Bike to Work Week: May 17-21

I want to do this more, because I only live 2 miles from my office.  You might ask yourself, if you live only 2 miles away, why wouldn't you just drive?  Well, in that 2 miles there are 6 stop lights, and of course I hit every one of them.  But cycling in can be a hassle as well, because 2 miles uphill is just enough to get sweaty, and you've gotta bring your other shoes, hope your pants don't get caught in the chain, etc.  Does anyone else deal with the same annoying situation?

My commute is 42 miles each way. If there was a bike trail to Ft. McPherson (from west of ATL), you bet your arse I'd be riding to/from work 3x per week.

I wish I could, but I'm in sales and that wont really work, but I will do all my normal chores/grocery runs on the bike

I'm going to miss this week because I'll be out of town for work but my bike commuting will commence the following week.  : )  Conveniently enough, it is the week that school gets out for the summer.  We've mapped a route that is very different from the one I take in the car and I've tried it on the weekend with good results.  It is 6.5 miles to work by car and about 7-8 by bike.

And, I have to get by the office building across from mine so that I can join their gym ($10 for employees) so that I can shower.  There is no way for me to commute without showering. 

Edited by Mrs. brown_dog_us 2010-05-12 6:29 AM

My commute is only about 5.5 miles 1 way, rolling hills, but horrible traffic and no bike lane to speak of.  I'm trying to figure out a slightly different route that would be safer and give it a try.

I'm with Mrs. Brown Dog - I have got to shower.  Friday jeans day would be the best day to test it out.

Bike commuting is not bad as you may think. It just takes some planning. You have to wear biking clothes, pack clothes to change into at work. You need some deodorant in your bag and a hand towel.

My office doesn't doesn't have showers, so after 10-12 mile ride in to work, I go to the bathroom, wipe down (ie bird bath), put on fresh deodorant, and change my clothes. I have been doing this over a year at least 3 days per week. I also run on my lunch break some days. The clean up is the same.

As far as bike lanes, well we don't  have any in good old Douglasville either. You have to be aware, stay far to the right of the lane, and most people will respect you. The biggest problem you will have is people turning in front of you under estimating how fast you are going.

I have found that using the commute to work can be great if you find alternate routes to get you there that have varying terrain and or mileage. I work full-time and am in school full-time. I have to manage my time very well to get in all my 2-a-days, 6 days per week. Commuting to work is a part of that.

Try it you will be surprised how much you don't stink after a ride in if you just bird bath and deodorant, and change.

Wait, what's wrong with heading down 278 to 166? It's like two turns from your house to work, and not dangerous AT ALL.

I'm going to do this one day next week - It's a bit of a haul but my building does have a locker room/showers, so why not? Not likely to become a routine but at least it'll be one day my car isn't on the road.

I have no faith in the capacity of drivers in Atlanta to pay attention/give a little room and I predict the ride into Buckhead is going to be worst part...Obnoxious rear light will be a-blinkin'!

For those of you who live close enough to work, also consider running.

I usually take a bus to work, because I am fortunate enough to have access to Emory's free shuttles, which beats driving myself.  I don't like biking to work so much, because, as others have mentioned, showering at work is not always convenient.  More often then biking (though not as often as I should), I will actually run home at the end of the work day.  I leave my work clothes in an office filing cabinet, and run home with essentials like keys and wallet in a small backpack.  The following day, I just bring the previous days clothes home in a bag.

For bike week, I will try leaving home an extra half-hour earlier to allow time to shower at work after the bike ride.

If anyone is planning to bike just one day next week, consider joining a bike train next Friday:

http://www.atlantabike.org/biketrains


While your biking, you may as well sign up for chances to win prizes:

http://www.cleanaircampaign.org/Earn-Cash.-Win-Prizes

So, I haven't biked to work this week yet.

Has anyone else been able to commute by bike this week?

I am going to double my efforts to be able to bike the rest of the week.

I'd love to, but most of my 10 mile commute is on North Druid Hills Road, which borders on suicidal for bikes.

- Kerry

I haven't commuted this week.  I actually need to get my commuter bike back from #1 so that I can do this more often.

I probably commuted about 15-20 times a few summers ago.  I live about 3.5 miles from the office and the roads are fine.  The issue I had is that my schedule is a bit unpredictable and I kinda have the flexibility to come and go as I please.  When you have to change and get on the elevator, it becomes very obvious that you are going home.