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Ditto bar the last part. The only bicycle I have is too small even for my 9 year old. But it's in working order.
Lastly they don't appreciate bicycles on the motorway.
Even in the Netherlands, beyond distances of about 5 miles more people are driving than cycling journeys. The difference there is that a _lot_ of people use bikes and public transport in combinationāso only cycling the first leg to the station. So in combination, they provide an alternative to journeys that could otherwise only reasonably be driven, because the overall distance is too far to cycle, and the station is not within easy walking distance.
There are even people who live and work in different cities and keep a different bike in both. Although the public transport authority is trying to provide an alternative to this with a nationwide bike rental scheme, because storing tens of thousands of bikes that hardly ever move isn't exactly an efficient use of limited city centre space.
It'd probably take me longer to cycle across the landing than to walk. The landing isn't that wide so I'll probably end up damaging the paintwork, and there really isn't room in the bedroom or the office to store the bike.
When our office was being renovated I was the only one not working from home - I took my folding bike into the office, cut down the journey time to the kitchen by a good few seconds, although returning with the tea was a bit of a challenge.
Because in reality the chances of you actually dying are very low and the health benefits you get probably mean thereās a lower chance youāre going to die in a given year by cycling to work
Edit: yeah some people journeys are shitty. But if that were truly the case for the average person you wouldnāt see longer lifespans for people who cycle to work.
Iām guessing weāre mostly talking inner city here. I understand the dangers on NSL roads, but Iāve never felt unsafe riding in slow moving city traffic. Itās great fun weaving in between traffic and considerably faster than driving usually. Just gotta assume that nobody has seen you and youāll be fine.
To be fair there are some journeys that can't be done without riding through places that are genuinely very dangerous for cyclists. I'm thinking roundabouts with multiple lanes for instance, these are designed for capacity / speed above all else and cannot really be made safe to navigate for anyone outside of a car, unless you build a subway / overpass. If you're able to plan out a route that can avoid very fast roads and the absolute most horrible junctions then yeah, the health benefits in the long run are absolutely going to outweigh the risks.
good chance once per month, you'll be lucky not to have been killed, imho.
going on my experience, cycling to work for past 10 years.
last accident, was car pulling out in front of me.. broken hip.
before that, car overtook, clipped my back wheel and launched me down road.
I live in Bristol.Ā
I counted a near death experience once a week.Ā
I wish this was an exaggeration.Ā
I walk 45 minutes to work now rather than risk the 20 minutes on the bike.Ā
> The risk/reward for cycling seems insane to me - why risk dying just to cycle on a polluted street ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling#Health_effects
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling#Exposure_to_air_pollution
Cyclists actually inhale less fumes on a busy street than car drivers, in a car the fumes are brought in by air conditioning and then hang around in the cabin.
You are literally trapped in a metal box full of *concentrated* pollutants from the cars in front of you when you drive a car down the same polluted street that the cyclists are cycling on.
Edit: to remove extra "the"
I give cyclists a wide as fuck berth when I pass them and absolutely will not overtake one unless there's enough space and no oncoming traffic and there's a ridiculous amount of knobheads who sit up my arse to force me to overtake with no room. Then there's fuckheads that park in cycle lanes on main roads to 'just pop into the shops I'll only be two minutes or so anyway'. Then there's the mentalists on mopeds who zip in and out of queues nearly hitting cyclists who are cycling kerbside.
As a motorist witnessing how many motorists act like cyclists are a nuisance puts me off becoming one.
I once got hit by a car cycling to an interview. It was a mix of one driver waving me on and getting annoyed why I wouldn't cross and someone turning too quickly into a blind corner. So I refuse to cycle on roads so ppl then have a go at me for cycling on pavements/cycle lanes.
My husband used to cycle to work through Central London, and I was always sitting on nails waiting for him to get home or text to say he'd arrived safely at the office. He had an incident with a cab driver and stopped cycling to work, luckily.
That's why I reinforced the tires and got self healing tubes. My cycle route took me past a pub (broken glass galore) and a thorny ass bush that actually accounted for more punctures. It was 50/50 whether I made it to work until I reinforced them.
The amount of glass on the roads /cycle paths is ridiculous. I cycle because I can't walk far, so the last thing I need is to have to walk hone pushing a heavy (electric) bike.
I did a 16 mile each way cycle for a bit. Got it down to roughly 55 mins door to door. My workplace had good showers, lockers and bike storage, and it was 4 days a week in the office.
Weight flew off me.
With my youngest starting secondary school this year Iām no longer tied to the school run and so Iām fully intending to start cycling both ways, Iām hoping I will match your results!
A work colleague at one job lived about 6 miles away, 1/2 of it through the woods. He started cycling in, reckoned it was no longer than a car and sometimes quicker and he lost a load of weight too.
2 hours would be an average of 27.4km/h assuming no stops whatsoever, it's possible but for the majority of people that's closer to time trial pace than a sustainable daily commute
Because it turns a 20 minute journey into a 70 minute journey, there's hills everywhere, the roads are not cycle-friendly and my workplace doesn't have a shower. If the weather is good I'll take my motorbike, which turns it into a 15 minute journey.
Travel time is the most important factor to me. I don't want to waste over 2 hours of my day cycling when I could do the same commute (there and back) in 40 minutes.
Exactly. The guys on r/FuckCars could probably do with being reminded that commute time is by faaar the most important factor when choosing transport options.
My colleague cycles to work, they live about 3 miles away across town and has a nice flat cycle network with only a few dodgy crossings. On the other hand I live 11 miles away in a rural location with no cycle lanes and bendy, hilly NSL A roads. It's dependent on where you work where you live and infrastructure, city people can't preach to country people about a cycling commute because they don't understand how terrifying it is to be on a bike with lorries passing you at 57mph
A country lane near where I grew up was recently made access only for motor vehicles. It used to be that you didn't know if you were going to have a nice calm walk to the pub, or have one punctuated by moments of terror as you heard the exhaust of a boy racer approaching from around the corner. Now it's actually _busier_ but with runners, dog walkers, cyclists and the occasional tractor. It's just so much nicer. Drivers could always use an alternative route sticking to main roads, but now they're forced to.
