Why Commute by Bike?

"Why bike?"

I get asked this question all too often. The problem isn't that people are asking, it's why they're asking, and the underlying assumption they have: that cars are an inherently superior form of transportation.

This assumption colors not only their question to me, but more importantly how they hear my response. If they are genuinely curious and open, I am more than happy to talk all day about how wonderful bike commuting is, the countless associated benefits, and how to make it practical. But all too often, any answer I give is simply followed up by another question, asked with the sole purpose of verifying their underlying assumption: "Isn't biking dangerous/slow/sweaty/hot/cold/for kids/exposed to the elements/etc.?"

Yes, bike commuting can be hot, cold, sweaty, dangerous, and all those other negatives. It is also joyous, invigorating, healthy, rejuvenating and, more than anything, freeing. But they never ask about the positives. They never ask why it makes me smile, why I feel absolutely free and alive when I ride. They ask why it's unpleasant, inconvenient. Because they already "know" that it is. They are a part of the car culture and, while they are genuinely curious as to my reasons, by the time they ask the question they have already categorized me as deviant, an aberration from the norm, different.

They ask why I'm different than them, but never why I want to be different.