Commuting to work by bike

quietskipper17 said:A half-hour commute under normal conditions...
Your best bet is taking Bolingbrook/Iliad toward the roundabout, right past Bill and left onto Philadelphia, straight through the plaza over to Dezelica enough to hit the end, passing by the law school on Washington and Tesla... That’s probably the smoothest route traffic-wise. I wouldn't recommend Iliad during rush hour because of those tram tracks. 😉

I also started biking to work. I used to bike to school with a friend too (same distance as my current commute, 6.2 miles). It took me a while to get used to it, mostly because of the big question: where do I leave my bike? At my job, we have security and a courtyard. There are tons of bikes left out there—some even without locks. I check mine every hour.
For those 6.2 miles miles, it takes me 30 minutes to get to work. I don't wear a backpack; I use a shoulder bag so all the weight hangs below the seat, which keeps me from sweating. I bring a small basket, and I always carry wet wipes. I don't pack too much stuff in the bag, so it isn't heavy. Usually, just a shirt for later so I don't get cold, and a raincoat if the forecast looks grim. If it's actually raining when I need to head out, I'll just sulk my way onto the Zeta bus.
Like others on this thread, I also struggle with glass on certain routes.

I’ll jump in here too—I also commute by bike! Though I only do it for about six months out of the year, basically from April through mid-October depending on how the weather holds up 😉 . Last year was my first full season, and I have to admit, by the second month of this year, I was already getting sooo impatient to get back on the saddle!
My commute is about 9-6.2 miles(Brooklyn to Manhattan) and usually takes me around 30 minutes at a steady pace... As for the whole sweating situation—so far, I just wear a cotton undershirt or a tank top beneath my work clothes to soak up any moisture. Once I get to the office, I swap it out, wipe down with some wet wipes, hit it with a little deodorant, and I feel totally refreshed
. Once those intense summer heatwaves really kick in, I start carrying a change of work clothes in my bag. My bag is just a standard women's tote (well, as standard as a bike bag can be 😁 ), so I just toss it in the basket and call it a day 👍
.
The main reason I started biking to work was to tone up and maybe drop a few pounds (classic womanly goals, right? 🙄 ). To be honest, I haven't lost a single ounce, but it doesn't even matter anymore. I've realized it's much more valuable to me as a form of stress relief 👍. When I think about it, especially during the summer: after work, it's sunny and probably 90 degrees out. You're standing there waiting for the bus or the subway, the asphalt is radiating heat, and then you finally squeeze onto the train... people are smelly, some sweaty lady leans her clammy shoulder against yours, everyone smells like garlic, alcohol, or three-day-old sweat, and you're just sitting there wondering if you're going to faint before the next stop... all while staring at a 50-minute ride. Compare that to being on my bike: quiet music playing in my headphones (just low enough to hear the traffic around me 🧐 ), the wind in my hair, birds singing—and I find myself singing along too 🤣. I get to stretch out after sitting for eight hours, and I relax so much that by the time I get home, it feels like I wasn't even at work. It's absolutely wonderful 👍

analogscout66 said:Thinking back on it—especially during the summer months—it’s a nightmare. You finish work, it’s a blistering 90 degrees out, you're standing at the bus stop waiting while the asphalt practically radiates heat. Finally, you step onto the bus, only to be met with the smell of people. Some lady with sweaty shoulders leans her sticky arm right against mine. The air is thick with the scent of garlic, old booze, or three-day-old sweat. I find myself wondering if I’ll actually pass out before we reach the next stop... and that’s just a 50-minute ride. Contrast that with riding my bike: some light music playing through my headphones 🧐 (just enough to hear the traffic), the wind in my hair, birds chirping—I even find myself singing along 🤣. It’s a good stretch after sitting for eight hours straight. By the time I get home, I feel like I haven't even worked. Pure bliss. 👍

