EricL

I almost never 'feel like riding' when I first get up, usually between 5 and 5:30am. Probably 1 of 3 mornings that I plan on riding I'll sit there with my coffee and think of reasons not to. Then I just start getting my stuff ready like a robot. By the time I get outside to the bike I am chomping at the bit. I don't remember regretting a commute, even when I end up soaking wet or half frozen. I have regretted driving more than twice. Just need to get past the first doubts of the morning. My commute is 22 miles each way with about 900 feet of climbing, I do it roughly 3 times a week. I've logged almost 2500 commuting miles so far this year plus another 2000 'just for fun' - a lot of that in the lovely hills just west of town.

nitroRoo

@noglider last week I rode to work 3x, then about 15 miles Saturday (mountain bike) and a 30 mile club ride on Sunday (road). I then rode longer routes Monday and Tuesday, and by Wednesday I was toasted. My motivation to ride is the enjoyment of being on a bike, the exercise, and a good way to decompress before and after work.
@EricL I get exactly what you are saying. Just go through the motions until you are rolling out the door and then enjoy it. I think I'll be very well acquainted with that routine this winter.

Unfortunately this morning I came out to a flat tire (that I thought I had fixed last night). Taking the bike in to the bike shop today to have the bottom bracket checked out and get some new tubes (need a new spare).

Tundra_Man 

I've been at all three options in the selection list at various times in my life.

When I first started commuting I was in the "Nope, if I need a break I'll take it" category. Actually, I was below that. I started with the idea, "maybe one day per week I could ride instead of driving". By the end of that first summer I was riding more and more often, but frequently drove if I had to haul something, be somewhere after work, there was bad weather or just didn't feel like it.

After about three years of doing that, I moved into the "Usually, if I don't it's for a REALLY good reason" category. This moved me into the 4-5 commutes per week frequency. This also was about the time I started winter commuting. That first year I didn't run studded tires so there were a lot of days where I didn't ride due to ice. During the summers I would ride home in the rain, but would drive if it was raining before work. I started to arrange my schedule a bit more to allow me to ride.

The last two or three years, I've found I've been in the "Yes, I ride no matter what!" category. Rain, snow, sleet, hail, lightning, hauling things, having to travel across town to client offices, etc. I pretty much decide that I'm going to ride and from there make the necessary adjustments needed to allow it to happen. I've come to enjoy figuring out how to overcome the challenges of riding every day and still maintaining a "normal" life (appointments, errands, etc.) It's like mountain climbing; I do it for the feeling of accomplishment. Only it's easier. And I'm not going to fall into a 10,000 foot crevice right at the base of a glacier.

Occasionally in the morning I'll have that "don't really want to ride today" feeling. Usually on those days it's not so much that I don't want to ride as I just don't want to leave the house for any reason. But I know that if I drove I'd hate myself later. So if I'm going to hate myself either way, I might as well ride and get it out of the way.

Will I stay this way for the rest of my life? Who knows. Do I look down upon someone else at a different point in their bicycle commuting journey? Absolutely not.

chephy

I bike commute the vast majority of the time, using alternate transportation about 1-2 times a month. The reasons can be varied, but "I don't feel like riding today" is practically never one. For starters, I don't have a more convenient and reasonably priced alternative. If I don't want to ride, I'm probably taking public transit - and do you think I ever feel like taking public transit? Nope. And if I'm not taking public transit, it's taxi or Uber, and will cost a fortune, and do you think I ever feel like paying a fortune for a simple ride to work when I am perfectly capable of transporting myself? Nope. Also, the taxi/Uber drivers can NEVER find my building, and the layer of annoyance and frustration that adds makes biking feel all the more appealing.

I will also ride:

- through pretty much any weather (50-knot winds, snow, ice, thunderstorms - hopefully not all at the same time!) The only exceptions I can think of are ice storms after which all the roads and everything else is covered in a sheet of ice, and giant snow storms that make roads truly impassable. But that's very uncommon (once every few years, maybe?), and few people are driving then either.
- with (relatively minor) physical discomfort and fatigue: my job requires a valid medical certificate, so if I'm not fit enough to ride, I'm not fit enough to work.
- if I need to run errands: I have a trailer Even without a trailer I have transported things like two full-size carpets, a 45-pound bag of dog food, a hammock, and a 6-foot-tall potted plant (not all at the same time).


