Things I Wish I Knew About Biking to Work in Manila

In case you don’t know, I bought a bike. Not just any bike. I’m on my third bike. My first bike was a cheap started bike. My second bike was a folding bike so I could take it to the bus stop, take the bus, then take the bike from the bus stop to work. My third bike was a fully upgraded mountain bike.

Rather than to give you tips on how to get started I decided to just start in the middle. I’m currently taking a break because of the rain. I took my mountain bike home from work today. Then it started to rain close to the house. 

1. It's easier than I think. I used to think that biking is hard. It's not. It just takes practice.
2. I can avoid spending money on transportation if I take my bike to my destination. Yes. Biking to work and home saves me Php 120 per day that I take the bike. I'm not strong enough to take the bike yet every day because I have Crossfit commitments but I can take it every other day or every three days. 
3. Parking is free. I thought I had to pay for bike parking. I currently don't. 
4. I just need to travel light. I am to avoid taking all the garbage I don't use with me every day. I just take what I use on a daily basis and I'm twice as happy at the results. 
5. A little work and my legs can bike from Paranaque to Makati. And vice versa. At first it took me two hours. In my defense I didn't know the route. These days it takes me forty five minutes to an hour. Same as my commute time. 
6. All I need to resist pollution is a 150 peso paint mask. One of the things that stopped me was my exposure to pollution which I couldn't bear. 
7. It's more fun than I expected. Duh. You'll know it when you're doing it. 
8. I can make back the investment I made with my bike by deducting my daily fare. See number two. 

Are you taking your bike to work?

What have you learned as you started? I’d love to hear more from you in the comments. 

  

Written on August 29th, 2015 by Kevin Olega