With rising gas prices, the most beautiful weather I've felt in a long time, and pretty spring flowers in full bloom, I've decided to finally try biking to work. It's something I've thought about for a long time, but never had the guts to actually do it. I got my bike tuned up last night and decided while my confidence was high I needed to jump in with two feet and just do it before I chickened out for another few months! I'm only about 11 miles from my office and there's a new fancy paved and non-motorized path that I can take for about 5 of those miles so it really wasn't too bad (aside from the first hilly 6 miles...but I'm trying to erase those from my memory so I'll ride it again).
During my ride into the office I started to go through some positives and negatives of commuting to work via rode-bike...
Con: Pennsylvania is NOT the most biker-friendly or biker-populated area. It's definitely no Austin where I'm fairly positive there are more bikers than drivers.
Pro: Arrive to work stress-free and 350 calories down to start the day (and then another 350 before dinner from the ride home).
Con: Prepare breakfast; you will be hungrier than normal at 8am!
Pro: Save roughly $6 a day in gas...$30 a week and $120 a month
Con: Felt a bit trapped in the office; lunch-time errands are not possible and lunch break is confined to a quarter-mile walking radius.
Pro: Get home from work not only done with your work day, but also done with your workout! No extra time spent working out.
Con: Wiping down with a wet wipe, getting dressed and trying to dry the sweat out of your hair in an office public bathroom - not the easiest task.
Pro: Feeling of accomplishment boosts work productivity.
Con: Deer bolting across the street are not just a hazard for moving vehicles; also moving bicyclists (true story.)
Pro: Passing-up stand-still traffic is the best feeling.
Con: Getting a flat tire and having to walk you bike a half-mile to the nearest gas station while all those stand-still cars are now passing YOU...not so much the best feeling.
All-in-all I think biking to work is definitely a great alternative to driving. It's not possible for me to do every day of the week, but I'd love to try it at least a few days a week, weather permitting. I'm a bit nervous to try it again after my first flat tire on my first ride home, but thanks to a pretty handy and bike-savvy boyfriend, I now know how to change the tire myself and have all the tools to do so and am feeling pretty prepared.
A few more practice trips and I'll have my route down and hopefully learn some shortcuts.
All you bikers out there...any tips for me??
