only because I have to drive somewhere immediately after work.  Fortunately, for biking at least, rain has been indiscernible.

13.5 miles and 900 feet of climbing was a bit much for me.  I even had to climb 600 feet on the commute home because I crossed the Chagrin River.

 

I was pedaling half-commutes last year when I was training for a bicycle tour.  I drove to work with my bike in the car and left the car at work when I pedaled home and back that evening and the next day.

 

Even yet, it was difficult and I had to shower when I got to work.

Have been biking to work now for 15 years.  As I get older, it has become much more weather dependant.  Initally, year round except January/February.  In later years, only in the summer with morning temperatures above 50 Deg. F (ride in to work starts with loosing 400 ft. of vertical-big chill factor).  This year, that didn't happen in Seattle reugularly intil July!  So this year was a big bust and my scale shows it. 

 

Forgot to add, 18 mi. round trip, cumulative elevation gain about 600 ft. Ride time is about a wash with the bus, door to door.  15 min extra time to take a shower/bath after the ride home.  Always shower (and sauna!) after the ride in. 

As someone notes above, I do bike to work, more and more as the months go on. I went from intermittent a few years ago to daily when weather is comfortable. This year, I'm going to try to do it through the cold as much as possible. Still not sure how to handle the ice and snow, but I got glove liners, a balaclava and a few other cold-weather items just yesterday.

 

Why ride? I live insanely close to work. It's five minutes by car (as the blog title "My five-minute commute" implies), seven to 10 by bike, depending on my route and mood. I don't buy a parking permit (I work at a university), and I park literally outside my front office's door. I drive the crappy 2nd car in our family maybe once a month or so to get groceries or something.

 

For me, the biggest benefit of bike commuting is that I also take recreational rides 3-4-5 times a week at lunch. That'll disappear as the weather cools, but for now it's terrific. On a typical workday, I'll ride about 16 miles between the commute and the lunch ride.

 

And for me it's not utilitarian — I love riding whenever and wherever I can.

And for me it's not utilitarian — I love riding whenever and wherever I can.

 

That is the most important part.  Our commutes are almost identical in length.  The biggest secret about riding in the winter is that it's really not as bad as anybody imagines it is.  It's easy and fun to play into the fact that everyone thinks your nuts but if you dress properly riding in snow can be really fun, sometimes serene.

 

Somedays it's mentally hard to roll out of a warm bed and into the cold.  It will take more time to get ready for the ride than the ride itself even takes... but it's worth it.  I set goals last year and that helped me continue through the entire winter otherwise I might have quit.  My goal became an obsession, even with during our worst weather.

I ride my bike almost every day.  If I had a better place to change clothes/clean up, I would ride in all types of weather but if it's really raining in the morning, I drive.  Slight rain I can deal with.

 

I bought a bike specific rain cape for 15 dollars last year and I cannot say enough good things about it.  It hangs over your bars and keeps everything dry.  I got it on ebay, just search "monkey king" if you are interested.

 

... I found that wide tires were not always helpful.  There were somedays that I was riding on 700 x 32 tires in the snow without issues.  Ice, ruts and packed snow is the biggest concern.  I seemed to have better luck if I peddled constantly instead of coasting.  You can also make DIY studded tires but I have not tried that myself.

 

I've heard of people making bicycle tire chains from sash chain. It sounds like a painstaking process, but apparently they work well on ice.

 

  Used to bike, walk, and take the bus for almost everything. Caught an occasional ride in a car, especially in bad weather. Started driving part-time at 19, and didn't drive full-time until 23.

 

  Unfortunately I drive way too much now.  :cry:   

I ride my bike almost every day. If I had a better place to change clothes/clean up, I would ride in all types of weather but if it's really raining in the morning, I drive. Slight rain I can deal with.

 

I bought a bike specific rain cape for 15 dollars last year and I cannot say enough good things about it. It hangs over your bars and keeps everything dry. I got it on ebay, just search "monkey king" if you are interested.

 

 

You wouldn't believe how hard these thngs are to find.  Thanks for the link.

I haven't driven to work in years.

Me either. I bike from Clintonville to Downtown, but every now and then cold rain/sleet/heavy snow are a deterrent, but living off of the main corridor means I can just catch the bus or bike and bus.

Bike about 90% of the time (drive only when I have errands after work or have to carry a lot of crap to work that won't fit on my back). It is about 10 minutes by car, but 5 by bike because of a couple left turns I can avoid on the bike. I'll ride as long as there isn't snow on the ground (then I usually walk).

