Commuting by bicycle will benefit both your health and wallet.
From personal experience, bicycling to work/school provides freedom, and is a great way to start the day. You get to save time, save money, feel the wind on your face, and genuinely enjoy something that may be monotonous otherwise.
What you need
For bike commuting, less is more; The most important factor of a commuter bike is reliability, not speed or fancy parts. Although you may be quicker at times, being stuck on the side of the road is much slower than pedaling a heavier or unaerodynamic bike. The things to look for in a commuter bike:
- Durable tires
- Reliable brakes
- A strong bike lock
- From my personal knowledge
Here's a picture of my daily driver bike:
Electric?
A large development for bike commuting is e-bikes. Deciding if an e-bike is right for you is a common question, and certain considerations should be made.
Firstly, e-bikes can be quite expensive, and are not easily accessed used. This directly contrasts the cost of a commuter bike which begin around ~$300 new, while e-bikes begin around ~$1000. However, the efficiency of e-bikes should not be overstated. They allow for all types of people to enjoy the benefits of cycling, despite age or fitness. E-bikes must be charged costing money, however, there are tax incentives in the state of Vermont for the purchase and usage of e-bikes. Also, e-bikes are very fun, and go faster.
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| E-bikes | Increased speed | Increased cost |
| Anyone can do it | Expensive to repair | |
| Tax benefits | Needs to be charged | |
| Can replace car | Heavy | |
| From personal knowledge |
To summarize
Bike commuting is beneficial for everyone no matter their fitness or age, and will genuinely make your morning commute something to look forward to; not dread. Personally, I was early to classes, because it was so fun to do. However if I am running late, it lets me leave with much less time left to the beginning of classes.