Don't Let These MYTHS Keep You From Bike Commuting!

Bike commuting myths abound. Some are minor, but others make it sound impossibly complicated or hard, and might discourage you from giving it a try.
In this video, we'll get to the bottom of some of the most common myths and misconceptions I've come across.
Contrary to what you might've read or heard:
- It doesn't require athlete-level fitness
- Your current bike may be just fine(!)
- The rain is no big deal
- In many cases, there's no need to get sweaty
- It may be slower, but it's not that simple...
- Safety is a VERY complicated topic, and super local to where you live
Sure, there's an element of truth to all these. But there's also a lot of context that gets overlooked. In most cases, what seems like an insurmountable obstacle...isn't.
Not convinced? Stay tuned to find out why!
*****
0:00 Intro
00:24 Fitness
1:07 Bike Choice
1:58 Rain
2:59 Sweatiness
3:56 Slowness
4:52 Safety
6:36 Wrap-Up
*****
LINKS
Simple, must-have accessories to set up for commuting: twowheelsbetter.net/set-up-bi...
What to wear for rainy-day urban cycling: twowheelsbetter.net/rain-clot...
Critical safety tips: twowheelsbetter.net/city-cycl...

[@Rocky4719]

Rainy days are my favorite weather for riding, things seem different during dark, damp cloudy days, and it puts me at ease

[@twowheelsbetter_yt]

There's something tranquil about them sometimes. At least when traffic is light then I agree!

[@stevejorde]

I hear ya. The best riding weather for me is 60-70°, no wind, and a light drizzle.

[@darealdeal8185]

I wanna give bike commuting a try someday so this is very helpful, thank you!

[@twowheelsbetter_yt]

Glad it helped, and hope you have a great experience trying it out! Thanks for watching.

[@Iyya_the_Wojtek]

I strongly recommend you start today. You don’t know what you’re missing.

[@darealdeal8185]

@Iyya_the_Wojtek Im thinking about moving closer to work so I can commute by bike sometime this year. I am so looking forward to saving money by not having to rely on a car 5 days a week

[@TSLMachine]

It's interesting how you mention windshields fogging up on cars so I checked the link below on rainy cycling apparel. I believe you missed one key item which is some sort of eye protection, doesn't matter if it protects against excessive light (glare and/or UV rays) or not. Eye protection helps you keep things out of your eyes like raindrops and any debris that could possibly fly towards your eye holes. I always wear my eye pro (the same clear ones I use in the gun range) when biking too far away from my home and they often get foggy when it's too cold out, especially how my face mask blows hot humid air into it from my side of the goggles. Sub #923. Keep on keeping on. 👍

[@twowheelsbetter_yt]

Thanks, I appreciate it! And that's a terrific point about eye protection, which I'm glad you mentioned. A scratched cornea can be excruciating; learned that the hard way...

[@alexandersolzhenitsyn5303]

Hopefully it heals ok

[@fender1000100]

The 5 essential things for any cyclist who knows what it's like to ride ALL WEATHER like myself HELMET GLASSES/GOGGLES GLOVES HI VIS GOOD BOOTS I never get on a bike no matter what the weather without those 5 things.

[@tconnolly9820]

I always need to wear glasses and it can definitely reduce my own ability to see potential obstacles or dangers on the road when they get covered in raindrops. Even whilst wearing a peaked hat to keep most of the rain off.

[@SashArovot]

When I first went car-free and started doing everything by bike, I was soooo worried about how hard getting around in the rain and snow would be. I've since discovered that riding in the snow is actually a special kind of enjoyable, and I even find myself getting excited about it. And even when I ride my painfully slow mountain bike on horrible, unplowed roads, I still get to work in only five or ten minutes more than I took to drive.

[@moana_skellington]

2:50 yeah my glasses would like a word lol

[@twowheelsbetter_yt]

Haha fair enough! 🤣

[@muddydog6605]

"Always the option of an e-bike" No, definitely not for those of us without tons of money, that includes kits before anyone pops in to tell me a I can afford a kit.

[@spandanroy2331]

Why don't you put more videos like this

[@twowheelsbetter_yt]

Thanks for watching, and I just might do that. Very busy these days but hoping to get back to KZbin. Let me know if you'd like to see any particular topics!

[@kazhankazhanovych6895]

and those who are too weak for a bike always have an e-bike option and can retrofit their existing bike with an e-kit.

[@twowheelsbetter_yt]

For sure. Or not even weak, but just unable to deal with sweat, or carrying massive loads for errands...ebikes solve a ton of problems!

[@tconnolly9820]

Weak is not a very good choice of words. Perhaps just not having the necessary level of fitness for many reasons. I'm mid 50's and was going to upgrade my current hybrid workhorse to a better bike but I developed some health issues last year and I'm much more conscious of my limitations and I'm not going to push myself to unnecessary levels of risk. I will still cycle over 20km each way some days and pull bike trailers with anything from 30-70kg loads but at my own pace in my own time. There's no one I need to impress or compare myself to. Because I still want to do more and go further on a bike as an alternative to a car, I'm now looking into my options for going electric assisted. You may be "strong" today. But something could happen tomorrow or another tomorrow that makes you less able than you are now. It's pretty shitty and soul destroying if everyone continuously kept calling you "weak".