Before the beginning of this summer, I must confess that I rather disliked bicycling. My only real experience with bikes, except as a small child, was on an old mountain bike that was ill-suited to the trail riding and jumping my friends did, and hardly up to the task of a 35 minute commute to high school, either. As a wackjob hippie, I’ve long appreciated the idea of biking, but actually commuting by bike every day always seemed a little bit too hardcore (think Calvin’s dad) for me.

Upon moving downtown, however, I found myself in a situation where biking to get around was not only cheaper, but also more convenient, faster, and infinitely more fun than taking transit. As luck would have it, Toronto’s sparse bike lanes led straight to my office, allaying any initial trepidation. Despite being far too small for me, I grew to really appreciate my old, neglected bike, and it served me well until I finally invested in my current ride, a Jamis flat-bar road bike that I’ve transformed into a lean, mean commuting machine. I’ve since moved farther away, and despite the plunging temperatures and the daily risk of having a door opened into my face at 25 kph, I take a perverse glee in my daily rides. On Monday, after patching a flat tire, I decided to take my bike out for a spin. At night. In the pouring rain. I decided it would be a good time to practice riding with no hands. I have unabashedly fallen back in love with bicycling after a 15 year hiatus.

My attitudes about biking changed abruptly over the course of only a few weeks, and all it took was the taste of freedom (i.e. the ability to sleep for 15 more minutes) and the comfort factor of having bike lanes to ease the transition. Am I atypical, or is that all it takes? How many of you bike to work? How many of you don’t? Why? And more importantly, what would it take to get you on a bike? Is it an issue with the comfort, image, or convenience associated with bikes themselves, or is it the policy and infrastructure that surrounds it?

(My general curiosity aside, I should give full disclosure and say that this line of questioning was spurred by a post at the excellent Bicycle Design blog, which recently posted a design competition to design a commuter bike for the masses. The prize is an incredibly sweet bike. Your feedback will be going towards a good cause - that is, helping me win it.)