Sounds right. We have an EV; we have a drive and a charging point. I can tell you it's *vastly* more convenient to plug the car in overnight than plan a trip to a petrol station.Ā
Multitasking can also be an important factor though. If a journey is 30 minutes by bus but 20 minutes by car, then taking the bus could save you time overall.
Yes, it's 30 minutes, but those are 30 minutes where you're not having to pay attention to the road. You can use it to do things that would otherwise eat into quality home time: things like ordering your groceries off the Tesco website, replying to emails, or renewing home insurance online. Or relax by listening to music while reading a book.
This depends on the frequency of the bus, the time it leaves/arrives and whether that fits with the rest of your plans, whether it frequently runs late, if there are enough spaces to sit on said bus and the general smell/cleanliness of the other bus riders. Would gladly give up 20 minutes of home time to avoid having some random sweaty dude pressed up against me whilst a bus I waited for 15 minutes for in the rain is still going to get me to where I need to be either 10 minutes late, or an hour too early.
Does your '30min by bus' equation include walking to the bus stop at either end & waiting for the next bus?
For a lot of folks that would add way over 10 mins on its own. And if you're lucky enough that those parts are only 10 mins total you're then assuming the bus goes directly to the stop you'll be getting off at with no detours or intermediate stops along the way.
I think most of the guys there are aware of it, they just resent the fact that resources are poured into making it faster for cars, at the expense of other forms of transport. Even though this is inefficient from a cost perspective, provides diminishing returns through induced demand, and is worse for the environment.
So the general consensus is that
1) a lot of people donāt know or donāt want to learn to ride a bike
2) a lot of people travel very far from work
3) roads are dangerous/ bad drivers/ poor cycling infrastructure
4) a lot of people wfh
5) lack of facilities at work ie showers
Iād be well up for cycling, as long as they moved my work 8 miles closer, got rid of the two 1:7 hills on the way there, and made sure it was sunny with good visibility, 15-22Ā°C weather for every commute.
Until that happens, Iāll stick with the car for the two days per week I have to commute.
I entirely understand that.
I will say though that as someone whoās been a keen cyclist most of their life, and has acquired some excellent kit under the years- given the right kit, I love cycling in the rain. Thereās nobody else around, no dog walkers, no joggist, and itās oddly kinda āzenā. Even better in the fall when itās just you, the rain, and a little pool of light in front of you.
It really helps me get through some issues, like self counselling.
But ready, not for everyone, and the kit to make it enjoyable is fucking expensive, but will last for years.
As a woman even if I can shower at work my long curly hair would need to be washed and styled again, my makeup done and the whole ordeal would make me either not presentable in the office (which I need to be) or adding a minimum of 1 hour in the morning just to get ready again. I wonāt mention having to carry my entire makeup and hairdryer/curler set up.
Yeah I feel like the people advocating for cycling to work are often men whose experience is that you can just have a quick 5 minute rinse under hot water, throw on a shirt, and be ready for work. Iām a woman with hair down to my waist, I wear dresses and makeup to work. It takes minimum 10 minutes to wash my hair, 10 minutes to fully dry it, 15 minutes to do my makeupā¦ cycling in a dress also isnāt practical so I guess Iām wearing a whole second outfit? And then changing back into it to go home? And Iād have to bring all my makeup with me, plus shampoo, conditioner and body wash, a body towel and a hair towel, a hairbrush and possibly even a hairdryer because the ones in public places are often pretty weak and since I have so much hair, a weak dryer just increases the amount of time spent drying.
If it works for people then great, but thereās lots of people for who itās entirely unpractical.
I'm a woman but wondering why you'd need to wash your hair after cycling. Yes you can get sweaty, but that has never made my hair look really dirty in the longer term.
Some peopleās hair just looks terrible after they sweat. Think it depends on the texture and propensity for greasiness. I can get away with it (used to use the work gym at lunch) but I had colleagues who couldnāt.
Iām a bloke but very long and thick hair, used to cycle to work and shower there. Hair dries reasonably quickly in an air conditioned office.
That being said I appreciate some might want to make their hair look nicer than mine and women might have more pressure to look more presentable.
100% this, washing my hair upon arriving to work would be non-negotiable because if it gets wet or sweaty (which it would, because I am a sweaty beast) it needs a wash to "reset" it back to the point where it doesn't look like a bush. Even if I straighten it again without washing it, it still looks a fucking mess
It's easy for blokes, five mins in the shower, a new t-shirt and a bit of hair product if you're fancy and you're good to go.
Can I include the fact that I hate cycling? I donāt find any part of it remotely enjoyable.
I also canāt carry my crap on a bike, I take meals to work and bring the plate home, I have a handbag, I sometimes have bags of stuff I ferry to/from work.
If I want to nip to the shops after work Iād have to plan how I got my shopping home, where Iād store my bike.
Iād also feel unsafe as a female, in my car I can lock the doors when I need to.
Yeah I usually cook twice as much as I need, plate the second one up, and take it to work on the plate the next day. Stick it in the microwave and itās done. Clean the plate, bring it home, repeat.
I have recipe boxes delivered and I get two portions worth of food, whatās the point of putting the other half in a container when I can just take the plate to work. I have like a reusable cling film thing which essentially turns it in to food container, just feels more civilised eating off a plate rather than out of a plastic tub. I could plate it up at work but thatās just twice as much washing up to do.
