One of the nice things about starting my new job (don’t worry, more to come on this in a future post) is that I’ve been able to cut my bike commute down to a really comfortable distance. What was once an 8-mile, 45-minute bike ride to work has now been reduced to a 3-mile, 15-minute leisure cruise. It’s pretty nice.
When bike commuting becomes a normal part of your routine, you sort of forget that for most people, biking is something out of the ordinary. Even in Minneapolis – one of the most bike friendly cities in the US – biking as a mode of transportation isn’t normal. Just 5 percent of commuters here bike to work according to recent census data. When you look at where most people probably work (in a downtown area) and where many young professionals live (in cool, densely populated neighborhoods that aren’t very far from downtown), it seems like that percentage should be way higher.
I was recently reminded about how odd most people find bike commuting when I arrived for my first day of work at my new job (seriously, I will talk about this soon!). A perk of the new gig is that it comes with free parking in the large employee parking lot located across the street. When I arrived on that first day, the admin people asked me for my license plate and car model so that I could park my car in the lot. When I explained that I had biked to work and that I planned to continue to bike to work, they seemed pleasantly surprised. Who bikes to work, after all, especially when you get free parking!?
That’s not my style though. As we all probably know, driving to work, even with free parking, isn’t really free. There’s a real cost to it, one that can be worth thousands of dollars over the course of a decade in car costs and general health costs. In any event, I’ve been biking to work for too long. There’s no way I can stop now!
Example Bike Commutes In Minneapolis
I think biking to work seems so normal to me because I’m surrounded by bike commuters. I live in a college neighborhood, so I see a lot of bike commuters in my daily life. Say what you will about college kids, but one thing most of them know how to do is to save money on transportation by using their own body power to get themselves to class.
You’re probably thinking that a short commute is unique to college kids, but in fact, it isn’t. Take the example of my brother-in-law, who lives in the popular Northeast neighborhood of Minneapolis and works at a hospital downtown.
A mere three miles and 16 minutes later, and he’s already at work. Even on the hottest or coldest days, anyone can survive a mere 16 minutes in the elements.
And his commute isn’t unique. His neighborhood is one of the most popular and densely populated neighborhoods in Minneapolis. A lot of young professionals should have a similar commute. In a perfect world, we’d see hundreds of people from his neighborhood hopping on a bike every morning to get to their jobs downtown.
If you think these really short distances aren’t realistic, here’s the commute for my best friend, who lives a little bit farther from downtown. Even at his distance, his commute by bike takes only 30-minutes. And that’s assuming he’s biking at the leisurely speed Google thinks he’s biking at (he’s not because he bikes faster than that).
Just 30 minutes to go an entire five miles! And because he’s a smart dude and knows how to plan his routes, he can make that trip almost entirely on bike paths.
You Can Travel Really Far By Bike In Just 30 Minutes
I think it’s pretty amazing just how far you can travel by bike in 30 minutes. Take a look at the following map that I grabbed from WalkScore showing how far you can travel by bike to downtown Minneapolis in just 30 minutes.
A 30-minute bike ride to downtown Minneapolis covers a massive area that includes pretty much all of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the city. Thus, most people won’t be biking 30-minutes. They’ll probably be biking 20 minutes or less. In a perfect world, we’d see thousands of people hopping on their bike each morning to get to work downtown.
Your Bike Commute Doesn’t Take Much Longer Than Driving
I think a lot of people I talk to underestimate just how far you can travel by bike and how fast you can do it without breaking a sweat. Bike commuting doesn’t have to be some thing where you speed into work as fast as you can and huff and puff your way into the office. You can do it slowly, and still get to where you need to go fast. And you’ll never have to get frustrated by being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
My own commute is a great example of how efficient biking to work is. To get to my office by car takes 9 minutes from my house according to Google Maps. The same bike ride takes a mere 6 minutes longer. I don’t even change clothes to get to work – I just bike at a nice leisurely speed wearing my work clothes.
