Living Car Free - Questions for you car free guys/gals

I want to do it. I am 15 dont have my license yet but I will in about a year. So the question is how do you do it? I mean like going places without being drenched in sweat. Thats one of my main problems. I want to get jobs in certain place that are farther than 10 miles (some not too far like 11 miles) and the thing is that there are no showers at these place. How do you do it without going through the day looking and smelling like you just went for a pretty good ride. Its annoying because I sweat alot. Any advice would really be great. Im interested.


Thanks alot

Get some body srpay and cologne, That should mask the smell of sweet. Also carry some deoderant.

You'll sweat on your ride to your job, then you'll wash your face (and other places, if necessary) with water and wipe off with a little towel in the lavatory before work, and hopefully that will be the end of it. If you have a strong enough deodorant and you bathe properly when you wake up, you probably won't smell. I've been car-free for 4 years now, and I've never once had a girlfriend or fellow employee comment on my hygiene. Learn to use talcum powder for the naughty bits too! Very important!

Otherwise, how do I do it? I just do.

Imagine cars didn't exist at all. What would you do? Horses are great, but they're even less practical to maintain for most people than a car is these days. Most of history has had to deal without cars, and people have done amazing things - built enormous structures, traveled into deep jungle and arctic nothingness, and circumnavigated the globe, all without the internal combustion engine. We've only had cars for a little over a century, and they've only been in common use for a lot less than that, but somehow we've transformed into a completely car-dependent culture to the point where people cannot even fathom how someone could actually choose to disown them.

10 or 11 miles to work is really not very far at all. The more you do it, the less of a distance it will seem to you.

Get racks, bungee cords, and panniers for your bicycle and you can do almost any type of shopping you wish, as well as camping, touring around the world, or visiting friends who live far away.

Large objects are more difficult to deal with, but you can hire movers or enlist friends to help with those. Otherwise, the benefits are really great.

Even if you don't go 100% car-free, it's worth it to use your car less, but the less you use it, the more you wonder why you even have it anymore.

take a shower before leaving. ride to job. cool down for 10-15 minutes. In the bath room , take off shirt, change pants. wipe down yourself with towel and water. put on deo. put on new shirt.

Bacteria that you accumulate throughout the day are what make you stink. So, if you shower before riding to your job, you shouldn't stink when you get there.

My body likes to sweat, and I don't have a shower at work, either. When I arrive, I just head to the bathroom and wash up at a sink. Make sure to bring a towel and an extra shirt.

Thanks, that was quick!

I do ahve a plan to buy a pannier/bike trunk sometime soon when the money comes.

So the procudure for goign to the job is:

-Take shower before leaving
-once you get to shop, cool down. Then go to bathroom
-cleane up with paper towel and water
-apply strong deoderant

have I covered alot of it?

About the carfree part of it, I should probably get some more visibility clothes, and a better light.

I commute periodically, and that's about it. It seems like a whole huge procedure at first, but it really becomes second nature really quick. If you're only 15, and don't have a drivers license, maybe you can think twice before you get one. Ask yourself, after you start biking everywhere, "do I *really* need a drivers license?" do you really need to drive anywhere? I view it (others may here, too) as picking up a bad habit that's hard to get rid of. (driving everywhere)

I would say he should get the license, it has other uses besides driving. Also when he turns 25 he will be able to rent a car/truck if he ever really needs to use it. Also since he is living with is parents (I am assume here) his mother/father might ask him to take the car to do some errans and pick up some very large things.

Here's what I do:

- Sit outside for a few minutes to cool down.
- Go into the bathroom/changing room
- Wipe face and head with paper towels
- Change
- (optionally) Re-apply deodorant

Yup, sounds like exactly what you said. The whole thing takes maybe 10 minutes.

It also depends on what kind of job you have. I work in a on the shop floor in a job shop that custom-builds industrial equipment. I don't have to deal with the public and I get kind of dirty in my job, anyway, so I wear work cloths that I don't need to change and I don't really have to go through the hassle of running into the bathroom to freshen up.

It could be my imagination, but I also believe that after eleven years and approx. 25,000 miles of bike commuting my body has adapted to it and either regulates itself or I can just pace myself so I don't arrive all sweaty and stinky.

