Living Car Free - I'm seeing MANY more bikes!

Last summer it took me a month to count 80 bikes outside my window. This summer I'm counting 12 and more per day.

I commute home from work around midnight. I could go a week without seeing another cyclist. Last night I saw eight groups, with a total of about 15 cyclists. Most were young guys whizzing around the city. Several whooped and hollered when they saw me. I bet I'll have some great late-night races this season!:)

Key word is "season" :p

Key word is "season" :p
Roody is comparing last year to this, the same season.

Al

I'm not seeing any more bikes here in Fat City

i just saw a guy with some aluminum siding under his arm on his way to the scrap yard. i love muskegon! oh and alot of people ride there bike to A.A. next to us. i always want to adjust there seats for them.

I'm seeing an increase in the number of vehicles in my neighborhood with attached bike racks of some sort. I'm guessing that more people were experimenting with bikes in some way when the weather turned nice, and then left the racks attached to their cars & trucks.

I dunno. I've noticed demand for old roadies has shot way up here, and have been seeing a lot more riders over the last couple of years. I see more obvious commuters as well. Unlike Roody, I've made no counts, so it may all be hallucination on my part.

Oops, sorry Roody. Misread ya.

I did notice more bike on the road, but I really only started commuting around late spring last year.

Last summer it took me a month to count 80 bikes outside my window. This summer I'm counting 12 and more per day.

I commute home from work around midnight. I could go a week without seeing another cyclist. Last night I saw eight groups, with a total of about 15 cyclists. Most were young guys whizzing around the city. Several whooped and hollered when they saw me. I bet I'll have some great late-night races this season!:)

Yes but, are you seeing 2manybikes?

Sorry Roody, I could not resist. :o

Key word is "season" :p
Yes, but I already thought I was seeing more bikes all winter. I used to go through the months of Dec.-Feb.-March seeing maybe one other rider in Lansing, a few more when I went over to East Lansing. This past winter I saw small numbers of riders all winter long.

On nice days the bike rack at the downtown library is totally full with more than a dozen bikes. In fact, yesterday some creep leaned a Trek up against my bike. His bike wasn't locked, so I think he was trying to make it look like it was locked to mine. It will soon be stolen, if it wasn't already. Seems like anybody who could afford a decent Trek would have a lock for it.

our ****ty bike racks at work are filling up

Yes, but I already thought I was seeing more bikes all winter. I used to go through the months of Dec.-Feb.-March seeing maybe one other rider in Lansing, a few more when I went over to East Lansing. This past winter I saw small numbers of riders all winter long.

On nice days the bike rack at the downtown library is totally full with more than a dozen bikes. In fact, yesterday some creep leaned a Trek up against my bike. His bike wasn't locked, so I think he was trying to make it look like it was locked to mine. It will soon be stolen, if it wasn't already. Seems like anybody who could afford a decent Trek would have a lock for it.


Maybe the price of gas added to all the other costs, really is having an effect on the use of cars?

Every time I see a new cyclist and think another has joined the commuting community, I found out from them that they only do it one day a week. I guess it is a start....

I have noticed more kids on bikes and small grocery bags hanging from their handlebars heading back from the "stop and rob" stores. But...as Peter stated...not much more to cycling activity here in Fat City.

I've been seeing a lot more bikes lately too. Especially today for some reason.

Bikes are showing up more in Southern California in increments. Higher fuel/cost of living=more bike use beyond recreation seems to operate during times of crisis. I always keep at least one bike on hand for those times which seem to become more and more frequent.

Maybe the price of gas added to all the other costs, really is having an effect on the use of cars?

That's what I'm thinking, and hoping. I usually talk to the people around the bike racks, and a couple have mentioned, "Gas is just too much." But I don't know if that's their reason for riding, or just a passing comment, since gas prices are the main thing people talk to strangers about these days.


Every time I see a new cyclist and think another has joined the commuting community, I found out from them that they only do it one day a week. I guess it is a start....
We kinda look down on people who commute only one day a week, but you're right, it is a good start. If half the people rode their bikes one workday a week, the country would save 10 % on oil. That would be significant.

I live in a poor neighborhood. I'm thinking a lot of cyclists have more or less permanently parked their cars. I'll be asking around as I encounter these new riders in my travels.

I have see more people cycling here also in a small community. I am having trouble finding a place to park at the store.

Roody-

Ive noticed a bunch more cyclists recently but i donthave last year to compare to, so i figure it was just the changing weather that was bringing them out. I have been noticing more permanently parked cars in my neighborhood too.

