Commuter Chronicles We invite you to read this page's commuter e-mails, then get in on the fun, fitness and $avings of riding to work! For a head start, this eBook provides proven solutions to the 21 most-common commuting concerns. Click the cover to see them in the table of contents. Tips for printing an eBook          $12.95 eBook RBR Publishing Co. 50 pages 21 photos PDF file size: 543 KB   May is National Bike Month in the U.S., including Bike-to-Work Week and Bike-to-Work Day. For information on this year's promotion, check with the League of American Bicyclists. RBR's Ed Pavelka (shown with his transportation bike) encourages you to give commuting a try. For extra motivation and education, here are success stories from people who took the plunge, some on a recent Bike-to-Work Day. You can do it, too! A Commuter Is Born Car? What Car? Car? What Car II? Truck? What Truck?

• Better than Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll

• Try 'Bicycle Pooling'

• Safety in the Dark

• Commuting Through Winter
   

• A New Kind of Weight Training

• Hopelessly Addicted

• Return to the Good Old Days

• A New Way to 'Train' 

• Back in the Saddle
   

• Another Way Commuting Saves Money

• 58 Miles Roundtrip

• One Way is Better than No Way

• Favorite Part of the Day

• Let Me Count the Advantages. . .
   

• Tandem With a Special Friend

• Tandem With a Special Friend II

• Morning Commute: Better Than Caffeine

• Like a Mini Vacation Twice a Day

• Everyone Should Try Commuting for Two Weeks

A Commuter Is Born

I just read Bicycle Commuting for Fun & Profit and am really excited about starting to ride my bike to work on Monday.

You were right! All I had to do was look around to find a place to store my bike in the building where I work. I thought that because it’s such high security, they would not let me come in through a back entrance. Like you said, all I had to do was ask! The security office was glad to accommodate.

No showers, but I did find a room conveniently located next to the back entrance with a sink. I’ll use it as my changing room. I won’t have to walk around the office in tights!

My husband was so surprised about me wanting to do this. He thought I was too much into style to agree to take sponge baths at work. Now he is considering riding the tandem with me and dropping me off and picking me up. He even offered to install a rack and bag on the tandem.

Thanks for all the tips. When I bought the eBook I did not realize it would have such an immediate effect on me. I thought I would never say this about going to work, but here it is: I can't wait until Monday! -- Mercedes C.

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Car? What Car?

I've occasionally commuted to work by bike. Your newsletters have helped me make commuting a more regular habit. Much thanks!

Granted, I live in San Diego and only commute about 6 miles each way. But, I figure I am one less car on the road and feel much better doing it.

Riding to work every day last week convinced me that it really isn't hard at all. After a few days you get a rhythm going. You don't miss the car at all. -- Jerry W.

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Car? What Car II?

In 1977 I bought a late-model car that annoyed the hell out of me with its constant squeaks and rattles. I finally told my wife that I'd rather ride my bike than drive that piece of crap. I sold the car, started bike commuting, and haven't looked back.

If you leave the car in the driveway and ride a bike, you save a few dollars in operating costs. If you can get rid of the car, then you save real money because you also eliminate the fixed costs. No car payments, insurance or license fees add up to big money saved. -- Larry S.

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Truck? What Truck?

Better than Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll

I've been commuting by bike for about a year. It's a 25-mile roundtrip to college. I tell anyone who will listen how great it is.

If like me you are married, stressed, poor and have young children, for God's sake cycle to work! It is a better stress reliever than sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll put together. Which is handy 'cause you gotta give up all that when you get hitched.

I live in the south of Scotland. The hills are steep, the wind is strong, the rain is horizontal and the truck drivers are mad. So if I can do it every day, so can you! -- Luke H.

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Try 'Bicycle Pooling'

I've been bicycling to work for almost five years. When I began, almost everyone considered me a freak. They thought it very dangerous.

Things have gotten a lot better. We've worked very hard at distributing fliers of our state's major bicycling laws and getting educational letters printed in the newspaper. More and more people have started bicycling as recreation and transportation.

Wow! You should see the huge changes in people's attitudes and behaviors!

Now, we've started "bicycle pooling." A local non-profit organization has been working to promote carpooling. They're letting us use their services to sign up for bicycle pooling.

Bicycle pooling is when people who live near each other, work near each other and have similar work hours commute together in a group. It's a great way for us hardcore bike commuters to help novices get the courage to ride to and from work. -- Kimberly

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Safety in the Dark

I commute year round, a couple of days a week. My number one tip is to get two high-quality lights plus a rear flasher.

The need for the flasher and the handlebar light is obvious. The helmet light is used for cornering, when your handlebar light isn't pointing where you want to go. But most importantly, it's used to get motorists' attention.

