Tips for getting started
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Do you want to ride to work but don't know where to start? Take a look at our top Ride to Work tips.
1. Talk to someone who currently rides, and scope out the path you plan to ride. Drive the path, and look at it from a bike riders perspective to get comfortable.
2. Visit Bikewest to get information on the best routes to take
3. Be prepared. Have a trial ride to your work on a weekend if you can. Make sure you don't carry too much on the bike!
4. Take your work clothes in on an earlier day, even your lunch if possible. Have the necessary toiletries, towel etc at work too!
5. Make sure your bike and clothes are all ready packed the night before so there is less incentive to change your mind!
6. Ride one way to work on your first day. Get the train or bus home that night and also from home back to work next day, ride home second day. Have a one day break then again until you build up to a full trip there and back.
7. Calculate the money saved on public transport tickets, fuel, car wear-and-tear and the like. Add the quality-of-life benefits, like having your exercise built into your day, and getting to experience the streets, instead of watching them passively from inside a vehicle. Multiply by the convenience of no queues or traffic-jams, and by the extra level of endorphins flowing through you.
Think of all these things, and it's easy to get pedalling! A great cost-benefit equation.
