crazyravr

People commuting by bike in the morning are always smiling. Always waving and saying hello / good morning to each other.
People commuting by car in the morning are hardly ever smiling. Always mad at something, always in a rush to get somewhere, trying not to make eye contact.
I have even noticed this about myself, hence I made a decision to commute by bike as much as I can this year. Even go me a dedicated bike to do so. Now there are no excuses hahaha. Already looking forward to a ride back home, despite the rain / t-storms in the forecast.

wphamilton

Yeah, we tend to be enjoying ourselves and most people commuting by car are just enduring it.

AlmostTrick

Part of it is motorists seem to be more sensitive to any traffic holdups. Cyclists, not so much.

Another factor is having the option not to drive. Many, many motorists (rightly or wrongly) truly believe driving is their only option, so they feel trapped in the car and in traffic.

Case in point: I don't mind driving, or even getting stuck in traffic because I don't have to do it every day!

CrewFan

I agree with what you are saying and would add riding gives more flexibility in how we get home. I know that I can hop in the car or hop on the bike, so I can have more control of how commute to work. Having choices is empowering!

RoadKill

Mid-summer when it's 115 in the afternoon I probably look more like a car commuter while riding my bike focused on getting home to the air conditioning as fast as I can then getting frustrated when I just miss a light. Sitting there with no breeze, car next to me pouring heat off the radiator, sun beating down... But then light goes green and the built up sweat evaporates and starts cooling me off and all is right with the world again.

I think AlmostTrick hit the nail on the head. Just about everybody I know is 100% certain that car is the only way they can get to work. No way would a bike work for them for even part of the commute. Just about everybody has to get to work somehow, but not all of us get go for a bike ride at both ends of the day.

DanBraden

I figured the motorists were frowning because I blithely fly the bird at their bumper to bumper mornings as I cruise over mopac on Fritz!

Most other cyclist I encounter are exercising and not commuting in the mornings. They aren't unfriendly but they don't generally acknowledge me. I save my indignation for the jack-hards in the cars, it's righteous!

Edit: we may arrive to work at the same time but at least I'm sweating my balls off!
Advantage DanBraden!

noisebeam

Hey man, that is me. I love that start up cooling!.
But I make an effort to grin like a maniac.
Scares 'em

wolfchild

No they don't, at least not in my area... Personally I don't wave at every cyclists I see and I don't expect every cyclist to wave at me.

no motor?

Not me. There are 2 traffic lights on my ride to work, and I seem to just miss them most every day. That annoys me even more than when I just miss them a gosh darned gain in my car.

noglider 

Absolutely. Lots of people prefer to drive even when there are choices, but I notice they don't enjoy driving anyway.

My previous job was 13.5 miles each way. It was too much to ride every day, so I did it two or three days a week, and those were my best days at work.

I started my current job six months ago, and I ride every day, as it's 6.5 miles each way. Since I ride every day, I'm putting in the same number of miles per week as before or actually slightly more. I even ride when the weather is bad. My alternate mode is the NYC subway which is rarely fun. I realized a bad day on the bike is better than a good day on the subway. Sometimes I dread getting out on the bike, but once I start rolling, I never regret it.

And I smile when I ride, often unconsciously. People smile back at me, and then I realize I have a permanent smile.

mcours2006

I don't know if I am smiling when I'm riding my bike to work in the morning. I might just be too focused on the road/traffic to be smiling. But I do know this: I am often annoyed at stop lights when I'm behind the wheel of a car. On a bike it doesn't bother me one bit. In fact, sometimes I welcome the break.

rumrunn6

I miss that anticipatory cheerfulness, toward the end of the day, knowing I had a bike ride to look forward to

Gresp15C

That's why "bike to work week" should be called "bike from work week."

medic75

I'm sitting at my desk right now, looking at my bike, patiently awaiting the ride home which is still more than 6 hours away

rumrunn6

*sigh* nice bike & pedals! btw

no motor?

I wish I could. I just can't find a way to make waiting in the hot sun when work is <1/2 mile away pleasant.

Gresp15C

Oddly enough, I see even more smiles when the weather is worse. Today it was raining when I left for work. Every cyclist I met was smiling. I notice the same thing during the winter, and on longer rides in wet weather.

It's like we're getting away with cheating, but I'm not sure what we're cheating at.

Chr0m0ly 

Colnago Mixte

And to think that the moms of the world have conspired for centuries to keep anyone from finding just how much fun it can be, to ride a bike out in really foul weather, and literally laughing at it.

"Hahaha, is that the best you can throw at me???"

I dunno about other states, but in California at least, what people here consider "really bad weather" IS pretty laughable most of the time.

bromptoniguous

Yes, this is us for months of the year. I still would rather bike than drive most places. I only mind the rain when it's so bad I cant see.

crazyravr

Funny you say that. Last friday I left work in a rain, then I got dry and then I got absolutely soaked in a downpour. But I was smiling and enjoying the ride for some stupid reason haha

Daniel4

You know that scene from Shawshank Redemption where Andy Dufresne crawls from the sewer pipe and into the river? He rips his shirt off, holds his arms out and laughs into the rain.

noglider 

Yes indeed. Same for walking dogs in foul weather. I'm glad to get out, almost every time. I'm sad we lost our dog in the fall, and we won't be getting one in the foreseeable future.

crazyravr

But today we are getting pounded by rain, thunder storms and chances of tornado pop ups in Ontario. I am glad I have a choice hahaha

Ged117 

I wait for a break in the heavy rain and go for it. Since I change out of my shirt and tie into a t-shirt and shorts, I don't mind the rain so much.

Now that I cycle about 6.5 miles to work each morning, I see lots of the same folks either walking or cycling, and often nod or wish good morning to them. It depends on the individual, so now we've got a pattern that we keep. I usually pass by houses with folks having their morning coffee out front and usually they'll nod or say hello. It is different on the bike as opposed to the car - you are not incubated from the world and others. You're a part of everybody's morning story!

I will echo others' comments about the positive feeling of getting on the bike each morning and evening. I look forward to it. This morning I helped out a fellow who had forgotten to close his gas cap. Positive vibes onward!