The third Friday in May is National Bike to Work Day.
This day encourages us to bike to work and pay attention to the safety of others biking when we are driving. According to Bike Advisor, less than 1% of the population bikes to work. There are a lot of great stats on their website.
The option of biking to work may not be feasible for everyone. However, this is a good day to consider incorporating some biking into your lifestyle. You might go for a ride in the evening or start to run errands via bike instead of car.
Benefits of Biking
Biking provides benefits to People, Planet, and Pocketbook. Here’s a quick summary:
People – We get a workout before and after work that is low impact causing less strain on our joints. The ride can also clear our minds and transition us from home to work and work to home.
Planet – There is no carbon footprint for the bike during use. In addition, there are more bikes being produced with eco-friendly materials. There is a list of a few brands below.
Pocketbook – Biking allows us to save auto fuel costs (gas or electricity). Also, offsetting driving increases automobile longevity. We can increase the time between car purchases.
Bikes to Consider
In One Shade Greener at Home, there are a few brands referenced. However, this is a product area where there aren’t ratings and reviews available that assess how eco-friendly the parts and manufacturing are. A few brands that are positively discussed include: Detroit Bikes, Bamboocycle, and Boomers.
My Story
With a long commute, biking to work has never been an option for me. I do enjoy biking and want to begin running some errands on the bike. The current problem is that I don’t have a bike. Mine was sold when the kids were young and just hasn’t been replaced.
This post has increased my desire to put a bike on the list. In fact, last night I was surfing Facebook Marketplace to see if there was a secondhand alternative that would be a good fit.
Your Turn
Have you ever tried biking to work?
Do you bike outside of work?
How might you integrate more biking into your lifestyle?