Standalone 

I feel like I need an e-assist for my motivation. I commuted a LOT in 2009-2012. Got away from it more and more as my graduate work got more and more involved and my kids became teens in need of transport.

I've defended my dissertation and it's time to get back on the bike. But I can't seem to find the motivation. My first go-round included all the excitement of learning about clothing, gear, multimodal commutes, etc. Now it's just effort. I have all the gear.... :/

rumrunn6

maybe go somewhere warm & rent a bike. "but Honey, I have to go to Jamaica to get back into cycling ..."

RubeRad

(a) if you want to bike-commute, but don't actually bike-commute because you apparently don't want it enough (i.e. if you want to want it more than you currently want it), then buy whatever will make you want it as much as you want to want it.

(b) if buying gear hasn't already motivated you, seriously consider whether a significantly more expensive purchase of an e-assist bike might end up being a waste. Do you know anybody with an e-assist bike you can borrow for a week? Is there a store nearby that you could rent one before buying? Maybe even rent with your rental cost being applied to a purchase should you decide to buy?

(c) I've read many times here in BF/Commuting that cyclists grew tired of their long commutes, or moved further away from work, and an e-assist bike was exactly what they needed, and they are very happily, regularly commuting again. Hopefully some of them will chime in here.

(d) "The e-Assist bicycle, the e-Assist bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets" doesn't have the same ring to it.

noglider 

How long is the route between home and work? It can be hard if it's too long.

mcours2006

So the idea of bike commuting is appealing to you but the actual work involved does not? E-bike would certainly take less effort and might just be the ticket.

Papa Tom

When I can't get motivated to start my bike commuting season (I only commute from Spring to Fall), I find the best kick in the butt is to get on the bicycle moaning and groaning one morning and just ride to work, whether I like it or not. By the time I arrive, I am already looking forward to the ride home and all the rides afterward.

BobbyG

I think what @Standalone is saying is that his motivation needs a boost, not his bike.

My motivation derives firstly from the endorphins/adrenaline boost from biking to work. It's great for my mood. When I'm frustrated or blue, even a 30-minute walk does wonders. Sometimes I may miss a week due to schedules and travel, but when the endorphins kick in ~15-20 minutes into my ride it's like a familiar warm, embrace.

Additional motivation comes from how grouchy and out-of-sorts I get when I don't bike for two or three days.

Then there's the distinct memory of how horrible I felt at those times in my life when I didn't ride regularly. The easy fatigue, the weight gain, the lack of stamina. Of course the last time this happened I was off the bike for a year due to a bulging disk in my neck. And while it is intellectually dishonest to conflate the agony of that pain with consequences of not riding, it does work as a motivator.

My experience with a debilitating, painful condition (and the ongoing maladies of friends and family) also reminded me how precious health and mobility are, so on those mornings where I don't particularly feel motivated due to aches, pains, weather or "the blues", I consider my bike commute a big middle finger to all in life that conspires against me; like age-related matters, depression, weather.

As I near 60, I ride more conservatively, and even when I try to push it my average times don't seem to deviate much, so my goal becomes daily consistency and my challenges become mental but also weather related. My low temperature threshold had crept up to 21F, so I pushed it down to 12F, then 10F. (I know 2F is not much of a change, but it was a further mental F-U to the weather. Three years ago I bought studded snow tires and began riding in snow again and ice, which was new to me. Although I did ride in light to moderate rain, I thought there must be a better way and made a rain cape. Then I couldn't wait for it to rain so I could try it out.

From a technical standpoint, I added a helmet cam and started recording my rides and editing ride videos to remind me of how much I enjoyed a particular day's commute.

And every fall I rethink my lighting/reflective gear setup, which makes me want to try it out.

And clothing! Always trying to dress, just right for the weather: In the winter I try to dress to stay warm, but not overheat so I arrive cool and refreshed. In the summer I strive to stay cool. I bought sun sleeves and a neck shade last summer and couldn't wait to ride in the heat to try them out.

