To commute or not to commute....

[Mex]

I have a few options of getting to work being, public transport, cage, bike or a combination of them. Work are offering bike parks (undercover and secure) for $130 per month in the city (the round trip would be about 20km). Apart from working out which is cheaper i am curious to know;

Do you think commuting makes you a better rider? To be more specific do you think more km the better no matter what type of km they are (city/rural). Does city riding keep you more alert and ready for anything - or do you think the difference is minimal? or that the extra cost of maintenance not worth commuting if you don’t have to/enjoy the commute - given the additional risks...

Any significant maintenance issues with commuting (short rides in residential areas) everyday on a >600 bike? (tyre/engine wear?)

[Maxo]

To be more specific do you think more km the better no matter what type of km they are (city/rural)

yes

However, I commute* because I want to.. not because it is the smartest choice.

[mcmurray]

yes

However, I commute* because I want to.. not because it is the smartest choice.

I commute because I want to and it is the smartest choice. On a 25km trip to work I get there 10 mins earlier than the cage and use a shitload less fuel.

Someone here said - if you cage to work you start work when you get in the car and you finish when you get out of it, on the bike you start work when you get off the bike and finish when you get on the bike.

Riding home never gets old mate, do it

[delete_me_kthxbai]

Yes.
Plus, if you aren't in a rush, you can have an enjoyable, scenic ride home.
My ride to work is nice, and my ride home.
So I *usually* arrive at work a lot less stressed than if I had driven a car.

[Humma.]

Im weighing up whether to commute or not on my bike. Like you i have a car. I'm just more worried about my bike getting pushed over or stolen as i work in Midland currently. Not the best of suburbs, lol.

At the end of the day i still look forward to the trip home on the bike or maby that's just because i just got my licence, time will tell. Think il bike commute though, like Maxo, i want to

[lee]

Why don't you just do a test and commute for a week (just pay for parking somewhere else). If it's acceptable to you, sign up for this parking agreement.

[vbroom]

i spend almost 2 hours travelling every work day.

thats 10 hours a week.....

instead of making them 10 frustrating boring as shit hours in a car, i like to make them 10 exciting fun hours on my bike.

no real maintenance issues really? lube and check the chain once every 2 tank fulls and thats bout it.

and definately more communting makes you a better rider if you are paying attention. More hours, more exposure to the road where you get experience for your road craft.

[Lozzle]

Someone here said - if you cage to work you start work when you get in the car and you finish when you get out of it, on the bike you start work when you get off the bike and finish when you get on the bike.

Ne'er a truer word spoken. Battling peak hour traffic for up to an hour before and after work is a constant drain. Not to mention hunting for a parking bay.

I used to train to work & back each day when working in the city which wasn't too painful but now I work SoR, heading down from the north is a mission. I enjoy the quieter traffic days/times when I ride to work, I arrive less aggravated

[shan]

You are, or at least should be 100% on the ball in the rat race trafic. that said its alot of fun at times. Being front row center at lights always makes me feal better.
Bike is much faster without being a hoon.
Tyres tend to square up a bit.
That said i work on oil rigs and only have to get into Perth office ocasionaly. Every time i do though, its always the bike, rain hail or whatever.
Try all three, see what works for you. I have a mate who hates traffic on his bike, too many close calls. I say its his fault for not pating enough attention to popups ( semingly random threats ) in the makeing.
You can predict popups--- its the assasions that i dont like.

[Scoundrel]

I worked out I saved just over $4K last year riding every day as opposed to driving. That includes the cost of parking a car in West Perth ($10.80/day min.) and petrol (min. $30/week). 5 days a week, for say, 50 weeks a year - it all adds up.

I've found that commuting every day can dumb down your sport riding skills; trackdays are good for keeping this in check though. Flip side is that you'll develop your muscle memory for dealing with threats on the road and what made you shit your pants as a n00b will, after a while, elicit a muscle memory reaction instead of panic. Even if it is simply extending the middle finger to someone.

[MuNch]

I prefer not to commute and most would say im a pussy but its my decision based on personal experience for my work commute route. Also the car costs about the same as the bike to run.

I fully support commuting bikers and $130/month is very cheap parking in the city.

[Cbr1k]

I hate public transport with a passion. During Winter (and even in Summer) you are packed in a tin can like Sardines with everyone sharing the Flu or stomach bugs.

I would always commute.

[g0zer]

Do you think commuting makes you a better rider?

