Riding into Riches

Ah, it's the post that you've all been waiting for. 

I know you've been waiting for this one because if there's one thing that has people looking at me cross-eyed more than anything else, it's my decision to commute via bicycle to work every day. I've eagerly awaited this post as well because I'm about to blow your mind once you realize how foolish you've been driving your car to work!

OK, ok, so maybe that won't happen today. But I've honestly come to the point where when I reflect on the pros and cons of riding to work, I smack myself in the head for even considering sliding into that comfy seat and lazily driving to work. Seriously, it's as easy to decide on whether I should ride or drive as it is if I should brush my teeth or not every day. 

So where's the disconnect? If it's so obvious how we should be getting ourselves to work, why isn't everyone doing it? It's because we've all been BRAINWASHED!! Part of the American Dream is making life as convenient as possible. Almost everything that we're marketed is supposed to make our lives easier and more comfortable. We've been wired this way so well by society that even the thought of riding a bicycle to work is repulsive to almost anyone I come in contact with. When I tell people I ride a bicycle to work I almost feel like I just told them I'm a believer in Scientology  They'll smile and make a friendly comment about it, but inside they're thinking, "What is wrong with this guy??"

So let's get down to the brass tacks. First, we'll explore why I should not ride my bike to work. Because obviously, there are some serious hurdles to jump over before making the commitment.

1. Riding your bicycle is NOT SAFE!!!! There is definite truth to this statement  Although I've never been hit in the ~2,000 miles I've spent on the road, I once was cut off and had to stop so suddenly that I flew over my handlebars at about 18 mph. Although I received a nasty bruise, I didn't miss a day of riding. I also learned from another guy who passed me every morning that I wasn't that visible in the dark, so I've added a lot more reflective gear and haven't had any other problems since. One interesting thing to note about the safety issue is that there is a very small chance that I will get seriously injured or killed while riding my bike, and yet there is a very great probability that riding my bike will actually ADD years onto my life. And I believe with the proper safety gear and lighting the risks can be greatly minimized.

2. Riding your bide takes MORE TIME. This is the only other reason that holds any weight in the argument for me. I usually have to get to bed at 10 p.m. so I can be up a little before 5 a.m. to get ready for my morning ride. The ride really only takes me about 15 more minutes than a car would, but when I get to work I like to take a shower. I also try to leave wiggle room in case I get a flat tire, and traffic progressively gets worse the later I get out the door. I hate the fact that I have to give up an hour of time with my wife every night so that I can get enough sleep.

3. Riding a bike is HARD WORK. As I've come to believe, this argument should actually be on the pro side of the list, because one of the best things about riding a bike is that it provides me with a daily challenge that I have to overcome. There are times when it's rainy and cold, and times when the wind is blowing so hard in my face that I feel like I can hardly move forward. There are times when people honk their horns and yell at me as they ride by. Then there was this morning when I woke up sick with a cold*, and the last thing I wanted to do was exert the energy on my bike to get to work. But an awesome thing happens when you decide to bite the bullet and do something you believe in even when everything in you is crying, saying: "BUT I DON'T WANNA!! WAHH!!" (I kid you not, there are mornings when I mope around the house with a little temper tantrum complaining to myself how I don't want to ride to work that day.) For one, riding my bike to work has gotten progressively easier. I can remember the first day that I rode to work and I felt like my legs were about to fall off. There are times now that I'm almost disappointed at how easy the ride was. So things that are hard when we first get started get easier and easier. Secondly, overcoming obstacles and challenges always adds a measure of fulfillment in our lives, and it give us a greater confidence that we will be able to tackle bigger and better challenges that arrive. It should be also noted that it really blows when you get a flat tire in the middle of a busy street, and some simple bike maintenance (putting air in your tires and greasing your chain) needs to be done almost daily. But even with this there is a great feeling of accomplishment maintaining something with your own hands and not relying on somebody else.

Alright, I think that pretty much covers the negative aspects (at least for me), of riding a bike. Now let's see why I think it's a no-brainer to make the choice EVERY DAY** to hop on my bike and pedal off to work.

1. Riding a bike SAVES MONEY. Duh!! That's what this blog is all about, and really this is the one thing that consistently gets me back on my bike every day. How much money does it really save me? Probably more than you'd expect. Let's look at the bare minimum of what it actually costs to drive a car: The government puts the costs of fuel, maintenance, and depreciation on a vehicle at about $0.50/mile. Let's say we drive a more affordable and efficient car and end up at around $0.35/mile. My commute is about 20 miles round trip, so I'd spend about $7/day, $35/week, $140/month, $1750/year. On top of that, LeAnn and I share a car, so we save about $60/month on car insurance, or $720 year. We also avoid the dreaded personal property tax on that vehicle, which we'll say would be a reasonable $150/year. So, in general, we save about $200/month and about $2500/year. That doesn't even take into account the initial cost of buying a car, which we'll say is about $10,000 for an economic, low-mileage car that will last us for 10 years. What would happen if we instead decided to invest all that car money into our financial freedom? Well, if we take the initial investment of $10,000 and sock it away in a retirement/investment account, and then continue to make $200/month contributions to the account and we get a conservative 7% return on the money, we could have $55,000 after ten years, or $110,000 if you let that money sit and grow for another 10 years after that! Ride your bike for ten years and invest that saved money until you retire 40 years later and you'll have yourself a half million dollars! And you can add on top of these financial benefits the reduced health costs associated with a lifestyle of frequent exercise. As I said before, this is a conservative estimate. If you're able to buy a new truck every 5 years and you make the change to riding a bike you can probably triple those 3 previous amounts according to the amount of money you're able to invest.

2. Riding a bike adds to my QUALITY OF LIFE. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to know that strenuous exercise has immense benefits for our well-being. Since I've been consistently riding my bike again, I get comments all the time about how I'm slimming down. I also have more energy for life in general, and my overall outlook on life is consistently happier. I get sick less, and when I do get sick it's not as bad. I also get to enjoy more delicious food because my body actually needs the calories I'm eating. Riding my bike also provides me with many opportunities to see stars, beautiful sunrises, feel the warmth of the sun, and feel crisp air in my lungs. It also provides me precious time to clear my head and think.

3. Riding a bike makes me DIFFERENT. It may sound strange, but I love doing things that I know are smart that everyone else thinks is stupid. I love to challenge people's mindsets on what is possible. I love that what is  "normal" to me is absolutely nuts to most people around me. I've always enjoyed challenging the status quo.

In the future, when I get a more affordable bike and a trailer, I'd like to start running most of my errands with a bicycle instead of using a car. Things like going to the bank and going shopping are easily within riding distance, I just don't feel comfortable taking my bike to those public places.

*It wasn't actually THIS morning, but it was this morning when I first started writing this :)
**There is one condition that I won't ride my bike in- thunderstorms. In the middle of the summer Jaden is off of school and I drive the car to work the days when storms are probable. I've still had some scary moments riding into/through storms though!!