And then there's Colorado Springs' growing traffic congestion. I've been bike commuting for 26 years and my commutes are still mostly chilled, relaxed and solitary, while traffic gets more and more aggressive and congested and frustrating. I really hate driving now.

Oh, AND THE PODCASTS. For the last seven years I have been listening to spoken-word podcasts in one ear at a reasonable volume...it helps me to look forward to the next installment. I know I can listen in the car also, but I listen to music more while driving.

And then I think of my family...my kids and grand kids and I want to be healthy and fit enough to enjoy my family as long as possible.

These are the things that motivate me, and hopefully help motivate you.

Or maybe it is as simple as the endorphins.

Standalone 

Standalone 

Darth Lefty 

Gresp15C

Congratulations, Doctor Standalone!

In my view, don't feel too bad if mid-December is a hard time to get back on the bike after being off of it for a while. But I would suggest getting physically active in some other way, such as walking. And take small steps, such as just one nice spring day, then one per week, etc.

Something I did to help get in the habit, was to get absolutely everything ready the night before, so there was no wasted time or decision making in the morning.

acidfast7

Other bits...

(A) Congratulations on your defense! (I assume that it can be a Masters or a Doctorate as they usually both have a viva/defense/dissertation).

(B) What this at Yale based on your location?

(C) And with kids!

(D) I currently have 5 PhDs and 9 Masters students (and about a bajillion undergrads in my group ... usually between 20 and 30 students, which is a lot to manage) and the defense is always something special regardless at which level. I love watching what people do afterward.

(E) However, the job after/promotion if already employed is much nicer!

(F) Remotivation isn't really a word that I'd write or speak even if it is technically a word.

About the bike:

(A) I wouldn't invest in an ebike yet and the US market is quite poor. The German market is quite strong and the best ebike drivetrain comes out of Germany, Continental/Bosch mid-drive motors as an example. I'm seen them in the wild since 2010 in Frankfurt and they get better/cheaper every year. I don't think the US market has caught up and the cost remains too high right now.

(B) Just pedal for now. If you can defend with kids, you can ride a bicycle. No electric assist needed.

(C) commuting isn't about gear at all. it's about integrating it into your daily routine.

(D) finally, most doctoral gain a significant amount of weight while "writing up." the only way to lose it, is by burning it, so get pedalling. it's not that much different than writing the dissertation, everyday some needs to be done.

no motor?

One of the motivating factors to me is knowing what could happen to me if I don't exercise. My upstairs neighbor is a classic example of that, and when I hear the ceiling creak as she shuffles around upstairs I get motivated to ride.

Standalone 

Thank you. I'm not quite a Doctor yet -- I passed the defense three weeks ago, but "with revisions," mainly because my grounded theory study had a lot of methodology as part of the analysis. My committee wanted me to move all of that from my chapter four to chapter three. So, after the Holidays.

I first got into bike commuting by "giving up the car" for Lent in Feb. 2009. I learned about getting things ready etc., and really got things down pat.

A gradual re-start makes sense, though. I'm definitely not acclimated to the weather. Gotten pretty soft.

Thanks. It was an Ed.D. at Southern Connecticut State University. It's their only doctoral level program; the school began as "New Haven State Teachers College." The kids were the motivating factor to continue. I work in a challenging urban school district.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do. The landscape changed much in my district while I was working on my administrative certification and doctorate. I feel sad that I cannot re-invest my skillset here.
My desk copy of the American Heritage dictionary (1969 p. 1084) says:
re-. Indicates: 1. Restoration to a previous condition or position; for example, repay, replace. 2. Repetition of a previous action; for example, reactivate. Note: Many compounds other than those entered here may be formed with re-. [...]" So, "remotivate" is a compound formed so as to satisfy both that note and the second sense given. The entry even has the word "re-realignment" as an example of the occasional necessity of the hyphen. It is the most efficient way to convey my meaning here, which suggests that the formation is warranted.