I only commute about 3.5 miles each way, but New Orleans' summers can be muggy and gross.. 100 degrees and 99% humidity. My usual plan of action is:

* Shower before leaving house.
* Put on shorts (regular shorts, not bike-shirts) and t-shirt
* Ride to work, sweating profusely at redlights.
* Get to work, sit in A/C for a couple minutes until I'm not sweating anymore
* Go in restroom, wash face, dry head. Put on "real" pants. (put shorts in bag)
* Sit in A/C at desk until my t-shirt is dry.
* Put on "real" shirt. (Usually a polo or button-up.)
* Sometimes, during the day I'll have to reapply deodorant. (That I keep in my desk drawer or in my bag.)

I have no idea why I broke the above into so many bulleted items.

Anyhoo, this works well for me. :)

Like mpop, I think you should get your drivers license. Why not get motorcycle and maybe other special endorsements while you're at it, if your state has them. Be an excellent driver. Carfree is a choice. It doesn't mean you shouldn't know how to operate them and even work on them.

If you dilute rubbing alcohol with water and put it in a spray bottle and 'spritz' yourself after the ride, it cools you down and kill the stink making bacteria. (You may want to avoid actual cologne. yuk! :))

i am 16 and commute 40 miles a day 6 days a week.

i suggest that you only get your drivers licence if you see a real need for it, i haven't had any problems that couldn't be solved without a bike yet, so i haven't gotten my licence, i just don't see a reason.

you can get a bob trailer if you really need some extra space, they can handle some weight and give you plenty more space than you have. they are something like $300.

Thanks everyone.

I most likely will get my license. Because I dont know if I will be strictly car-free but I definetly want to see how I do with it.

Also do you guys use cycling shorts or just go with regular shorts? I personally think its hard for me to do something that is more than like 12 miles (I made a mistake the bike shop is 14+ miles away).

Thanks everyone!

Another consideration is to wipe down in the men's room with baby wipes or wet naps.
The small paper napkins that come sealed in a package and are wet when you open them.

Another consideration is to wipe down in the men's room with baby wipes or wet naps.
The small paper napkins that come sealed in a package and are wet when you open them.

that is a good idea, keep em coming. I like it!

You can experiment by riding to get sweaty and trying different things at home to see what works best for you. If you have to ride to a job interview you may want to look and smell as good as possible at the interview. I would guess just about any place you would go would have a men’s room you could use to clean up before the interview. You might even consider cooling down and using a gas station rest room if you have to just for an interview.

First, I would recommend showering each morning with a deoderant soap, like Coast or Zest. Then apply your deoderant/anti-perspirant liberally.

Second, I would NOT recommend using a cologne. A cologne will only make your stink smell sweet and is not nice smelling at all. So many people think they can mask their stink with cologne, but they don't realize how bad their own body odor is, so when they smell their own cologne, they don't realize the funk is still coming through strong. Please don't make the same mistake.

Third, you will most likely have to adjust your routine- that means arriving at work 10-15 minutes early and entering the building to cool down. Once you've cooled down, you'll stop sweating, and you can use wet wipes and baby powder from there. It would be a good idea for you to find those scented wet wipes. I recommend the wet wipes that are made by Old Spice and have the cologne-type smell, or the generic wet wipes that smell like lemons, which I think are the best of the two. Wipe down with the wet wipes once you've cooled down, then use the baby powder once you've dried yourself off. The baby powder has the talc, which does a good job of masking any additional smells.

Finally, do get your drivers license. It will make life easier for you- you can't get through life without one, since you need to have one for your bank account, your airline flights, your job applications, etc. And you never know if you may need to rent a car either. So don't take the drivers license so lightly. You never know when that license may come in handy.

Koffee

I don't have the commuting issue because I work from home,but when I want to cool down before reaching home, from say an all day ride, what I often do is walk the bike the last 1/2 mile or so or else cycle the last 1/2 mile progressively slower so that by the last 1/4 mile I am barely moving just mostly relaxing.

I don't have the commuting issue because I work from home,but when I want to cool down before reaching home, from say an all day ride, what I often do is walk the bike the last 1/2 mile or so or else cycle the last 1/2 mile progressively slower so that by the last 1/4 mile I am barely moving just mostly relaxing.In this long hot summer, walking really heats you up--cycling is the way to stay cool!

