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    What's this?
How to ride your bike to work
A smaller carbon footprint and a thinner waistline are two of the best results of choosing to bike to the office.

By

Chris Baskind
Thu, Apr 01 2010 at 3:49 PM
 58

Related Topics:

Healthy Living, Emissions, Carbon Footprint, Cycling, Lighter Footstep
Man in a suit on his bicycle

WELL-SUITED COMMUTE: Burn calories and not gas on your way to work. (Photo: jordanfischer/Flickr)

The weather is finally changing — meaning it's time to take the plunge and consider a different mode of transportation for work. But what happens next? 
 
It's all about planning
Bicycle commuting is a lot of fun, but doing your homework beforehand is the best way to make sure things go smoothly. If you're reading this in the spring, Bike to Work Week would be a great time to get involved, but getting on your bike is something you can do any time of year. Check the League of American Bicyclists' website and see if there are organized activities where you live.
 
We've put together five areas for you to address before the Big Ride:
 
Are you physically capable of the commute? Most adults in average condition can manage a 10-mile ride in about an hour without too much trouble. Just like any exercise program, talk to a health professional if you have any questions before you saddle up.
 
Is your bike up to the trip? Buying a shiny new commuter bike is a great incentive to ride — but any bicycle in good repair will do. Give your bike a thorough once-over well in advance of your maiden commute. As a general rule of thumb, tires, running gear, brakes and lights should all get attention before each trip. Use the checklist on how to pick a great used bicycle if your bike has been sitting unused for any length of time — or wheel it into the local bike shop for a professional tune-up.
 
Choose your route carefully. The most direct way to work isn't always the best. Pick streets with activity appropriate to your comfort level on the bike. Watch out for areas marked off-limits to non-motorized traffic (most tunnels, for instance). One of the best things about cycle commuting is being able to vary your route. There's usually more than one way to get from Point A to Point B, and that's part of the fun.
Pack what you need. A water bottle, toiletries, a change of clothes, tools and a tire repair kit — these are all reasons commuter bikes are usually equipped with panniers or baskets. If you're just starting out, you can probably make do with a backpack or messenger bag. But you'll find these can be uncomfortable in warm weather. The bike frame is the best place to carry gear, so upgrade to a proper rack and bags as soon as the commuting bug bites.
 
Decide what happens once you're at work. You'll need a secure place to lock up or some out-of-the-way indoor location to stash your bike. Bikes can be wet and greasy, so choose somewhere away from your co-workers if you want to remain popular. Avoid blocking doorways and halls. You're also going to need somewhere to change and freshen up. A bathroom stall will do the trick, but check around and see if there are shower facilities within walking distance of where you work. Gyms and spas are usually cooperative about arranging access.
 
Now ride! Leave yourself plenty of time, enjoy a nice breakfast — and start pedaling! If it goes well on your first outing, try it again next week. You're saving money, helping out the environment and promoting your own physical fitness.
 
We'd love to hear your commuter stories. Share them in our comments section. Have fun!
 
Copyright Lighter Footstep 2009
 
Also on MNN: 
  • 12 urban bicycles that will be a fine substitute for your car
  • 7 U.S. employers that go all out to support biking employees
  • And on the lighter side: Mayor of Lithuanian town takes biking seriously. How seriously? Well, this video involves an armored personnel carrier.

 

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Comments: 58
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pwbartow
Paul Bartow Apr 26 2013 at 8:02 PM

I have a round trip to work and back home of 8 miles. I am into my 3 rd year of commuting. I have organized my route by trial and error. Minimize road crossings and left hand turns.

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anonymous
Ray Sep 06 2011 at 10:18 AM

Couple more suggestions:

--Get fenders for when it rains.

--Cold is not a factor if you have the right clothing. A good North Face base layer and a light wind resistant jacket gets me thru PA winters down to around zero degrees. REI has some great stuff if you don't mind spending the $$

--You can get studded snow tires for about $50 each if you look online.

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anonymous
Jose Sep 06 2011 at 7:57 AM

a few things they missed
1. get a haircut that a helmet won't mess up
2. buy a used bike and tune it up yourself or take it to a local bike shop. A new bike shipped usually from china has a decent carbon footprint in itself.

