Skipjacks

You ever wake up, expecting to bike to work, and just say "Nope. Not feeling it today."

I don't ride everyday anyway. Sometimes I have to do stuff at lunch where I just need a car. But today I fully expected to ride. Had all my stuff packed in the panniers last night.

Woke up this morning extra groggy, looked outside, and just said "Nope."

DiabloScott

I can usually come up with a better reason than "not feeling it", when I'm not feeling it.

pdlamb

Usually it's the other direction for me. By the time I get to work (or home if it's raining), I'm thinking, "Boy, I wish I'd ridden the bike." (It's worth getting wet to avoid the backed-up traffic and wrecks on my normal car-driving route.)

mcours2006

I expect to ride to work everyday. I'm very disappointed when I wake up and see six inches of snow or freezing rain, but sometimes I still do it anyway. I know that's not what you're asking, but I think that when you bail out once it makes it easier to bail again, and again, and soon it's just easier to drive all the time.

Phamilton

If it's raining hard enough, I will sometimes decide not to ride into work. Seeing as how we do not have a motor vehicle though, I usually will change my mind back to riding by the time I need to leave. ;-)

Leebo

Never. I need my car for work, so it stays in the parking lot when I bike commute. When I pedal home, it's the only way to get back to work in the AM.

Skipjacks

Aliens....I heard aliens were abducting people on the back road I commute on. And today I saw something strange in the sky (might have been an airplane) but decided I shouldn't take a chance on an alien abduction.

There's a better reason than 'not feeling it' for you!

RubeRad

rarely. In the beginning, I was ready to be all rain commando, especially since here in San Diego there's very little rain to contend with, and so many others here on BF deal with rain on a regular basis.

But then I decided, who am I trying to impress? So if I am aware of rain coming (not a guarantee) I might make arrangements to drive. If I'm at work and get surprised by a rainy ride home, oh well, that's OK too.

Also In The Beginning, I reinforced my willpower by keeping 'my' car at work. That way I had no choice in the morning but to ride, and I could drive back if something came up (like an unexpected kid pickup).

But now we have 3 drivers in the house, and any one day both cars might be in use, so I can't just grab a car and go if I feel like it. Well I could since I wake up first, but it might cause big disruption to other carefully-balanced family plans!

RubeRad

You should sell your expensive (so expensive you couldn't buy it all at once) car and buy a cheaper, older car that will require only cheaper insurance, and if you rarely drive it, it will not wear out and you'll be fine. And save a lot of money that could be going towards bike stuff.

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011...ng-a-used-car/
https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/...-smart-people/

Daniel4

That's your problem. You don't ride everyday so you give yourself a choice. If you had a choice to go to work, would you? Mostly, because you have no choice but need the money.

Ride everyday. Don't give yourself that choice and you'll be riding in all sorts of weather and feeling good at the end of your trip.

jrickards

This had been quite common for me, especially, when on the way to work in the car, I spot a couple of cyclists going to wherever they're going to and I realize that I shouldn't have backed out of cycling. Almost depressing when that happens.

On the other hand, during today's 2C/36F, windy and rainy 30 minute commute home, I'm probably going to be eyeing the cars thinking that I should have driven.

jrickards

At times, I think, "my next house will be in ... where it is a 20km commute each way and I'd enjoy that so much, I wouldn't want to give up cycling" but then I realize I'm married so out go those dreams, LOL.

bmthom.gis

i haven't commuted by bike in months. Do I miss it? Sometimes. Do I enjoy hitting the snooze button a lot? You bet! Now that I am back to a boring project and care less about getting into work early, I think I'll start commuting again...the room I keep the bike in is currently being utilized a bit more heavily while they redo the kitchen area, which I am pretty sure is on hold/hiatus.
I did bleach the ever living crap out of the shower area the other day (had sewage from nextdoor come through into the kitchen area and pretty sure some backed up into the shower basin as well).

BobbyG

It's gotten to the point where I really hate driving in heavy traffic. Plus if I don't ride for two or three days I get cranky and irritable and I have sinus problems. So I guess I have that built in impetus to write as often as possible. There are days where I must drive because I have to be somewhere and don't have enough time or I have errands that would be much too difficult on the bike. Even on days where I wake up a little stiffer and sore than usual ( I am no spring chicken) and I opt out of riding, by the end of the day I often regret not writing because now I have to drive home

Gresp15C

Last time I tried driving to work, I got lost. Turns out they had re-routed the road in front of my workplace, and I took a wrong turn.

winston63 

Yeah, that’s me.

I rarely drive to work, and frankly I just hate it when I do. I don’t drive in more than about once every two or three months, and that’s because there’s something I have to deal with that I can’t manage on a bike. But I’d rather ride in a torrential downpour than be stuck in traffic with all the associated irritations.

yamsyamsyams

Whenever I do get the urge to drive, and drive to work, halfway there sitting in traffic I’ll get the urge to bike the next day. So I flip flop!

CesarGartrell

This is so relatable. I have this mindset to ride my bike to go to work for tomorrow and even prepare my stuffs the night before but when I wake up the next morning my will to ride just disappears. Keep making excuses on why I shouldn't ride my bike for work. Then when I got home, I'm already planning to ride my bike the next day for work. It's like it's only during at night that I wanted to ride my bike to go to work the next morning but I don't want to ride it when the morning comes.

wipekitty

I once had an 8 mile one way commute in an area with really horrible thunderstorms all the time. So I stopped riding on days with thunderstorms. Since this was most days, I got out of the habit of riding - and six months later, it had been six months since I rode to work

I relocated to a different region without as much severe weather and got rid of the car. Problem solved!

ThermionicScott 

Well, of course. Today was Monday.

Darth Lefty 

My excuse Mondays and Thursdays since the time change has been either weather or cold - not for me, I'm a tough guy, but I've got the kid in back, don't you know. T-W, just me, on my MTB, no problem. Maybe I should toughen that kid up :-D

Sullalto

Yeah, that is a motivator.

chainlink

I ran out of most excuses when I got an ebike. However where I am it hasn't been cold yet so maybe as the weather gets colder I'll have a good excuse.

crazyravr

Yeap. This morning. Woke up, pouring rain, said nope. Not gonna happen.
I commute because I enjoy it, not because I have to.

Skipjacks

This is what it comes down to.

I have a car. It works fine. I'm not in the city where I have a 45 minute traffic filled obnoxious commute. I have 2 lights. And I love cars and driving too. So driving to work is not a negative for me.

Biking is a fun activity, not a necessity. I really do love it. But I never want it to feel like it's forced or I'm likely to stop enjoying it so much. I don't mean all the time. Like sometimes I'll go on a trail ride on the weekends intending to go 20 miles....and I get there and say "come on, you can do 30...then 40...then 50..." and I push myself to keep going. But that's different. That feels awesome to keep pushing when you're tired because you know you'll feel like a million bucks when you finally get home (and can feel your legs again)

But for commuting...it's just a joy. A way to get in exercise during the busy work week. A short burst of fresh air and enjoyment twice a day. Etc etc...so I don't ever want that to become a chore because if it ever feels like work and not fun, I'm more likely to stop.