Even someone living farther away can make the ride into work at a speed just a little bit slower than a car. My best friend’s 5-mile bike ride, which takes him about 30 minutes, takes 15 minutes to drive by car. And that’s not including the time it would take him to park his car if he drove to work. If you assume it adds a minimum of 5 minutes or so to pull into the parking ramp and find a parking spot, biking only takes him 10 minutes or so longer. And in exchange, he saves potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a decade and gets a nice, 30-minute ride into work.
The More You Bike, The Better You Get At It
The biggest thing people tell me is that they don’t feel safe doing it. I totally get that. As a person who bikes pretty regularly, I sometimes forget that not everyone bikes around all the time like I do.
But, like anything, biking is a skill. The more you do it, the better you get at it. My wife and I aren’t expert bikers by any means. But what we do know how to do is get from point A to point B while feeling safe and comfortable. If you know how to use Google Maps, you can probably find a route that gets you to where you want to go safely and efficiently.
Sweat is another problem that can be addressed by biking more often. When you start out biking, you’re going to be more out of shape. You’ll sweat more. But an interesting thing happens when you bike more. You’ll find that you’ll be in better shape and yes, you’ll sweat less. And even if it’s crazy hot, the solution is pretty simple. Either get your bike ride started earlier so that it’s cooler, or just wear something else to work and change when you get there. Problem solved.
So my challenge to you, grab your bike and see if you can make that bike ride to work. If you’re like most young professionals that I know, you probably don’t even live that far away from your office.
Take a look at the below video I took one day on my way home from work.
I don’t think there’s anything more satisfying than biking past all of that stuck traffic after a long day of work.
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More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
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More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
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- Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
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Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $900 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
Hi! I am new to Minnesota. I commute by e-bike from Plymouth to Maple Grove to work. It is 6 miles each way. Winter is coming soon. Snow is forecast. Any advice on how to ride here in winter? Maybe tires? Anything else?
This is awesome! Nice information, i have 2 bikes and i really love two ridding them.
Thank You.
Biked 15 miles today. 14 yesterday. 10 the day before. Why? Its bike or bus!
Because Cars, gas, traffic SUCK. WE went from 2 to 1 to ZERO cars over the last year.
Now two bikes. Two smiles.
Thank you for propagating truth.
Peace
Scott
That is awesome! Agree – I HATE driving. We’re a 1 car household ourselves. 3 bikes – 2 road and 1 hybrid bike I use in the winter. And then my wife and I both have yearly subscriptions to our city’s bike share system.
At what point do people think that biking to work is worth it if public transit is an option? I definitely think that if biking to work is what enables you to be able to go without owning a car, it’s worth it, but what about public transportation? My bike to work is only two miles, but I could just take public transportation for $3 round trip. The hassle of changing clothes and getting sweaty doesn’t seem worth the buck fifty each way. I guess it’d depend on each person’s circumstance when choosing biking or public transit.
I have absolutely nothing against public transit and in fact, I’m all for it! It’s a topic I’ve talked about in another post once. If we had whole cities with just buses and bikes, I’d be super happy.
Two miles though is really short – only 12 minutes if you’re biking at a normal speed. In most climates, you won’t even break a sweat in that short a time.
I can bike to work faster than I can get there on the bus… but unfortunately construction season here in MPLS makes it tougher for me to do so!
Until then, I’ll take my subsidized (by my company) bus pass and enjoy the ride.
Yeah, that construction downtown killed my speed too back when I was biking into work from Uptown. That was a few years ago! I can’t believe Nicollet Mall is still under construction!
I’m afraid of getting hit by a car. In fact, I’m afraid of wiping out on my bike for any reason so I gave it up as too dangerous. The only bike I ride now is the stationary one at the gym.
Do you plan on riding your bike in sub-zero weather or snowstorms during winter in Minneapolis?
