My quality of living is substantially higher due to the fact that I commute by bicycle instead of by car. I save hundreds of dollars a month, get at least 40 minutes of exercise every day, and have an interesting sport/hobby to engage in when I have a few hours free on the weekend.
As a programmer, the exercise and outdoor activity components are particularly critical. I do some of my best "mental coding" while riding to and from work, and while I may have put on a few pounds in the last couple of years, it's not the unhealthy, inactivity-driven sort of weight gain that would make me worry about heart problems or diabetes.
I love biking: I ride a fixed gear to school almost every day, it's only a few miles and I can get to class faster if you include the time it takes to park and walk to class.
The health benefits for riding a bicycle are a fantastic reason to start and continue doing it.
But one thing I would just like to point out to everyone - you are going to pay for fuel, either way. You might not be paying for oil when you bike, but you definitely need to pay for food. If you are trying to lose weight and reduce your calories, I guess you can afford to eat less, but eventually you'll need to eat a lot (really, it's a noticeable increase) of food to make up for your exercising. And that costs money - so I really wonder about the savings gained from biking.
This shouldn't detract anyone from riding a bike, I'm just sayin'.
As a programmer, the exercise and outdoor activity components are particularly critical. I do some of my best "mental coding" while riding to and from work, and while I may have put on a few pounds in the last couple of years, it's not the unhealthy, inactivity-driven sort of weight gain that would make me worry about heart problems or diabetes.