Over a distance you are right but after hard cycling I find a leisurely walk or progressively reducing the pace of cycling effective at cooling down.

If you don't get a car license, you can get a State ID which looks just like a license and serves the ID purpose. I had one for years, then for years a motorcycle only license then finally car and motorcycle. But you don't need a drivers license, you just need the state-ID.

Finally, do get your drivers license. It will make life easier for you- you can't get through life without one, since you need to have one for your bank account, your airline flights, your job applications, etc. And you never know if you may need to rent a car either. So don't take the drivers license so lightly. You never know when that license may come in handy.Koffee

I've gotten through life without a driver's license just fine. I have bank accounts, credit cards, a mortgage, etc. I've never been asked for one to board a plane or at a job interview. :eek:

I've gotten through life without a driver's license just fine. I have bank accounts, credit cards, a mortgage, etc. I've never been asked for one to board a plane or at a job interview. :eek:


First, you live in Canada. So maybe they do things differently.

Here in the USA, you need two forms of ID for your job application or your passport.

Bank accounts? Again, it's better to have the drivers license, or else you'll have to either provide your passport or 2 forms of id if you don't have your drivers license. It's a pain in the butt.

In the age of today's terrorism, again, when you board a plane, you'll have to either take your passport (no problem if you're flying internationally), or your drivers license.

I've been to some banks without my passport, and had to scramble for my drivers license plus an additional form of identification. They don't make me do it at my bank (ask for one form of ID rather than 2), but I still have some banks I go to where if I'm not a bank customer, they want 2 forms. How many people here really have their social security card on them? I don't even know where mine is. Last week, my sister-in-law and I went to the bank. HER bank. She had her credit card on her, and without her drivers license, they wouldn't serve us. My brother had to drop everything and run to the bank and provide his drivers license so she could complete her transaction. What a time waster, and really annoying too.

I'm not saying you CAN'T go through life without a drivers license, which you seem to imply I'm saying. I'm saying it's definitely BETTER to have it rather than dragging your passport around all the time. For some people, they may not mind much carrying around their passport everywhere they go, but I definitely do NOT like that- I'm always paranoid of misplacing or losing my passport. And technically, we are only supposed to show our passport to prove citizenship when travelling, not treat it like a secondary drivers license alternative when the need suits us. In that case, I try to limit my use of my passport. I misplaced mine once about a week before a trip overseas and nearly lost my mind thinking I'd dropped it someplace while out. That's when I decided I'd always have my drivers license around.

Again, he may need to rent or borrow a car one day. What's he going to use then? A passport will get you nowhere at the car rental agencies.

I stress again- it's not that it's impossible to skim by without your drivers license, but it makes life less of a hassle.

Koffee

I've gotten through life without a driver's license just fine. I have bank accounts, credit cards, a mortgage, etc. I've never been asked for one to board a plane or at a job interview. :eek:

And P.S. I also didn't say "job interview". No one gets asked for ID at a job interview, but once you get hired and go through the application process, you either will need that drivers license and a second form of ID or your passport. :(

Koffee

First, you live in Canada. So maybe they do things differently.

Here in the USA, you need two forms of ID for your job application or your passport.

Bank accounts? Again, it's better to have the drivers license, or else you'll have to either provide your passport or 2 forms of id if you don't have your drivers license. It's a pain in the butt.

In the age of today's terrorism, again, when you board a plane, you'll have to either take your passport (no problem if you're flying internationally), or your drivers license.

I've been to some banks without my passport, and had to scramble for my drivers license plus an additional form of identification. They don't make me do it at my bank (ask for one form of ID rather than 2), but I still have some banks I go to where if I'm not a bank customer, they want 2 forms. How many people here really have their social security card on them? I don't even know where mine is. Last week, my sister-in-law and I went to the bank. HER bank. She had her credit card on her, and without her drivers license, they wouldn't serve us. My brother had to drop everything and run to the bank and provide his drivers license so she could complete her transaction. What a time waster, and really annoying too.

