Was just thinking this on the way to work this morning after the mrs offer me the car and I declined as I wanted to cycle. Lovely sunny crips autumn morning, if a touch windy!

Just wondering does everybody do it through choice, or is it there only means of getting to work?

Also wondering how many motorists look at me on the bike when its pishing with rain and think “I bet he wishes he has a car?”

I assume that most on here cycle because they want to, not because they have to?

I only get to cycle my 6.5 miles to work maybe twice a week. Wish I could do it more but have to collect kids other days.
I always feel so much more alive after riding in…

I work in a college and amazingly it doesn’t have the cycle to work scheme….rubbish.

I use the bike by choice, but don’t do it every day. Each year I do ‘The Curry challenge’ with a workmate. We log our commuting miles over the year and loser buys a slap up curry and drinks. I’m currently 224 miles up, but have been very slack of late, I was 500 miles up.Hopefully my new bike and the diminishing lead will get me back in gear next week. Lack of sleep from being a new dad doesn’t help, but losing is not an option. 13.5 miles each way.

🙂

I chose to as i want to and like doing it so my car just sits on the drive at home though there are days that i listen to the wind and chose the car.

i do.
i have a company van, but leave it at home and cycle in.
van comes in handy for transport to rides. or when i went to rides. 🙁

Yes everyday, even on the school run with both my girls pedalling themselves too! Its not a mega mile commute only 5 miles each way but it keeps you on the right track.

My car languishes at home outside the house and only gets to go somewhere if I am going mountain biking, big shopping or a day trip out with the family. My motorbike tempts me but I can’t see the point in taking it out for 5 miles on a boring commute.

Its only when the weather is really filthy rain and wind that hurts do I wish I was in a car/bus/train etc.

yes.

cycling to work is expensive*, time consuming, tiring.

but most of it is quite good fun.

(*driving to work costs me £3/day in fuel**, i spend way more than that on tyres/food/lights/clothes/more food in the name of cycling)

(**i’m not including other costs, because that would be stupid)

I don’t drive to my new job – 1 mile walk to the station, 3 stops in the train, half mile walk at the other end.

I try to do one or two days on the bike as well, depends on the weather when I get up, and whether my train pass is still valid 🙂

I work with my wife in our shop. She drives in and I ride.
I do have a nice commute though, 3 miles off road but can be longer.
She sees cars, I see kingfishers,herons,woodpeckers and parakeets.

I do find though that if I cycle to work too often, I don;t want to go out mountain biking as much

Absolutely. Even on my commute days (when I don’t take my son to nursery) if it’s raining, I’ll still go by bike. Can’t beat it.

Yes every day have done for years it’s part of my work day I’d be lost without it. Many is the time I’ve refused a lift when it’s been pissing down our minus 5:)

I do it through choice because I enjoy it. A couple of times a week. 15 miles each way on pretty quiet roads and some fairly major hills

There was a smash on the M60 on Wednesday morning and I sat in stationary traffic for over an hour. Don’t get that on the bike.

Sometimes I’ll have to take the car due to kid picking up duties and I’ll feel cheated if its a nice morning

I leave the car at home. If I don’t cycle I don’t feel awake. I find driving the commute during rush hour painful. When I drive the commute still feels like work, but when I cycle the moment I’m on the bike, I feel like it’s my time. It’s like finishing work earlier!

I could buy a scooter or a car but don’t. cycle commuting is my quickest way of getting to work

Yep, four miles each way every day, regardless of weather. My wife drives every day, parks in my parking space at work and then walks the couple of hundred metres to her office. I just prefer cycling, get some fresh air, some exercise, get to see some wildlife (seals, penguins, birdlife, and even orcas on one occasion). On winter evening I get time to appreciate the sunsets over the harbour. I reckon people who drive are nuts, really 🙂

I try not to justify cycling as a financial improvement.. rather a more pleasant way to get from a to b.
The alternative is sitting next to someone with poor bum muscle control who farts everytime the bus hits a pot hole.

By choice, couple of days a week. The car struggles if I take a singletrack detour through the Forest so I take the bike instead 8)

Oh yes. Could take the bus (sometimes do) or the van but cycling is way more enjoyable and a better use of time as it gets travel and some training kncoked off at the same time. The cycle only takes me around 10 mins more than the bus anyway.

The alternative is sitting next to someone with poor bum muscle control who farts everytime the bus hits a pot hole.

i don;t get the bus 😉

yep. my van sits at home if i cycle in.

