[OGRipper]

Been commuting on the bike then burning through a tank getting out on the weekends. Could be worse.

Yeah this is my story too. I rarely drive my car during the week but it carries me to the mountains for the weekends. I do ride a moto a couple days a week but it barely uses any gas.

I'm lucky that my ride too work is mostly downhill (no sweat), and that I have an office where I can stash clothes. Between my bike, moto, and public transit, I almost never drive my car to work.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Man, you guys are making me feel really guilty. I live 2.2 miles from work, but somehow only manage to bike commute maybe one day a week on average. I find that if I want to do stuff after work, or bring large things to/from work then bike commuting is not as practical. But I certainly could ride in more than I currently do.

Sh*t son, if I lived that close to work I'd be running my commute. How much crap you hauling around that it doesn't all fit in a backpack?

 

[JustMtnB44]

2.2 miles and you carry stuff? You really have it hard.

Those kinds of loads are why I drive a wagon. But I do have a rear rack on my bike so carrying smallish boxes is no problem. I'm just lazy I guess.

The best part is my girlfriend only rides bikes, and does not and has never driven a car. Unsurprisingly she also spent the last 15 years in the bay area, before moving here 2.5 years ago. So that should motivate me since she rides 18 miles each way to work a few times a week, or does 6 miles + bus the other days...

 

[sanjuro]

Those kinds of loads are why I drive a wagon. But I do have a rear rack on my bike so carrying smallish boxes is no problem. I'm just lazy I guess.

The best part is my girlfriend only rides bikes, and does not and has never driven a car. Unsurprisingly she also spent the last 15 years in the bay area, before moving here 2.5 years ago. So that should motivate me since she rides 18 miles each way to work a few times a week, or does 6 miles + bus the other days...

Seriously, it gives me a headache to drive, and a big smile to ride.

 

[jimmydean]

Yeah this is my story too. I rarely drive my car during the week but it carries me to the mountains for the weekends. I do ride a moto a couple days a week but it barely uses any gas.

What kind of mileage does the super moto get? My Triumph (running sh!tty) gets about 40mpg commuting at a spirited rate of speeds on back roads. That's another reason I love the idea of the BRD. I think the cost was $75 a year to charge the Empule.

As a side note, this just opened down the street from me. It's bad ass.

Green Gas.
http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=131604769560759200

The canopy, while shielding customers from sun and rain, supports an array of solar-energy panels to offset electricity use alongside a vegetated eco-roof to absorb rainfall before it reaches storm drains.

Energy-saving LED lights illuminate the pumping area, canopy and the Extra Mile’s coolers, whose temperatures — get this — are maintained by a geothermal heat-exchange system.

Anchored by a 425-foot well on a landscaped corner of the property, the system will access 54-degree air down below. Through heat exchange, the water will deliver cool as well as heated air into the market. It will also fuel the ice machine, refrigeration systems and the store’s water heater.

To top it all off, Barman installed a charging station for electric cars. Because of the money he’s saving through solar power, Barman offers free charge-ups to customers.

And the gas is $.15 cheaper a gallon than the Chevron down the street.

<edit> I want my BRD!

 

[woodsguy]

When I worked in Cambridge and lived in Newton I biked to work EVERYDAY. It was only 6 miles and 5 of those were on the Charles River Bikeway. OK, there were a few exceptions - soccer game right after work, site visit, broken bike, etc - but in two years I probably only drove in a half dozen times. I take pride in saying rode in no matter what, -20deg, wind, snow storms, ice storms (that was fun; the entire path was an ice rink), thunderstorms, you name it. I figured no condition was too bad that I couldn't put up with it for 20 minutes. The worst was when they didn't plow the path right away (most of the time they were really good about plowing). Those days I would take the mnt bike and plow through. It was a good distance to sprint both ways. My best time was 16 minutes (24mph average! not bad for my 25lb steel bike). My work had a nice shower room and bike storage. When I moved 30 miles out I took the commuter rail. Sometimes I would drive to near where I used to live and bike the rest of the way in or I would bike in, take the train home and bike home the next day. The way home sucked. It was all gradual climbs with steep downhills with stop signs at the bottom.