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anonymous
Tim Sep 05 2011 at 4:15 PM
Long-time bike commuter here. Sure, there are plenty of folks for whom it's just not safe, practicable, etc. to commute by bicycle, but there are probably millions more of us who could be. When we relocated from temperate PA to subtropical OK, we specifically looked for homes within a couple of miles of my place of work. Even on days when the mercury is over 100 degrees, I can ride to work in the morning (shirt and tie) without getting all sweaty. In the evenings when it's hotter, I'd be changing
.... More
clothes when I got home anyway, so it's no big deal to be hot for the few minutes it takes me to ride home. LOTS of people like me live close to work but just assume that they need to drive. They don't, and thanks for this article to suggest so.
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anonymous
StationaryDave Sep 05 2011 at 4:10 PM
I bike to work 8 miles one way 2-3 days a week and I love it. It's helped me lose weight, too. I wish more people would bike, and I understand many of the problems that interfere. As the article states, planning is important. I have different routes going to and coming from work because the traffic is different. I recently made changes to my morning route because the areas around schools were too chaotic and dangerous. I don't understand the objection to having to shower when you arrive at work.
.... More
Don't you shower in the morning anyway?
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anonymous
Steph in Miami Sep 05 2011 at 11:49 AM

My husband recently sold his car because it was too small for our growing family. We were planning to buy another car, but the night before a conflicting schedule, I decided to go buy a bike and rode it to my client site on the beach the next day. It was the best choice I ever made! I get to enjoy my beautiful neighborhood, get exercise and we are saving over $400 a month on a car note. So happy I did it!!

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jessmarimba
jessmarimba Sep 05 2011 at 11:24 AM

Ironcelt, they not only make snow tires, they actually make snow bikes. Salsa's model is the Mukluk, Surly makes the Pugsley, and other brands have them as well.

Pretty much any mountain bike will do alright in snow if you lower the tire pressure. Or the cheapie way to make snow tires (as long as you cross your fingers for no flats) if you have disc brakes, is to put zip ties around the tires.

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anonymous
chet Sep 05 2011 at 10:24 AM

If it's warm, you'll need a good deoderant. Otherwise, get a moped.

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anonymous
IronCelt Sep 05 2011 at 10:14 AM

So, do they sell snow tires for bikes? And how does one navigate the snow plow berms and the ice? We seldom get less than 150 inches of snow per year, and there's generally no melting between December and March, so the roadsides are actually walls....

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anonymous
Guest Sep 05 2011 at 5:57 PM

They do. They have little metal studs in them. I put them on my bike during the PA winters and they work like a charm.

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anonymous
Alejando Sep 05 2011 at 10:11 AM

My work is 27 miles from home. I don't it makes much sense to my ride a bike.

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anonymous
Trish Sep 04 2011 at 8:51 PM

With no bike lanes, sidewalks or shoulders on the road on which to ride a bike, I'll keep driving the 20 miles to work each day.

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anonymous
Guest Sep 05 2011 at 4:36 PM
Your right Tish, Not many people are really warm to the idea of getting run over by a car that ha no respect for cyclist or chased and or bitten by some dog... They could do the bicycle lanes and then the government would want compensation for it as always...Which is understandable...... And there is laws against loose pets but thats not gonna do us any good for someone who doesnt obey the laws...Dog bites are not funny... But I would love to be able to get out and ride......I got a couple of ladies
.... More
who just want to get out on that highway but I sure dont want them hurt... and it would be good for everyone who did ride and good for our Earth..But I dont think our government is worried about whats good for our earth if they cannot make money on it.....They are obsessed with Arab oil.....So I dont see them doing anything to encourage this...
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anonymous
BrentM Sep 04 2011 at 11:43 AM
I love riding to work. I used to ride every day, 15 miles each way, almost all of it on bike paths. The office provides shower facilities, so I would just wake up, get dressed, hop on the bike and go, and shower when I got there. Then the kids came along. Now, with kids having to go to school or daycare, riding is out of the question. No way I could get to the office at any kind of reasonable time. And I would have to leave work early to pick them up in time. I really miss the ride, but if
.... More
I end up having to go in on the weekend for a little overtime, I will usually try to ride.
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anonymous
JP23 Sep 04 2011 at 9:12 AM

Riding a bike to and from work will never be a viable means of transportation as long as people feel they need a shower and change of clothes.
People around the world use bikes for daily transportation and they don't wear those silly special riding clothes and require a shower and change at the end of every leg.

