Taking a Job If It Eliminated Need For Bike Commute?

[TwoWheelsDC]

That’d be tough for me in the winter. I hate riding when it’s cold, but at least I have my minimum 14 mile round-trip commute to keep me on the bike. For me, it’d be very unlikely that I’d come home at 5pm when it’s cold and dark, and turn around and go out for a ride. Maybe on nicer days, but those are too few and far between to get a meaningful amount of miles in. The job would need to pay a good deal more, or just be way more enjoyable for me to make such a move.

[vvill]

For me it’d be a pro. Two hours is 2 hours to do whatever, ride, sleep, etc. And you could eat lunch at home if you wanted. Work does not motivate me to ride (but it does create a need).

[cephas]

You don’t have to restrict yourself to the minimum – but it does give you a new freedom: You can make your bike commute as short or long as you please! and discover all sorts of rides in the area. You can ride an out and back, or a loop to get to your office. or not, and take the direct route.

[DismalScientist]

I see no possible way that anyone could possibly extend the distance of one’s bike commute.:rolleyes:

[DaveK]

@vvill 46302 wrote:

For me it’d be a pro. Two hours is 2 hours to do whatever, ride, sleep, etc. And you could eat lunch at home if you wanted. Work does not motivate me to ride (but it does create a need).

This. I would love to basically work from home and be able to duck in and out whenever I wanted. All that would change is you’d have that much more time to ride where and when you want to.

I didn’t go after a job I wanted very much because it was located in the “DC region”, but far enough out that it would make my life a car-commuting traffic-strewn hell.

[jopamora]

That 5 minute walk would be a 2 minute bike ride. I just gave you an extra 6 minutes in your day.

[Amalitza]

///drools over the notion of a 5 minute walk to work///
///pulls self together///

I might not be the opinion you’re looking for, since I have a 45 minute each way car commute. But I can vouch that it is possible to ride your bike regularly even if you don’t use it to get to work. And the shorter your commute, the more time you have to do *whatever you want*– which some days might be a bike ride, and other days might mean sleeping in a bit, or going to the park and flying a kite (probably a more sensible thing to do than riding a bike today…). Or happy hour. Or *whatever you want*. I don’t want to live where my job is, so I made trade-offs which created my commute (yes, I know it’s my own fault), but imo, as its own consideration by itself, the shorter the commute, the better.

[Steve]

I lived across the street from work in Crystal City for almost 5 years. It is wonderful. You have so much extra time in your day. If you really love riding, I don’t think it’ll stop you at all. It just eliminates some of the hassles that can go along with planning for commuting. You can go home for lunch, get little things done at home if you have to, it’s just great. I miss that commute.

I started commuting by bike basically because I loved riding and found it was one of the only ways to fit it into my schedule. When you have no commute at all, you can easily fit it into your schedule and do other things as well if you’d like.

[americancyclo]

I’m going to echo everyone else here. I used to live a mile from my job. Now I live 12 miles from it. I used to bike home in less than 5 minutes, eat lunch and take a 30 min nap and STILL be back in less than an hour. Right now my work day is bookended by a commute that adds up to about 1.5 hrs per day. If I could get that back down to 10 minutes, I’d have a lot more time to do anything. I’d say go for it. Your love of riding shouldn’t be dictated by your employer (unless you are self employed) it should be your choice.

[Dickie]

So many great responses, but after reading them I think the simple truth is it comes down to self awareness. Believe it or not, I do not love riding… I do not love suffering… I do not love freezing toes… and I do not love wind in my face. BUT… I do love how riding makes me feel about myself, and how it supports a healthier lifestyle. However, if it wasn’t for my 25 mile commute I probably wouldn’t ride that much, but again that’s just me. You need to ask yourself if your commute is your only motivation to ride, and if you no longer ride will you miss it? I am never an proponent of cycling dictating your career… you can control one far easier then the other. Saving a bunch of time will provide you with plenty of great options if you are the sort of person to take advantage of them, if not you might find yourself feeling more rushed and frantic than ever before.

Short answer if it WAS me…. take the job, reduce the costs and time associated with commuting, use the time to see more of your family and friends, be less rushed, eat better meals and get better rest. Ride for all your other errands if you need a reason, or just enjoy being less busy and ride when you want to.

[GuyContinental]

@Dickie 46453 wrote:

Short answer if it WAS me…. take the job, reduce the costs and time associated with commuting, use the time to see more of your family and friends, be less rushed, eat better meals and get better rest. Ride for all your other errands if you need a reason, or just enjoy being less busy and ride when you want to.

THIS

I’d hang up my road bike in a heartbeat to recover the 2-3 hours a day that I lose to commuting (by car or bike). Since I had kids and started working in Sterling I haven’t had time to cook a proper weekday meal and only hit 70 miles of non CX MTB in all of 2012 (out of ~5k) I also haven’t seen or helped with my family in the morning more than 5-6 times in 3 years. My goodness, I could see my kids, cook, AND go on evening MTB rides… drool…

On the flip side, my last gig, although work-at home, took me to China for 3-4 weeks at a time, even with the commute and AWOL mornings this model works better for my wife.

[Terpfan]

5 minute walk to work and you’re debating this? Help me get an equivalent job a 5 min walk away!

I understand your point though about riding. I would probably be much lazier if I wasn’t commuting with it. The solution is to sign up for a century or two or three that provide the same forced nature of needing to make sure you’re in shape for them. That is, unless you’re disciplined enough to ride regardless of whether you need to ride or not. The freedom you have now will let you use that time to explore different trails/routes/etc that many of us forgo.

[Author]

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