I do ride in the winter! Minneapolis is great at plowing streets, so as long as the streets are plowed, I’m good to go. Last winter, when I worked in St. Paul, I’d ride the 8 minutes to the train, then take the train into work. I’m currently just 15 minutes from my office, so I’ll probably just bike all the way to the office, although I could again ride to the train and take the train the rest of the way. Either way, the bike does stay active in the winter. I just bundle up and tough it out for a few minutes.
I don’t think I’ve earned my stripes yet but for the last two weeks I’ve been biking to work in NYC. It’s a 6.5 mile bike ride that takes about 40-45 minutes depending on lights. It feels AMAZING. So much so that most of the time I’m wondering what the hell took me so long. I used to think biking in NYC was a scary proposition only undertaken by the crazy bike messengers. Now I realize how much biking infrastructure the city has that I completely missed before. Of my entire commute, probably only a couple miles are on actual streets with cars. The rest are in protected lanes completely separated from cars.
I can’t see going back to taking the subway.
Yeah Biglaw, you rock! It’s so much more fun to bike too. Not that the train is bad, but it sure is nice to get some fresh air in the morning. I’m still debating whether I should snag a 3-day CitiBike pass while I’m in NYC next week.
I walk to work-little more than a mile and it takes 20 minutes. I easily pass people stuck in traffic on Melrose Ave. The rumors you hear about LA traffic are true! Biking would be faster, but this part of LA is not very bike friendly. =<
Ah, the 1-mile commute. My wife has that right now and she chooses to walk most days too. Her reason is just that she likes to get her Pokemon Go time in during her walk.
Hell yes you can!!! Love these posts. Not that I’m biased or anything…. great Gifs too – I love it when I get to pedal past car commuters stuck in a traffic jam.
My commute is 9 miles each way – about perfect, and takes 40 minutes. It really helps if your workplace has a locker room…
9 miles was about how far I was when I worked in downtown St. Paul. Just due to time and being lazy, I would bike to the train station and take the train into the office, but I always biked back after work. 45 minutes, all on bike lanes, and a great way for me to listen to podcasts (you can listen to a lot of podcasts in 45 minutes). Probably not safe to listen to stuff while I’m biking, but I just do it anyway.
You tempt me greatly, Panther. Sadly my department is 25 miles from my house. Google thinks it will take me 2 1/2 hours to get there! With an electric bike and some uppers I’m sure I could make it in an hour, but with children schedules and the looming doom of overtime potential, my four wheels and I are bonded for some time yet. I’ll let you know if I ever throw the switch and join you living life on the wild side of the road! (Great video too!)
25 miles is too far to bike commute to work. Really, your only option is to move closer or stick it out with. Obviously, moving isn’t always an option though.
No, especially when every 5 miles closer to my work adds $150,000 to the price of a house. I’ve done the math several times and am content I live a reasonable distance at a reasonable price.
I have a really short ride to work–about 2.5 miles. But I’ve never biked it, because I live on the top of a mountain (it’s an Appalachian, so it’s pretty small, but still), and getting up said mountain scares me. We also don’t have bike lanes at all. Just a scary rural highway.
I know, I know. Excuses, excuses. I need to just do it. Great article. I might finally do it this year! 🙂
Going up might stink, but going down that mountain must be super fast and easy!
I’m still trying to decide if my main reason for not biking is good enough– Ive got bad knees. Whenever I’ve ridden in the past few years (maybe 3 times) my knee caps pop when my leg extends and it’s kind of painful. My Doc said it happens to some people, not much to be done about it. I really would love to bike to work. I’m only two miles from work so even closer than you! Transportation has long been my highest expense, perhaps I need to go ahead and do the pain for a while and see if I get used to it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Gundo! I’m glad to see you’re back in the blogosphere!
Two miles is a perfect, easy biking distance (that’s a 12-minute bike ride max), but if your knees can’t handle it due to health issues, there’s not much you can do about it. Do you drive to work then?