I started riding for recreation again. Lately, I’ve been thinking about commuting on a bike instead of in my car. I enjoy driving to work but I also enjoy cycling. There are so many benefits to commuting on bicycle. There are many inter-related problems that can be solved by cycling to work. I just have to work the kinks out of the commute.
The Benefits
Saves Time and energy. How does bike commuting save us time? We’re able to kill two birds with one stone. I don’t have the opportunity to do anything productive in my car while I drive through traffic unless I have a book-on-tape. On my bike, I can use my commute time to get my exercise in. It saves me boring hours a week in the gym, commuting to the fitness center, finding parking, and waiting for gym equipment. I also don’t have to take my bike to get an oil change, get gas, rotate tires, etc. Most of them are time wasting endeavors unless you are really disciplined with your time.
Saves Money. There are less trips to the the gas station in my future. I’ll change my oil less often. As a side benefit, I do not have to pay Cook County’s gas tax either. Yay!
Giving the Finger to Big Oil Companies. I’m sick of gas prices going up, seeing oil companies grow wealthier, and some guy in South America, Middle East or Russia raking in money while we’re working hard to make money for them. Aren’t you? I’d rather see our financial resources stay in this country. Long term energy independence baby!
Looking and Feeling Good. Bike commuting is extra activity that contributes to better health and for me, weight loss. I’ll feel better. My clothes will look better on me. It’ll boost my confidence. I’ll be more productive in other areas of my life.
Cross Training for the Marathon. I love running but I’m afraid of over doing it and burning myself out. Cycling is a good low impact activity.
Saving Resources for better things. Gas (petrol) is a finite resource on our planet that I’d like to save for fun and exciting endeavors like autocrossing or road trips. My favorite classic and soon to be classic cars need the gas to run in the future.
Lower my impact on the environment. As a bike commuter, I won’t be burning gasoline, changing my oil as often, and creating other environmental issues with my car. I’ll be doing my small part to help everyone breath better. Breathing is good.
Reduce congestion for long haul commuters. There will be one less car on the road creating congestion. Big Blue and I will seek out safer secondary roads to get to work and school. If had to commute 40 miles each day and public transportation is lousy, I’d drive too. Getting from certain parts of Wheeling to Glenview completely sucked for my friend D when she didn’t have her car. No buses went to the Metra station and in other areas, the bus schedules are horrid. Metra also does not allow people to bring their bikes on the train during rush hour. Man, I don’t know what I’m going to do when I start attending UIC and commute from the suburbs.
The Kinks
The Safety Gear. The old helmet I wore in Ireland needs to be replaced. It is seven years old now. I need to find my lights. I’m bound to find myself caught in an evening ride. I need to be visible.
Bike Tune-up. My bike needs to be adjusted and tweaked. The garage is filled with junk and I have no work room. I might head to my local bike shop and shell out the cash to get it done. I don’t want to break down or find that I can’t perform an emergency stop.
Finding a Quality Route. The route I take with my car is treacherous for a bike. After looking at a mapping website, there are no ‘quick’ secondary streets I can ride to get to school and work. Golf Road is a 40mph zone where cars drive typically drive way over the speed limit. I will find a good route over time.
Over the next we months, I’ll be experimenting with bike commuting and see if I can integrate it into my lifestyle. There’s a lot to learn and a bunch to discover.