1 in 4 commute by bicycle to avoid crowds during pandemic: survey

Hey, this thread could be the start of a new movement, BLS (Biker's Love Showers)...

Seriously though, which Companies do you know of, offer their employees Showering Facilities.... I bet maybe a handful only at best, which should be the focus upon everyone's complaints - not just Cyclists, but those travelling in on packed commuter trains - left working all day in sweaty clothing and potentially goodness knows what viruses upon their exterior bodies after a train journey. Hand disinfectants are just part of the story to fixing the issue...

Also, place to repair flat tyre, etc?

I've never had a flat outside a bicycle shop. They take 5-10 minutes to fix.

For the bikers - do your companies have showers? I'd hate to smell you all day after the morning commute in the heat.

Bicycles are generally quite simple mechanically - so you shouldn't be afraid of attempting your own fixes. If you have any concerns ... take a video and stills of the bicycle before you take it apart. That way you should at least know what it should look like when you put it back together again ... 2 wheels, handle bars, pedals, seat, etc

There's also useful youtube videos around on how to replace gear cables - particularly within the newer shimano style of integrated gears (they've made things too complicated for no good reason). Also, note if like me, you do your own repairs - a word of caution - some Bike shops, don't really want to sell you parts, they'd rather you give them the work to do... in which case they'll charge you an arm & a leg for something relatively simple. Use tact, when asking for parts, be polite and courteous, maybe buy a spare or two a the same time to make it a bit more worth their while... for example if you're replacing a spoke on a mama-chari, then buy 2-3 more spare (its a small amount, and will save you having to go back anytime soon - BTW when need to replace a spoke on one of those bikes, set aside 2-3 hours... it's not a simple job, and yeah, I do take pictures before I take the rear wheel off as it's such a pain to get things back exactly in the right way.

In the end, knowing a bit about your bicycle helps you in many ways. If you are afraid of repairing punctures then don't buy a mama-chari - rear wheel puncture repairs are a nightmare. Get yourself a plain MTB - strong wheels (they don't buckle so easily), Tyres are thicker, and replacing an inner tube can be done in a minute flat (but maybe spend some extra time checking the Tyre first for anything stuck into it, as you can burst your replacement innertube so easily if you dont do that !)

I guess I could hold lessons on bicycle repair... but who'd be interested in that ?

The annoying thing these days is Parking for your bicycles - it's limited and always full in the designated areas.

And if you do resort to typing up your trusty steed somewhere near the office, its bound to be on a day when the bicycle collectors are on the prowl... I sometime suspect they actually dump bikes in the designated areas in order to force people to lock up their bikes in non-designated places, just so that they can break the locks, impound the bikes, and charge 2000 yen for the owners to retrieve them... it's a scam!

I find it odd (though refreshing) to hear that some Companies are now promoting Cycling to work, since those I've worked for in the past, mostly told me I couldn't as that would invalidate my Insurance travelling to work. (That said, I always ignored them, and the Health Insurance still covered me, when I needed it.)

In order to fully embrace Cycling/Running to work... Companies could convert that unused office space into something like shower rooms or even a gym ... think of the benefits! (I'd love to work for a Company that allowed me to cycle in, take a shower before hitting my desk, and then had a small gym to work off any stress within during the day).

Also, place to repair flat tyre, etc?

Or learn how to fix a puncture yourself. Worth it for the sense of achievement and independence.

Any recommendations places to buy bicycle in Tokyo?

Also, place to repair flat tyre, etc?

Depending on the type of bicycle. If you want a good road bicycle with proper fitting, and mechanics, Y's Road is good, and has an excellent selection of road bikes. They also have cross bikes and foldies, like the excellent Brompton. They are full service, high end bicycle, store.

For less expensive 'chari' type bikes, places like Asahi cycle and Aeon are probably better to fix common flats, etc.

Good nickname too, lol

@ TokyoJoe

"I cycled for over a year before COVID (now telework). It was one of the best decisions I made."

yeah, good call.

