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I'm definitely of the Mr. Money Mustache school of thought on commuting- there should be a fairly strong reason that you aren't dwelling in place from which you

I'm definitely of the Mr. Money Mustache school of thought on commuting- there should be a fairly strong reason that you aren't dwelling in place from which you can bike to work. http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/06/the-true-cost-of-commuting/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/06/the-true-cost-of-c...

Declanomous 10y ago
I love biking to work, but being able to do that consistently depends as much on the amenities at your office as it does on the distance from your work. Unless you live in Sacramento, or some other place with nearly perfect weather, you are either going to need a locker room and shower at work, or you will need to drive whenever it is snowing or raining. That being said, my commute time has gone from 30 minutes a day to an hour a day as the areas in between where I work and where I live have become more popular. It's a large part of why I'm considering a new job. The commute to work isn't bad, about 20 minutes or so, but the commute home can be more than twice that. The added commute has definitely made me a less happy person in general, due to things like added stress, less free time, etc. Edit: I live in Chicago, and looking at the data the only place that has a slower average speed is Miami. I think the higher than expected satisfaction is from the reasonably good public transit. I'd be much happier if my commute allowed me to easily take the L to work. I'd be interested in seeing individual results from within the city though. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a binomial distribution of some kind.
- dmm 10y ago
  > or you will need to drive whenever it is snowing or raining. I think you could bike every day, if you wanted to. Fenders would keep dirty road water off you and a rain shell with rain pants would keep you dry. Or if it's warm you can wear shorts and change once you get to work. If it's too snowy to safely bike, should you really be driving? And how much does it really snow anymore? This year Chicago had the first January without measurable snowfall in recorded history :(.
  - Declanomous 10y ago
    It's not about safety, it's about getting to work and being presentable. Riding a bike in snow takes an incredible amount of effort. Even if dressed in a manner which allowed me to stay dry and warm, I will arrive at work completely drenched with sweat. Even if I have a change of clothes with me, I still need to wash myself, and find a place to stash my wet and smelly clothes I rode in on. Giving myself a sponge bath in the handicapped stall and hanging my sweaty clothes up to dry in the basement is not a winning idea. Also, my car has winter tires, AWD, enough gas to run for 8 hours at idle, food, water, blankets, etc. I think that's a far safer thing to be in a snowstorm in. Not to mention the fact that cars are inherently stable, unlike bikes, so I can go as slow as I need to be safe without falling over. Plus, if someone else who is less patient hits me, I'm far more likely to be safe in a car. Regardless, the biggest issue is the fact that physical exertion makes me sweat, doubly so when I am wearing weather-appropriate gear, and I don't have a shower at work.
    - dmm 10y ago
      You say > It's not about safety but then you present several arguments about how the car is safer. I bike all year in a similar climate. Take a hot shower before you leave. It kills surface bacteria that produce odor. Change clothes when you get to work if you're really sweaty. > the biggest issue is the fact that physical exertion makes me sweat You specifically mentioned rain and snow before so that's what I addressed. As you acclimate to the heat you'll sweat less. Also on a bike you naturally produce a breeze. With experience you can balance your effort and the cooling affect of the air to minimize how sweaty you get. Most people drive to work and think that's fine and normal. I'm just saying what's stopping you from biking to work is not the weather but what you've decided to value.
      - Declanomous 10y ago
        This isn't an ideological argument. Cars are safer than bicycles in almost all circumstances. I sweat to the point where I need to shower after getting to work. If I don't shower after I sweat, my hair is a mess and I will have breakouts, despite being a grown man. I ride my bike to and from work almost every day from April to October, 8 miles each way. I think I have enough experience to say the barriers to cycling more. Perhaps if my ride was 2 or 3 miles I'd probably be able to ride my bike at a leisurely pace, but at that point I could also walk. I think the argument that you acclimate to the heat is baloney. I play pickup basketball in a gym without AC 5 days a week, and despite that and the bike riding I still sweat a lot. Some people sweat more than others. It is just a thing. There is one guy I play with who literally looks like he stood in the shower ten minutes after we start playing. Other people can play for an hour and look like they just stepped on the court. Either way, it's still a bit ridiculous to claim that if I really cared I'd ride my bike to work come hell or high water. There have been days when I've been able to drive to work where winds have been high enough to shut down the train lines, and when I'd almost certainly be blown off my bike.

