Commuting by Bike

For the last 23years I've been commuting every day using my bicycle. It's great. Below or some of my thoughts:

Weather - I remember a friend quoting from Richards Bicycle Book when I was a teen, "If you live in the UK and cycle 30mins to work and back everyday for a year, on average, you will get wet 6 times" (numbers probably not an accurate quote - my teens were a very long time ago). From the last 23years, that seems about right. I usually carry a lightweight waterproof jacket and very rarely get it out of it's bag.

Feeling Alive - My commute sets me up for the day. Where other people need a first cup of coffee to get them going in a morning, I find that however tired I feel when I drag myself out of bed - I'm wide awake once I get on my bike and ready to work the instant I arrive at the office.

Change of clothes - I like the idea of commuting in ordinary clothes, but I can't cycle slowly, so I get sweaty. I keep a week of clothes at work and renew them every Monday morning. I tend to arrive at work early and start the day in my cycle clothes and then get changed as soon as I've dried out.

Cycle security - I'm fortunate that my employer offers secure cycle storage. If they didn't, I would A) Use a folding bike that I could stash under my desk or B) Buy bike that cost less than the lock around it (I'm talking £30-40 for each item) and accept that some days, the bike might not be there when I want to go home. If the worst happened and my bike wasn't there, I'd console myself with the fact that it's an inconvenience not a financial loss - I can replace the bike and still be saving money compared to driving or taking the bus.

Motivation - My wife and I share one car. I can't use it to go to work without leaving her without it. Leaving myself with no (honourable) choice, probably saved me from the trap of deciding to take the car because of the weather and then never getting back on the bike again.