Any recommendations places to buy bicycle in Tokyo?

Also, place to repair flat tyre, etc?

Not sure specifically about Tokyo, but I bought my bike at an AEON mall and they have pretty good bike shops and are all over the place. They are pretty good for maintenance too, whenever I need something done I take it to them and they fix it up pretty quickly.

Has anyone purchased a bicycle from biccamera?

Any recommendations places to buy bicycle in Tokyo?

Also, place to repair flat tyre, etc?

It's a breeze getting around Tokyo on my 18-speed folder.

I’m think bikes are great. I’ve worked briefly in Amsterdam and Copenhagen and was amazed at how bikes are the norm and cars a bit weird and trains/teams were never crowded.

My friend who lives in Kyoto told me that years ago, the mayor said bicycles made Kyoto look like China, and a massive crackdown was made on parked bicycles and you now have to pay for parking.

i visited Kyoto a week or two ago and noticed not so many bikes, but there are some bicycle lanes now.

It took a “Pandemic” for people to pull their heads out ?

I realized very quickly I could ride a bike, from Kameari over to my job at

Shin-Koiwa, in barely twenty minutes instead of waiting for the first train in the

morning...daaah, I got to pocket another ¥20,000 a month for my trouble too.

I do this when the weather's nice out, but right now it's far too hot and sunny. Plus, taxis and work trucks are always looking to run me over. On the flipside, it's good exercise.

I just commuted almost 11 kilometres of hilly terrain in 30+ degree heat.

On the plus side I'm avoiding crowded trains, saving about 1,000 Yen in train fare and giving my legs a workout. On the down side, I'm probably putting myself at risk of heat stroke now that the summer is here for real. No way I can keep this up in August.

It would be nice if the city would plant some shade trees to make cycling more feasible in summer. Or even to just refrain from cutting all the branches off of the trees that are already there so that they provide some actual shade rather than just serving as decorative trunks most of the year.

I was doing it before the pandemic. As long as there is no snow or heavy rain, I find it more enjoyable than the trains or driving.

Good to hear from my fellow cyclist commuters!

I've been cycling a meager 3km (about 15 minutes on a road bike, in morning traffic) morning and evening for the past 5 years. Rainy days are a bit of a pain, but nothing compared to being squashed by the crowds on the Mita line...

I highly recommend it!

Are electric scooters a thing/legal in Tokyo? I've seem some models with 80km ranges. Easier to store under the desk.

Biking is good too, but so much larger storage is needed for a bike than a scooter. Scooters can be taken on public transport easily during non-peak periods too. Some have drag-handles like the rolling luggage.

Good news - and the number of people biking to work would be even higher if the government would provide safer places to ride i.e. protected bicycle lanes.

It's good for more folks to discover or rediscover cycling. For commuting, its easier than ever now with electric assist bikes. With an electric assist hybrid ("cross bike" in Japanese), light pedaling should be enough to hit 25km/h. You can get there fairly quickly without needing a shower on arrival. If you want a workout, turn the assist off knock yourself out on the way home.

Been cycling for the past 12 years. Pushing 60 and feeling so much better than when I was using public transport. I highly recommend it if possible.

Ever since the outbreak began, I have never used any public transport and have been using my bike to get around and I think I'd stick with it even if the pandemic goes away. No need to cue up and put up with cramped trains or buses that get gummed up in traffic.

I cycled for over a year before COVID (now telework). It was one of the best decisions I made. 50,000yen bike from Yahoo auction. Saves me 12,000yen per month on transport fees. Get 1 hour exercise per day when I would have been stressed squashed against the salary zombies.

I recommend everyone try it, rainy days are a challenge and take it easy in Summer to avoid sweating.

Companies should encourage (pay extra allowance to compensate for higher rent) employees to live closer to their workplace and commute to work by bicycle. Will help easing crowds on train and health life.

Instead of Abe san and his amazing idea of sending us all baby masks ~ he should send us all a bike so we can commute to the office which decreases the chance of us all catching COVID~19.