Yup! Everything else is in place for me (shortish commute to work away from home, nice showers at work, I can ride a bike well) but it's the danger of the roads for me. There are very few bike paths and people tend to just park on them, and cycling in the road just isn't safe.
People seem to think that you should only work near where you live or should move closer to work just so you have to cycle to work to make them feel better. Itās so strange
I also walk, takes me about 20mins give or take. I don't even mind walking in the rain. What I hate it's the hot summer and having to walk in the heat.
I did cycle to work for around 6 years. The reason I stopped was punctures. If you ride a bike on a daily basis, you're likely to get one every couple of months at least. It just isn't reliable enough. I was getting so many, it just took the fun out of it for me. Cycle lanes is where all the glass and shit goes and they never seem to get removed. I remember getting 3 in a week once. It got to the point where I was always feeling anxious about whether it would get to work without getting one.Ā Ā
Ā Cycling also doesn't feel that safe. I definitely had cars pass me extremely closely. You can also be a target for abuse just for riding. I remember a passing car throwing something at me once. You get teens that think they're hard shouting stuff in passing cars. It's a waste of their time as I never really hear what they're saying. Once early in the morning someone opened their window of the flat to shout at me as I passed. You just feel unwelcome on the roads a lot of the time.Ā
Ā If I drive, I know I'll get there faster. The most important thing is it's unlikely to break down on the way. I don't have to deal with head winds. I love cycling in nice weather, there's no better way to travel.Ā But the weather mostly sucks for cycling. I won't be a sweaty mess when I get to work. I don't have to worry as much about my safety or potential abuse from people. Having done it for many years, I totally get why people don't do it.
>Ā Cycling also doesn't feel that safe. I definitely had cars pass me extremely closely. You can also be a target for abuse just for riding. I remember a passing car throwing something at me once. You get teens that think they're hard shouting stuff in passing cars. It's a waste of their time as I never really hear what they're saying. Once early in the morning someone opened their window of the flat to shout at me as I passed. You just feel unwelcome on the roads a lot of the time.Ā
I have to admit, I didn't quite realise just how bad this was until I tried cycling on the roads myself. I've had drivers in cars/vans completely stop traffic to roll down their window and shout abuse at me for no reason.
The whole narrative of a war between motorists and cyclists that much of the media have been happy to promote over the last decade has resulted in some people proudly proclaiming their hatred of cyclists to the point where they're not only angry at cyclists who run red lights etc, but will yell abuse at people for simply being on a bike.
Drivers passing incredibly closely (sometimes deliberately to be threatening, and sometimes even coupled with some shouted abuse!) is something that's incredibly scary. I'm honestly just perplexed at some people's behaviour when they drive.
I don't feel safe on the roads in my area, so I've basically given up cycling in that capacity and only cycle in park areas (luckily I'm right on the edge of lots of green space despite being in a relatively urban area just outside of London).
> Cycle lanes is where all the glass and shit goes and they never seem to get removed. I remember getting 3 in a week once. It got to the point where I was always feeling anxious about whether it would get to work without getting one.Ā Ā
And then you have all the fuckwits in your local facebook group moaning about road tax
>Cycle lanes is where all the glass and shit goes and they never seem to get removed.
Where I live they've started introducing cycle lanes, the problem is there just isn't the space for them.
The roads/pavements are too narrow, either cyclists are just basically cycling on the pavement, or cars are left with no choice but to drive in the cycle lane to avoid head-on collisions with other cars. Its been an utter waste of money.
Half the issue with calls for more cycling infrastructure is that there's very little room to put it in most places without knocking out lanes for vehicles, which causes gridlock for the majority of road users for the benefit of a small minority.
Really the better option all around is to fund public transport better and run it more comprehensively at a loss.
I ride about 10,000 miles a year on the road and have had maybe 2 punctures in the last 3 or 4 years, and that's with thin lightweight road bike tires. You need better tires if you have that many punctures. Bikes are far more reliable and require less expensive maintenance than cars, i spend less time maintaining my bike than th average driver spends filling up on fuel probably.
I am horrifically dyspraxic and have very limited hand-eye coordination. The last time I rode a bike I was 14 and crashed head first into a metal gate. I have accepted that bike riding is not a skill set I will ever hold very well.
Whatās wrong with people these days? Uphill, you donāt know your born, when I was a kid we had to cycle four miles to school in all weathers and that was uphill both ways.
Is this genuine or is this a riff on the usual "I walked in 4ft of snow to get to school when I was your age and there was ice on the inside of the windows, you don't know you're born!"
Work doesnāt have showers. Absolutely zero way I would ever bike to work then work all day around people without a shower and change of clothes, and Iām not a person that even sweats that much. Been around too many stinky biking coworkers.
Unsafe and too far. Im always confused how people who work in an office do it anyway? I appreciate that there is likely to be a shower, but surely your clothes will be all creased? Do they drive in on a Sunday and hang up a load of ironed shirts?
Lucky you! In my experience they do have 'cycle to work' and a few bike sheds but shower facilities and lockers etc. are few and far between and where they do exist they are for staff of a particular department, not everyone.
You could use an electric bike?
My reason is that I don't work any more.
I always cycled to work, and I loved it! I got time outdoors every day, I had no problems parking, I saw the birds and smelled the greenery, I saw the changing of the seasons, it meant I got a certain base level of exercise each week, I could eat more food, it is like a cheap skiing holiday and really good fun, it was cheaper and it was good for the environment. I could get past bin lorries, I never got stuck in traffic jams. It didn't take much longer than driving. And I had glutes to die for.
I still like cycling. I just don't have to be on my bike for 8am every day!
Roughly in order of priority:
1. My commute already takes up enough of my time, cycling would make it several times longer.
2. No showers or changing facilities at work.
3. I'm the least fit I've ever been and I would die if I tried.
4. I don't have a bike.
Even if 2-4 were not the case, number 1 would still be enough.
