Anyone bike instead of driving? I'm conflicted.

I bike everywhere and I live in Florida, bring a change of clothes and when you get there change. You won't be sorry to ride instead of driving, it's awesome and I love it. The stores are easy, visiting friends so much fun and sometimes they get on theirs and we take off together.

Part of me really, really wants to get a bike. I'm a pretty big tree hugger so the fact that it's more environmentally friendly than driving really appeals to me. Plus, the exercise factor! The grocery store is less than a mile away so I could always ride there instead of driving. Then again I guess I wouldn't be able to carry many groceries back :P

My college is about 5 miles away from where I live so I would kind of love to bike there... however, I live in Florida and it is HOT HOT HOT. I'm worried that when I got to class I would be simply drenched in sweat, and that's embarrassing. On the other hand I have class 3 days a week so it would be such a good workout...

Does anyone here bike places instead of driving? What do you do about the sweat factor? Do you think it's worth it? Any guidance is appreciated

I cycle to work sometimes, it is around five miles.

I don't find much of an issue with sweating even on really warm days, just make sure you don't put clothes on that are too heavy for your climate, if you do that, yes you will sweat like crazy.

Definitely worth it!

You can google riding bike to work to get tips for freshening up after riding. I do not ride because I leave when it is dark and sometimes come home when dark but really that is no excuse. I typically cycle after work.

Biking to work or school is awesome, I highly encourage it. I started biking to work a couple years ago and its a great way to get your exercise in and get to where you need to be. I enjoy it more than driving now. I love the fresh air, the sense of accomplishment and i don't have tailgaters running me over. Yeah you have to be weary of the cars but they just pass by you (sometimes closely).

I ride my bike to work May - Oct. I live in Nebraska and the winters get rather nasty. It is 2.5 miles from my house to the office. When it is warm and humid in the mornings I just ride slower. I have a Trek 7200 that I bought in 2008, and have logged about 3,000 miles on it.

A friend who is a serious biker/runner tried it for a month. Turns out he was nearly killed on several occasions by careless drivers. He quit because he was afraid he would not live very long but would die in a accident. I live in L.A., maybe the drivers and bike paths are better in FL.

I try to bike to both my jobs and home at least once a week, (haven't in a few months) it's a 25 mile round trip, sweaty? ya. Change of clothes and showers at my workplace make it all work out.

I burn a TON of calories doing this because when I get on my bike I know no other way than to GO HARD.

I bike to work most days (took today off). It's about 10M round-trip.

It took me a couple of weeks to get used to the bike commute, but now I really enjoy it. (Of course, biking along the beach in the early morning is pretty awesome, regardless of the practicality of it).

I moved to the beach about 6 months ago, from the Hollywood area. My commute used to be 22 miles one way, all of it stuck in terrible traffic. I have a really nice, comfy car... but now, I see it as a prison - albeit a luxurious one.

I totally hate getting in my car now. I bike everywhere I can. Living at the beach, it's pretty easy to not use the car. My last tank of gas lasted 6 weeks - and my car is a gas-guzzler. Used to go through a tank in less than a week, before I moved closer to the office. Now I bike everywhere I can - and so do many others here. It's part of the culture, I've found.

I have the luxury of having a gym - with a shower - less than a block away from my office, and I go there every morning, after my commute. Even if you don't have this luxury, you can get a bike with a rack, and get a nice basket and bring your work clothes in it. You can bike in lighter clothing, and change at the office.

As for shopping: Well with the store so close, you can make several trips, and buy less stuff each time.... and occasionally take the car for the heavy stuff. I have a rack mounting rear basket, called a "basil cardiff", that I really like. I can fit quite a bit of stuff in it, so I stop by the store on my way home from work occasionally. You can get this basket on Amazon. It's a little pricey, but it's really nicely designed, and very durable. I also have a cheap "saddlebags" type pannier, for larger trips to the grocers. It's a good idea to use your basket in the store - I put mine inside a shopping cart - so you don't inadvertently buy more stuff than you can fit into the basket. Shop until your basket is full, and you're done. (You'll buy fewer non-essentials - another added bonus)

Net-net, you'll save $$ on gas, keeping those $$ inside the country, have less wear and tear on your car, get good exercise - and as another added benefit, you'll have more exercise cals to "eat back".

I highly recommend this!

Its so worth it. I bike every where. I biked to the lake a few weeks ago. it was 64miles total round trip. I love it. Its great exercise and very serene! Its a "My time" type of ride. Bring a change of clothes , wipes if no shower there and your good!

I rode my bike to work today (first chance I've had this year with the kids' soccer schedules) it's 19km each way and I love it (last year I averaged 2 days /week between May and November.

It's great exercise but the environmental benefits are highly over touted here's why. I takes energy to get you to and from work, that energy may be in the form of fossil fuel or may be the food you eat to sustain the extra effort. It takes energy to grow and transport food - that energy usually comes from fossil fuels. I'm not sure if it's a zero sum game but I bike to work anyway because I enjoy doing it.

Hey girl!! I'm not a Floridian, I'm a Chicagoan. However, our summers get pretty intense up here with the heat and humidity! We still bike year-round here, hot or cold, and I would have it no other way. It's a pretty bike-friendly city though and I'm not sure if Florida is the same. However, getting around is a breeze, a fun workout, environmentally friendly, cheap (FREE!), and I wear dresses and skirts all summer so it's really not that hot at all. As far as groceries, I only buy for a few days to a week...what better excuse to keep fresh produce and preservative-free, non-processed food around! I only use a bike bag, but you could always get a basket or whatnot. Happy biking!

I bike and walk everywhere for a long time now. But, maybe I should stop doing that because the cardio might make me fat (just kidding).

I live in Florida too, and I'm about to bike to work for the first time this coming Monday. It's a little over 12 miles away. We have a shower at work, so I'm bringing a change of clothes and shower stuff with me in a backpack. I'm looking forward to it.