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Now that I look closer, the median distance for these Canadian metros is the straight line (as the crow flies) distance between place of work and residence, not whatever path the commuter takes. Do you know if the 16 miles is straight line or not? And the how the average compares to the median?
That is probably not the best bike to commute to and from work on daily unless you are the type of person that likes to take a leisurely bike ride to and from where you are going.
Wearing regular clothing is higher on my priority list than going fast.
The difference, of course, is that the person who spends 20-35 minutes each way on a bike 5x a week is probably in better shape than the person who spends that time in a car, unless they're also spending an additional 40-70 minutes a day at the gym. The cyclist is also saving a ton of money on gas, insurance and car maintenance, not to mention the cost of a gym membership, which can help mitigate the potentially higher cost of a more centrally located home in a more walkable neighborhood--and if they own rather than rent, they can write off the mortgage interest, while the commuter can't write off their extra transportation expense (or, I suppose, their gym membership.)
... and the driver likely spends another 20-30 minutes commuting to/from the gym!
And if I can sneak this in about helmets (I am not going to advocate for them, just report on my research I did while debate was being closed):
I went to Walmart yesterday (so shoot me, they have fabric and sewing supplies, which is what I was looking for and which their highly vaunted competitiors, Target and Costco don't have) and decided after getting my fabric to take a look at bike helmets. They had some marked down to $12.97, and a whole lot for sale for ~$20, including some cute ones for kids (Spiderman, Disney Princesses, etc). FYI only.
Last edited by Katarina Witt; 03-20-2014 at 01:47 PM..
Reason: clarification of prices
Wearing regular clothing is higher on my priority list than going fast.
I keep my work clothes in my backpack along with my laptop for my daily rides. I also have two pairs of shoes that stay at work so I don't need to put those in my packpack (1 brown, 1 black).
I keep my work clothes in my backpack along with my laptop for my daily rides. I also have two pairs of shoes that stay at work so I don't need to put those in my packpack (1 brown, 1 black).
That is a smart thing to do if you have a locker or desk to keep things like this at. New buildings in Portland are being designed with places to lock bikes up, lockers available for storage, and showers and changing rooms for those sweaty or bad weather rides. Basically it is becoming a new way to make office buildings more attractive to employers.
Backpacks are annoying for long rides. Restrict your posture biking and and give you a sweaty back. Use a bike bag instead. A handlebar bag or a small trunk bag on the rear rack works well, small paniniers on the rack if you need more space.
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