Reasons to Ride this Bike Month

The first week of Bike Month has been exciting and filled with #bikemonth tweets, twit pics of sweet rides, more than 1,000 Facebook users committed to participating and encouraging riding this Bike Month by RSVPing to the Facebook May is Bike Month event, and hundreds of rides posted on bikeleague.org/bikemonth_events. Hopefully, you aren’t filling your days online with social networking because you are so busy riding and helping new riders learn the ropes of commuting. But if that isn’t the case, here’s a few reason’s why you should be participating in National Bike Month.

1) You need to save money! We all need to buy that house, send our kid to college or want to see your favorite band perform this summer. Why not save the money you spend on gas, and ride to work and your social gatherings instead? Think how much it costs to maintain your car and the cost per mile — expensive, right? Well, on average it only costs $155 a year to maintain your bicycle. Now take a minute to absorb into your brain what you could do with the savings.

The breakdown: Assuming you travel around 5,000miles/year (roughly what an average commuter would travel) here is a list of maintenance costs:

2 chains = $40
2 sets of tires = $80
1 set brake pads = $10
2 tubes = $15
Chain lube = $10
Total = $155
$155/5000miles = $0.03/mile

2) You have been trying to lose those 15 pounds for years and clearly drinking diet soda and skipping breakfast  isn’t working. Well, ride your bike and the food you eat is the fuel you burn off. Bike to work and back, and bam! — you’ve burned off breakfast and lunch. Talk about an easy way to exercise.

3) You need more fun in your life and time to reflect. Biking makes you feel like a kid — glide down a hill and take advantage of those moments of solitude when you’re biking. Plus, it’s fun to connect with friends and family over rides.

4) You’ve been looking for a way to volunteer but haven’t found the right fit. Teaching a kid to ride a bike can be your good deed for the day! If you want to outdo yourself in do-gooding, then teach your your co-workers the Rules of the Road and the way to bike to the office. Just one helpful person could convert a couple car-drivers into bike commuters. Think of the impact we could all have if we just asked our friends to bike to work with us.

5) The more bike riders on the road, the more jealous every one sitting in traffic will be! These frustrated motorists will see the smiles on our faces as we whiz by on our two-wheels and think, “Hey, why don’t I try biking to work?” Also, bike commuters can get their work to reimburse them with the Bike Commuter Tax Benefit.

Happy Bike Month America! Stay active this weekend and go for a ride with friends or your kids. Look for rides all over our country on our Bike Month Events page. If you have a particularly fun event, you could be the next Bike Month event we highlight!