Declanomous 10y ago

I love biking to work, but being able to do that consistently depends as much on the amenities at your office as it does on the distance from your work. Unless you live in Sacramento, or some other place with nearly perfect weather, you are either going to need a locker room and shower at work, or you will need to drive whenever it is snowing or raining. That being said, my commute time has gone from 30 minutes a day to an hour a day as the areas in between where I work and where I live have become more popular. It's a large part of why I'm considering a new job. The commute to work isn't bad, about 20 minutes or so, but the commute home can be more than twice that. The added commute has definitely made me a less happy person in general, due to things like added stress, less free time, etc. Edit: I live in Chicago, and looking at the data the only place that has a slower average speed is Miami. I think the higher than expected satisfaction is from the reasonably good public transit. I'd be much happier if my commute allowed me to easily take the L to work. I'd be interested in seeing individual results from within the city though. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a binomial distribution of some kind.

dmm 10y ago
> or you will need to drive whenever it is snowing or raining. I think you could bike every day, if you wanted to. Fenders would keep dirty road water off you and a rain shell with rain pants would keep you dry. Or if it's warm you can wear shorts and change once you get to work. If it's too snowy to safely bike, should you really be driving? And how much does it really snow anymore? This year Chicago had the first January without measurable snowfall in recorded history :(.
- Declanomous 10y ago
  It's not about safety, it's about getting to work and being presentable. Riding a bike in snow takes an incredible amount of effort. Even if dressed in a manner which allowed me to stay dry and warm, I will arrive at work completely drenched with sweat. Even if I have a change of clothes with me, I still need to wash myself, and find a place to stash my wet and smelly clothes I rode in on. Giving myself a sponge bath in the handicapped stall and hanging my sweaty clothes up to dry in the basement is not a winning idea. Also, my car has winter tires, AWD, enough gas to run for 8 hours at idle, food, water, blankets, etc. I think that's a far safer thing to be in a snowstorm in. Not to mention the fact that cars are inherently stable, unlike bikes, so I can go as slow as I need to be safe without falling over. Plus, if someone else who is less patient hits me, I'm far more likely to be safe in a car. Regardless, the biggest issue is the fact that physical exertion makes me sweat, doubly so when I am wearing weather-appropriate gear, and I don't have a shower at work.
  - dmm 10y ago
    You say > It's not about safety but then you present several arguments about how the car is safer. I bike all year in a similar climate. Take a hot shower before you leave. It kills surface bacteria that produce odor. Change clothes when you get to work if you're really sweaty. > the biggest issue is the fact that physical exertion makes me sweat You specifically mentioned rain and snow before so that's what I addressed. As you acclimate to the heat you'll sweat less. Also on a bike you naturally produce a breeze. With experience you can balance your effort and the cooling affect of the air to minimize how sweaty you get. Most people drive to work and think that's fine and normal. I'm just saying what's stopping you from biking to work is not the weather but what you've decided to value.
    - Declanomous 10y ago
      This isn't an ideological argument. Cars are safer than bicycles in almost all circumstances. I sweat to the point where I need to shower after getting to work. If I don't shower after I sweat, my hair is a mess and I will have breakouts, despite being a grown man. I ride my bike to and from work almost every day from April to October, 8 miles each way. I think I have enough experience to say the barriers to cycling more. Perhaps if my ride was 2 or 3 miles I'd probably be able to ride my bike at a leisurely pace, but at that point I could also walk. I think the argument that you acclimate to the heat is baloney. I play pickup basketball in a gym without AC 5 days a week, and despite that and the bike riding I still sweat a lot. Some people sweat more than others. It is just a thing. There is one guy I play with who literally looks like he stood in the shower ten minutes after we start playing. Other people can play for an hour and look like they just stepped on the court. Either way, it's still a bit ridiculous to claim that if I really cared I'd ride my bike to work come hell or high water. There have been days when I've been able to drive to work where winds have been high enough to shut down the train lines, and when I'd almost certainly be blown off my bike.