I'm not saying you CAN'T go through life without a drivers license, which you seem to imply I'm saying. I'm saying it's definitely BETTER to have it rather than dragging your passport around all the time. For some people, they may not mind much carrying around their passport everywhere they go, but I definitely do NOT like that- I'm always paranoid of misplacing or losing my passport. And technically, we are only supposed to show our passport to prove citizenship when travelling, not treat it like a secondary drivers license alternative when the need suits us. In that case, I try to limit my use of my passport. I misplaced mine once about a week before a trip overseas and nearly lost my mind thinking I'd dropped it someplace while out. That's when I decided I'd always have my drivers license around.

Again, he may need to rent or borrow a car one day. What's he going to use then? A passport will get you nowhere at the car rental agencies.

I stress again- it's not that it's impossible to skim by without your drivers license, but it makes life less of a hassle.

Koffee

My wife, who doesn't drive and has never had a driver's license, always had a state ID when she lived in New York, Connecticut, and now Ohio. There was maybe only a handful of times where some business establishment wouldn't accept a state ID for a check and had to have a driver's license, I can't really remember. In Ohio the state ID looks just like a driver's license except it's a different color and has "non-driver" across the front of it.

I've been to some banks without my passport, and had to scramble for my drivers license plus an additional form of identification. They don't make me do it at my bank (ask for one form of ID rather than 2), but I still have some banks I go to where if I'm not a bank customer, they want 2 forms.

In most (if not all) states you can opt to get a State ID instead... they can be substituted in any situation which requires a drivers license for identification. Here in KS they're issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles, and look almost exactly like a "normal" license.

First, I would recommend showering each morning with a deoderant soap, like Coast or Zest. Then apply your deoderant/anti-perspirant liberally.

Second, I would NOT recommend using a cologne. A cologne will only make your stink smell sweet and is not nice smelling at all. So many people think they can mask their stink with cologne, but they don't realize how bad their own body odor is, so when they smell their own cologne, they don't realize the funk is still coming through strong. Please don't make the same mistake.

Third, you will most likely have to adjust your routine- that means arriving at work 10-15 minutes early and entering the building to cool down. Once you've cooled down, you'll stop sweating, and you can use wet wipes and baby powder from there. It would be a good idea for you to find those scented wet wipes. I recommend the wet wipes that are made by Old Spice and have the cologne-type smell, or the generic wet wipes that smell like lemons, which I think are the best of the two. Wipe down with the wet wipes once you've cooled down, then use the baby powder once you've dried yourself off. The baby powder has the talc, which does a good job of masking any additional smells.

Finally, do get your drivers license. It will make life easier for you- you can't get through life without one, since you need to have one for your bank account, your airline flights, your job applications, etc. And you never know if you may need to rent a car either. So don't take the drivers license so lightly. You never know when that license may come in handy.

Koffee

wowo, thanks. I wont use cologne, ive decided that already. Now how would the whole baby powder idea work?

Also, I am getting my drivers license. I've also decided on that.

Thanks all, again keep em coming!

Koffee--Like someone else said, IDs issued by your state work as good as DLs for identification. Of course you can't drive with it.

True, you can't drive without it. And that's the most important aspect of the drivers license that can't be replaced.

Unless one makes a conscious decision to never drive, I don't see the point of not getting one. I think here in the States, we really take that drivers license for granted because in other countries, you practically have to give blood from every orifice in order to get it. Here, you just take a test, and if you don't pass, you retake it and pass the second time. If you're over 18, you don't even take the drivers part (from what I remember). In other countries, you do a lot more, which makes me thankful I'm here taking it the easy way.

Now, if Hi565 said he definitely didn't want to drive, then sure... go for the state id. But if he plans to go for a drive at some point, get the license. If he doesn't plan to drive right away, get the state ID now, and when you turn 18, go to the drivers license facility and just take the written test and pick up your drivers license.

Hi, the baby powder works once you've dried off. You have to be completely dry. Just sponge yourself down, allow yourself to air dry, and apply deoderant and baby powder. Apply it across your chest and lower body (translation= private areas), as well as your butt. Then just put on your clothes. The talc will absorb a lot of the body odor you may still have. It also leaves a nice baby smell behind, which is very pleasing. Instead of just mixing with the stink, it absorbs it. That would probably work best for you.