When I don't ride, it's not necessarily for a "serious" reason, but something that wins on the cost-benefit analysis, e.g.:

- have a super-important difficult test for job training, taking public transit for an extra hour during which I can review material
- start out in the morning without checking forecast, it begins to rain, I'm wearing fancy new shoes I'd just bought

Both of these were preventable with proper planning, but I am sometimes content to slack off on planning a bit, knowing that mostly things will just work out, and occasionally they won't and I'll have to throw a modest sum of money at the problem to make it go away.

bmthom.gis

I didn't commute very much this summer. I got tired of the crushing heat and humidity, and wanted to focus more on club rides. I was getting a lot of good mileage until the last month when I got sent to Canada for work. I go home tomorrow, thank goodness! Can't wait to be back in the saddle

wphamilton

A key to not burning out is to skip it when you feel that, which I'm sure is what your poll is about. I said I only miss after a hospital visit, but that's only because I've reached the point that it never happens any more. My eight flat miles are not enough to ever need a rest day, and for general blah mornings it's more energizing than a chore.

Yet in the past, and potentially still should that situation arise, I have not hesitated to drive in when I felt like the legs were toast or I was burning out.

noglider 

I'm about to ride home, and I don't feel like it.

InTheRain

It's not the weather that keeps me from riding. My other option is a scooter - and I would rather ride the bike in cold or wet weather. If I need to get somewhere during the day or immediately after work I'll opt for the scooter. Another option is to try and pry the car away from my daughter - that's more trouble than it's worth.

noglider 

And I had a really fun ride, even though I broke a spoke two thirds of the way in it.

essiemyra

I have been bike commuting since 2/2012. Very rarely have I ever felt like not biking. It usually happens when I did not sleep well the night before other than that I am usually raring to go in the am. Also I am a morning person and in the am all I have to do is get up and dressed and put my stuff on the bike.

If I woke up and did not feel like riding that day, then I may remind myself that I would have to drive, since I prefer riding my bike that in itself may be enough of a motivator to take my bike. If not then I would take the car.

I will not commute with either ice or snow covered roads as I ride main roads in the winter. Though I will ride in temps below freezing and also down to the teens.

SloButWide 

A break once in a while can be a good thing. Personally, I'd consider a 42-mile day a REALLY good reason if it were the next day and I was sore enough. At 54, I don't recover as quickly as at 24. Running and lifting in my 30s, I learned the hard way that recovery days were training also - necessary to prevent injury and to allow muscle growth to occur.

Rick@OCRR

My commute is pretty easy, so I always feel like riding.

It's 7 miles from home to the Norwalk Metro station where I ride the train to the Harbor Fwy Station (110) then get off the train and ride 1.5 mi. to work. Same thing in reverse on the ride home for a total of almost 19 mi. of cycling per round trip commute. However, that's only on Mon./Wed./Fri.

On Tues./Thur. I have evening club rides so I drive to work, drive to the ride, do the ride and drive home. The club rides are usually 35 - 40 miles with a couple thousand feet of climbing. Alternating days helps keep it fresh and a bit different from day to day. Regardless of commuting or doing club rides; I always feel like riding.

Rick / OCRR

making

....

blakcloud

I make it so it isn't a choice, riding or not riding. I don't allow myself that luxury. The question is removed from the equation. I just ride.

smckown

I always plan to ride, and almost never any more feel like not riding. Aside from an illness and several days of deep snow, I believe I've not skipped a planned commute in the past year. For me, biking is a very enjoyable activity, so it takes something negative added to the mix to get me to the point I don't want to ride.

These are my negatives:

- I'm too tired
- I'm too sore
- I don't have enough time
- My bike has a problem
- The weather is too bad

... and here's the things I've worked out to deal with them over the past couple of years:

- Regular sleep/wake routine. Being tired can wreck all manner of good intentions.

- Every evening I set out bike gear according to tomorrow's forecast and pack my backpack. No running around in the morning getting my stuff together.

- I wear the right clothes for the weather conditions and forecast, with a bit of backup in my pack. I've still got some dialing in to do with only one winter of commuting under my belt, but I'm far less intimidated by bad weather in general now.

- I always leave home in time for a slow ride in and 20-30 minutes after arrival to change and grab a bite. The commute is less enjoyable if I'm stressed about getting in on time.

- I don't expect to ride hard and fast every day. That's not really doable anyway. Once or twice a week I'll let myself spin hard, but the rest of the time -- especially any time I'm sore or otherwise feeling a little off -- I give myself "permission" to ride easy. This is my secret weapon: pretty much no matter how I feel there is an effort level on the bike that makes the commute enjoyable.

- I try to take condition specific preventive action with my bike. For example, thanks to those vile little goatheads, my wheels each have nearly a pound more rotating mass than my preferred setup. But that's far better than the fun and time sucking activity of patching and replacing tubes on the trail.