I have a commute that is 2.5 miles, which is steadily downhill in one direction and steadily uphill coming home.  It is a 350~ foot change in elevation from literally the highest point in Cincinnati near UC to the lowest, Northside, which is about 30-40 feet lower than Downtown.  It takes 10 minutes to get to work but 20 to get back.  I don't find that such a short ride has any health benefit or that it helps train for longer rides. 

 

My old commute to Downtown was much more dramatic, involving the Sycamore St. hill.  I climbed it several times in the snow with no problems. In the winter the cold would motivate me to sprint all the way from downtown to my apartment and at my peak I was able to climb that hill, which is about a 15% grade and 300 foot rise in a middle gear all the way to the top.  The funniest thing that happened was the time I fell asleep riding down it.  Yes, it is possible to nod off biking just like nodding off while driving. 

 

^ I'm glad you can now describe the incident as funny, rather than tragic.

...  The funniest thing that happened was the time I fell asleep riding down it.  Yes, it is possible to nod off biking just like nodding off while driving. 

 

On a downhill in an urban setting with traffic and hard surfaces to collide with, that sounds scary.

 

When I was seventeen, I dozed off on an idyllic late-spring morning while riding on the county road where my family lived. I woke up in the grass on the shoulder, headed for the shallow side-ditch, too late to keep from dumping. No traffic, slow speed, soft grass, no problem.

I ride my bike almost every day.  If I had a better place to change clothes/clean up, I would ride in all types of weather but if it's really raining in the morning, I drive.  Slight rain I can deal with.

 

I bought a bike specific rain cape for 15 dollars last year and I cannot say enough good things about it.  It hangs over your bars and keeps everything dry.  I got it on ebay, just search "monkey king" if you are interested.

 

 

You wouldn't believe how hard these thngs are to find.  Thanks for the link.

 

Geez, sorry.  Here is a link to a bunch of them, it took me about 5 minutes using google.  You can even buy a ten pack for 50 dollars, although one is all you need.

 

http://store03.prostores.com/servlet/themonkeyking/Categories

 

I ride my bike almost every day. If I had a better place to change clothes/clean up, I would ride in all types of weather but if it's really raining in the morning, I drive. Slight rain I can deal with.

 

I bought a bike specific rain cape for 15 dollars last year and I cannot say enough good things about it. It hangs over your bars and keeps everything dry. I got it on ebay, just search "monkey king" if you are interested.

 

 

You wouldn't believe how hard these thngs are to find. Thanks for the link.

 

Geez, sorry. Here is a link to a bunch of them, it took me about 5 minutes using google. You can even buy a ten pack for 50 dollars, although one is all you need.

 

http://store03.prostores.com/servlet/themonkeyking/Categories

 

 

 

I didn't mean it the way you took it.  I found it in about ten seconds myself and ordered one.  I meant a genuine "thank you" should have said for the "info" instead of "link".  My typing fingers got ahead of my brain.

 

Still freinds (I have enough enemies around here already)?

Ha, ok sorry I took it that way!  Glad it helped, that rain cape was worth every penny.

Thought, I'd post of this link of an awesome photo of Chicago's triple decked street system.  This is the final stretch of my bike commute downtown to my office.  Gotta love rushing fast on a bike through this section.

 

Photo by iamhydrogen

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamhydrogen/5317975341/#sizes/o/in/photostream/

Get there a little bit faster and let the motor do some of the work.

www.bionx.ca

Thought, I'd post of this link of an awesome photo of Chicago's triple decked street system. This is the final stretch of my bike commute downtown to my office. Gotta love rushing fast on a bike through this section.

 

Photo by iamhydrogen

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamhydrogen/5317975341/#sizes/o/in/photostream/

 

That looks sort of frightening.

LOL, it's not bad at all.  It's warm down there because the buildings exhaust steam on the lower levels.  Even better is the kitchens and laundry rooms for hotels exhaust on the lower levels as well, so there's always a pleasant smell....something you wouldn't expect where you'd commonly see dumpsters or homeless people.

Ugh. Those fumes from the cars in front of me in the winter are hard to avoid in heavy traffic, especially Downtown. Are these commuters going to subsidize my health care? I'm sure they're so egotistical that they don't even consider all the fumes they're spewing into my lungs. They wouldn't like it if I went and farted in their faces when their windows are down.

... and the Billy Goat entrance is on the lower level!

 

Actually that's kind of a neat place to walk around with a camera; here and there it opens up into some interesting vistas.

