Living a cycling lifestyle… the on-line movement.

[Dirt]

Oy folks. I thought I’d take a few minutes to write about a few ways to spread the word about cycling. This forum is a great first step. It is a great resource for people to see people who ride regularly, get questions answered and find some folks to ride with.

There are other programs on the internet that help inspire people to get out the door and on their bike. I play in a bunch of them in order to see what they’re like and maybe inspire a few people to ride.

Arlington’s car-free diet: http://www.carfreediet.com/

This is a program that I didn’t take part in, but I liked the look of it. They’ve got a great web site too.

Clif 2-mile challenge:http://2milechallenge.com/

The idea behind 2MC is to get people to leave their car home for short trips. 40% of all urban travel is less than 2 miles. 90% of those trips are done by car. What happens if people have a network that challenges them to eliminate 1, 2 7 or more of these short trips each week? Participants join a team that is associated with a charity and they gain points for each car trip they replace. More points can be gained by challenging others to leave their car at home. Any time I can do something good for charity by turning a pedal, I like to do my best.

Here’s a blog entry about yours truly and the 2MC: http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/blog/3553/ It is worth noting that I am definitely NOT the points leader in this thing, though I think I’m probably high on the mileage list.

Plus3 Network:http://www.plus3network.com/

Plus3 is kind of a cool way to use your GPS to record cycling miles and have them benefit different charities. There are different charities that you can choose and different athletic activities that you can record to generate points that add up to charitable donations. I just record my cycling miles and my chosen charity is Bikes Belong. There are periodic challenges that you can take part in to win prizes. It is fun, though I don’t watch it as much as I do the 2 Mile Challenge.

Corporate/Employer challenges:

Many employers take part in different kinds of challenges to inspire their employees to ride. There are different challenges that are set up so that even small companies can take part in such programs as though they had the resources of a large company. The company I work for takes part one such challenge through Ridespring (http://www.ridespring.com). It is a program that gives people points for using alternatives modes for commuting. You can get points for carpooling, providing rides, taking metro or riding your bicycle. Each moth people’s points are converted to raffle entries and prizes are awarded. I’ve taken part in this for three years now, and won a few pretty cool prizes. It was a nice little bonus.

The less tangible inspiration to ride: EPA helps me out with that. They let us use their bike room. GSA lets us use their showers. Those things go a long way to make it really easy and fun to ride to work. I still rode every day when I didn’t have this kind of facilities. I didn’t smell as good, though. I used a lot more baby wipes. Not many companies do this in America that I’m aware of. I know quite a few in Europe that do.

Do any of you take part in such programs? Do any of your employers do things that inspire you to leave the car at home?

Ride on, folks!!!

Pete

Topic

[PotomacCyclist]

Many people in Arlington have the option of using Capital Bikeshare to run errands. That takes out the hassle of bringing down a bike from an apartment and locking it up at the destination. I find it convenient to hop on a CaBi bike to go to the grocery store or to head to the gym/pool in the winter.

CaBi will be expanding into Clarendon and Ballston soon, making CaBi an option for even more Arlington residents. DC will be adding many new stations this fall. That might alleviate some of the bike/station balancing issues. But that isn’t as much of a problem for non-rush hour trips to run errands.

CaBi also makes it easier for a non-cyclist to give cycling a try without making a major investment. A 5-day membership is not costly at all, especially when compared to buying even a budget-priced bike. Then if the beginner finds cycling to be enjoyable, then an annual membership could be the next step. That would still be much less expensive than buying a bike. While CaBi doesn’t work for everyone, it can work for many DC and Arlington residents. The system will continue to grow over the next year. There is also an outside chance that CaBi will qualify for a TIGER transportation grant for a large-scale expansion, but that’s uncertain.

[LilBit]

Hi. I’m new to the forum but I agree with the posts on this page. Since moving here, I’m living a car-lite diet (I use it sometimes). I either cycle in to work or ride the metro and it is so nice. I like the idea of the 2MC too. And I would like to ride everywhere. I have one problem…I sweat like crazy. I still ride, and will try to go to places that offer showers, but I sometimes choose to drive somewhere instead of bike, even if it’s just a run up the street, because by the time I get there, I’m soaked. How frustrating is that! Anyway, I just wanted to share my thoughts and nod in agreement to the car-free/lite diet, Capital Bikeshare, and other programs out there. I wish they were implemented in more places throughout the US.

[5555624]

@LilBit 7265 wrote:

I sweat like crazy.

Join the club. In the summer, try to wear clothes that dry quickly. I find that some mountain biking jerseys look more like “normal” shirts, yet dry out quicker.

In the winter, wear less than you would wear otherwise. If you’re riding, you should feel a little cool when you step outside. All too often, people bundle up and end up sweating — wear less than you would if you were standing around waiting for a bus. Layers, too, dress in layers.

[Greenbelt]

I justify the time like this. Before bike commuting, my (car to) Metro commute was 50 minutes each way, and I usually also did a 30 minute workout each day. Total combined commute and workout time: 130 minutes a day.

