7 ms·

The part about making it part of your daily routine is spot-on. I cycled to work for 15 years, and felt much healthier with lower stress. Then my employer mov

by madengr 10y ago

The part about making it part of your daily routine is spot-on. I cycled to work for 15 years, and felt much healthier with lower stress. Then my employer moved from 6 miles away to 12, and have two kids in elementary school. Now I feel like shit, overweight, and guess I'll die younger.

petertodd 10y ago
Daily routine is so important. I had one year in particular where I was both cycling to work every day (10km round trip) and cycling to school 2-3x a week (50km round trip). I lost ~30lb in about six months. In fact, as I wasn't trying to lose weight, I didn't even realize I'd been losing so much weight for a few months, and mentally doing that wasn't hard at all - just felt like a normal routine (certainly helped that cycling was often my fastest way to get to both work and school, and almost always a close second).
tzakrajs 10y ago
But just imagine where you might be without those 15 years. When the kids are older you can maybe switch stuff up? For their sake?
leonhandreke 10y ago
I'm sorry that you're feeling this way - having to compromise on health for a job is never fun :(. I don't know anything about your specific circumstances, but depending on what your daily route to work looks like, you might be able to make it work with a special bike. There are fast cargo bikes which fit two children and could even be outfitted with an electric motor (e.g. http://www.larryvsharry.com/ http://www.larryvsharry.com/). Or the obvious solution, road bike + trailer.
rbg246 10y ago
Sorry to ask a silly question, is it possible to say drive halfway then cycle the rest? Bit of setup issues like bike rack etc but will mean you can still cycle to work and feel good.
- arethuza 10y ago
  I don't think that's silly at all - its precisely what I'm planning to do so I can work up to cycling the ~20 miles each way to work (NB not every day!).
- yitchelle 10y ago
  That is actually quite a common practice in Germany. There are some car parks just on the outskirts of a large city that is always 50% full of cars with some form of bike carrier attached to it.
thesmallestcat 10y ago
You can't bike 12 miles in because... ? I'd say give it a try.
- adrianN 10y ago
  It takes an hour by bike an forty minutes by car. That's forty minutes a day you could be spending with your children instead.
  - holri 10y ago
    This calculation is incomplete. You missing the live prolongation effect of cycling. 40 min a day 5 days a week for 40 years is ~290 days. The plus side is in years dimension. With cycling you have more overall live time with your children.
    - adrianN 10y ago
      Lifetime with children is more valueable when the children are younger.
      - holri 10y ago
        I would be more than happy if my father had been cycling and would be still with us today.
    - dpark 10y ago
      You don't get back the time you lose with your children when they're young. Spending time with adult offspring cannot possibly be the same, especially if they move and you actually don't get to spend that time with them. Your best bet is that you'll recoup the lost time with grandchildren. I'm not saying it's a bad tradeoff. In addition to living longer, staying fit makes you a better model for your children and increases the quality of the time you spend with them.
    - brokenmachine 10y ago
      Also the extra energy from being fit all the time means you can actually do meaningful outdoor activities with your child, instead of being a fat potato on the couch.
mistermann 10y ago
Get an electric bike?
6DM 10y ago
I'm getting ready to test out commuting 14 miles, but with an electric bike. Traffic is horrendous here and the metro has been awful. Both take 1hr+ on good days. I'm willing to sacrifice the battery so I don't sweat when I arrive and then use my commute back to get exercise :) I hope it works out.
- jbergens 10y ago
  I only have 7 miles and use an electrical bike anyway since it makes me sweat less and still maintain good speed. Works great.
- alvern 10y ago
  I've been commuting electric 11 miles each way for over a year. In my time I've found limiting myself to 18-20mph pedal assisted is the best use of my battery and my body. I still get some workout but not enough to sweat through my clothes. The bike averages 400w consumption and I've gotten used to running bigger batteries than my commute needs. Currently I'm running Multistar Lipo's at 12s2p for 50v charged and 20ah max range. I consume 6-8ah daily.
  - 6DM 10y ago
    That's really good to hear, I got nervous reading your stats and usage as my configuration will have less range than yours. But a little back of napkin with your input looks like I have just enough to make it there and back utilizing PAS. It's all up in the air until I try, but I think I'll bring the charger to work on the first day to be sure.
3pt14159 10y ago
I'd honestly switch employers if I couldn't bike to work. The difference in my current and future happiness is too great.
- criddell 10y ago
  Or move.
derekp7 10y ago
I've got a similar problem -- used to live 15 miles from my employer, which would get me to work in slightly over an hour. Current address and employer is 22 - 25 miles apart (depending on route). Solution: cheat a little bit. I've converted to an e-bike (added a hub motor kit). You can set it up so that it gives you assistance, but still requires peddling. Upshot in your case, is you can get a 6-mile workout, while traveling 12 miles (you basically ride in a higher gear, so you go faster/further for a given effort level). I've also seen people get an extended-length cargo bicycle, add the electric assist, and use it to take the kids to where they need to go along with getting a few days worth of groceries.

