Biking Benefit I: Moo-la

In deciding to become a full-time biker, money was not a consideration. I chose to make the switch for other reasons. The money I have been able to save by making this change has been a welcome benefit.

We are now saving (on a monthly basis):
$35 on car insurance
$30 on gas
$25 on car maintenance
$30 on gym a membership
-----------------------------
$120 per month savings

That is close to $1,500 on an annual basis.

Biking is not free. There are some start-up and on-going costs associated with the car-free life, but they are much less than feeding and maintaining a vehicle. I used the money from selling our 2nd car to cover all of the start-up costs. The start-up costs for me included:

a bike (or two)
I would recommend NOT purchasing a commuting bike from a big-box discount store. These are definitely cheap (in more than one way) and can serve a purpose as an occasional use bike. The reason these bikes are cheap is because they are made cheaply with poor quality parts. A good used bike from craigslist or a new bike from a local bike shop will last much longer and give you a more reliable mode of transport.

riding clothes
depending on your level of effort and commitment, this could be a lot or a little money. I chose the "a lot" category since I ride every day in any condition. I have already described my winter gear; I also have rain gear and some specialized bags that attach to my bike rack (called panniers) to carry extra clothes for hot and/or wet days. These are not necessary for part-time riding, but I feel they are required for all-weather riding.

a new wardrobe
I am down 3" on my waist and two shirt sizes after losing close to 40 pounds. I have put away (hopefully forever) my fat clothes.

There are some minor recurring costs associated with biking. I take my bike in for maintenance as needed. I am learning to do my own bike maintenance slowly, but for now I consider money spent at the bike shop for maintenance to be well worth it.

My wife claims that I am consuming all of our monthly savings in the form of food since our grocery budget is much higher now. I believe most of the excess cost for food is due to the better quality, and not necessarily the extra quantity.

So, if you are trying to pinch pennies, biking might be a good way to do it. Granted, exchanging a car for a bike is a bit extreme, but you could keep the car and add a bike. Replacing a couple car trips with bike trips a week could save you hundreds over the course of a year.

Here is a random picture to reward those who suffered through my ramblings. Our winter wonderland in Iowa.

Winter Riding Questions

I seem to be answering a lot of questions about my bike commuting in the Iowa winter. Since the concensus is that most think I am crazy, I thought I would share my answers to the most common questions. Hopefully you will see my sanity.

Q: "Don't you get cold?"

A: I find this question amusing as it is asked most often when I arrive at work sweaty desperately peeling off layers trying not to overheat. I have found it much easier to dress for winter riding than the summer season. When it is cold, I can always add or subtract layers to regulate my temperature. When it is hot, all you can do is sweat.

Christy snapped a picture of me right before I left for work last week on a 0°F morning.

I am wearing:

- upper & lower synthetic base layers (fancy long-johns)
- jeans
- leg strap (to keep my pantleg out of the chain)
- wool socks
- fleece windstopper jacket
- a rain jacket as a shell
- snowboarding gloves
- fleece hat
- fleece gaiter (neck warmer)
- snowboarding helmet & goggles
- clipless pedal shoes
- backpack including:
* food (lots of it, I am eating like a horse now since my metabolism is up)
* emergency bike kit (spare tubes, tire patches, tire irons, air pump, basic bike multi-tool)
* change of clothes for work
* baseball cap (to cover up my helmet head at work)
* four Curious George books (running errands this day)

When I get to work, I peel off the outermost layer, throw on a hat and wear my jeans and fleece jacket most of the day. I am fortunate to have a job that allows me to dress casually.

Honestly the hardest riding days are in the Fall and Spring when it is cold and raining. Staying warm is tough when you can't stay dry. I am using some of the money we are saving on gas, maintenance & car insurance to buy the right gear I need to stay warm, dry, and upright on my bike. (Although my wife tells me she thinks any money we might be saving has been completely absorbed by the grocery budget, since I'm eating so much more these days. I guess you could call this my own personal "gas" budget.)