I used to feel that the word "relatable" wasn't a word since I simply hadn't heard it or read it in 30+ years of avid reading. Looking at my American Heritage -- it actually isn't there, and the entry notes that "to" should be used in the relevant sense, and says that "To interact with others in a meaningful or coherent fashion" is "jargon." A newer dictionary would have it, I've checked. I guess I'm old fashioned.

I'm at about 217-220 pounds. My century weight 9 years ago was just under 190. I think 195 is a good target these days, after some years of bulking up with Karate in the meantime.

I was speaking metaphorically about an e-assist for my motivation -- though the $1999 Haibike flat bar road bike deal this November/December was sorely tempting.

Cheers, and thanks again.

acidfast7

If you're going to drop those bucks; look at a good German bike.

https://www.ebike-manufaktur.com/en/index.php

In many ways, the graduate training in the UK is world-class.

For example, only 2.9% of all PhDs get a permanent academic position (that was in 2013) and it's probably around 1.5% now. So, I don't really train people (we are explicitly trained to NOT train people) for academia. We have to do a lot of training in transferable skills and the MRes/MSc/MPhils/PhDs do a lot of training in these.

I was on the SCSU campus once, as one of my childhood friends was there for the summer.

A change is always good after finishing. You have something to offer a school district,s o why only invest in your old district? You're on the Northeast Corridor Main Line (the only place in the US where trains work correctly) and thus could work nearly anywhere.

Get the most out of that skillset!

Standalone 

The Bosch mid drive in the Haibike looked good to me. I studied in London 1998-99 for some of my undergraduate work. My hometown University where my folks worked claimed to have the oldest American study abroad program. London was a good time. I got there by bicycle, in a sense, having finished some community relations volunteer work in Northern Ireland that summer, I bought a boat anchor 1970's ten speed and a rear rack and rode it from Belfast to Galway to Dublin, then caught a ferry to Wales.

That old gaspipe bike may still be roaming the streets of London.

I'd be sad to leave this high needs district, but I'm afraid that I've burned too many bridges trying to set things right in a very troubled school system, one where I have some long-ago family history. A move would certainly do me good. Hard to know just which direction to go.

Standalone 

Hi Tom,

It's 16 miles one way. But only 3 or 4 if I use the train with my folding bike. There really is no barrier but my own motivation.

acidfast7

Any direction, just don't stand still.

Cyclist0108

Congratulations. Reward yourself: buy a new bike.

acidfast7

No, it should be something with the Dr title involved. I changed all of my legal documents to Dr and in most other countries, Dr is a legal title (on every document including IDs and such). Opened many doors / go better interest rates, tables at restaurants, etc...

Cyclist0108

I've never used "Dr" or "Prof" on anything other than grant applications.

acidfast7

Well, then you've only worked/lived in country where English isn't the primary language. In any Germanic or Asian language, that's a huge deal that the OP is missing out on by not using the title.

Why wouldn't one want to use it with the bank, when I lived in the US, I did. No need to shout it, but don't be afraid.

Then again, I guess it makes sense, as one doesn't need to habilitate in the US/UK, whereas I've already been through that in Germany and don't use PD/Priv Doz on anything used in English.

I say **** it and use the **** out of it.

Cyclist0108

I've only worked in the US and UK.

Anyway, congratulations.

RubeRad

Agreed. I'll pop a "Dr" at the front or "PhD" at the end rarely; most often when my name is included on a proposal at work, and those few letters give the proposal's chances a miniscule boost.

For academic conferences, I skip it, everybody else there has PhD as well.

Nothing on my nameplate at work. I prefer to set expectations low, and dazzle people with my competence

acidfast7

I def use it on my Debit cards and mortgage applications. However, I am speaking with people famous for NINJA or 120% mortgages (I jest!)

Also, on auto insurance and driver's license. Discounts and risk-minimisation are good things people.