Bike commuting to/from the gym - yay or nay?

sgt1372

icemom011 wrote: »

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.

I live in the SF Bay Area and I hear/read more reports of bicyclists being hurt or kikkmmlled on the roadway than for motorcyclists.

Both are dangerous of course but its just my opinion and experience that riding a bike on the roadway w/cars is more so.

rsclause

3rd option would be to run to the gym but I usually only do a four mile on gym days.

TimothyFish

sgt1372 wrote: »

icemom011 wrote: »

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.

I live in the SF Bay Area and I hear/read more reports of bicyclists being hurt or kikkmmlled on the roadway than for motorcyclists.

Both are dangerous of course but its just my opinion and experience that riding a bike on the roadway w/cars is more so.

It's hard to know how many accidents occur because most bicycle accidents aren't reported. Just looking at the number of deaths (always reported) there are 6 times as many people who die while riding a motorcycle as die while riding a bicycle. That isn't even taking into account that the number of cyclists outnumber motorcyclists by a very large amount. While there are risks involved in cycling, it is one of the safest activities you can do. You are more likely to die from driving a car than you are from riding a bicycle.

French_Peasant

My husband is in charge of bike lock-up strategies. When we lock them up, he has a cable-type lock that he elaborately runs through all the wheels and forks and such, and then we take the seats and anything removable in with us. And then he checks on them multiple times in case anyone with a cable cutter has come along.

I would think your bike would be fairly secure near the desk, all locked up, especially if they have a camera system in place. You can always make a point to come check on it during a longer rest break between lifts. But yeah, you're a serious biker and probably have a lot of upgrades, so I can understand being nervous.

If your girlfriend is serious about riding, I would think you would want to get her a decent bike as well that will stand the test of time, so you would have the same issues with it being stolen...particularly if, like my husband, you can justify buying yourself fancy new forks and derailleurs because her bike parts could use an upgrade as well.

Personally my inclination would definitely be to ride (I would go absolutely freakin' bonkers in that kind of traffic) and just get some old beater bike to get you there and back. That way you don't have to stress about it. But still lock it up, because bike thieves suck, especially when they are stealing kids' bikes off their front lawns.

Machka9

NorthCascades wrote: »

I've been using resistance bands for strength training, and I feel pretty limited. I have several sets, I use the strongest bands from each, I'm standing on a lot of rubber, it's awkward, it can be a challenge to do some exercises, I'd like to move to something better. There are no gyms in my neighborhood.

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. So I've got a few choices, and I hope people can give me some input:

(1) Use my bike. The gym says I can leave it indoors, in a corner, out of the way. But there's no guarantee it won't get damaged or stolen.

(2) Use a bike share bike. It will cost $1 each way, and I'll get a mediocre bike, with no power meter.

Walking would take too long.

I'll go three times a week.

3 miles? You could walk that and you wouldn't have to worry about bicycle storage.

What about the bus?



(The gym in my neighbourhood is 15 km away, up and over a big hill. I have no interest in cycling there.)

NorthCascades

The problem with the bus is it doesn't run on my schedule, like a bike does.