Do these apply to you?
- You live less than 8 miles from work
- You own a reliable bike
- You have no health issues which would be triggered or exacerbated by regular bike rides
- There is a relatively safe route between your home and office
- There is someplace near your office where you can lock your bike
- There is a place where you can change clothes
If you answered "yes" to all of the above, then you have the potential to be a regular bike commuter. But let me explain a few issues associated with these factors.
1. Length of commute - 8 miles is not a randomly chosen number. A commute of this distance will take most adults 45 minutes to one hour to complete. Beyond that, you're getting into a situation where the hassle of a regular bike commute may outweigh the benefits. That being said, some die-hard commuters will gladly spend two hours undertaking a 20-mile journey to work, and will do it every day. Others in this situation may choose to attempt such a commute only occasionally.
2. A reliable bike - Using an old bike is OK, but it should be in good condition and not prone to breakdowns. That is, the brakes, cables, tires, and chain should be free of rust, excessive wear, etc.
3. Health issues - If you have bad knees, are at risk for heart attacks, have significant vision problems, or are suffering from some other ailment which would be exacerbated by bike commuting or cause an accident, then getting to work on a bike is not for you. If you are unsure if health issues will come into play, then consult your doctor first.
4. There is a relatively safe route - If the route you intend to take requires traveling a major or minor highway, or extremely busy street with no shoulder or bike lane, then get a good local map and scout out some alternate routes.
If there is nothing else available (a sad reality for many people who work in office parks only accessible from major roads) then forget about it. It is simply not worth entering into battle with cars in a dangerous traffic situation, because you will lose. Riding a bike on certain roads, such as major highways, is also illegal in many places.
There is also a time component to consider. Riding in the dark greatly increases your chance of having an accident. Even if you have a standard nine-to-five job, darkness will come into play in certain areas at certain times of the year (particularly in northern climes, where the sun goes down early in the fall and winter). As this period coincides with the arrival of cold and snowy weather, many people (myself included) abandon the bike commute at this time.
5. There is a safe place to lock up your bike - At home, most people can lock their bike in a garage or bring it into their apartment. At work, you'll need to find a place to secure your bike. Some offices have indoor or outdoor racks for bikes. Others bring their bikes into their office. As a last resort, you can lock your bike to a parking meter.
If you do lock your bike in an outdoor area, be sure to take with you any items that can be easily removed from the bike - helmet, pump, seats, etc. I've found that people will steal almost anything that's not locked down - I've even lost a ratty water bottle that somebody thought was worth taking.
Another sad phenomenon that occurs is someone will get their seat or helmet ripped off, and the victim will just take someone else's so they can get home. Don't get caught out!
6. There is a place where you can get changed - not everyone needs to get out of their bike clothing, but if you have to change into a uniform or work outfit, then you'll want a private place where you can take off your sweaty bike clothes and put on your work clothes. A lot of newer office buildings have showers and changing rooms attached to the ground-level bathrooms, but if this is not the case for you, use a restroom stall or an office with a door to get changed.
