I just started a new job as an attorney. When I was still a student, I was working out close to 20 hours a week. Now that I’m consumed with work, I workout maybe an hour a week, and close to quitting the sport. I’m thinking about cycling to/from work to force myself to exercise. However, I have wear business formal at work, and although my commute is only 6 miles, it is through a really bad part of Los Angeles (as in dangerous, i.e. rampart, alvarado, k-town, etc.), the traffic is horrible (as in dangerous), and I often get off of work after dark. My office doesn’t have showers, but there is a YMCA and a 24 hour fitness very close by.
Do you think it’s a good idea to try cycling to work? Is it worth the hassle?
Or should I continue trying to wake up early for workouts during the week? Hopefully, when things settle down I won’t have to work as much and I won’t be so tired, so I can start some type of routine.
If it’s the former, any tips to make this easier? Help!
What kind of response do you think you’ll get on ST?
Don’t be a fairy, ride to work and stink all day.
Be careful out there, its not worth the risk.
I for one always support riding to work–if you can shower nearby and keep clothes there you really have no excuse. As for riding at night, buy some lights. A new toy is always good. And maybe grab a can of mace and a nightstick just in case. If you want to lengthen the ride, maybe you can find ways around the bad parts of town. I’ve done it all and always feel better for it. I used to commute 15 miles each way in D.C.–but I had a nice bike path to use. I also did a commute for awhile through a crappy part of town–you’ll learn to ride fast if nothing else.
I ride to work pretty regularly, but I’m in the OC. I would not want to ride a bike through the area you’re talking about, especially at night. I know, I’m a sissie. You could experiment and see how it works out. If you survive the first few rides, maybe it’s worthwhile. Or, it may be time to focus your life a bit more on work and back off training until you get to a job situation that’s more conducive to training.
Yeah, what Steve said. It’s all about commitment and determination. Just like triathlon. You’ll get out of it what you put in. There are always a million excuses for why people don’t or won’t use a bicycle to commute, do errands, go to the show, etc.
As for bad parts of town: Don’t wear or ride bling, use heavy duty tires (great training aid too), keep your eyes moving, be ready to use the sidewalks, don’t challenge the locals. Mace? Maybe; I’ve never needed it though. Odds are you won’t either.
You can do it and you owe it to yourself to give it a solid try. Welcome to the ranks of the working bicycle world.
Honestly, move out of L.A. to some smaller town where riding your bike is far less dangerous.
I have a friend here in the Great White North who commutes on his bike 8 miles every day of the year despite our winters, but he’s in a small town of 40,000 and doesn’t have to worry about excessive traffic or crazy neighborhoods.
Normally I’d say yes to this , but considering where you live, it’s far too risky.
Here’s my $.02 - calculate how much money you will be saving in gas and monthly parking. Offset it by the amount you will have to pay for a membership to one of the gyms nearby (assuming that it’s a marginal cost) as well as the gas costs to make a weekly or biweekly delivery of clean clothes from your home to work (assuming you won’t be carrying your clothes with you on your bike ride into work). Also, factor in the gas costs you will incur to run errands that you probably would do had you been driving your car such as picking up groceries, dry cleaning, etc. How much money will you be saving? Balance the savings against the risks.
Is 6 miles on the bike worth the trouble? That sounds like an excellent run. Maybe you should run to work, bus home? Or three double run days a week, to and from?
In theory that sounds great, but…in those neighborhoods and only 6 miles each way and you need to put on a suit. Then go the the Y and shower/change - Ah, no. Get up early and be safe like the rest of us.
Ride to work, easy miles to get in. I commute 30km each way to work 5 days a week. So I get an automatic 10 hours of training just going to work. No showers at my office (I am a plumbing engineer, funny isn’t it), so I just hose off out back with a hose and then change in a restroom. Works fine for me, but at first it was a bit of a struggle to get everything right. What bag to carry my clothes in, what clothes to leave at work, that type of stuff.
It takes me 50-55 minutes to drive to the office. Riding, 50-55 minutes. On my recovery days it gets stretched out to 80-95 minutes.
Don’t forget if you have family, you can commute together. My daaghter and I ride together, I “drop her off at school” in the morning.