{"id":4826,"date":"2014-02-15T18:15:52","date_gmt":"2014-02-16T02:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/?p=4826"},"modified":"2021-08-29T20:18:06","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T03:18:06","slug":"my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking back with Pride \u2013 my First 18 Months as a Bike Commuter"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Achievements after a Year and a Half as a Bike Commuter<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars.jpg?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4836\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/post-traboulay-no-more-cars\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars.jpg?fit=448%2C299&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"448,299\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1303483355&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;43&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Post-Traboulay-no more cars\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars.jpg?fit=448%2C299&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4836 aligncenter lazyload\" title=\"Post-Traboulay-no more cars\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4836\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/post-traboulay-no-more-cars\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars.jpg?fit=448%2C299&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"448,299\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1303483355&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;43&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Post-Traboulay-no more cars\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars.jpg?fit=448%2C299&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4836 aligncenter lazyload\" title=\"Post-Traboulay-no more cars\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars.jpg?resize=300%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Post-Traboulay-no-more-cars.jpg?w=448&amp;ssl=1 448w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As I look back over the past year and a half as a cyclist and a bike commuter I have a few observations and reflections to pass along. First and foremost I am forever grateful to cycling for <strong>restoring my health, reducing my stress, and improving my looks, mood and mental acuity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>With all these benefits, I\u2019m hooked and I can\u2019t ever go back to my car or transit ever again.<\/p>\n<p>Amazingly, I have reaped all these benefits without being a full-time bike commuter. I cycle only three days a week, to and from work for a total of about 75 km per week. For anyone who is thinking of adding cycling as a hobby or a transportation alternative I say <strong>DO IT<\/strong>. It doesn\u2019t have to be a long ride and it doesn\u2019t have to be every day.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Related Post: <a href=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/7-tips-bike-commuter\/\">How to Become a Bike Commuter \u2013 7 Tips to Plan for Success for Women Bike Commuters<\/a><\/h3>\n<h3>Here are the observations of a rookie:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Why is it that <strong>putting a windshield in front of our face <\/strong>suddenly isolates us and amps up our impatience and aggression? I\u2019m not going to rant about bad drivers because quite honestly I notice that this happens to me sometimes. Curiously, <strong>cycling has actually made me a calmer driver<\/strong>. I am more aware not only of other drivers and of course cyclists, but also when my own mood goes south, and I make a conscious effort to relax and take it easy.<\/li>\n<li>Yes \u2013 there are bad cyclists just as there are bad motorists. I get angry when someone makes a dumb or dangerous move, but <strong>I can shake it off far easier when I\u2019m on a bike<\/strong> than when I am driving. I was even <strong>hit by a truck<\/strong> a few weeks ago, but was not seriously hurt, and I have shaken that off too.<\/li>\n<li>A <strong>smile, nod or wave<\/strong> of appreciation goes a long way when in traffic.<\/li>\n<li>Being a little late is NOT the end of the world.<\/li>\n<li>Cycling is <strong>addictive<\/strong> \u2013 I\u2019ve started running short errands on my bike on non-commuting days.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501.jpg?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4830\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/electric-bike-bh-street-650-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501.jpg?fit=616%2C380&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"616,380\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;eps&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"electric bike bh street 650\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501.jpg?fit=300%2C185&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501.jpg?fit=616%2C380&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4830 aligncenter lazyload\" title=\"electric bike bh street 650\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" \/><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4830\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/electric-bike-bh-street-650-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501.jpg?fit=616%2C380&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"616,380\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;eps&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"electric bike bh street 650\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501.jpg?fit=300%2C185&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501.jpg?fit=616%2C380&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4830 aligncenter lazyload\" title=\"electric bike bh street 650\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501.jpg?resize=300%2C185&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501.jpg?resize=300%2C185&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-bike-bh-street-6501.jpg?w=616&amp;ssl=1 616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a>Not all my cycling has to be a hot sweaty, epic ride. I have bought a beautiful <strong>electric bike<\/strong> that I use when I want an easier ride. It\u2019s a BH E-Motion Street 650, and I <strong>love<\/strong> it. I can even ride it in a dress! I will write a review about it soon.<\/li>\n<li>I\u2019ve bought my <strong>last car<\/strong>. When our current <a href=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/?p=3591\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fiat 500<\/a> is gone it will be the end of my 30+ years as a car owner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara.jpg?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4833\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/maggie-and-baby-kara\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara.jpg?fit=369%2C338&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"369,338\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1245070690&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;43&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"maggie and baby Kara\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara.jpg?fit=300%2C274&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara.jpg?fit=369%2C338&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4833 lazyload\" title=\"maggie and baby Kara\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara-300x274.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"274\" \/><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4833\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/maggie-and-baby-kara\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara.jpg?fit=369%2C338&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"369,338\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1245070690&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;43&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"maggie and baby Kara\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara.jpg?fit=300%2C274&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara.jpg?fit=369%2C338&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4833 lazyload\" title=\"maggie and baby Kara\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara.jpg?resize=300%2C274&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara.jpg?resize=300%2C274&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/maggie-and-baby-Kara.jpg?w=369&amp;ssl=1 369w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a>I\u2019ve come a long way. I\u2019ve passed the 5,000 km mark, and I look forward to many more kilometers in my future.<\/p>\n<p>And as soon as they\u2019re old enough<strong>, I look forward to sharing the love of cycling with my grandkids!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Achievements after a Year and a Half as a Bike Commuter As I look back over the past year and a half as a cyclist and a bike commuter I have a few observations and reflections to pass along. First and foremost I am forever grateful to cycling for restoring my health, reducing my stress, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3125,"featured_media":2858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[218],"tags":[109,87,5,88],"class_list":{"0":"post-4826","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-benefits-of-being-a-bike-commuter","8":"tag-bike-commuting","9":"tag-cycle-your-weight-off","10":"tag-cycling-for-health","11":"tag-fat-to-fit-with-cycling","12":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.8 (Yoast SEO v25.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Looking back with Pride \u2013 my First 18 Months as a Bike Commuter &#8226; Average Joe Cyclist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Looking back with Pride \u2013 my First 18 Months as a Bike Commuter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Achievements after a Year and a Half as a Bike Commuter As I look back over the past year and a half as a cyclist and a bike commuter I have a few observations and reflections to pass along. First and foremost I am forever grateful to cycling for restoring my health, reducing my stress, [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Average Joe Cyclist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/averagejoe.cyclist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-02-16T02:15:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-30T03:18:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Traboulay-125.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"427\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Maggie\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AvrgeJoeCyclist\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AvrgeJoeCyclist\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maggie\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/my-first-18-months-as-a-bike-commuter\/\",\"name\":\"Looking back with Pride \u2013 my First 18 Months as a Bike Commuter &#8226; 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