It’s bike month, and on Friday our office will celebrate Twin Cities Bike to Work day by, well, biking to work. We’ve already explained why bike commuting is a core value of our Bike Friendly Business, how we’ve learned to adapt our riding to Minnesota’s ferocious winters, and even regaled you with the tale of how we negotiated a plowed bike lane to our headquarters. Now we’re bringing it back to the basics–what got us started riding to work in the first place.
Below, a handful of our regular riders share a few tips on the challenges they faced and advice for new riders who are interested in riding to work for the first time.
1. How long have you been biking to work?
Ben C (NY Area Rep): 10 years
Bri (Director of Marketing): I’ve been biking to work for 18 years – holy moly, I’m old!
Nat (Inside Sales Coordinator): On and off for 12 years
Chad (Sales Administrator): I’ve been biking to “work” since High School, although never as frequent as the past 4 years.
Becky (Order Entry Clerk): I’ve biked to various places of work for the past 15 years.
Ted (Inside Sales Manager): Fourteen years – since 2005
2. Why did you decide to start?
Ben C: Honestly because biking is just the best way to get around NYC and it took a while to realize that getting to work was no exception.
Bri: I started in college, because I didn’t want to own a car.
Nat: Convenience/ease of getting around from my apartment to my job on campus.
Chad: I loved riding a bike. I enjoyed the way the air tasted and smelled in the morning, you don’t get that in a car.
Becky: In the beginning car parking was really expensive and biking was quick and free.
Ted: Exercise, environment, fun.
3. What was the most challenging part of riding to work for the first time?
Ben C: Dealing with hot weather and lack of shower facilities. Nobody wants to be “that guy.” I ride throughout the year but, if I take a day off, it’s much more likely due to hot weather than cold.
Bri: The most challenging part is defensive biking and learning to be vigilant all the time when I’m biking on streets. We’re really lucky in Minneapolis to have trails and bike lanes; however, sometimes they aren’t the best option depending on where I need to go. I think it’s hard for drivers to understand how vulnerable bikers are on the road and that we are traffic. Drive the speed limit, slow down to pass us, give us 3-feet, and be respectful. We’re all just trying to get to our destination in one piece.
Nat: Being comfortable riding in traffic.
Chad: Speaking more for today; it’s challenging to figure out how much time you need, what you need to bring to make your work day comfortable and what you need that is different for your ride home. These things will change and evolve as the seasons do.
Becky: I wasn’t sure how long the ride would take me and I had to bike up one pretty steep hill.
Ted: Getting over the notion that you need to be totally polished like it’s prom night every day at work. Once I realized that most coworkers aren’t all that impressed with nice work clothes anyway it was an easy transition to wearing clothes that were comfortable to ride bikes in and wear around the office.
4. What’s your advice for a new rider?
Ben C: Have a good lock. Ride a bike that wouldn’t break your heart to lose. Enjoy the comforts of parking to any sign or rack near your office.
Bri: You’re not “crazy”, “brave”, “weird” to want to bike to work or anywhere else.
You don’t have to bike to work everyday, feel free to start with one day – that’s awesome!
You don’t need fancy, expensive gear to bike – you just need a bike!
Nat: Give yourself more time than you think and take longer routes if they are paved trails that make you feel safer.
Chad: Take your time, let yourself create new possibilities. Every person I meet that commutes to work does it differently, there are no wrong answers. Only answers that work for you.
Becky: Give yourself plenty of extra time on your first ride to work and if you can, do a test ride first.
Ted: Take little bites. No one should jump into lifting weight by selecting the heaviest dumbbells and start swinging them around. Start small, and build on your successes. Also I think there’s somewhat of a hierarchy to successful bike commuting. 1) Security – if you’re not confident your bike will be there when you leave for the day you’re much less likely to ride and also much less likely to invest in quality bicycles and equipment that are more reliable and enjoyable to ride. Invest in good locks and look for good racks and locations to lock up. 2) Safety – route planning may take you off from a direct route but it may be worth it if it’s less stressful and more safe. Lights at dark times of day will greatly increase safety as well. 3) Maintenance – builds off of safety but if commuting regularly it’s good to learn basics like making sure your tires are inflated, chain lubed and brakes are working well. Generally other riders are happy to share info and encouragement.
5. Anything else you want to share?
Bri: I’m so lucky to work at Dero, where biking to work is the norm and is supported. I hope more and more workplaces support their employees who want to bike to work.
Nat: Make sure you have snacks at work! I find myself much hungrier on days I commute.
Becky: I probably didn’t think I’d be biking to work for 15 years when I first started but I’m so glad that I do!
Ted: Commuting by bike might be the skill I have the most experience in and I notice its absence even if I’ve only missed a few days. Like bad habits, good ones can be hard to break too.