👍👍👍

I feel the exact same way. I wouldn't step foot on a city bus in the summer even if they paid me. No matter how hot it gets outside, I’d much rather deal with a bit of sweat than sit there. Even if I'm riding in the sun, being on two wheels feels five times cooler than walking in the shade. And don't even get me started on the speed. Biking rules. 🙂

neonhound32 said:👍👍👍

Same here. I wouldn't step foot on a subway in the summer even if they paid me. Doesn't matter how hot it is outside or how much I sweat; being in the AC is five times better than walking in the shade. And don't even get me started on the speed. Biking wins every time. 🙂

The worst part is riding past a bus or a train stuck in traffic while some idiot sits there staring blankly at nothing.🙂

Today I was waiting at a light in NYC on my bike. Looking west, three lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic. Looking east, the same thing. Then I look right in front of me, and there’s this guy sitting in the middle of an intersection in his car, completely lost on what to do next. 😢 I just smirked. Glad I'm not stuck in that mess like I used to be a few years back.

So, I just wrapped up my fifth day commuting by bike, and man—what a game changer. Honestly, I feel like a new person. It’s such a blast riding, and I'm barely even slower than if I'd just hopped in the car.
By the time I roll into the office, I’m already warmed up and feeling totally refreshed—while everyone else is still dragging themselves along, nursing their coffees and trying to wake up.
I just toss a spare shirt and some jeans in my backpack to change into once I arrive. I actually picked up a bike rack for my car, too, so I don't have to carry the heavy pack on my back—which really helps with staying cool.
But the best part? The ride home. Usually, it's already heating up outside, so I'm just cruising in my shorts (cycling gear), getting home while the rest of the crew is stuck staring at brake lights in traffic or squeezed onto a crowded bus. Hehehe.
All in all, I am loving every second of this!

Daniel Martin12 said:Well, five days into my new bike commute, and I can say this with absolute certainty: I feel like a completely different person. It’s been a transformative experience.

All things considered, I am thoroughly satisfied with how everything has unfolded thus far.

That is precisely what we have been hammering on about this entire time, yet for some reason, people seem determined to tune us out.
Once you’ve established a solid routine during your weekday commutes, you should start increasing the complexity of your routes—I mean, start taking the scenic route or adding some loops to the trip. Then, on the weekends, throw in some purely recreational rides just for the hell of it. Trust me, it’ll be a total game-changer for your fitness.

I find myself scrolling through these posts every single day, and I have to say, you guys are seriously motivating me. 😉
I’m still putting in some extra training sessions for a few more days since I wasn't exactly sitting on a bike regularly for about four years, and I've been averaging around 8 7.5 miles hours of work lately. But, most likely, I'll be starting the actual job next week. Honestly, a 45 to 50-minute commute in the car feels like such a drag 6.2 miles especially when the weather is this beautiful outside.

Ronald Diaz said:I check these posts daily, and I have to admit, you all are genuinely motivating.😉
I'm spending the next few days training my core since I haven't sat on a bike properly in about four years, and I'm averaging maybe 8-7.5 miles. I'll likely start commuting by bike next week. Driving 45 to 50 minutes for 6.2 miles feels like a waste, especially when the weather is this nice.

Bravo! Trust me, you won't regret the decision. In fact, you'll love it. You know what the best part is? I pick my route to and from work on the fly... 😁. I have several different paths, and I switch it up every single time... 😁😁. How could I ever go back to that miserable, hellish bus ride? Not a chance. (I said that about three years ago, and my mind hasn't changed once)!

So, I finally hopped back on my bike this past Monday for my first commute of the year.
I rode from near downtown all the way out toward the suburbs, covering about 26 miles
miles total. Honestly, man, it’s been way too long—I totally forgot how much better it feels to cruise through the city on two wheels, especially during that morning rush.
I wanted to pick your brains and see if anyone has a solid route recommendation. My path today was pretty basic: I took Slavonia over to the expressway, cut down to the main artery, hit Vicksburg, then swung onto Madison and headed through Brooklyn until I reached the outskirts.
Is there a better way to do this? Something faster, maybe, but most importantly, a route where I don't have to constantly worry about some massive semi-truck flattening me?

maybe head down Broadway toward Brooklyn, then just keep following the tracks out toward the suburbs...