- I have a junker "backup" bike that I keep in good repair. I can always call on it if my favorite bike runs into any mechanical trouble.

- I look at my car and do the math for how much money I saved last month not driving (gas, wear and tear). My daughters tell me I'm a cheapskate, so maybe this isn't as much incentive to others.

FWIW, my commute is just under 26 mi round trip and I do it 4 days per week.

RubeRad

my secret is to keep 'my' car at work. If a situation comes up where I need to pick up the kids from school or something, I can drive. But in the morning, since taking the minivan away from the wife is not an option, I ride.

In San Diego there is very little rain, so not much excuse ever to not ride. I did have to drive for like a month in the summer of 2015 due to an ankle injury (playing ultimate), but generally I ride all the time except for pickup duty. It helps a lot that the oldest can bike home from school on his own, so if he has extra stuff after school we can just drop off his bike for him and not need two separate pickups.

Bizman

I do not skip any planned commutes (36 miles round trip) which average 5-6 days a week for my nightly work part of my job (self employed). I do take my car or truck to carry equipment when I do installations and have to carry large components that weigh hundreds of pounds along with tools.

Some months there is one day during that month when I have a commitment that does not allow me to get from there to my work in time so I take the car. On days I don't commute I still ride a bike whether it be mountain or road bike. I have not missed a day riding a bike since January 9th 2011.

I look forward to my bike ride everyday so rarely is it a chore. I ride sun, wind, rain, snow. Studded tires are a must during snow and ice conditions! I checked yes, I ride no matter what.

crazyravr

Nope. I ride if and when I feel like it. I used to be the hard core "no matter what give 'er" type of a guy, and all that did was I found myself starting the dislike biking. Now i have a different mind set and do it cause I really enjoy it.

baron von trail 

I usually know if I'm not riding or not the next day while I'm pedaling home at night. It's not uncommon for me to feel drained after my third straight day while I climb that last hill to the house beginning at about my 45th mile. It's almost always at that moment that I decide tomorrow will be a driving day.

Exceptions are weather. I won't pedal out in the morning if it's raining cats and dogs or snowing or much below about 20 F--although on the cold thing, I can be flexible, especially if I haven't ridden in a few days.

MMACH 5

My car died. About two days each month, my wife doesn't need the van and I drive. Otherwise, I'm on my bike.

Phil_gretz

Cartridge bottom bracket? Buy the crank puller tool as well as the BB cartridge tool. You'll need to pull the cranks and the BB cartridge, clean everything and then re-mount. Use plumber's tape or grease on the BB threads. I'm in favor of tape, but have done both.


As for the question - I have an easy 9-mile commute in a mild mid-Atlantic state. So, there are few weather-related excuses to be found. Rarely a severe winter storm or lingering ice, but not for very long. I ride. Many days I don't feel like it. I ride anyhow. Why not?


Why Not? When I need to use the car for an appointment during the day. Those times are twice a month, though.

snow_echo_NY

i always ride bc when i don't , i immediately regret it.
even if i don't feel like it, if i ride, i never regret riding.

takenreasy

Bingo! After morphing into the culture of full time bicycle commuting regret enters the picture immediately. It's all attitude and easily managed by getting every thing ready the night before so the only thing stopping you is getting out of bed.

norcal618

I had something kind of strange happen which falls into the arena of this question. I moved back to the city a few months ago, and now I live about 8 miles away from the place that I have to commute to everyday (school). Before I moved I lived about 60 miles away, so commuting by bike wasn't really an option. After moving back to the same city in which my school is located, I decided to purchase a bicycle and use it as my primary transportation.

I bought the bike and had it ready to go before this fall semester started. So come the first day of school I peddled myself all the way there, and back. About 16 miles round trip. It was tough at first, but after a couple days I got use to it and really quite enjoy it. About a month into the semester and I hadn't even bought a parking pass for my school campus. I hadn't driven to school one time.

So on day one of the fifth week of riding to school I had a situation come up which forced me to drive to school. I had to meet with someone at a certain time and location after class, and mobility on the bicycle wouldn't have permitted me to make it on time. Long story short, the transmission went out on my car on that day. Without any warning, on the one and only day that I drove my car to school, the car experienced a catastrophic failure. So now, for the time being anyway, I don't have any choice other than to ride my bike to school. I actually have enough extra dough put away such that I could pay to have the transmission replaced in my car without setting myself back, but to be honest I really don't care at this point. The car is sitting, covered with dust, in my driveway, and I am happy to ride my bike everywhere that I need to go.