If my memory is correct, when the Greyhound Station was on Randolph next to the James R. Thompson Center, the buses used the lower level.

I have yet to make it to the original Billygoat underground.  Been to the one in merchandise mart though.....But that's like eating at some famous restaurant at the airport lol.

 

Quick question columbusite, i just noticed your sig...but aren't all bikes lanes to the LEFT of the right turn lane?  I can't recall any places in Michigan or Illinois where cars can perform a turn crossing a bike lane.  There's a hashed cross over zone called the "green zone" where cyclists have right-away before cars merge.  But the right turn lanes occurs after the cross-over.  Some cities actually paint the pavement bright green. 

 

Below is a really bad cross-over design though.  It's a merge point for HOV.  The bike lane is two solid white lines coming together, which typically means cyclists are required to yield to any vehicular traffic.  It creates a mess of confusion sometimes.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=roosevelt+road+and+clark,+chicago,+il&sll=41.881749,-87.700977&sspn=0.000829,0.001403&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=W+Roosevelt+Rd+%26+S+Clark+St,+Chicago,+Cook,+Illinois+60605&ll=41.867565,-87.633203&spn=0.00165,0.003828&t=k&z=19

There are those throughout Kentucky, where they were done when the bike lane was striped in as part of a repaving project without doing any modifications to the physical structure of the roadway.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lexington,+ky&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=60.764775,135.263672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lexington,+Fayette,+Kentucky&ll=38.048771,-84.499701&spn=0.003751,0.0103&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=38.0487,-84.499622&panoid=62qUugxy0Yj015bmKHK_pQ&cbp=12,308.27,,0,9.73

There are those throughout Kentucky, where they were done when the bike lane was striped in as part of a repaving project without doing any modifications to the physical structure of the roadway.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lexington,+ky&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=60.764775,135.263672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lexington,+Fayette,+Kentucky&ll=38.048771,-84.499701&spn=0.003751,0.0103&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=38.0487,-84.499622&panoid=62qUugxy0Yj015bmKHK_pQ&cbp=12,308.27,,0,9.73

 

I tend to find the shared turn lanes to be safer IMO as you show.  That way cars at least slow down and follow behind you rather than try to beat you to the crossover.

Does walk to work count. I live five blocks from my job in downtown Cleveland.

Ride-train-ride, pretty much every day all year here.

There's a guy, probably forties, tall and slim, who bikes past my place between his home and his job in a machine shop. He rides every day, all year, regardless of weather, and he's quite a machine-shop wizard at taking old Schwinn steel-framed bikes and improvising specially-adapted driveline parts and cargo carriers for them. We've never actually introduced ourselves, but he stops to chat every now and then if I'm outdoors. He first spotted my old Raleigh DL-1 a couple of years ago, knew exactly what it was, and pulled up in my driveway to look at it. He's a bike nerd's bike nerd, full of energy and enthusiasm, and seems to be able to learn anything he finds useful. The other day he showed me the dual-layer wool bike mittens he knitted, and the sleeve liners and elastic inner cuffs he added to an old Pendleton wool jacket.

 

I live beside a well-used part of the Rivergreenway, and most of the serious riders I see are all togged out in colorful lycra and zipping along on sleek titanium or carbon-fiber frames. This guy presents quite a contrast; he's a true utility cyclist with an eye for the practical and functional, and little concern for high-dollar aesthetics

^ It's pretty interesting how people can customize bikes to improve performance or carry cargo.  I saw a couple trailer bikes this past summer.  They were going down Michigan ave and had quite a bit of cargo.  I like how they employed a drive shaft system as opposed to a chain.  Seems like a smart idea since I think a chain would fail from towing so much weight.  Looked like there was also a special braking system as well.

I'm not one of those customization people with anything I do.  I've never modified a bike and I can tell irritate the guys at the bike shop since I've never taken off stock stuff they think is uncool.  I can tell most guys who work at bike shops don't like the lone wolves who clearly bike a lot but don't participate in any bike subculture stuff. 

^

...becuase its a lot about "community" and 'subculture'. 

 

Lone wolves don't fit into scenes like that, be they bikes or other things. 

 

 

I was thinking of getting a bike this year but decided to pass on it.

 

It would be too much hassle.  I'd have to put a rack on my car and drive to the nearest bike trail.  Which sort of defeats the purpose (aside from silly kids-stuff tooling around the subdivisions). 

Great points jmecklenborg and Jeffery. Probably one of my favorite quotes on UO.

 

Jeffery, next time you move locate near a trail or bike-friendly downtown.