Now I work at home so there is no commute.

 

[dante]

Man, you guys are making me feel really guilty. I live 2.2 miles from work, but somehow only manage to bike commute maybe one day a week on average. I find that if I want to do stuff after work, or bring large things to/from work then bike commuting is not as practical. But I certainly could ride in more than I currently do.

Large things like.... a case of beer?

We're estimating that the wife has racked up ~2,000 miles commuting so far this year, and it would have been more if she didn't travel so much for work. 25 miles round-trip, 4 days per week, 3 weeks per month, every month between March and now. My commute is a measly 2 miles, so it really doesn't even begin to compare...

 

[Konabumm]

Seriously, it gives me a headache to drive, and a big smile to ride.

HELL YEAH! Every morning I get into work I feel great having got my heart pumping. There is just something about hearing the wheels of my bike of the pavement first thing in the morning that just makes me happy.

 

[Konabumm]

When I worked in Cambridge and lived in Newton I biked to work EVERYDAY. It was only 6 miles and 5 of those were on the Charles River Bikeway. OK, there were a few exceptions - soccer game right after work, site visit, broken bike, etc - but in two years I probably only drove in a half dozen times. I take pride in saying rode in no matter what, -20deg, wind, snow storms, ice storms (that was fun; the entire path was an ice rink), thunderstorms, you name it. I figured no condition was too bad that I couldn't put up with it for 20 minutes. The worst was when they didn't plow the path right away (most of the time they were really good about plowing). Those days I would take the mnt bike and plow through. It was a good distance to sprint both ways. My best time was 16 minutes (24mph average! not bad for my 25lb steel bike). My work had a nice shower room and bike storage. When I moved 30 miles out I took the commuter rail. Sometimes I would drive to near where I used to live and bike the rest of the way in or I would bike in, take the train home and bike home the next day. The way home sucked. It was all gradual climbs with steep downhills with stop signs at the bottom.

Now I work at home so there is no commute.

I hear you! Last week people were laughing at me because as I was walking out to my bike they could see the $hit storm of rain coming down. One person said I feel bad for you!!! I looked her dead in the eye and said "funny, I feel bad for you"

When I got home I was drenched - but it was a great ride home and I still road the long way home.

 

[C.P.]

When I worked in Cambridge and lived in Newton I biked to work EVERYDAY.

I have a similar story, when I lived in Newton and worked in Boston (at least 12 years ago), I commuted by bike into Copley Square, roughly 7 miles, no matter the weather. The interesting part was I had a company paid parking spot in the Hancock Garage, and I still rode in every day. Many people thought I was a little nuts with a free parking spot in Boston, but I knew I had the whole thing figured out, and that they just wouldn't understand...

Now, I have a company car, and can still bike to work, but logistics often don't work in my favor, as I am always traveling for work, sometimes to and from home. The corporate office is about 16 miles bike ride, and I have done it in the past, but I never have a perfect schedule where I can count on being able to ride my bike in, and not need to be somewhere before leaving for the trip home. But, at least I always have my MTB in the car ready for a lunch/post work ride!

 

[Polandspring88]

I'd love to bike into work as its only 6 miles, but its through a bundle of high traffic areas in Saugus and Lynn. Not very appealing as the drivers around here are already bad enough.

 

[OGRipper]

What kind of mileage does the super moto get? My Triumph (running sh!tty) gets about 40mpg commuting at a spirited rate of speeds on back roads. That's another reason I love the idea of the BRD. I think the cost was $75 a year to charge the Empule.

I haven't really figured it out yet. All I know is that I get about 90 miles on a tank, it's way less thirsty than my Cherokee, and it's much better at getting through Bay Area traffic.

 

[bean]

My office is about fifteen feet from the kitchen and ten feet from the bedroom.

