Much has changed over the last two months, but here’s a persistent truth: in many, many, many cases, bike commuting is the way to go.

Whether you’re an essential worker looking to optimize your mission-critical travel or a short-term work-from-homer gearing up to eventually resume on-site business-as-usual, here are some bike commute benefits to consider.

Exercise: With gyms closed, races cancelled, and even pick-up basketball a no-go, many of us have been spending too much time indoors in front of screens with a surfeit of baked goods. Biking to work affords a chance to work your legs, increase your lung capacity, get your blood flowing. Also, endorphins.

Personal space: If you took the bus or metro to work pre-COVID, you’d probably prefer not to rub shoulders or share bench seats with fellow commuters during these days of social distancing. It’s much easier to keep the recommended six feet of distance between yourself and others astride a bike than aboard a crowded train.

Eco cred: Another sort of personal vehicle—the car—might come to mind for those looking to avoid public transit as long as the novel coronavirus remains a threat. Person-powered transport is greener than the fossil-fueled variety, of course, which makes bike commuting a no-brainer for those keen to skip the bus while staying planet-friendly.

Flexibility: To the annoyance of both motorists and pedestrians (and the delight of many a cyclist), bikes basically have the run of the transportation landscape. A bike commuter can opt to travel by shared use path or by road, to take a busy thoroughfare or a less-trafficked side street, as conditions dictate. A bike commuter’s ability to adjust routes mid-trip—mid-block even, with a hop from sidewalk to street or a (circumspect) swerve from bike lane to travel lane—is a distinct advantage as traffic patterns shift and we all strive to steer clear of one another’s airspace.

Connection: After months with little to no in-person socializing, we’re all craving interaction. While driving a car puts you at a dehumanizing remove from your surroundings, biking promotes community connection. You feel the changing seasons on a bike; you move at a speed that permits you to observe your region’s natural rhythms, your neighbors’ solidarity signage and experiments in vegetable gardening. You can greet your fellow bike commuters with a wave, a (masked) smile, an encouragement shouted in passing. A camaraderie develops through this low-risk exchange of pleasantries, and that fellow feeling is one we all need right now.  

What none of us need in these uncertain times is something else to worry about. Luckily Altor’s SAF Lock offers two-wheeled commuters perhaps the best available antidote to bike-theft anxiety.

But don’t just take our word for it: check out Bicycling magazine’s comprehensive testing video and 2020 Best Bike Locks or LockPickingLawyer’s assessment of the SAF’s bike-securing beefiness.

In celebrating Bike Month save $50 on a SAF Lock, APEX, or APEXTi to secure your ride. Visit Altorlocks.com and use the discount code bikemonth50 at checkout. Offer valid through May 31st.

For bike commute readiness tips, check out Be Prepared for Your COVID-Era Bike Commute.