Koffee

so you just like hmmmm whats the word. I cant think of the word for applying baby powder. Koffee, is it ok to start going into some winter questions? These people seem like they could help.

Yeah. You just shake the baby powder onto your skin and then rub it generally around the areas I mentioned to you.

Go on ahead and ask your winter questions.

Koffee

Here in the USA, you need two forms of ID for your job application or your passport.

I think you need 2 forms of ID for a Canadian passport, it may be 3. Its been a while since I got mine. You don't need a driver's license, though.

Why on earth would you need to show ID for a job application? That's a new one on me!



Bank accounts? Again, it's better to have the drivers license, or else you'll have to either provide your passport or 2 forms of id if you don't have your drivers license. It's a pain in the butt.


That seems to vary greatly bank-to-bank here. Usually, though, any photo ID and someting with your address on it will do. My Ontario Health card on its own takes care of both requirements. That's assuming you have no history with that bank, of course. If you have accounts there all you need is your ATM card and your code.


here really have their social security card on them?

I always have my SIN (equivalent to social security card) on my, it's basic ID. That, my health card, and my credit card go everywhere.

Anyway, I'm not trying to make this a detailed rebuttal or argument, I just disagreed with your statement that a driver's license is something you "need". To me its an extremely expensive and completely unnecessary document and not something I am comfortable seeing someone advised they "need".

Yeah. You just shake the baby powder onto your skin and then rub it generally around the areas I mentioned to you.

Go on ahead and ask your winter questions.

Koffee

thanks koffee


So winter(this is going to sound like my original thread except about winter):

How do you do it? I mean, summer I can get but like when your expected to get to work and its starting to snow, something that a car could get through but challenging to a bike. Gear wise I think that I know what I need. But can you guys tell me how you do it. Again I'm curious.

Thanks again

There's plenty of info in the Winter Cycling forum. It's all about planning ahead and having the proper clothes. For your specific question, if it's snowing, I use ski goggles.

I don't get it. You wanna be car free, but have a driver's license. Something is wrong here.

since your 15, make for sure you wash your face with a good facial cleanser, and follow up with a facial lotion, somethine with vitamin e and chamomile. very important, then just wash your face again a little while after you get to work. I prefer nivea for men. it works great for me. axe body spray usually helps and keep a good clean shirt or wife-beater (a-shirt) wife-beaters always help my chest and back breath more easily.

Wife-beater = sleeveless t-shirt to clarify lol

just don't care about how you smell. carry those wipe things with you if your boss complains.

First, you live in Canada. So maybe they do things differently.

Here in the USA, you need two forms of ID for your job application or your passport.

Bank accounts? Again, it's better to have the drivers license, or else you'll have to either provide your passport or 2 forms of id if you don't have your drivers license. It's a pain in the butt.

In the age of today's terrorism, again, when you board a plane, you'll have to either take your passport (no problem if you're flying internationally), or your drivers license.

I've been to some banks without my passport, and had to scramble for my drivers license plus an additional form of identification. They don't make me do it at my bank (ask for one form of ID rather than 2), but I still have some banks I go to where if I'm not a bank customer, they want 2 forms. How many people here really have their social security card on them? I don't even know where mine is. Last week, my sister-in-law and I went to the bank. HER bank. She had her credit card on her, and without her drivers license, they wouldn't serve us. My brother had to drop everything and run to the bank and provide his drivers license so she could complete her transaction. What a time waster, and really annoying too.

I'm not saying you CAN'T go through life without a drivers license, which you seem to imply I'm saying. I'm saying it's definitely BETTER to have it rather than dragging your passport around all the time. For some people, they may not mind much carrying around their passport everywhere they go, but I definitely do NOT like that- I'm always paranoid of misplacing or losing my passport. And technically, we are only supposed to show our passport to prove citizenship when travelling, not treat it like a secondary drivers license alternative when the need suits us. In that case, I try to limit my use of my passport. I misplaced mine once about a week before a trip overseas and nearly lost my mind thinking I'd dropped it someplace while out. That's when I decided I'd always have my drivers license around.

Again, he may need to rent or borrow a car one day. What's he going to use then? A passport will get you nowhere at the car rental agencies.