I tried biking once, but my wife wasn't a fan at all.

 

[sanjuro]

I haven't really figured it out yet. All I know is that I get about 90 miles on a tank, it's way less thirsty than my Cherokee, and it's much better at getting through Bay Area traffic.

I'm only getting about 32mph to the gallon. Stupid Gixxer sucks gas especially when I keep it over 100mph.

 

[-BB-]

and the Beemer @ 65 MPG

What BMW gets 65mpg?

 

[Pesqueeb]

What BMW gets 65mpg?

F650gs. My 125cc scooter got 100mpg+

 

[Quo Fan]

I'd bike the 5.5 miles to my office, but sometimes I don't know if I'm heading out into the field to do an inspection, or monitoring for the day. Can't ride a bike from the office to do an inspection, or pull 4 or more seismographs on the bike, and still do it in a reasonable amount of time. We bill for travel time.

 

[mandown]

i'm a bit sad to notice i use less gas now that i don't ride as much. no long drives to the trailhead means less petrol in my toaster.

 

[zdubyadubya]

My office is 9 miles by bike trail from my office.

Freudian slip?

My commute is 25 mi each way, but I'm pretty sure that commuting into DC on a bicycle would get me killed within the week. I tried the metro but ended up spending MORE money and it took LONGER. Way to go public transit!

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

Wait, wait, wait, wait.............


Doesn't Konabumm have an H2? He could save money commuting driving a rocket car instead.

 

[kickstand]

I'd commute to work, if I had a place to shower at work, a closet to store my work clothes, didn't live 50+ highway miles from work, didn't get to work before the sun came up and leave about the time it starts getting dark,,,,,,,and a host of other excuses....

but, 26,000 miles a year just commuting, kinda tough to try and make that work on a bike.

 

[Serial Midget]

I live about 3 miles from work and really should commute... I have no excuse but I do get to go home for lunch every day.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Wait, wait, wait, wait.............


Doesn't Konabumm have an H2? He could save money commuting driving a rocket car instead.

And probably look like less of a douchebag too.

 

[Konabumm]

Wait, wait, wait, wait.............


Doesn't Konabumm have an H2? He could save money commuting driving a rocket car instead.

I had an H3 years ago, I now drive a honda element. It took me getting into my 30's to realize that having a big obnoxious vehicle wasn't necessary.

 

[Konabumm]

Interesting commute home last night. I work on a navy base, so for my rides home I always take the long way home. So last night I'm about 6 miles into my ride home (still on the navy base) when they have the roads blocked off due to a "suspicions package" bomb squad and the everything. They wouldn't let me pass, so I had to turn around. My 25 mile ride home ended up being 35 miles. So I had an extra glass of wine last night

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

I saw a guy on one of those stupid folding, 20" wheeled bikes come this close to getting hit by a car today. He was wearing sandals and no helmet, she was an old woman driving a Prius. I think if she actually did hit him it would have evoked zero emotion from me.

 

[slyfink]

My bike commute is 1.4 miles from home. I bike everyday until they start putting salt on the roads. Then I walk, which is a 1 mile commute. I love it not only caus' I save money or drive less, but because I'm home in 5 minutes when I ride and 20 when I walk, which gives me more time with my boy. I compare that to my cubicle mate who has a baby girl, and has to commute about 45 minutes each way. That's an hour and a half more that I get to spend with my kid.

 

[Heidi]

It's good to see a lot of you actually bike commuting! Keep up the good work!

 

[Pesqueeb]

Broke the 3k mark riding in this morning!

Sorry bout the crappy cell phone pic.

 

[jimmydean]

Bike parking at my office.

 

[skibunny24]

I'm just lazy, mostly.

Me too. I rode the entire month of May when it was still cold and rainy, but then as soon as the competition was over for work and the weather was perfect for riding... Something happened! ...or actually, nothing... Now that the weather is going to be cold and crappy again, maybe there will be another contest to motivate me!

Also, SO MUCH WIN in this thread.