Article: How Far is Too Far to Bike to Work

[Tim Kelley]

@cvcalhoun 155964 wrote:

I suspect Capital Bikeshare riders have a higher percentage of females, in part because a) they are often used by tourists, who are less likely to get called home suddenly, and b) they are often used just to get to and from Metro, rather than for long rides when you have to pick stuff–or children–up. The “under 26%” figure comes from WABA.

I don’t know that women are more risk-averse. (I assume you mean more, not less.) But I suspect that biking is more risky for them. Women are more vulnerable to assault (both sexual assault, and assault just because they are on average smaller and weaker) than men are. And I long believed that drivers in general tended to honk and curse at cyclists, and often drive way too close to cyclists, who do perfectly legal things like taking the lane. But comparing notes with male cyclists suggest that they do it many times more often with women than with men.

Actually it was very few tourists (2% reported being outside the DMV)–mostly regular “members”. Which makes it all the more interesting–what is it about Bikeshare that makes it more appealing to women riders? Not disagreeing with WABA, just adding another data point.

Yes, *more.* Google turned up a few recent reports on this topic.

And yes, I’ve heard the same reports from female riders who feel bullied by motorists, simply for the fact that they appear smaller and more vulnerable. On the flip side, something else to note is the Mary Poppins Effect: that female riders who are dressed in non-cycling specific clothing have reported having better experiences with vehicular bullies.

[anomad]

That’s a lost cause for me! I’m just going for not dying at my desk before I retire.

@Judd 155960 wrote:

As far as one needs to ride daily to look good whilst naked.

10 miles seems about like the sweet spot around DC. There are so many variables. I have known a couple guys who did almost 20 miles each way religiously, in other cities. However, the farther away you are the more likely you are to bail if everything isn’t perfect. 4 miles? You’ll ride in almost any conditions even if you end up walking halfway. Its good to have the public transit option here. Its only the second city I have lived in where its a viable option, Salt Lake City was the other. Lower population density and newer trains there meant you could take your bike on the train any time.

[cvcalhoun]

@Tim Kelley 155966 wrote:

On the flip side, something else to note is the Mary Poppins Effect: that female riders who are dressed in non-cycling specific clothing have reported having better experiences with vehicular bullies.

Of course, this requires biking without a helmet, in clothes you can’t get sweaty in.

The risk-taking one is a hard one to measure. In many circumstances, the same thing is more risky for a woman. That’s true not only in the obvious cases (bicycling after dark, for example), but in other things that tend to get measured. For example, women tend to be more conservative in their investment strategy–but if you have less to invest, it’s more important not to lose what you have. (Plus, financial advisers tend to push women toward more conservative investments.) They tend to be more risk-averse at work–but men who take risks at work tend to get rewarded, while women who do so tend to get punished. It is far from clear that women in similar positions are noticeably more risk-averse.

[Judd]

@Judd 155959 wrote:

Or to Steve O in the early 2017’s.

Just noting that Steve O disliked my post revealing his hair wax secrets.

[Crickey7]

I’m still wrapping my mind around the intersection of cycling advice and oil-based hair styling products.

[KLizotte]

All of the women at work that I have tried to convert to bike commuting have cited safety concerns, esp at dark, as being a major issue. The second issue is grooming/clothes.

I can attest to both. I don’t feel safe traveling at night along the W&OD in many areas though I’m okay on the MVT. The Custis scares me at night because of the moguls, grooves and icy spots.

Oddly travelling through DC at rush hour rarely bothers me at all though I find it frustratingly slow. I also worry about breathing in that much exhaust.

I have major hair issues. I have long, frizzy hair that may look great after I’ve spent 15 minutes flat ironing it at home but looks like I stuck my finger in a socket by the time I get to work after a 28 minute commute regardless of the weather. In the summer I wind up with very sweaty, frizzy hair and my new office doesn’t have a gym or showers. It is further complicated by the fact that the A/C in my office is practically non-functional. Trust me guys, it can be a major hassle, if not an impossible task, to look 100% put together for a lady bike commuter. I am seriously envious of guys with crew cuts!

I just spent $40 on a mini flat iron which I hope will allow me to look more presentable at work. It doesn’t help that I share an office with a guy who simply doesn’t understand why I have a drawer full of high heels. Sigh.

[CBGanimal]

I liked the article! Thought it to be about right although I do have to agree with bobco

I have commuted to work everyday for about 3 years now..I’m not sure how to get to my office by car any more! [emoji16]

Here are my motivating hints:

1) My commute can be as short as 5 miles but I usually do 10 – 16…but just knowing that I could do it in 20 min door to door gets me on my bike everyday…after 2 miles I usually decide to make it longer.
2) I do have a daughter and at times I need to get home faster so I’ll either do the 5 miles or take an Uber (very rare)
3) The dark doesn’t bother me on any trail or street, in my mind I tell myself I’m too fast for anyone to stop me…[emoji2]
4) I have quiet a few shoes, dresses, undergarments and makeup that I keep at the office.
5) $$ saving…garage fees, gas, car maintenance, parking tickets, and I have little need to join a gym!