If I see someone coming up a side street in a big hurry, looking to blow through the intersection or turn right without stopping, I shine it right in their eyes just for an instant. Since I'm coming from the side, it doesn't blind them, but it sure gets their attention and they hit the brakes.

This also works for people on the same road you're on, who are about to turn left in front of you. Just don't keep shining them once they've seen you. -- Rob C.

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Commuting Through Winter

Most commuters are warm-weather riders. I ride in winter.

I own a mobile bike repair shop and spend summers driving from house to house tuning up bikes. When the snow comes, I close up shop and bring out my bike.

For many years I commuted 15 miles to town from my home in the mountains. On nice days with enough light, I rode my Bike Friday both ways, or folded it up and put it in a bag to catch a ride home.

On snowy days, a mountain bike with on/off-road tires was perfect for the daily combination of gravel road, interstate highway and city streets. Tire pressure of 65 psi was fairly smooth on the highway, and I let air out if I needed more traction on the unplowed streets in town.

Now I live in town and navigate streets with studded tires (Nokian Mount & Ground), reflective clothing and lots of lights -- all stunning accessories to my office attire. More than once I've tucked the back of my skirt into my belt, put a helmet over my gray head and ridden down a flight of stairs.

I have different cycling outfits for 50 degrees, 30, 15 and 0. While I rode a couple of times when it was below zero, when it's that cold, legs turn to wood and a 50-minute commute becomes a very unpleasant two-hour ride.

The payoff? My bike flies in the spring air when the snow is gone. I'm already in shape for the roads and trails while my riding buddies gasp for breath. -- Linda G., Helena, MT

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A New Kind of Weight Training

I took a job at the beginning of this year partially so that I could commute.

It works great for me, because some evenings I plan to ride after work but things crop up -- like kid's sports and school activities, family activities, household chores, service calls for work. And I have a hard time sticking with early-morning training.

My commute is almost 10 miles each way. I purchased a rack and mounted a light on my late '80s Bianchi. I ride easy in the morning, then occasionally take off on an extra loop or tackle a few extra hill on the way home.

After hauling the commuting bike with a heavy battery up the hills, I almost fly up climbs during group rides.

I kept the old pedals with clips and straps so I can ride in whatever shoes I need to work in. One less thing to haul around.

When I get to work I'm really awake and feel pretty good. I almost feel like I'm getting away with something, like I get to go out and play. It doesn't get a whole lot better (unless someone brings extra coffee). -- J.D.K.

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Hopelessly Addicted

Until I retired, I bike commuted for 19 years -- 13 miles each way from suburban Philadelphia to center city.

Bike Commuting for Fun & Profit properly lists the obstacles that prevent people from trying. My biggest problem in getting started was to overcome the feeling of foolishness. After that, it was easy.

I once went eight years without a sick day from work. Some days I shouldn't have ridden, but I was hopelessly addicted to the ride. (And probably cheap, too.)

Commuting made going to work so much better for me. And, of course, I looked forward to the ride home, too. -- Dick W.

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Return to the Good Old Days

I started sporadically commuting to work last year after dislocating my foot in a rock climbing accident and needed to find a way to exercise without impacting my busy schedule. I found that commuting to work (it's 5 miles each way) took only slightly longer than driving. Along with walking at lunch time, I was able to rehabilitate without having to cut into family time.

I used to race in local citizen bike races before I got married and settled down, and I really missed the time I spent riding and training. When I started riding to work, I got the chance to enjoy that part of my life again. I only wish the commute was longer. -- Tom R.

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A New Way to 'Train'

I cycled 20 miles roundtrip every day during my last employment. Now, I'm "semi-retired" with my own business. I still visit clients and do errands on my bike.

A couple of my clients are in another city about 100 miles away. I use the combination of my bicycle and Amtrak to call on them.

This is a great way to extend your range if you can combine public transportation with cycling! -- Dick T.

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Back in the Saddle

Thanks for your encouragement to get back on my bike again.

I woke up an hour early and went for it. Nineteen miles to work in 1:07. Man, do I feel my quads this morning. But, I am ever so thankful for that first ride of the year and I'm looking forward to my second -- going home tonight. -- Don S.

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Another Way Commuting Saves Money

I'm disappointed! I couldn't ride to work today because we are having thunderstorms. I have 2 guidelines I follow for safety and comfort reasons: I don't ride in wet weather or when the morning temperature is below 15 degrees.

I've been commuting via bike off and on for over 25 years and consistently for the last 6. My daily commute is 35 miles, roundtrip. As Ed mentioned, bike commuting is a great way to save money and stay healthy (both mind and body).

One thing Ed didn't mention was the fact that you also save money by using someone else's hot water for your daily shower after your commute! -- George H.

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58 Miles Roundtrip

My first bike commute to work was on June 7 last year. I've learned many things since then and come to enjoy the early morning and early evening time in the saddle.

It's 58 miles from my home to work and back. It allows me to get some good base training miles without taking too much more time away from the family.