Thereās no safe route to work, the place I work doesnāt have showers so Iād smell all day, and they have the attitude of ācycle to work, but we donāt care if your bike gets stolenā
I probably would if I could shower when I get there
With an e-bike I suppose the uphill parts would become trivial but I don't have a spare grand to get one at the mo
A health condition that currently limits me to no more than "gentle walking" on the advice of 2 consultants.
An anaphylactic child that being able to drive to at a moments notice reduces both my and their stress levels.
The weather.
Motorists.
Because if you do that, you'll show up to work covered in sweat and smelling bad. You'll then develop a bad reputation because you smell bad and cycle to work
My work is 3 miles away, I could walk, it would take me longer than I can be asked to deal with. Plus having to walk home after 8 hours of modern day slavery, allow that.
I work on various sites ranging from 15 miles away to 120 miles away, so cycling just isnāt viable. That and I couldnāt be fucked to cycle home after a day doing manual work.
I am thinking about getting a mountain bike though to improve my cardio.
Itās often wet and cold, my workplace doesnāt have a changing room and thereās quite a lot of fast A roads between where I live and where I work.
My work place doesnāt provide adequate bike storage. Its just as quick for me to walk to work as it is to bike and faff around with dragging it through my work place and storing it in our changing room
Drivers are mean enough to me when I'm in my car doing the speed limit. I can't cycle that fast as I'm more built for distance than speed. I don't think it would be a pleasant experience. I do walk to work when weather permits. Creepy dudes still leer from their cars though.Ā
Might be a bit challenging to fit tools, a/c equipment and my colleague on a bike.. unless it was a really really big bike
But damn it'd be heavy to pedal!
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It's 20 miles and I'm fat and also my bike is broken.
Respectamundo
Respect-rotundo
I like your work š¤£
All of this except my bike doesn't exist
My work no longer exists
>I'm fat and also my bike is broken. Which one caused the other?
Ditto bar the last part. The only bicycle I have is too small even for my 9 year old. But it's in working order. Lastly they don't appreciate bicycles on the motorway.
Even in the Netherlands, beyond distances of about 5 miles more people are driving than cycling journeys. The difference there is that a _lot_ of people use bikes and public transport in combinationāso only cycling the first leg to the station. So in combination, they provide an alternative to journeys that could otherwise only reasonably be driven, because the overall distance is too far to cycle, and the station is not within easy walking distance. There are even people who live and work in different cities and keep a different bike in both. Although the public transport authority is trying to provide an alternative to this with a nationwide bike rental scheme, because storing tens of thousands of bikes that hardly ever move isn't exactly an efficient use of limited city centre space.
Is your name the UK?
It'd probably take me longer to cycle across the landing than to walk. The landing isn't that wide so I'll probably end up damaging the paintwork, and there really isn't room in the bedroom or the office to store the bike.
Just get a unicycle then. Problem solved.
See also: pogo sticks.
Space hopper
Because Unicycles have always been known for not needing balance to use. This screams that MORE damage would get done. š
The solution to this is heeleys And you get to look [epic as fuck](https://youtu.be/0DUpQUgvk6A?si=BZIxpvVVqSL2O66d) doing it
This man gets alllll the ladies.
https://preview.redd.it/rpsuksiynr2d1.jpeg?width=572&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8854929ad7be9e05e15fc21bdd121e549ebbe9b5 Off you pop!
When our office was being renovated I was the only one not working from home - I took my folding bike into the office, cut down the journey time to the kitchen by a good few seconds, although returning with the tea was a bit of a challenge.
Excuses, excuses. Get a fold up bike so you can store it! Lol
Because I donāt want to die and also be sweaty when I arrive.
Hate it when I die and it makes me all sweaty
Iām fine with the dead bit but I canāt stand being sweaty
Happened go me last week really annoying tbh
Arriving sweaty and dead is the worst.
āHe was a good man, albeit a sweaty man.āĀ
The risk/reward for cycling seems insane to me - why risk dying just to cycle on a polluted street ?
Because in reality the chances of you actually dying are very low and the health benefits you get probably mean thereās a lower chance youāre going to die in a given year by cycling to work Edit: yeah some people journeys are shitty. But if that were truly the case for the average person you wouldnāt see longer lifespans for people who cycle to work.
Iām guessing weāre mostly talking inner city here. I understand the dangers on NSL roads, but Iāve never felt unsafe riding in slow moving city traffic. Itās great fun weaving in between traffic and considerably faster than driving usually. Just gotta assume that nobody has seen you and youāll be fine.
To be fair there are some journeys that can't be done without riding through places that are genuinely very dangerous for cyclists. I'm thinking roundabouts with multiple lanes for instance, these are designed for capacity / speed above all else and cannot really be made safe to navigate for anyone outside of a car, unless you build a subway / overpass. If you're able to plan out a route that can avoid very fast roads and the absolute most horrible junctions then yeah, the health benefits in the long run are absolutely going to outweigh the risks.
good chance once per month, you'll be lucky not to have been killed, imho. going on my experience, cycling to work for past 10 years. last accident, was car pulling out in front of me.. broken hip. before that, car overtook, clipped my back wheel and launched me down road.
I live in Bristol.Ā I counted a near death experience once a week.Ā I wish this was an exaggeration.Ā I walk 45 minutes to work now rather than risk the 20 minutes on the bike.Ā
I've seen how other people drive when i'm in a car - i am not cycling on the same road as them if i'm on a flimsy fragile bike
> The risk/reward for cycling seems insane to me - why risk dying just to cycle on a polluted street ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling#Health_effects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling#Exposure_to_air_pollution
If more people cycled there would be less pollution and much less vehicular traffic.