by madengr 10y ago

petertodd 10y ago

Daily routine is so important. I had one year in particular where I was both cycling to work every day (10km round trip) and cycling to school 2-3x a week (50km round trip). I lost ~30lb in about six months. In fact, as I wasn't trying to lose weight, I didn't even realize I'd been losing so much weight for a few months, and mentally doing that wasn't hard at all - just felt like a normal routine (certainly helped that cycling was often my fastest way to get to both work and school, and almost always a close second).

tzakrajs 10y ago

But just imagine where you might be without those 15 years. When the kids are older you can maybe switch stuff up? For their sake?

leonhandreke 10y ago

I'm sorry that you're feeling this way - having to compromise on health for a job is never fun :(. I don't know anything about your specific circumstances, but depending on what your daily route to work looks like, you might be able to make it work with a special bike. There are fast cargo bikes which fit two children and could even be outfitted with an electric motor (e.g. http://www.larryvsharry.com/ http://www.larryvsharry.com/). Or the obvious solution, road bike + trailer.

rbg246 10y ago

Sorry to ask a silly question, is it possible to say drive halfway then cycle the rest? Bit of setup issues like bike rack etc but will mean you can still cycle to work and feel good.

arethuza 10y ago
I don't think that's silly at all - its precisely what I'm planning to do so I can work up to cycling the ~20 miles each way to work (NB not every day!).
yitchelle 10y ago
That is actually quite a common practice in Germany. There are some car parks just on the outskirts of a large city that is always 50% full of cars with some form of bike carrier attached to it.

thesmallestcat 10y ago

You can't bike 12 miles in because... ? I'd say give it a try.

adrianN 10y ago
It takes an hour by bike an forty minutes by car. That's forty minutes a day you could be spending with your children instead.
- holri 10y ago
  This calculation is incomplete. You missing the live prolongation effect of cycling. 40 min a day 5 days a week for 40 years is ~290 days. The plus side is in years dimension. With cycling you have more overall live time with your children.
  - adrianN 10y ago
    Lifetime with children is more valueable when the children are younger.
    - holri 10y ago
      I would be more than happy if my father had been cycling and would be still with us today.
  - dpark 10y ago
    You don't get back the time you lose with your children when they're young. Spending time with adult offspring cannot possibly be the same, especially if they move and you actually don't get to spend that time with them. Your best bet is that you'll recoup the lost time with grandchildren. I'm not saying it's a bad tradeoff. In addition to living longer, staying fit makes you a better model for your children and increases the quality of the time you spend with them.
  - brokenmachine 10y ago
    Also the extra energy from being fit all the time means you can actually do meaningful outdoor activities with your child, instead of being a fat potato on the couch.

mistermann 10y ago

Get an electric bike?

6DM 10y ago

I'm getting ready to test out commuting 14 miles, but with an electric bike. Traffic is horrendous here and the metro has been awful. Both take 1hr+ on good days. I'm willing to sacrifice the battery so I don't sweat when I arrive and then use my commute back to get exercise :) I hope it works out.

jbergens 10y ago
I only have 7 miles and use an electrical bike anyway since it makes me sweat less and still maintain good speed. Works great.
alvern 10y ago
I've been commuting electric 11 miles each way for over a year. In my time I've found limiting myself to 18-20mph pedal assisted is the best use of my battery and my body. I still get some workout but not enough to sweat through my clothes. The bike averages 400w consumption and I've gotten used to running bigger batteries than my commute needs. Currently I'm running Multistar Lipo's at 12s2p for 50v charged and 20ah max range. I consume 6-8ah daily.
- 6DM 10y ago
  That's really good to hear, I got nervous reading your stats and usage as my configuration will have less range than yours. But a little back of napkin with your input looks like I have just enough to make it there and back utilizing PAS. It's all up in the air until I try, but I think I'll bring the charger to work on the first day to be sure.

3pt14159 10y ago

I'd honestly switch employers if I couldn't bike to work. The difference in my current and future happiness is too great.

criddell 10y ago
Or move.

derekp7 10y ago

I've got a similar problem -- used to live 15 miles from my employer, which would get me to work in slightly over an hour. Current address and employer is 22 - 25 miles apart (depending on route). Solution: cheat a little bit. I've converted to an e-bike (added a hub motor kit). You can set it up so that it gives you assistance, but still requires peddling. Upshot in your case, is you can get a 6-mile workout, while traveling 12 miles (you basically ride in a higher gear, so you go faster/further for a given effort level). I've also seen people get an extended-length cargo bicycle, add the electric assist, and use it to take the kids to where they need to go along with getting a few days worth of groceries.