Bike commuting to/from the gym - yay or nay?
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NorthCascades wrote: »I could borrow it for a short ride like this.
okay, but if it gets damaged or stolen . . . ? safety for bikes varies so much from place to place and even between neighbourhoods, that if that is your main concern i almost feel as if you'd be better off canvassing people who know the areas personally.
as far as 'would i ride three miles both ways and lift in between?' well, maybe not as often as i do now when it's only one mile. but i'm a heavier lifter than you might be intending to be, as well as a less-serious cyclist.
basically, gee i don't know
it seems like it would come down to the importance balance for you, between the strength stuff and your established bike routines. i always react really cautiously to change once i've got a nice pattern set up, even if the change is an evolutionary step that i can't really suppress. gl, anyway.
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Realistically, riding three miles requires less effort than walking a mile.3
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An hour to drive 3 miles? That's insane.
Sounds like biking us the best option for you.
I live about 3.3 miles from my. I consider that to me in my neighborhood. Takes me 5 minutes.
Roads aren't safe for me to ride a bike. 50mph speed limit. No shoulder.
And I go at 5am on my way to work.1 -
An hour to drive 3 miles? That's insane.
Sounds like biking us the best option for you.
I live about 3.3 miles from my. I consider that to me in my neighborhood. Takes me 5 minutes.
Roads aren't safe for me to ride a bike. 50mph speed limit. No shoulder.
And I go at 5am on my way to work.
It's really a shame that roads are designed so poorly that people have to have a car to get around. I just wish the solution didn't require spending more tax money.1 -
TimothyFish wrote: »An hour to drive 3 miles? That's insane.
Sounds like biking us the best option for you.
I live about 3.3 miles from my. I consider that to me in my neighborhood. Takes me 5 minutes.
Roads aren't safe for me to ride a bike. 50mph speed limit. No shoulder.
And I go at 5am on my way to work.
It's really a shame that roads are designed so poorly that people have to have a car to get around. I just wish the solution didn't require spending more tax money.
I'm more Intruiged that driving standards are so bad that a cyclists feels anxious about sharing roadspace when the speed limit is only 50mph. It shouldn't need investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure.1 -
Take the bling off the bike, put the bling in a box in your home out of sight of your neighbors.
Ride your bike to the gym and put it in a corner. It sucks to say it, but the bling on your bike would be stolen in a trendy gym.2 -
NorthCascades wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »There's a gym in Queen Anne, about 3 miles away. It can easily take an hour to drive, and there's rarely parking, so I'm not willing to do this by car.
Just curious.
Why does it take an hr to drive just 3 miles?
It can take five minutes, or an hour and a half. I live in one neighborhood on the edge of downtown Seattle, and the gym is in another. The gym is in a trendy part of town with lots of restaurants and clubs, and sometimes a concert or a game. Traffic tends to be a nightmare, and not just at rush hour.
Understood.
I spent 2 weeks sightseeing in Seattle a couple of yrs ago. Always drove by but never spent time in the town, so wanted to stay in town to really get to know it.
Stayed w/a friend in the north side of town. Forget the name of the neighborhood but it's right next to the cemetery where Bruce Lee & his son are buried.
Anyway, it was a challenge to drive around town from there w/o getting stuck in traffic because of the poor design of the roadways which funneled traffic to various constriction points at bridges or causeways in order to cross the numerous waterways.
Got pretty good at negotiating my way around town by car by the end of my trip but I could pick & choose where and when to do.
Got stuck downtown trying to pick up my friend after work once early during my trip and swore I'd never do THAT again!
So, I can understand completely why it might take an hr by car or bus to just drive 3 miles if you have to pass thru or by downtown, especially during rush hr.
Personally, if I had to travel thru downtown in Seattle at that time, I'd prefer to walk, jog or run because the roads are so congested and the risks to bicyclists "sharing" the roadway is so high.
Travel on foot would, of course, take much longer but you could try to incorporate it into your workout by running/jogging to the gym to "warmup" b4 doing your workout and then just walking home to cool down.
Just a thought.
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I think biking is a great idea! Good cardio and good for the mental health, just getting out and seeing the world. Win - win all the way around.1
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between June 2016 and December 2016 I was biking 3.6miles to the gym, doing an hour there and then biking the 3.6miles home.....5 times a week.
it made a massive difference in the results I was getting, weight loss was improved, fitness was improved.
in general I looked and felt a million times better than when I was getting the bus there1 -
oh and all you need is a bike lock. I lock mine up in the street outside the gym, surely a bike in the gym with a lock on is gonna be ok ?1
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MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »An hour to drive 3 miles? That's insane.