I got a really cheap bike for Christmas and have been riding a few miles here and there just for exercise. It's surprisingly easy to ride in snow so long as it's not as deep as the bottom of the pedals. I've gone as far as the park and ride (about 3 miles), but hopefully by spring when the ice melts a bit more and I get into better shape I can take it all the way to the office.

>silly kids-stuff tooling around the subdivisions

 

It's amazing to me how these parents make kids on bikes with training wheels wear helmets.  The helmets announce to everyone that Bicycling Is Inherently Dangerous.  Nobody had helmets when I was a kid, in fact nobody had heard of such a thing. 

 

Meanwhile, all across america, thousands of young gymnast whip around with no helmets:

Uneven Parallel Bars

 

 

Look here at the Tour de France in the 1980's -- NOBODY is wearing a helmet except the camera guys on motor bikes:

 

Tour de France 1984: Fignon en La Plagne

 

Fact is only a motorcycle-style helmet could actually help avoid most head injuries, and nobody will wear one while bicycling because they're too hot. 

Fun little article that I ran across.

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/02/why-do-people-bike-commute/71109/

Thanks for finding that CBC.  It's quite the refreshing experience after being in the office all day of getting on a bike riding home and a great wake-up when heading to work.  Even days when I haven't gotten much sleep, the bike ride really helps.

My commute is about get alot easier.  Chicago is getting closer to building a new elevated bike and pedestrian trail.  It gives me hope for cities looking to build more advanced recreational trails beyond some asphalt and a stripe of paint.

 

Image Source ChicagoJournal.com

 

Project Name: Navy Pier Flyover

Length: 2,500 linear feet (self measured)

Cost: $40,000,000.00

Fair-Weather usage: 30,000 people a day

Access:  Pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles

Approvals: Requires Planning Commission Approval to begin construction

Funding: Funding goals met and received

 

Description:

This project will replace a section of the lakefront trail known as the Navy Pier Bypass.  The Navy Pier Bypass is an alternative route to a loop of the trail that extends out towards the pier, but then reunites just a block later.  The result is a mingling of tourists, cyclists, joggers, and walkers that has created congestion, confusion, and often time accidents. 

 

Additionally, the existing route follows a modified sidewalk that is well over capacity and has narrow clearances.  Support columns carrying the upper deck of Lakeshore Drive create obstructions on the trail below and require clever navigation for cyclists.  While many cyclists have become accustomed to passing people and bridge columns with just a couple inches of breathing room, many pedestrians feel uncomfortable passing through the area.  This stretch is also responsible for many bicycle traffic backups on warmer weather days.  Since the lakefront trail must provide detours during construction, a vehicular traffic lane must be shut down during maintenance which requires barricades to be brought in.

 

The new project would add additional lanes and provide wider clearances.  An elevated merge point would eliminate T-intersections and provide more visibility where the Navy Pier extension reunites.  Since most pedestrian traffic to Navy Pier is at street level, it will provide a nice grade-separated thru-way to cyclists and joggers without having to mingle within crowds of tourists.  The route will tunnel through the existing LSD bridge towers which are no longer in service, to accommodate the additional lanes.

 

It would hopefully reduce the number of injuries.  From personal experience I can say the existing trail is very dangerous.  My bike tire hit a wet spot navigating around one of the columns and I broke my head open, and now have a nasty permanent scar to show for it.  That said, I hope this project can begin construction soon.

 

Photo of route closure detour by Steven Vance / flickr

 

Other parts of the route are seeing substatnial upgrades.  The older and narrower asphalt Southside leg meets the upgraded, wider, concrete downtown section.  Photo source: me

 

The crosswalks were eliminated and replaced with an underpass beneath solidarity drive

Photo source: reallyboring / flickr

I was thinking of getting a bike this year but decided to pass on it.

 

It would be too much hassle.  I'd have to put a rack on my car and drive to the nearest bike trail.  Which sort of defeats the purpose (aside from silly kids-stuff tooling around the subdivisions). 

 

I rarely ride the local bike trails and spend 99% of my time on the road sharing lanes with cars.  Canton (where I live) is not what most would call bike accommodating and still most of my rides begin and end at my front door.

 

I'm not suggesting that you should do exactly the same, only that you can still buy a bike and enjoy it without having to drive somewhere out of the way.  That said, driving my bicycle up into the Cuyahoga valley area is something I love to do... I can't wait for nice weather.  I was thinking of taking the CVSR train with my bike sometime this summer, sounds like it might be fun.