I stress again- it's not that it's impossible to skim by without your drivers license, but it makes life less of a hassle.

Koffee

In response to that entire post: You can do all those things with an offical state ID. Most banks require you to have ID with you for all transactions. The reason your bank didn't need the ID is because the tellers or bankers know you personally. They assume responsbility everytime they don't ask someone for ID. Many places ask for your Driver's License out of habit. However, they will accept an offical state ID.

Terri

I don't get it. You wanna be car free, but have a driver's license. Something is wrong here.

what?

Patc, you don't need to show ID for an application, but it is required for the I-9 form, which is used to show you are allowed to work in the USA.

hi565, Lots of good info here. More at http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=90213

Patc, you don't need to show ID for an application, but it is required for the I-9 form, which is used to show you are allowed to work in the USA.

Interesting. All you need to do in Canada is give your employer your SIN (Social Insurance Number) so taxes can be collected. That's all I have ever been asked for, and all an employer is legally allowed to ask to see as far as I know - and only AFTER you are hired. I'm not sure what the legalities are if you need to drive as part of the job (i.e. at what point in the interview process an employer may ask to see your license). I also don't know how the newer privacy legislation may have affected this, but I don't think it would be influenced.

what?
I guess it depends on what definition of 'car-free' you are using.

If you have your driver's license, and drive your pop's car every once in a while because its cold/snowy/rainy/ your lazy/ etc.
What's the point? Are you still car free if you drive ocasionally because you don't really want to bike to school/work/whatever?
I guess one only has to justify a lifstyle to themselves.

I seems like a slippery slope, as soon as you get a license.

I guess it depends on what definition of 'car-free' you are using.

If you have your driver's license, and drive your pop's car every once in a while because its cold/snowy/rainy/ your lazy/ etc.
What's the point? Are you still car free if you drive ocasionally because you don't really want to bike to school/work/whatever?
I guess one only has to justify a lifstyle to themselves.

I seems like a slippery slope, as soon as you get a license.

well, I can get what your saying. But Mostly car free. Now I have said what I just said earlier. If you paid attention that would be a different thing boston. ;)

I seems like a slippery slope, as soon as you get a license.

That's just silly. Cars are not evil, they're just overused. Sometimes they are practical. It's good to know how to drive and to have a license just in case. I may not own a car, but in the last year I've driven someone to the emergency room after they collapsed on my bathroom floor, I've been appointed 'emergency designated driver' after some friends had too much to drink and (literally) stumbled upon me out one night, I've had to take my cat to the vet in an emergency, I've had to help someone move - in which case it was practical that I drive the van while he drove his car, and I had to help my sister, her husband, their two dogs and my two cats evacuate during a category 4 hurricaine.

Sure, in any of these cases I could have called a cab, but why? Why risk it? Not owning a car makes you car free IMHO.. not having a license for the sake of being cool is just being unprepared.

IMHO.

That's just silly. Cars are not evil, they're just overused. Sometimes they are practical. It's good to know how to drive and to have a license just in case. I may not own a car, but in the last year I've driven someone to the emergency room after they collapsed on my bathroom floor, I've been appointed 'emergency designated driver' after some friends had too much to drink and (literally) stumbled upon me out one night, I've had to take my cat to the vet in an emergency, I've had to help someone move - in which case it was practical that I drive the van while he drove his car, and I had to help my sister, her husband, their two dogs and my two cats evacuate during a category 4 hurricaine.

Sure, in any of these cases I could have called a cab, but why? Why risk it? Not owning a car makes you car free IMHO.. not having a license for the sake of being cool is just being unprepared.

IMHO.

Thanks nola! I couldnt figure out how to write it. You did very good job! :D

Nola, nice, but I think your situation is slightly different than mr. hi565's.

Resisting the temptation to drive a car when it may be difficult or unfeasible to bike is hard, possibly similar to resisting a icy coke or popsicle on a hot day.

If you do not have a license, then that option is removed and there is no choice but to bike. I guess that it may be easier for others who have stronger willpower to avoid cars when the opportunity and temptation is there.

When there is a car sitting in the driveway on a rainy, windy day, you better bet it will be awfully hard to resist the temptation to drive instead of bike.

Whatever. I'm just a goon talking **** on teh internet.