I wish I could go car free…but that kid I mentioned plays softball and I can’t seem to get her equipment to fit in my panniers!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[vern]

It’s about 22 miles for me one way to work, so a 44 mile roundtrip commute. Door-to-door I’m just as fast or faster on my bike as it is if I take the Metro door-to-door (which first involves a short walk, a short bus ride to the Metro, and then a short walk on the other end to work). So, I don’t gain more family time, get home quicker, or any of that jazz by not riding my bike.

[Judd]

@cvcalhoun 155962 wrote:

At my age, I’m not sure 500 miles a day would be enough!

I recall you saying that you’ve lost a good amount of weight from biking, so at least better naked. Hopefully, at least feel better. I’ve lost about 35 pounds since I started regularly biking a year and a half ago. This year’s Freezing Saddles has shaved another 5 lbs off of me even though I’m eating massive amounts of food. I would probably bike a lot more if I could find two more hours in the day.

[cvcalhoun]

@Judd 155990 wrote:

I recall you saying that you’ve lost a good amount of weight from biking, so at least better naked. Hopefully, at least feel better. I’ve lost about 35 pounds since I started regularly biking a year and a half ago. This year’s Freezing Saddles has shaved another 5 lbs off of me even though I’m eating massive amounts of food. I would probably bike a lot more if I could find two more hours in the day.

Alas, since I started bike commuting 25 miles a day, I’ve actually gained weight. Body fat percentage has gone down, so I guess the extra is muscle, but it’s still demoralizing.

[Emm]

@KLizotte 155974 wrote:

Trust me guys, it can be a major hassle if not an impossible task to look 100% put together for a lady bike commuter. I am seriously envious of guys with crew cuts.

When I get my hair done, I always tell the stylist “this needs to look good with little to no work after I pull a bike helmet off my head”. They usually look at me like I just asked them for a baby unicorn.

But having a ton of straight, fine hair does mean styling is easy–my hair is always flat, or flatter regardless of how much work I put into it! I found adding tons of layers helped me look presentable quickly, along with some volumizing and texturizing spray. But I am lucky to have a gym with showers, so I can rinse off and put myself mostly together. The women I work with who have more intense makeup/hair routines often cite that as a reason they don’t want to bike to work or go to the gym in the morning–it’s just a pain to do all of that curling and clipping in a crowded humid locker room.

[cvcalhoun]

@Emm 156007 wrote:

When I get my hair done, I always tell the stylist “this needs to look good with little to no work after I pull a bike helmet off my head”. They usually look at me like I just asked them for a baby unicorn.

But having a ton of straight, fine hair does mean styling is easy–my hair is always flat, or flatter regardless of how much work I put into it! I found adding tons of layers helped me look presentable quickly, along with some volumizing and texturizing spray. But I am lucky to have a gym with showers, so I can rinse off and put myself mostly together. The women I work with who have more intense makeup/hair routines often cite that as a reason they don’t want to bike to work or go to the gym in the morning–it’s just a pain to do all of that curling and clipping in a crowded humid locker room.

I’m in the same position, except that my hair is so thin that it is very difficult to get it to hold a style at all. I don’t wear make-up, and go for hairstyles that require minimal effort. But then again, I did that before I biked–I just couldn’t see spending any great amount of time on hair and make-up.

[KLizotte]

@cvcalhoun 155996 wrote:

Alas, since I started bike commuting 25 miles a day, I’ve actually gained weight. Body fat percentage has gone down, so I guess the extra is muscle, but it’s still demoralizing.

I know from personal experience that it is possible to be losing weight even when the scale says otherwise (exchanging fat for muscle). Best thing to do is to get out a pair of trousers that fits one size too small. Try them on every week and see if they fit a little better. Only try them on for a minute or two else you will start stretching them out. If all goes well, you will eventually be able to wear them comfortably! I’ve dropped a size since the beginning of December despite being sick with a sinus infection for two months. Still got a few more sizes to go.

[dasgeh]

The big issue that the article and this discussion has ignored is type of bike. I’d agree that 10 miles on a flat-bar is nutter.

But there are more types of bikes than are dreamt of in your philosophy. There are ebikes that make 10-miles each way easy. There are cargo bikes that enable kid- (and softball-equipment-) hauling. And there are e-cargo-bikes that allow some of us to do the dance of dropping off kids and getting to work and responding to emergencies, while reaping the benefits of getting (moderate) exercise, reduced cost, and more certainty as to travel time (and probably reduced time spent in travel too).

In other words, join those of us on cargo ebikes, and you can tote your kids around, park for free and get to work without being sweaty!

[lordofthemark]

@dasgeh 156026 wrote:

The big issue that the article and this discussion has ignored is type of bike. I’d agree that 10 miles on a flat-bar is nutter.

Wait, what?

BTW, http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?7562-What-is-a-LONG-distance-commute

[Author]

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