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anonymous
guest Sep 04 2011 at 9:08 AM
and for best of everything you will probably have to order online if you are unlucky enough to live in the US in 2011. US has very little for bikes, for motorcycles etc... even stores carry very little...99% of bikes sold in US are chinese made POS. it is how oil cos. discourage you from biking..so do your own research. buy a quality bike which will last...chinese cos. are just wasting your money and then after it falls apart you are back to wasting more money on oil destroying your life and making
.... More
your food and water more expensive and leading to eventual civil war. it is good to know how to bike in civil war when oil runs out....it is faster than running from angry tea party mobs because you were able to think for yourself.
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anonymous
Guest Sep 05 2011 at 4:13 PM

nice try sounding like you don't live here!

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h4x354x0r
h4x354x0r Sep 03 2011 at 10:17 PM
I've ridden a bike for transportation all my life, from biking to school as a kid, to more of the same during college, to riding to work, and even using my bicycle at work, as an adult. I've displaced at least 150,000 'basic transportation' car miles so far, and I'm still riding strong. I can't offer valid advice on how to "get started." I've never had to transition from a car-centric lifestyle to bike-centric lifestyle. But I can offer some advice about the riding itself. Respect the rules of
.... More
the road. If you do stupid stuff like running traffic controls or passing cars on right without your own full lane, you've got about 5 years of riding like a jerk on a daily basis before the probability of a bad accident exceeds 100%. If you're going to do it regularly, for a lifetime, you've got to do it right. There are courses, and there are mentors out there. Learn how to ride in traffic safely. Wear a helmet. I've only used mine once in 30 years of wearing one. If I didn't wear mine EVERY day, I wouldn't have been wearing it THAT day. The helmet shattered, my skull didn't. Learn your weather situations. Develop strategies to deal with them. I deal with everything from scorching heat and humidity, to bitter snowy cold, and everything in between. I have NO special weather gear, just practical, everyday clothes. But I've also struck agreements with my workplace that allow me to adjust my schedule around weather events, and telecommute sometimes as well. You've got to actually like riding a bike, just for the fun of it. The more you like riding, the better bike commuting gets. I've loved riding since the day I learned. It was my ticket to personal freedom. Sometimes, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world because I'm 48 years old and I still get to ride my bike almost every single day. If you do like riding a bike, commuting is Da Bomb. It does so much for you, and so little against you. Better health. Better concentration after some exercise 1st thing in the morning. A better view of the beauty of nature every day. Better environment. Lower cost.
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anonymous
Guest Sep 04 2011 at 9:05 AM
I agree. but I would add bikers need to be ON the road. in my area bikers use no helmets on the road and then most just ride on the sidewalk.....makes no sense...some where all black, etc..and wonder why they are hit. bikers have every right to use road like anybody else... I wear reflective vest, helmet etc..and I take up the lane... I will be glad to express myself to anybody who honks at me for biking IN the road where I belong. if you are overseas and bike, you do the same.... if you act cowardly
.... More
bullies who drive SUVs will pounce on you and prob. eventually run you over for NOT demanding your share of road. I don't ever like giant SUVs sideswiping me and I ensure they cannot get around me when I am stopped... it is SAFER this way as most care only about protection of themselves and spoiled little monster and care none for others....(it is what they teach their little sh*(s too).... anyway take up whole road or just walk. there are no bike lanes or trails in my town so that is not an option (and town will ensure it stays that way so town can disappear when there is no oil). it is right wing thinking ahead.
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anonymous
Lew McCorvey Sep 03 2011 at 8:43 PM

I live here in Clermont Fla,west of Orlando, we have a great bike trail,its about 12 miles to work,its easy, i have raced in triathlons from 1985 till 2002,yet still ride, i have found the most important part is a good lighting system, i use a bella light,heavy tires,strong rims,this is not a race, but getting to work safe and sound,rain gear,practice at home changing a flat tire, gook luck, be prepared

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anonymous
R.Hertz Sep 03 2011 at 8:01 PM

Well. first you gotts to have a job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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kmc528's picture
kmc528 Sep 03 2011 at 11:49 AM

I'd ride my bike to work, but the corner between the bedroom and the dining room table is too tight a turn.

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anonymous
darinc Sep 03 2011 at 10:28 AM
I would love to ride to work. It's only 8 miles and I am a pretty avid rider so it would be really easy to do. My only problem is I live in Memphis and though we are starting to get really nice bike lanes and trails, they only run East to West. I work in the southern part of the city at a nice office park near the airport, but there is no way to get to the office without riding through some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city. It's scary driving through them in a car, I couldn't imagine
.... More
riding through them on a bike at night.
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anonymous
Guest Sep 03 2011 at 12:43 PM

oh just do it you big wussy.

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anonymous
Guest Sep 03 2011 at 12:43 PM

oh just do it you big wussy.

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