I have friends who have sold their cars to force them to ride more. I wonder if i could do that as i often drive in due to lack of planning/ injury/ resting etc.

Have to take the train into London, but I always cycle across the city rather than take the Tube. Even in the coldest of winter weather, cycling beats the Central Line.

By choice but the alternative cost money and takes longer. Some days I like the commute, others I hate it.

Depends what your potential commute is like too. When I take the mountain bike, extended route home comes over the top of here. Cheeky singletrack all the way down 😉

I prefer to ride but I sometimes take the car (various reasons as to why I might drive). On the other hand I really miss cycling if I don’t do it for a couple of days.

I cycle a day or two a week in fair weather when I don’t have to drop Jnr off at the school bus stop. When he’s old enough to lock the house up and walk to the bus himself I’ll be able to cycle in more often.

I only do it in fair weather though as it’s a 40 mile round trip, and there’s nothing worse than having to put wet kit on to get back on the bike.

I’m the same, given the option of car or bike I’ll always use bike :
It’s only a short <4 mile distance so not good for your car
It wakes you up.
It’s cheaper.
It’s good for you.
Best of all – you look rock hard in the middle of Winter when you’re still riding on ice/snow etc and all your colleagues are there moaning about conditions 🙂

Yes definitely! I have a company car and choose to cycle.

I ride through 2 London parks and along the side of the thames, fab city ride.

I cant safely cycle the whole way as some of it would be on a suicidal dual carridgeway (the A34), or a massive detour.

So I drive to where the missus works, park there and cycle the rest of the way, about 16-17k.

If its pissing it down I drive, if its OK I cycle unless its Tuesday/Thursday which is night riding day.

4 years ago I chose to sell my car and buy a bike and opt to cycle to work.

That was my first venture into proper cycling. Now 4 years later I’m completely obsessed in the things and bike number six will be arriving very soon.

Looking forward to the snow coming as I’ll be able to detour on the cx bike. 😀

I could use train, bus or take my car – instead I chose to cycle, every day, rain, wind, snow etc. It wakes me up in the morning, and I can relieve my stress on the way home.

Sold the car a couple of years ago in favour of the bike. I enjoy when people look at me and think I’m mad in the howling wind and rain. I’m lucky that my office fitted a shower room and they’re trying to encourage healthy living and all that jazz.

Have to take the train into London

Why?

I’ve recently started working in the City, I refuse to spend £4000 on a season ticket, so I’m driving part way (it’s 50 miles door to door, which I CBA doing before work!), and cycling in 25 or so miles a few days a week. Hopefully move a bit closer eventually so I can cycle the whole way.

When I was working in Horsham it was very much voluntary, there’s a motive in saving large chunks of money as well now!

I see work as an inconvenient break in my riding! 😀

I could take the car or get the Metro (tram in Newcastle) but I nearly always cycle. I don’t mind bad weather, I quite enjoyed the ride/run in when there was a foot of snow on my route. I’m worried I’d get soft if I stopped as soon as the weather was bad. You get used to the cold as the seasons change as you are out everday so winter is less of a shock to the system. Also it keeps me fit, if I didn’t commute I’d want to do some extra training anyway.

i could get the tube or bus

but its expensive, slow, restrictive and id get fat(ter)

I always choose the bike, it’s the best way to start the day and great to wind down if it’s been stressful.
People do think you’re a bit mental cycling in the snow when it’s sub zero but I’ve never failed to make it to work, often feeling very smug with cars slipping and sliding around.

Depends what you mean by “don’t have to”. I have a car, and I could afford to drive it to work, but I choose to cycle. It keeps me reasonably fit (I never do any actual “training” for events other than commuting and other riding), wakes me up and is enjoyable. I only drive if I have to carry a passenger or big luggage (probably once every other week or so).

My commute is well suited to cycling though – it’s about 10 miles each way across Dartmoor, either by road or a variety of tracks depending on mood. When I’m sat in an office all day it’s nice to have some riding either side, even in grim weather. Wakes you up in the morning and good for venting some aggression on the climb back home after a bad day 🙂

i always choose bike. The car sits in the drive all day. 10 years and counting now for the “voluntary” two wheeled commute.

I do but it’s cheating really as it’s only a 13 minute walk to work anyway, but I ride in a slightly longer route to get about 20 mins in in the AM but the real reason is to do anything from 30 mins to 2 hours at night.

I also no longer have a car, but even if I did it would be slower than either the walk or the bike due to roads where I live and to work. I bet in term time I’d be hard pushed to do it in less time in a car than on foot.