Let me be clear. I find commuting via bike superior for a multitude of reasons. There’s health, economics, environmental, political, …etc. That said, I still drive my car regularly.

I have a couple different routes to work. The shortest is about 16 miles each way. I will only do this route on my mountain bike since it involves a little off-road action. On my road bike, the shortest ’safe’ route is ~20 miles each way.

So…why do I live so far from work? Simple, when I bought my house 9 years ago, it was not a concern. Since that time, my priorities have changed.

Most days, I don’t mind having such a long commute. It gives me plenty of time to get the heart rate up and the blood moving. Besides, it is almost a matter of pride when people say “you commute how far!?!?”.

The downside is that riding is not always practical.

Here’s a good example. The other day, my wife (Cortney) needed to take the baby (Clara) to the doctor for shots. Since she knew she would have her hands full with the baby, so she wanted me to watch Ella (our 4 yo) while she went. The appointment was at 10am on a Wednesday. If I were to ride my bike to work, I would not be able to make it to work until noon at the earliest. Not exactly ideal.

Sometimes, the weather *keeps* me from riding. I can handle cold. I can handle rain. I can handle wind. Put them all together for 40 miles…not so much. Fortunately, living in Texas, I don’t have to worry about weather too much. Wind is regular, rain is occasional, and cold is unusual.

I guess you could call me a ‘casual’ commuter. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion.

Here’s my typical schedule:
Monday: Normal commute via road bike. (~40 miles total)
Tuesday: Normal commute via mountain bike. I usually hit up some local trails on the way home. (~50-60 miles total)
Wednesday: Car day. I take in a fresh set of clothes for the next week and bring home the dirties. I also stop at the grocery store on the way in and get some food to keep at work. Additionally, Wednesday night is my wife’s ‘night out’. I try to be home as early as possible so that she can get some relax time.
Thursday: Normal commute via mountain bike. I usually hit up some local trails on the way home. (~50-60 miles total)
Friday: Normal commute via road bike. (~40 miles total)

Rinse, Lather, Repeat.

This schedule amounts to 180-200 miles/week. That is some good exercise. Additionally, that is about 120 miles that I do not spend in my car. (Note: 120 != 180-200 because of additional miles for mountain biking & safe routes.)

This is what I plan, but rarely does it actually happen. This week is a prime example. The weather was crappy on Tuesday. Wednesday, I had a late meeting a work so Cortney couldn’t have her free night. We traded and I rode to/from work on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. I really try to make sure I ride at least 3 days a week.

Why do I bring this up? Just to point out that you don’t have to fully commit for it to make a difference in your life. Start out simple.

Here’s how you do it.
1. Start off by driving your proposed route(s). Figure out what is the safest way to get to/from your work place.
2. On a Saturday/Sunday/non-workday, get on your bike and ride your route.
3. At the beginning of the week, check the weather and pick a day for your inaugural ride.
4. The day before your ride, take a set of clothes to work along with any toiletries that you will need.
5. Ride to work.
6. Pat yourself on the back.

If all goes well, try to increase your frequency.

Two years ago, I was the only person in my office that ever commuted. In the past year, I’ve helped 4 other people (in a 30 person office) make their first commute. 3 of them still do it on a regular basis.

If you continue to ride, you will soon find your mid-section smaller and your wallet thicker (well…unless you really get into it and start getting fancy bike stuff…) all while reducing pollution and dependency on foreign oil. Even if you don’t go for all that hippie environmental stuff, riding home after a hard day at work is a great stress reliever.