Save money, beat traffic
Those who cycle to their office not only survive, but thrive.
MORE office workers are cycling to work, to beat the jams and the rising costs of fuel, parking and road tolls. Here’s how they do it.
Safwan Siddiq, 28, media content producer
He started cycling to work sometime last year.
“I was preparing for a 160km century ride. It was hard to get enough training during the weekends,” he explained, adding that he could easily clock 30km a day from commuting.
To stay safe, he advised going through housing areas where possible.
“These roads are typically less congested compared to the main roads, especially during rush hour, but not too quiet (and dangerous),” he said.
Safwan, who hails from Shah Alam, Selangor, carries as little as possible when bike-commuting, saying he keeps his laptop at the office. But he does bring his office attire and shoes with him, and he also keeps extra work clothing at his office.
“I’m fortunate enough to have gym facilities at work, so I just shower before I clock in,” he said.
“If the weather is really bad, I will take the car. But if I get caught in the rain while cycling to work, I have a raincoat and also rain cover for my backpack plus bright lights,” he explained.
To prevent his parked bicycle from getting stolen, he keeps it in the office. He said that showering facilities in office buildings would really help people who are considering cycling to work.
“I’m sure employers would appreciate healthier employees who exercise, right?” he quipped.
He also noted that there have been more cyclists since bike lanes were set up in parts of Petaling Jaya, Kota Damansara and Shah Alam.
Safwan uses a cyclocross bicycle, which is a hybrid between a road bike and a mountainbike, to get to work.
“It’s sturdier than a regular road bike, so it can handle potholes and going on or off road kerbs easily. It can also be fixed with racks to carry bags,” he explained.
Having said that, he added that almost any bicycle can be used to cycle-commute.
“When I was in university, I used a cheap RM200 single-speed bicycle to get from campus to class. I always tell people that the best bicycle for cycle-commuting is the one you already have at home,” he said.