In my case, commuting to work is all about logistics. I bike to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I have to make sure that I have clothes at work the day before, pack meals and plenty of granola bars for energy, and be ready for that stiff southern breeze that picks up on warm summer days.

But my advice to all bikers is get in the saddle and commute. I almost always enjoy the ride, and I never have to stress out about traffic jams on my bike. -- Keith G.

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One Way is Better than No Way

My commute from Boulder, CO, to my office is 24 miles. I do it three or four times a week. I wake up early and don't think, "I gotta get up and go to work." I think, "I'm going for a ride!"

Like many others, I have family obligations. The time commitment of making a roundtrip by bike would be a problem. But I'm part of a van pool, and at our request they put a four-bike rack on the van. So I ride to work and van pool home. I couldn't ask for a better setup.

If commuting roundtrip seems like too much to bite off, look for a coworker that you could car pool home with. -- Al P.

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Favorite Part of the Day

I've been commuting to work for the last two years. It's great and I wouldn't give anything for it. It's my favorite part of the day. -- William R.

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Let Me Count the Advantages. . .

I only ride five miles to work, but use the way home to ride from 10 to 15 extra miles in the evening. One of the best advantages to living in Phoenix is that commuting is a year-round option, even though winter mornings can be as cold as 35 degrees and summer afternoons as hot as 120.

There are many advantages I've found in commuting.

First, because my sons drive, I don't always have a free vehicle.

Second, thanks to Maricopa County efforts to reduce cars on the road, I receive $1 per day that I ride.

Third, the ride into work gets my juices going and I'm more ready to meet the day. On the way home, I ride hard and reduce the stresses from work so that I'm easier to get along with at home.

I also use my commuting to train for long rides and do centuries three or four times per year. Commuting is great for exercise and stress relief! -- Mike S.

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Tandem With a Special Friend

Throughout Northern California, today is being promoted as Bike-to-Work Day. I arranged to commute on my Santana tandem. About halfway through, I picked up my executive assistant at her home and we rode in to work together in fast-paced style.

The only negative with this scenario is that during the first half of my commute, I'm constantly barraged with people in cars at stop lights, asking me if I knew that I lost my stoker. Ha, ha... not really funny the 10th time.

So, I've begun the initiation of a new rider who is talking all morning about how easy and fun it is to ride to work -- and it takes nearly the exact same total time! She is complaining a bit about "helmet hair," but I'm trying to convince her that it's a badge of honor! Soon, there will be another solo driver off the roads and joining us in the fresh air -- and getting even more fit. -- Ron M.

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Tandem With a Special Friend II

Today I rode my tandem to my blind friend's house, then we rode to her job (12 miles), as it was "bike-to-work day." We think it's a great idea! We can't do it every day, unfortunately. -- Guy T.

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Morning Commute: Better Than Caffeine

I've been commuting by bike off-and-on since 1979. I started when I was working for Florida Power and Light in south Florida. The length of the commute was 16 miles through Everglades-like terrain. It got kind of interesting on occasion with the varied critters in the area.

After moving back to Colorado, I continued to ride to work. My commute was 34 miles one way. Needless to say, I got pretty skinny and was in the best shape of my life.

I now live in the Tri-Cities area of southeastern Washington and commute about 15 miles each way. It helps to prepare me for my day and clears the cobwebs better than a double-tall latte. In this area you can commute by bike all year long because of the mild climate. It also helps that my employer has a shower in one of the buildings.

I'll probably continue to commute by bike, even after I need to use a trike! -- Bruce L.

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Like a Mini Vacation Twice a Day

One of the coolest things I ever heard about commuting on a bike is that it's like a mini vacation twice a day.

I now live in Montrose, CO, and get to ride with Fred fairly often, which is cool.  I sure was spoiled back in Boulder where I commuted for years. I have a story for almost every day.

• The summer where I had a "creek path race" with the same guy on most commutes. He got stronger and stronger. By August I had to ride further so I could drop him before I turned off.

• The 5-foot bull snake I caught on the path. I put him in my bag and took him to work. Scared the hell out of the receptionist just by telling her he was in there.

• Saw fox, deer, beavers, all kinds of wildlife.

• Waved to the same guy going the other direction everyday for years. Never met him, but I know he's my buddy. -- Ken W.

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Everyone Should Try Commuting for Two Weeks

I started commuting four days a week and love it.

I'm a novice cyclist with a high-stress, long-hour job. My commute time is really the only time I have for myself. It allows me to include the riding I love into my schedule. Too often I found that at the end of a hard day, I could find way too many excuses not to ride. But you have to go to work, and you have to go home, so it takes away a lot of the excuses.

I suggest that everyone try commuting for at least two weeks. For me, it took that long to get over the initial pain/disgust of riding that early in the morning! -- John H.

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