Why are there fewer commuter-cyclists lately? What are the main thresholds to bike-commuting?

Question

Imho, the bike manufacturers are to blame, and here are my opinions. What's your two cents?

In my view, bike saddles are uncomfortable and possibly cause the dreaded Male Dysfunction Syndrome. Also, the Shimano fancy gears and shifters wear out in only 1,000 miles and are costly. In comparison, old bikes had gears/chains that lasted 20 years or more.

Open-face bike helmets don't protect the teeth from impact, and there imho aren't inexpensive full-face helmets for people who wear glasses, size 63cm, or XXL.

Then, there's bike theft.

Any other reasons not listed here?

Answer 1

I hate to say it, but I strongly disagree on every point you've listed.

The 'root' of the low visibility of commuter biking is that the population (as a whole) has been encouraged to obtain and then maintain a sedentary lifestyle. Suburbanization and the 'sprawl' left over from the 50's contributes to longer commutes in terms of distance and time. Working longer hours at a given job means less time to make the travel between home and work .. which results in looking for a faster means of doing so.

The average level of activity in today's population is around 50 percent of the activity level of the 1950's population. That means folks are simply doing less in the way of exercise, and when they do attempt it, it is less strenuous. Sure, there's a handful of exceptions who take exercise (and strenuous types at that!) as a way of life ... but they are more than compensated for by those who do absolutely nothing.

I've ridden on the same Shimano drivetrain on each bike I own (the newest one is a 2004, the oldest is a 1969, and there are three from different ages in between). No bike has less than 7500 miles on it ... the 2004 road bike has almost 8000 miles in just over 2.5 years of riding. There's nothing wrong with the shifters, brakes, rings, cassettes, chain, or freewheel on any of the bikes.

The variety of saddle materials and shapes out there means there's something for everyone. The more probable cause of an uncomfortable saddle experience is that you aren't fitted properly to the bike itself! Check your overall fit at a local bike shop ... there's a fair bit of geomtery involved. And no two people are exactly the same, so your setup has to be somewhat 'custom'.

Cleanup after arriving at work from a lengthy commute can be tricky, if your place of employment doesn't have showers. However, it's pretty much guaranteed it DOES have a washroom - which means running water. Pack a cloth and a towel, some work clothes, and some soap/deodorant. You can clean up with relatively little fuss quite quickly.

As to theft - there's a couple of answers to this. One is to use a 'beater' bike for the commute, so it doesn't appear as attractive to potential thieves. The other is to subtly pressure your employer into providing safe storage during the workday. Email me - I can give you a good example of how I changed the way things were done with my previous employer. Or check a previous answer I've given here on Yahoo! Cycling ... it pretty much portrays the same example.

As to actually pressuring the employer ... use the idea that a fit and active employee is a better health risk from an insurance point of view, so it would be to his benefit to set up safe storage in lieu of higher premiums.

Lastly - there are several styles of bicycle out there on the market. The 'commuter' bike is designed specifically for getting around an urban area; it's slightly more comfortable riding position than a true road bike, and easier to pedal and manoeuvre than a mountain bike. They can be found fairly cheaply; take a look at your local shop. Then try a couple of styles out ... there's one out there for everyone. If you can't find a good bike for you out there, it isn't usually the manufacturers fault - it's yours, for not doing the legwork (and yes, sometimes that means exercise as well!).

Answer 2

I don't know where you're looking, I see more commuters every day.

As for bikes, you can get way more bike for less money than ever before. The popularity of cycling has driven down unit costs, and features found on top end bikes 10 years ago are now available at entry level. I beat the he££ out of my MTB to the tune of 5000-6000 miles a year and I'm pretty satisfied with the way its held together.

Bike saddles? Where have you been looking? There are dozens of ergonomic designs available, and if you're that old school, you can still get a leather Brooks if you really want.

Don't even get me started on frame materials, there's no comparison!!

I'm not sure why you would want a full face helmet. A collision with anything while riding is going to turn out badly for you. Helmets are designed to protect your most important organ without being too cumbersome to ride safely and effectively. I've broken a few in crashes, and I'm satisfied that they did the job. I don't expect my helmet to serve as a magical force field warding off all possible injury.

Answer 3

I have to disagree with you 100%. The problem with bike commuting is not the bike. It's not the helmet. It's not the bike industry. I don't know what kind of bike you are riding, but if it wears out in 1000 miles something is wrong.

I think the main reason is that we live in a society that was structured around cheap gas. In the 1950's the federal government began pouring money into road construction. This was billed as a defense strategy in the Cold War era, but it really amounted to subsidized suburbanization. We saw the branding of the "American Dream" - a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence. People stopped living in Manhattan and moved to Levittown.

The result is a nation of sprawl. The old model of cities with dense development (New York, Paris, Boston) has been replaced by cities of strip malls and mile after mile of six lane roads (Vegas, Phoenix, the entire state of Florida). People live many miles away from work and often have long commutes.

The lack of bike commuting is not because of hardware, it's because our society has developed a geography that relies on the car. Contrast this to Europe where gas has always been pricey. People live closer, walk more, rely more on mass transit, and commute by bike.

Answer 4

I live in a Chicago where it would be very easy to commute by bike due to the inclusion of bike lanes and paths throughout the city. The biggest obstacle is the thefts that take place with the downtown area having the highest rate of theft and going into the office without access to a shower to clean up before work. Plentiful of access to public transit is another reason I can't see myself ever biking to work when the weather would allow it.

Answer 5

For many people, it's logistics and safety. I'm lucky enough to work in an office with a shower in it, but most people don't have that available. For many people, carrying a change of clothes to work and getting presentable for the workday can be difficult with a bike commute, especially in bad weather.

Also, bikes are worse than motorcycles for being visible to car drivers--a few close calls on the roads are often enough to relegate bike enthusiasts to bike paths.

Answer 6

I disagree with your assertions about bikes and manufacturers.
I think the main reasons include: Extremely long commutes, unfriendly drivers combined with roads not friendly to bikers, and American addiction for laziness) to cars.