Sounds like biking us the best option for you.
I live about 3.3 miles from my. I consider that to me in my neighborhood. Takes me 5 minutes.
Roads aren't safe for me to ride a bike. 50mph speed limit. No shoulder.
And I go at 5am on my way to work.
It's really a shame that roads are designed so poorly that people have to have a car to get around. I just wish the solution didn't require spending more tax money.
I'm more Intruiged that driving standards are so bad that a cyclists feels anxious about sharing roadspace when the speed limit is only 50mph. It shouldn't need investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure.
If the speed limit is 50mph then traffic will be moving at 60mph. That's a 40mph differential between the cyclist and faster traffic. Between distracted drivers and drivers who just drive angry that is a cause for concern.4 -
TimothyFish wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »An hour to drive 3 miles? That's insane.
Sounds like biking us the best option for you.
I live about 3.3 miles from my. I consider that to me in my neighborhood. Takes me 5 minutes.
Roads aren't safe for me to ride a bike. 50mph speed limit. No shoulder.
And I go at 5am on my way to work.
It's really a shame that roads are designed so poorly that people have to have a car to get around. I just wish the solution didn't require spending more tax money.
I'm more Intruiged that driving standards are so bad that a cyclists feels anxious about sharing roadspace when the speed limit is only 50mph. It shouldn't need investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure.
If the speed limit is 50mph then traffic will be moving at 60mph. That's a 40mph differential between the cyclist and faster traffic. Between distracted drivers and drivers who just drive angry that is a cause for concern.
I guess it's what you're used to. Most of my recreational riding is on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit.
You've just got to take control of the roadspace.5 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »An hour to drive 3 miles? That's insane.
Sounds like biking us the best option for you.
I live about 3.3 miles from my. I consider that to me in my neighborhood. Takes me 5 minutes.
Roads aren't safe for me to ride a bike. 50mph speed limit. No shoulder.
And I go at 5am on my way to work.
It's really a shame that roads are designed so poorly that people have to have a car to get around. I just wish the solution didn't require spending more tax money.
I'm more Intruiged that driving standards are so bad that a cyclists feels anxious about sharing roadspace when the speed limit is only 50mph. It shouldn't need investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure.
If the speed limit is 50mph then traffic will be moving at 60mph. That's a 40mph differential between the cyclist and faster traffic. Between distracted drivers and drivers who just drive angry that is a cause for concern.
I guess it's what you're used to. Most of my recreational riding is on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit.
You've just got to take control of the roadspace.
Speed is just part of it. A rural highway with cars traveling at 80mph is safer for a cyclist that is visible than an urban road crowded with cars traveling at 40mph because some drivers won't see the cyclist. But it is wise to avoid both situations if at all possible.3 -
Get a TRX suspension trainer for home. They're on sale this weekend!1
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MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »An hour to drive 3 miles? That's insane.
Sounds like biking us the best option for you.
I live about 3.3 miles from my. I consider that to me in my neighborhood. Takes me 5 minutes.
Roads aren't safe for me to ride a bike. 50mph speed limit. No shoulder.
And I go at 5am on my way to work.
It's really a shame that roads are designed so poorly that people have to have a car to get around. I just wish the solution didn't require spending more tax money.
I'm more Intruiged that driving standards are so bad that a cyclists feels anxious about sharing roadspace when the speed limit is only 50mph. It shouldn't need investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure.
I would be very uncomfortable on the road with no shoulder or bike lane and speed limit @50 mph, and we know how fast those cars really going. And the drivers being @$$holes to you because you are "on their road", slowing down traffic and getting in their way.
My vote for this is on getting an inexpensive bike with a decent lock and use that for your commute. It would take few minutes to get to the gym, no more than 15, i guess? . And i would not leave my road bike unattended for one hour, or whatever your workout time is, no matter what lock i use. In fact, i would prefer not to leave it for any period of time
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MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »An hour to drive 3 miles? That's insane.
Sounds like biking us the best option for you.
I live about 3.3 miles from my. I consider that to me in my neighborhood. Takes me 5 minutes.
Roads aren't safe for me to ride a bike. 50mph speed limit. No shoulder.
And I go at 5am on my way to work.
It's really a shame that roads are designed so poorly that people have to have a car to get around. I just wish the solution didn't require spending more tax money.
I'm more Intruiged that driving standards are so bad that a cyclists feels anxious about sharing roadspace when the speed limit is only 50mph. It shouldn't need investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure.