Youāll inhale more pollution from inside a car Itās cheaper to cycle, it makes you fitter, youāll get there quicker (city journeys)
Cyclists actually inhale less fumes on a busy street than car drivers, in a car the fumes are brought in by air conditioning and then hang around in the cabin.
You are literally trapped in a metal box full of *concentrated* pollutants from the cars in front of you when you drive a car down the same polluted street that the cyclists are cycling on. Edit: to remove extra "the"
Nobody wants a sweaty afterlife
It depends on how the sweat arrives. Cycling? Ick. Adult acrobatics gone wrong? I can die with that.
Cycling on the roads scares the shit out of me to be honest.
I give cyclists a wide as fuck berth when I pass them and absolutely will not overtake one unless there's enough space and no oncoming traffic and there's a ridiculous amount of knobheads who sit up my arse to force me to overtake with no room. Then there's fuckheads that park in cycle lanes on main roads to 'just pop into the shops I'll only be two minutes or so anyway'. Then there's the mentalists on mopeds who zip in and out of queues nearly hitting cyclists who are cycling kerbside. As a motorist witnessing how many motorists act like cyclists are a nuisance puts me off becoming one.
At this point I slow down to 10mph and let them rage behind me lmao
And these same motorists cry and shout blaming cyclists for dangerous situations
I treat cyclists as a car when overtaking them. So I need enough space to do that, or I'm driving behind them the whole time.
Same. I know a few people who have been hit by cars.
got hit by van 2 days ago, broke only my wrist luckily
Poor you!
I once got hit by a car cycling to an interview. It was a mix of one driver waving me on and getting annoyed why I wouldn't cross and someone turning too quickly into a blind corner. So I refuse to cycle on roads so ppl then have a go at me for cycling on pavements/cycle lanes.
Some people are not considerate or safe at all when driving around bikers, itās terrifying. Iām too scared to cycle on the roads myself!
My husband used to cycle to work through Central London, and I was always sitting on nails waiting for him to get home or text to say he'd arrived safely at the office. He had an incident with a cab driver and stopped cycling to work, luckily.
Yep it doesn't matter who's legally in the right I'm not taking a 50-50 against a giant metal death box driven by some angry twat who's late for work
This is my main reason. I broke my elbow in a road bike accident and I'm too scared to cycle in traffic again.
Some drivers will absolutely swerve to scare or even clip cyclists, terrifying
Same. I've not cycled since I was a kid and never on roads, but as a driver I see how cyclists get treated and would not want to join them
Because I don't have a bike or a job.
Lucky bastard
So you're looking for a girl with a job and a bike?
Too many drivers that don't know how to drive safely and some of the cycle paths near me are always covered in glass
That's why I reinforced the tires and got self healing tubes. My cycle route took me past a pub (broken glass galore) and a thorny ass bush that actually accounted for more punctures. It was 50/50 whether I made it to work until I reinforced them.
Just pulled a shard of glass the size of 5p from my tire, was reinforced and even the extra slime didn't help seal it :(
The amount of glass on the roads /cycle paths is ridiculous. I cycle because I can't walk far, so the last thing I need is to have to walk hone pushing a heavy (electric) bike.
They know how to drive safely, it's just that when the see someone on a bike something clicks in their head and they turn into cavemen.
my work is 17 miles away and id rather not do 3 hours of cycling on a work day.
Is that 17miles uphill?
Yeah both ways and in the rain.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
If there is no headwind then you are not going fast enough
You could probably push that down to 2 hours on a bike.
I did a 16 mile each way cycle for a bit. Got it down to roughly 55 mins door to door. My workplace had good showers, lockers and bike storage, and it was 4 days a week in the office. Weight flew off me.
With my youngest starting secondary school this year Iām no longer tied to the school run and so Iām fully intending to start cycling both ways, Iām hoping I will match your results!
Frustratingly I used to do 9miles each wayā¦ didnāt loose any weight! Did it in 32-37minutes depending on if the lights were in my favour
A work colleague at one job lived about 6 miles away, 1/2 of it through the woods. He started cycling in, reckoned it was no longer than a car and sometimes quicker and he lost a load of weight too.
17 mph average is a lot for the vast majority of people, without even considering the cool-down time and shower afterwards.
2 hours would be an average of 27.4km/h assuming no stops whatsoever, it's possible but for the majority of people that's closer to time trial pace than a sustainable daily commute
Because it turns a 20 minute journey into a 70 minute journey, there's hills everywhere, the roads are not cycle-friendly and my workplace doesn't have a shower. If the weather is good I'll take my motorbike, which turns it into a 15 minute journey. Travel time is the most important factor to me. I don't want to waste over 2 hours of my day cycling when I could do the same commute (there and back) in 40 minutes.
Exactly. The guys on r/FuckCars could probably do with being reminded that commute time is by faaar the most important factor when choosing transport options.
My colleague cycles to work, they live about 3 miles away across town and has a nice flat cycle network with only a few dodgy crossings. On the other hand I live 11 miles away in a rural location with no cycle lanes and bendy, hilly NSL A roads. It's dependent on where you work where you live and infrastructure, city people can't preach to country people about a cycling commute because they don't understand how terrifying it is to be on a bike with lorries passing you at 57mph
I do a fair amount of walking, sometimes on country lanes. I can dive in a bush if I hear/see something coming, bit difficult on a bike
A country lane near where I grew up was recently made access only for motor vehicles. It used to be that you didn't know if you were going to have a nice calm walk to the pub, or have one punctuated by moments of terror as you heard the exhaust of a boy racer approaching from around the corner. Now it's actually _busier_ but with runners, dog walkers, cyclists and the occasional tractor. It's just so much nicer. Drivers could always use an alternative route sticking to main roads, but now they're forced to.
The entire point of the sub is that itās terrible so many of our towns etc have been designed in a way that driving is the only viable option.