So, I just realized today that I’ve hit exactly 70 days of calling out sick this year—not that I'm counting, of course.
It could have been a higher number, honestly, but I suppose I can live with that.

Richard Lewis16 said:Maybe head down Broadway toward Brooklyn, then catch the rail line out toward Queens?

What exactly are we allowed to ride alongside the tracks here?

Sure, it's easier on the law, but honestly? It’s way more stressful and just drags things out. I wouldn't bother if I didn't have to.

You could maybe jog about half a mile if you cut down Broadway toward Vicksburg and hit Brooklyn off Madison (maybe 300m of crappy gravel!), but that's pretty much it.

So, I find myself cutting right down the middle of the railroad tracks pretty regularly—mostly because it’s just the shortest path from A to B for me—and honestly, I’ve run into plenty of other people doing the exact same thing, but so far, everything’s been perfectly fine...
It’s kind of the same story when I’m cruising down Broadway, which I do quite a bit, though maybe not quite every single day...

Richard Lewis16 said:Look, I regularly ride right down the middle of the tracks (it’s the shortest route, okay?) just like a bunch of other people I run into all the time. So far, zero issues.
I do the same thing on Broadway where I ride pretty often too (though maybe not every single day)

And honestly, it would be freaking awesome if I could just take the tracks. My company actually has its own rail siding out in the suburbs near Chicago
but how am I supposed to get onto the main line?
How do you even navigate through Grand Central Station? The closest spot for me would be jumping on the tracks over in Brooklyn, but is it even possible to head straight from there to the outskirts?

Roger Gonzalez41 said:Man, I'd love to just ride the rails. My company actually has its own private rail siding out in the suburbs.
How do I even get on the tracks?
And how do you navigate through Grand Central? The closest spot for me would be hopping on near Brooklyn, but can I actually go straight from there to the outskirts via the tracks?

We're talking about the streetcar here, not a freight train.🙄

analogscout66 said:I started biking to work. Primarily for the cardio, though maybe I'll drop a few pounds too. (Ugh, women.)🙄), Honestly? I haven't lost a single pound.Honestly, it doesn't even matter. I've realized it works better as my own personal stress relief anyway.👍,

Well, you've really let me down now. 🤣
Honestly, I spend every single day obsessing over how I lost an inch off my thighs. It’s ridiculous. At this rate, my skin is going to feel more like a banana peel than an orange peel. 😁

Roger Gonzalez41,
I think you'll save some time if you just cut through Broadway instead.

Amy Gomez52 said:Well, you've actually made me feel a little discouraged here. 🤣
(I mean, I find myself obsessing almost daily about whether I've lost an ounce off my thighs or if my skin texture is changing... it's just one of those things, isn't it?) 😁

I’m talking about the literal number on the scale, 😉 though honestly, does that number even matter? The reality is that my legs feel so much stronger after a full season of mountain biking, and they definitely look better, even if the scale hasn't budged an inch. So, maybe you don't need to shave or obsess over the measurements. It might be true that neither the weight nor the inches have changed, but if the shape is improving, doesn't that count for more? 😉

analogscout66 said:...but who cares about anything else if the physique looks better, right?😉

..and she claims😉

muscle weighs more than dumbbells—so basically👍

analogscout66 said:I’m talking about the actual number on the scale. Period.😉 The scale doesn't actually matter. Fact is, my legs feel way stronger after an entire season on the bike, and they look better too—even if the number on the scale hasn't budged an inch. It doesn't have to be about cutting weight. Maybe I didn't lose a single pound or even an inch, but if the physique is better, who cares? That's what counts, right?😉

wearyotter36 said:...and I’d argue even more strongly.😉

Muscle weighs more than fat. Period.👍

I agree. I actually did lose five pounds, but that was just from eating less. Anyway, they called for rain today, so I’m skipping work. I really don't feel like dealing with the bus in this weather.🤣