There is nothing quite like riding a bicycle. With both hands on the handlebars, your feet in the pedals and the wind against your skin, there are few modes of transportation so freeing yet so connected with the world around you.

If it has been a few years since you last took your bike out for a spin but a friend or relative just gifted you an adjustable bicycle horn or reflectors for your birthday, what else are you supposed to do but to go out and enjoy them? Plus, there are a whole plethora of benefits in doing so. Consider these five to motivate you to get pedaling.

1. Free Parking

Without a doubt, one of the topmost excellent reasons to start riding a bicycle is the reduction in parking costs. On a weekly basis, the costs of a parking garage can easily add up to over $100. For monthly passes, costs are even more. There are no worries with a bicycle, though. Even better: No parking fees means no parking tickets. How can you forget to pay when there is no charge?

2. More Exercise

Another no-brainer reason for embracing the bike life is because it is good for your health. Unlike when you are cruising behind the wheel of your car or catching up on Facebook while you sit on the subway, your bicycle requires your body to constantly move. As such, you end up burning carbs and calories whenever you go to work.

3. Increased Happiness

Maybe it is a direct result of the free parking and healthier living, but research has also found that bicycle commuters tend to be happier than those who choose other ways to commute to work every day. If sitting in traffic has you feeling down, why not start pulling your old bicycle out once or twice a week to start?

If you recently received a nifty new add-on for your bicycle, it is a good reason to pull out that bike you have been neglecting. Grab a helmet, and get riding today!