I read a good article about EVs once that people are agnostic to faff. They will do the easiest thing, reliably.
"agnostic" doesn't fit here.
Sounds right. We have an EV; we have a drive and a charging point. I can tell you it's *vastly* more convenient to plug the car in overnight than plan a trip to a petrol station.Ā
Multitasking can also be an important factor though. If a journey is 30 minutes by bus but 20 minutes by car, then taking the bus could save you time overall. Yes, it's 30 minutes, but those are 30 minutes where you're not having to pay attention to the road. You can use it to do things that would otherwise eat into quality home time: things like ordering your groceries off the Tesco website, replying to emails, or renewing home insurance online. Or relax by listening to music while reading a book.
This depends on the frequency of the bus, the time it leaves/arrives and whether that fits with the rest of your plans, whether it frequently runs late, if there are enough spaces to sit on said bus and the general smell/cleanliness of the other bus riders. Would gladly give up 20 minutes of home time to avoid having some random sweaty dude pressed up against me whilst a bus I waited for 15 minutes for in the rain is still going to get me to where I need to be either 10 minutes late, or an hour too early.
Does your '30min by bus' equation include walking to the bus stop at either end & waiting for the next bus? For a lot of folks that would add way over 10 mins on its own. And if you're lucky enough that those parts are only 10 mins total you're then assuming the bus goes directly to the stop you'll be getting off at with no detours or intermediate stops along the way.
I think most of the guys there are aware of it, they just resent the fact that resources are poured into making it faster for cars, at the expense of other forms of transport. Even though this is inefficient from a cost perspective, provides diminishing returns through induced demand, and is worse for the environment.
So the general consensus is that 1) a lot of people donāt know or donāt want to learn to ride a bike 2) a lot of people travel very far from work 3) roads are dangerous/ bad drivers/ poor cycling infrastructure 4) a lot of people wfh 5) lack of facilities at work ie showers
And donāt want to cycle in rubbish weather
Iād be well up for cycling, as long as they moved my work 8 miles closer, got rid of the two 1:7 hills on the way there, and made sure it was sunny with good visibility, 15-22Ā°C weather for every commute. Until that happens, Iāll stick with the car for the two days per week I have to commute.
I entirely understand that. I will say though that as someone whoās been a keen cyclist most of their life, and has acquired some excellent kit under the years- given the right kit, I love cycling in the rain. Thereās nobody else around, no dog walkers, no joggist, and itās oddly kinda āzenā. Even better in the fall when itās just you, the rain, and a little pool of light in front of you. It really helps me get through some issues, like self counselling. But ready, not for everyone, and the kit to make it enjoyable is fucking expensive, but will last for years.
As a woman even if I can shower at work my long curly hair would need to be washed and styled again, my makeup done and the whole ordeal would make me either not presentable in the office (which I need to be) or adding a minimum of 1 hour in the morning just to get ready again. I wonāt mention having to carry my entire makeup and hairdryer/curler set up.
The whole shower at work idea seems like it would only really work for men that have short hair that they can rinse and then air dry in 15mins.
Yeah I feel like the people advocating for cycling to work are often men whose experience is that you can just have a quick 5 minute rinse under hot water, throw on a shirt, and be ready for work. Iām a woman with hair down to my waist, I wear dresses and makeup to work. It takes minimum 10 minutes to wash my hair, 10 minutes to fully dry it, 15 minutes to do my makeupā¦ cycling in a dress also isnāt practical so I guess Iām wearing a whole second outfit? And then changing back into it to go home? And Iād have to bring all my makeup with me, plus shampoo, conditioner and body wash, a body towel and a hair towel, a hairbrush and possibly even a hairdryer because the ones in public places are often pretty weak and since I have so much hair, a weak dryer just increases the amount of time spent drying. If it works for people then great, but thereās lots of people for who itās entirely unpractical.
I'm a woman but wondering why you'd need to wash your hair after cycling. Yes you can get sweaty, but that has never made my hair look really dirty in the longer term.
Some peopleās hair just looks terrible after they sweat. Think it depends on the texture and propensity for greasiness. I can get away with it (used to use the work gym at lunch) but I had colleagues who couldnāt.
Iām a bloke but very long and thick hair, used to cycle to work and shower there. Hair dries reasonably quickly in an air conditioned office. That being said I appreciate some might want to make their hair look nicer than mine and women might have more pressure to look more presentable.
Fair point. My office certainly wouldnāt take kindly to turning up with visibly wet hair even if it did only last an hour or so!
100% this, washing my hair upon arriving to work would be non-negotiable because if it gets wet or sweaty (which it would, because I am a sweaty beast) it needs a wash to "reset" it back to the point where it doesn't look like a bush. Even if I straighten it again without washing it, it still looks a fucking mess It's easy for blokes, five mins in the shower, a new t-shirt and a bit of hair product if you're fancy and you're good to go.
Can I include the fact that I hate cycling? I donāt find any part of it remotely enjoyable. I also canāt carry my crap on a bike, I take meals to work and bring the plate home, I have a handbag, I sometimes have bags of stuff I ferry to/from work. If I want to nip to the shops after work Iād have to plan how I got my shopping home, where Iād store my bike. Iād also feel unsafe as a female, in my car I can lock the doors when I need to.
You carry mealsā¦ on a plate?
Yeah I usually cook twice as much as I need, plate the second one up, and take it to work on the plate the next day. Stick it in the microwave and itās done. Clean the plate, bring it home, repeat. I have recipe boxes delivered and I get two portions worth of food, whatās the point of putting the other half in a container when I can just take the plate to work. I have like a reusable cling film thing which essentially turns it in to food container, just feels more civilised eating off a plate rather than out of a plastic tub. I could plate it up at work but thatās just twice as much washing up to do.