The coldest I have ridden so far is -9°F, not accounting for windchill; it feels colder than the actual temperature, since I ride at about 15 mph, thus creating my own wind to deal with. I wore basically the same thing as above except for the addition of another layer on my torso and a pair of rainpants to cut through the wind.

"What about ice, don't you fall down?"

No, because of these.Studded snow tires. An essential accessory for Iowa winter riding.

I have only fallen once since the snow started falling. It was my own fault and had nothing to do with the weather. My shoes attach to my pedals so when I stop, I have to turn my foot to release it from the pedal. I didn't quite unclip fast enough at a stoplight last week and I tipped over. Good for the soul to be humbled. Especially since I was at that moment being prideful in my head about being one of the few bikers still on the road.

"Are you stupid?"

Depends who you ask. I don't think so.

"Do you want a ride home tonight? I can throw your bike in the back of my ____."

No, I am doing this by choice. I intentionally ride year round for exercise.

I broke down and drove our car to work this week the day of the blizzard. I could have easily ridden, but it was a compromise with my wife and I picked up a co-worker who was snowed in. He appreciated riding in a car instead of on my top of my handlebars.

60 Miles Per Pound

[This is the first in a series to be written by Tim about health, exercise, and being green]

If you have ever wondered how many miles you have to ride on a bicycle to lose one (1) pound, it's about 60.

Almost six months ago to the day, I decided that I needed some significant change in my lifestyle as I was at my heaviest weight ever. After a visit with my doctor (something I typically avoid) for a pre-employment physical, I was told I had borderline high blood pressure and my cholesterol was also borderline high. Those combined with being 45 pounds over what is considered a normal weight for my height, I was well on my way to a lifetime of medication and/or a heart attack.

Another major factor in my wake-up call has been watching my father battle heart disease. In the past few years he has had several angioplasties and three (yes, count them three) open heart surgeries in about 4 months time. If genes have anything to do with it (which most agree they do), this is another strike against me.

Before children (B.C.) I had a similar wake-up call. After college after I gained 30 pounds during the first 2 years of my new sedentary career. I don't believe men were created to work 40 hours a week behind a desk. I lost the weight back then, and it was hard, but relatively easy compared to now.

During Christy's pregnancy with Audrey, I gained sympathy weight pound for pound. Making time to exercise now, during the wiping decade*, has proven to be difficult.

My solution: biking. Not just occasional biking, but biking everywhere all the time when physically possible. I even sold my car so I had very little choice as to my transportation. It's either my bike, the bus, I run or I walk (listed in order preference and speed).

I live exactly 3 miles from my office and most days I ride home for lunch. That's 12 miles a day guaranteed. This translates to 45-60 minutes of moderate activity each day, at least five days a week.

The climate does not always make riding a bike in Iowa pleasant. It can be wet in the Spring, hot in the Summer, cold, wet & windy in the Fall, and cold, dark & snowy in the Winter. There are a lot of good days, but there have been a few days when I've wished I hadn't sold my car. I had to overcome a lot of my own excuses, learn a lot about what works, and what doesn't work when it comes to biking (and exercise in general.)

As of this writing, I have ridden 2,250 miles on my bike, lost nearly 40 pounds, regulated my blood pressure to normal, and dropped my cholesterol at least 10% (that was after only 4 weeks, I haven't had it checked again recently.) There have been other factors that contributed to these changes (what I eat & more importantly don't eat, weight training, and aerobic exercise) but the only consistent factor has been my daily commute, by bike.

I don't write this expecting or wanting a pat on the back. I write to hopefully encourage others to make similar lifestyle changes. I plan to use this series of blog posts to tell more about my process of becoming a full-time biker. I hope to give practical advice about becoming car-free and becoming a healthier person in general.

* The wiping decade is a term coined by a friend of ours for the period of time with small children at home during which someone or something continually needs wiping.