If the speed limit is 50mph then traffic will be moving at 60mph. That's a 40mph differential between the cyclist and faster traffic. Between distracted drivers and drivers who just drive angry that is a cause for concern.
I guess it's what you're used to. Most of my recreational riding is on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit.
You've just got to take control of the roadspace.
That's fine if you're an experienced cyclist. I doubt I could maintain 20mph on my bike without significant help from a hill. Also, even a 20mph bike taking the lane on a busy 60mph road is asking for trouble - you'd pretty much always have someone (or several) behind you looking to overtake and not all of them will be patient enough to overtake safely. Different if it's a dual carriageway.2 -
Rosemary7391 wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »An hour to drive 3 miles? That's insane.
Sounds like biking us the best option for you.
I live about 3.3 miles from my. I consider that to me in my neighborhood. Takes me 5 minutes.
Roads aren't safe for me to ride a bike. 50mph speed limit. No shoulder.
And I go at 5am on my way to work.
It's really a shame that roads are designed so poorly that people have to have a car to get around. I just wish the solution didn't require spending more tax money.
I'm more Intruiged that driving standards are so bad that a cyclists feels anxious about sharing roadspace when the speed limit is only 50mph. It shouldn't need investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure.
If the speed limit is 50mph then traffic will be moving at 60mph. That's a 40mph differential between the cyclist and faster traffic. Between distracted drivers and drivers who just drive angry that is a cause for concern.
I guess it's what you're used to. Most of my recreational riding is on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit.
You've just got to take control of the roadspace.
That's fine if you're an experienced cyclist. I doubt I could maintain 20mph on my bike without significant help from a hill. Also, even a 20mph bike taking the lane on a busy 60mph road is asking for trouble - you'd pretty much always have someone (or several) behind you looking to overtake and not all of them will be patient enough to overtake safely. Different if it's a dual carriageway.
I'd observe that in the UK if you're not prepared to ride on an A or B road, you're not going very far at all.1 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »Rosemary7391 wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »An hour to drive 3 miles? That's insane.
Sounds like biking us the best option for you.
I live about 3.3 miles from my. I consider that to me in my neighborhood. Takes me 5 minutes.
Roads aren't safe for me to ride a bike. 50mph speed limit. No shoulder.
And I go at 5am on my way to work.
It's really a shame that roads are designed so poorly that people have to have a car to get around. I just wish the solution didn't require spending more tax money.
I'm more Intruiged that driving standards are so bad that a cyclists feels anxious about sharing roadspace when the speed limit is only 50mph. It shouldn't need investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure.
If the speed limit is 50mph then traffic will be moving at 60mph. That's a 40mph differential between the cyclist and faster traffic. Between distracted drivers and drivers who just drive angry that is a cause for concern.
I guess it's what you're used to. Most of my recreational riding is on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit.
You've just got to take control of the roadspace.
That's fine if you're an experienced cyclist. I doubt I could maintain 20mph on my bike without significant help from a hill. Also, even a 20mph bike taking the lane on a busy 60mph road is asking for trouble - you'd pretty much always have someone (or several) behind you looking to overtake and not all of them will be patient enough to overtake safely. Different if it's a dual carriageway.
I'd observe that in the UK if you're not prepared to ride on an A or B road, you're not going very far at all.
Well, I only cycled around town when I did cycle so that was fine - I got everywhere I wanted to go. Quiet country lanes are also fine for me when on holiday, even not so quiet ones. But not at commuting time! That's just me though - others might be more confident on those roads and that's up to them. Probably I'd feel better about it if I could average 20mph.1 -
FWIW, I was a lifelong motorcyclist. Road for about 50 years and only gave it up a couple of years ago but I never road a bicycle on the roadway because I always considered it too dangerous.
Riding a motorcycle, of course, is risky as well but, in all my years of riding, I never had a collision w/a car.
Among the various advantages of a motorcycle over a bicycle are that it can keep up with the cars at freeway speeds (so that you can avoid becoming a target or obstruction on the roadway) and you can drive it between cars during bumper to bumper traffic.
So, if the risk of sharing the roadway w/cars on a bicycle is the primary concern, I'd suggest riding a motorcycle instead.
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Someone was killed on a motorcycle last night in my neighborhood, @sgt1372 , That's not to say that cyclists don't get hurt, but statistics are not good for motorcyclists either. Just a little surprised with the suggestion, we ride bikes for different reasons, i guess. It brings so much joy, and peace to me, makes me feel free, love to feel my muscles do the work, move me forward, satisfaction after completing my ride, getting improved results, there are so many things. I wouldn't trade it for anything else.2
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