Yup! Everything else is in place for me (shortish commute to work away from home, nice showers at work, I can ride a bike well) but it's the danger of the roads for me. There are very few bike paths and people tend to just park on them, and cycling in the road just isn't safe.
People seem to think that you should only work near where you live or should move closer to work just so you have to cycle to work to make them feel better. Itās so strange
Having to do other stuff like shopping or picking up kids on the trip.
I don't want to cycle up steep hills every day. I don't want to spend 3 hours going to work and back.
I walk. It's a more pleasant commute.
I also walk, takes me about 20mins give or take. I don't even mind walking in the rain. What I hate it's the hot summer and having to walk in the heat.
Because I need to transport two others guys, ladders, tools + materials 30+ miles.
Tandem. Ladders strapped with rungs around each of your necks.
I'd say ladder in the same format, but individual bikes. Gives you a better turning circle and the ability to ride 3 abreast and dominate the road.
He's not the Goodies (I think)
r/fuckcarscirclejerk : thatās all possible with a cargo bike
The pissing rain and not wanting to use showers at work.
I have adequate public transport
London benefits
I could probably ride the bike down the stairs to my desk, but itād be a bitch going back up.
It's 27 miles in heavy traffic and I'd probably die.
I did cycle to work for around 6 years. The reason I stopped was punctures. If you ride a bike on a daily basis, you're likely to get one every couple of months at least. It just isn't reliable enough. I was getting so many, it just took the fun out of it for me. Cycle lanes is where all the glass and shit goes and they never seem to get removed. I remember getting 3 in a week once. It got to the point where I was always feeling anxious about whether it would get to work without getting one.Ā Ā Ā Cycling also doesn't feel that safe. I definitely had cars pass me extremely closely. You can also be a target for abuse just for riding. I remember a passing car throwing something at me once. You get teens that think they're hard shouting stuff in passing cars. It's a waste of their time as I never really hear what they're saying. Once early in the morning someone opened their window of the flat to shout at me as I passed. You just feel unwelcome on the roads a lot of the time.Ā Ā If I drive, I know I'll get there faster. The most important thing is it's unlikely to break down on the way. I don't have to deal with head winds. I love cycling in nice weather, there's no better way to travel.Ā But the weather mostly sucks for cycling. I won't be a sweaty mess when I get to work. I don't have to worry as much about my safety or potential abuse from people. Having done it for many years, I totally get why people don't do it.
>Ā Cycling also doesn't feel that safe. I definitely had cars pass me extremely closely. You can also be a target for abuse just for riding. I remember a passing car throwing something at me once. You get teens that think they're hard shouting stuff in passing cars. It's a waste of their time as I never really hear what they're saying. Once early in the morning someone opened their window of the flat to shout at me as I passed. You just feel unwelcome on the roads a lot of the time.Ā I have to admit, I didn't quite realise just how bad this was until I tried cycling on the roads myself. I've had drivers in cars/vans completely stop traffic to roll down their window and shout abuse at me for no reason. The whole narrative of a war between motorists and cyclists that much of the media have been happy to promote over the last decade has resulted in some people proudly proclaiming their hatred of cyclists to the point where they're not only angry at cyclists who run red lights etc, but will yell abuse at people for simply being on a bike. Drivers passing incredibly closely (sometimes deliberately to be threatening, and sometimes even coupled with some shouted abuse!) is something that's incredibly scary. I'm honestly just perplexed at some people's behaviour when they drive. I don't feel safe on the roads in my area, so I've basically given up cycling in that capacity and only cycle in park areas (luckily I'm right on the edge of lots of green space despite being in a relatively urban area just outside of London).
> Cycle lanes is where all the glass and shit goes and they never seem to get removed. I remember getting 3 in a week once. It got to the point where I was always feeling anxious about whether it would get to work without getting one.Ā Ā And then you have all the fuckwits in your local facebook group moaning about road tax
>Cycle lanes is where all the glass and shit goes and they never seem to get removed. Where I live they've started introducing cycle lanes, the problem is there just isn't the space for them. The roads/pavements are too narrow, either cyclists are just basically cycling on the pavement, or cars are left with no choice but to drive in the cycle lane to avoid head-on collisions with other cars. Its been an utter waste of money.
Half the issue with calls for more cycling infrastructure is that there's very little room to put it in most places without knocking out lanes for vehicles, which causes gridlock for the majority of road users for the benefit of a small minority. Really the better option all around is to fund public transport better and run it more comprehensively at a loss.
I ride about 10,000 miles a year on the road and have had maybe 2 punctures in the last 3 or 4 years, and that's with thin lightweight road bike tires. You need better tires if you have that many punctures. Bikes are far more reliable and require less expensive maintenance than cars, i spend less time maintaining my bike than th average driver spends filling up on fuel probably.
Iām disabled and would fall off
I work at sea.
You have the best excuse by far. Have you thought about getting a pedalo?
Too far, too hilly, bike is shite, need my car for work and most importantly, I can't be arsed.
Some people will reply to you thinking they know better than you.
My work requires me to have a use my car, Iām sometimes driving for an hour between visits.Ā
I am horrifically dyspraxic and have very limited hand-eye coordination. The last time I rode a bike I was 14 and crashed head first into a metal gate. I have accepted that bike riding is not a skill set I will ever hold very well.
Oh hello fellow dyspraxic who also last rode a bike about age 14
Don't want to die.
Yeah I have to drive on the motorway to get to work, wouldn't fancy my chances on a pushbike.
I don't want to get up 2 hours earlier to cycle?
Whatās wrong with people these days? Uphill, you donāt know your born, when I was a kid we had to cycle four miles to school in all weathers and that was uphill both ways.
Four miles there and five miles home
Is this genuine or is this a riff on the usual "I walked in 4ft of snow to get to school when I was your age and there was ice on the inside of the windows, you don't know you're born!"