Any significant maintenance issues with commuting (short rides in residential areas) everyday on a >600 bike? (tyre/engine wear?)

i spent a few years commuting daily through peak hour fwy traffic between bibra lake and balcatta. i think it was a good experience for developing traffic feel, for want of a better way to describe it.

i like to commute at least once a week via bike to stay in practice.

warm them up and keep oil fresh, i dont see any reason why short trips should hurt any vehicle.

re commuting full time on a bike: i dont like commuting in 40C or pissing rain so its good to have the car option open

[shmoo]

bottom line is in all seriousness you dont buy a bike purely to save money. By the time you count the true cost of commuting on a bike, it is most unlikely it would work out cheaper (ie tyres, services etc all more than a car). You ride because you want to.

Do exactly what Lee suggested a couple posts up. Try it out and see.

[Stoneville]

mmm better rider, not sure about that one, IMHO it makes you a bloody hoon you tend to learn how to read the traffic, but as Shan says there's still always someone that will try and get you.

Tyres do square off so you need a more tourer compound to keep the need for new tyres a little further away.

Less stress I reckon, I don't mind Public transport in the morning, but arvo's the shits, stresses me big time, all the horrible body odour and stale cigarette smell

I do have some really nice roads to ride on to gt too and from work though

[Rider]

I dont commute much maybe once a week twice if the weather is good. I take the public transport as it only takes 5 to 7 min more then bike and the ride is pretty boring

Commuting will make you a better rider in heavy trafic i.e you will be able to split lot faster and you will be reading trafic beteer. i dont know about being more alert as you will end up getting in routine and you will naturaly let your gurd down

Give it a crack see how you go

[EyesOpen]

I commute everyday to work from Waikiki to Perth International Airport in peak hour traffic. In a car it takes about 1 hour 5 minutes on average. In a bike it takes between 40-45 minutes. That’s saving me about 45 minutes a day. If I went in the car everyday the fuel costs are about $65-$70 a week, on the bike it’s about $25-$30.

But most importantly it’s so much fun. I love my commute to work; splitting traffic going straight to the front at the lights is a thrill. Sometimes you meet up with other bikes and have a bit of fun. I get to work and I’m in a great mood and am ready for the day ahead.

[Scoundrel]

By the time you count the true cost of commuting on a bike, it is most unlikely it would work out cheaper (ie tyres, services etc all more than a car).

Bike rego is $220/yr, car rego is nearly $500/year

Last bike service was $380, last car one was about $320. That's not including an automating trans service which I had to get done around the same time by someone else.

Insurance, I pay $750/year for 2 bikes on one policy, car costs me around $500

Tyres: new front tyre for the ZZR $220, 2 new front hoops for the car was $300

Petrol: on average the ZZR uses a full tank every week and a half, more like 7 sometimes 8 working days at approx $18-20 per fill. I wouldnt even dare fill the car up for fear of going bankrupt; $30 is about the average I put in it. It would chew through that in the space of a working week. :argh:

Parking: the big killer. Parking at work is free; parking for a car in West Perth could be anywhere from $10.80 to $16 a day. Ugh.

There are considerable savings, for me anyway, and it's worth it. Helped me save my deposit last year for example.

Of course you ride because you want to, but it's still cheaper than a car and for me, at one stage, cheaper than catching the train! Having free parking at work for bikes kinda helps...

[Mex]

Why don't you just do a test and commute for a week (just pay for parking somewhere else). If it's acceptable to you, sign up for this parking agreement.

Good idea - will give it a go and see what the routes are like (and try a few different ones).

Its not a choice of car vs bike (that would make it an easy choice) - its train vs bike, the train goes directly to work and fairly easy to use (30min trip). on the Bike it would take probably 20min if that)

i commuted a fair bit on the 250 when i worked in leederville due to bike parking being free... and public transport being a pain to get there. Not too worried about the cost difference - not keen on having squared off tyres when the weekend country rides come up tho...

[shmoo]

I commute everyday to work from Waikiki to Perth International Airport in peak hour traffic. In a car it takes about 1 hour 5 minutes on average. In a bike it takes between 40-45 minutes. That’s saving me about 45 minutes a day. If I went in the car everyday the fuel costs are about $65-$70 a week, on the bike it’s about $25-$30.

But most importantly it’s so much fun. I love my commute to work; splitting traffic going straight to the front at the lights is a thrill. Sometimes you meet up with other bikes and have a bit of fun. I get to work and I’m in a great mood and am ready for the day ahead.

Jebus. If you take into account the value of your time, you'd probably be better off living closer to Perth