Now, I ride 65 minutes each way commuting (which is my workout). Total combined commute and workout time: 130 minutes a day.

Plus the workout is way better.

[Justin Antos]

I like to think I gain a 25th hour in every day by combining commuting with exercising.

[Joe Chapline]

Combining commuting with exercising also adds purpose to the exercise. When I’m running on a treadmill, I’m very aware that I could just stop and go do something else. Maybe something more useful, cross something off my list. When I’m commuting or doing errands by bike, there’s no thought of just stopping.

[Dirt]

@Joe Chapline 7284 wrote:

When I’m running on a treadmill, I’m very aware that I could just stop and go do something else.

The “something else” Joe is talking about consists of flying off the back of the treadmill, as anyone who has ever stopped running on a treadmill knows all too well.

[PotomacCyclist]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3KCjIAhSPc

[Riley Casey]

Three weeks ago now I fell off my bike and fractured my elbow. The orthopedist was adamant that I not ride for six weeks. For years I used to stop at the Whole Foods in Silver Spring every other day and the food Co-op in Takoma Park twice a week. Since injuring my arm I have been to the store exactly once. I stock up in the car or eat what my wife buys but I dislike driving and particularly parking so much that I’d rather go hungry. OK maybe not go hungry exactly but I won’t drive to make up the difference where I can no longer ride. Driving in the urban core just sucks. I don’t own any spandex, I don’t do exotic rides to east no-where, I bike simply because I need to get to work and to shop and to live a life. I almost missed re-registering my car – I was down to the last day last month because I simply don’t use it enough to take note of the windshield sticker. Riding just seems like a normal way to get around to me now. It’s hard to remember when it was otherwise.

[5555624]

@Riley Casey 7316 wrote:

Riding just seems like a normal way to get around to me now. It’s hard to remember when it was otherwise.

Ditto.

Twelve years ago, when I had to renew the registration on my car and realized I had not driven it 75 miles in the previous ten months, I decided it was time to get rid of it.

I avoid riding in Takoma Park, though. I keep thinking about installing some BTA (Bike-to-Auto) missiles on my bike and if I go with the small nuke option, I don’t want to be in conflict with Takoma Park’s “No Nukes” policy. (Superior firepower can trump the “my car is bigger than your bike” argument.)

[WillStewart]

@5555624 6216 wrote:

I find that the biggest obstacle is time. When people realize it won’t save them time commuting or running errands, they balk.

I add on (whether I was doing it or not) the time it takes to get to the gym and back, and the time to work out, as my commute is a significant workout. That changes the timing comparison considerably.

[Dirt]

Over the years my neighbors have kinda changed from the attitude of “That guy is completely nuts” to “That guy is completely nuts, but it is pretty cool that he rides his bike every day.” It’s a good thing.

Love,

Martha Stewart.

—
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.895386,-77.029838

[Joe Chapline]

@WillStewart 7549 wrote:

I add on (whether I was doing it or not) the time it takes to get to the gym and back, and the time to work out, as my commute is a significant workout. That changes the timing comparison considerably.

I agree that the fitness benefit is a key selling point for a lot of people. Most people realize they need a lot more exercise than they’re getting. For those who are interested in doing something about it, combining biking with things they need to do, like commuting and running errands, may be the most time-efficient way to go about it. More efficient than driving everywhere and then making a separate trip to the gym or spending a half hour on the treadmill in the basement. Also, non-cyclists tend to assume that biking is always much slower than driving, but it’s not true.

[elbows]

I live in South Arlington and ride into DC for work and activities. Every so often when I am injured as I am now, I can’t ride for a few days (strained back if anyone cares). I either take the bus (16y) or borrow a car to drive. The bus is crowded and slow and it makes me carsick. The car is expensive, risks an acccident or ticket, and is stressful. Both take longer than it takes me to bicycle and bicycling is fun and good for me (except for Columbia Pike which I know I complain about all the time). I just want to shake the sheep on the bus with their faces pressed in each other’s armpits and say, “there is a better way to get places”. I just don’t get why more people don’t ride. Really, I don’t. I try to talk it up at work when people ask and a few people have tried it but have their own reservations.

[DCLiz]

Well, perhaps I shouldn’t admit it on this forum, but the ONLY reason I ride my bike to work is for exercise. I have a lot of trouble finding the energy and time to exercise, and since I have to go to work anyways, if I bike I am at least getting exercise that day. Commuting by bike takes around 10-15 minutes longer than my 30-minute Metro commute from Capitol Hill to downtown, including wrangling the bike out of the apartment (see below), locking it up, and changing my shirt/putting on makeup at work.

My biggest barrier to biking more often is also not commonly sited: I live in a walk-up apartment building. While the landlord has provided a space for bikes in a locked room in the basement, hauling the bike in and out of the basement, up a narrow stairway with four turns, and through three doors is time consuming and unpleasant. If I had a secure place to keep my bike out of the elements on street level, I’m sure I would bike more often.

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