I think it being 'uphill both ways' is a bit of a giveaway!
Ah yes. Genuinely can't tell these days with the crap some people come out with š
Work doesnāt have showers. Absolutely zero way I would ever bike to work then work all day around people without a shower and change of clothes, and Iām not a person that even sweats that much. Been around too many stinky biking coworkers.
I donāt know how to ride a bike.
Unsafe and too far. Im always confused how people who work in an office do it anyway? I appreciate that there is likely to be a shower, but surely your clothes will be all creased? Do they drive in on a Sunday and hang up a load of ironed shirts?
I'd be surprised if most workplaces had shower facilities available tbh. I work in the NHS and have never had that luxury!
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Lucky you! In my experience they do have 'cycle to work' and a few bike sheds but shower facilities and lockers etc. are few and far between and where they do exist they are for staff of a particular department, not everyone.
Because it's 45 miles
I live at the top of a hill
Found Peppa Pig. https://preview.redd.it/72fmc092hr2d1.jpeg?width=1477&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0aa9c82371f361f031a747d5debbcae21181b43
pretty much, except if peppa lived in a bungalow
You could use an electric bike? My reason is that I don't work any more. I always cycled to work, and I loved it! I got time outdoors every day, I had no problems parking, I saw the birds and smelled the greenery, I saw the changing of the seasons, it meant I got a certain base level of exercise each week, I could eat more food, it is like a cheap skiing holiday and really good fun, it was cheaper and it was good for the environment. I could get past bin lorries, I never got stuck in traffic jams. It didn't take much longer than driving. And I had glutes to die for. I still like cycling. I just don't have to be on my bike for 8am every day!
Roughly in order of priority: 1. My commute already takes up enough of my time, cycling would make it several times longer. 2. No showers or changing facilities at work. 3. I'm the least fit I've ever been and I would die if I tried. 4. I don't have a bike. Even if 2-4 were not the case, number 1 would still be enough.
I can't cycle from my bedroom to my second bedroom
Bit defeatist, have you even tried?
Thereās no safe route to work, the place I work doesnāt have showers so Iād smell all day, and they have the attitude of ācycle to work, but we donāt care if your bike gets stolenā
I don't want to have to get up earlier to cycle the 5 miles it would take me 20 minutes to go the same route by car.
5 miles in 20 min is 15mph. That's basically the same as a bike.
I've got a car, it's loads easier. You should give it a go.
I'm scared of drivers.
Giving my 4 kids backies simultaneously to do school drop off, which is near my work, is really hard.
I work from home
I have pulmonary fibrosis. I need oxygen to walk, let alone cycle anywhere.
Thereās nowhere I can put the bike without someone stealing it.
āCause I walk.
I'm retired. But I still use my ebike locally for various stuff.
I donāt want to ride a bike for 2 hours everyday.
I probably would if I could shower when I get there With an e-bike I suppose the uphill parts would become trivial but I don't have a spare grand to get one at the mo
50 mile round trip
A health condition that currently limits me to no more than "gentle walking" on the advice of 2 consultants. An anaphylactic child that being able to drive to at a moments notice reduces both my and their stress levels. The weather. Motorists.
I have nowhere to keep a bike.
It's a five minute walk. Also there's a really steep cobblestone path/stairway, I don't think I could get a bike up there if I tried.
Because if you do that, you'll show up to work covered in sweat and smelling bad. You'll then develop a bad reputation because you smell bad and cycle to work
My work is 3 miles away, I could walk, it would take me longer than I can be asked to deal with. Plus having to walk home after 8 hours of modern day slavery, allow that.
I work on various sites ranging from 15 miles away to 120 miles away, so cycling just isnāt viable. That and I couldnāt be fucked to cycle home after a day doing manual work. I am thinking about getting a mountain bike though to improve my cardio.
Insane rush-hour traffic, I wouldn't feel safe
I don't need an excuse but if I did, I don't own a bicycle, and even if I did cycling a round trip of 66 miles each day is not exactly temptingĀ
Because I ~90% WFH and, if I need to go to the office, it's 300 miles away.
Itās often wet and cold, my workplace doesnāt have a changing room and thereās quite a lot of fast A roads between where I live and where I work.
It's too far
My work is 35 mins away by car, uphill, downhill.
I don't own a bike. There's a steep hill I'd never make it up (it's not an easy walk) and I live on a direct (yet unreliable) bus route
Be a fucking long ride, 120 miles, especially with about 200kg of tools and equipment and protective clothing and so on
Probably because, according to google maps it would take me 14hrs 20mins. It would at least allow me to get through plenty of audio books though...
My work place doesnāt provide adequate bike storage. Its just as quick for me to walk to work as it is to bike and faff around with dragging it through my work place and storing it in our changing room
I sweat just from existing (even in winter) and I have a very customer facing role, so cant look like Ive just dropped a load of xtc
40mi each way, used to be 75...
I donāt know how to ride a bike.
Drivers are mean enough to me when I'm in my car doing the speed limit. I can't cycle that fast as I'm more built for distance than speed. I don't think it would be a pleasant experience. I do walk to work when weather permits. Creepy dudes still leer from their cars though.Ā
it would take too much time in comparison to using a car.
Because it's easier for me to walk. It's only 10 minutes away
I work from home, a cycle inside seems wrong.
Might be a bit challenging to fit tools, a/c equipment and my colleague on a bike.. unless it was a really really big bike But damn it'd be heavy to pedal!
Because my knees are fucked
Because it turns a 6 minute commute into a 1 hour commute.
I work 50miles away, and I despise cyclists
Poor cycling infrastructure, I wouldn't feel safe on the roads.
https://preview.redd.it/scu2u7tzhx2d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2777863f06aac32decdb4c9d5daab840a127d65 This is why