I saw about 30 cyclists out this evening in my neighborhood. I didn't think to start counting until after I saw the first ten or so. No pattern I could discern, except there were no high school age or younger folks out on bikes.

I live in a suburban neighborhood that is full of spoiled SUV owners. Their kids are growing up much like them. The local high school doesn't even have a bike rack. When I posed the question about getting a rack to a teacher a couple of years ago, I got the response that they didn't need one. Maybe if they had one available, they would need one. Sounds like the "chicken or the egg".

I live in a suburban neighborhood that is full of spoiled SUV owners. Their kids are growing up much like them. The local high school doesn't even have a bike rack. When I posed the question about getting a rack to a teacher a couple of years ago, I got the response that they didn't need one. Maybe if they had one available, they would need one. Sounds like the "chicken or the egg".
Do you really believe the lack of a bike rack is the reason why riding a bike to the local high school is not done by anyone who might otherwise consider it?

I have noticed a few more bikes at the rack where I work lately. The season here is almost over though. We'll see how many stick it out through summer.

It is pouring today. I saw one commuter on the way in (compared with a sunny weather four or five). On the way home I predict zero, compared with the usual dozen recreational riders.

People are so scared they'll melt if they get wet. I didn't even wear rain gear today, yeah I was wet, yeah maybe I was a little cold, maybe my hands were really cold, but jeeze. I'm here at my desk healthy still, no fever, no cough.

Where did the idea come from that a drop of rain on our head is the end of the world?

sigh.

Last summer it took me a month to count 80 bikes outside my window. This summer I'm counting 12 and more per day.

Here in the suburbs of Los Angeles, CA. USA
about 25 miles east of LA, no one seems to
be doing anything about the gas situation
except *****ing. A lot more Hybrids on the
road, but bicycle traffic that I see while
I am out on the Bent is about the same.

The one element that routinely rides
a bike to and fro work tho, are the illegal
aliens. I see them out in the late afternoons
on their way home from day labor. Those
poor bastards have it rough. Work their ass
physically all day and have to ride their bike
home at night! Ironically tho,... most of em
are overweight. Go figure?

While I am keeping my 91 Honda, I bought
a 36 speed Rhoades Car (http://www.rhoadescar.com/store/nav4w1p.htm)
yesterday that will be delivered
mid summer, and between that and my two
bikes and a great bus and light rail system
I hope to be 95% car free the rest of the year.

i just saw a guy with some aluminum siding under his arm on his way to the scrap yard. i love muskegon! oh and alot of people ride there bike to A.A. next to us. i always want to adjust there seats for them.

lol..yea me too...

There are a few more riders out there. I can tell the new ones. :eek: I am still working on polite and safe ways to advise them.

Personally, the only unsolicited advice I've given the newbies is when they're riding the wrong way on the street and I almost head-on them. If I'm not too upset, I say it nicely. But even the sidewalks (where most ride) would be safer than wrong way against another rider.

cabana, I know what you mean about adjusting their seats. I worry about them when their seats are so low that their knees stick out further than their handlebars.

The other thing I wish I could do is give them lights. Fortunately, the street lights are bright here in Lansing, so maybe they'll be OK.

The one element that routinely rides
a bike to and fro work tho, are the illegal
aliens. I see them out in the late afternoons
on their way home from day labor. Those
poor bastards have it rough. Work their ass
physically all day and have to ride their bike
home at night! Ironically tho,... most of em
are overweight. Go figure?

Unless you are going all out to raise your heartrate and get a workout, cycling is in fact a very energy efficient form of transport - you can use fewer calories cycling than walking and if your intake is greater than your output, you will be overweight.

Unless you are going all out to raise your heartrate and get a workout, cycling is in fact a very energy efficient form of transport - you can use fewer calories cycling than walking and if your intake is greater than your output, you will be overweight.
I think that's fewer calories per mile, probably about one quarter as many as walking. But calorie expenditure per minute on the bike is about the same as walking, if you are cycling moderately.

Of course, if you want, you can get your heart rate a lot higher on the bike and burn off many more calories per minute, compared to walking.

Ok, as mentioned before about if any new bikers. I just bought a 2K bike all composite frame jobber. Anyway, I am just plain sick of increasing costs of gas and insurance.

I drive about 62 miles a day for work. There is a bike path on the river which is 10 to 15 miles 1 way that will get me pretty close to the place I work. I see 1 or 2 other guys biking as well.

anyway, i am going to give it a shot. I would love to tell the car, insurance and gas companies to shove it. My annual cost of my Hyndiu is about 6000.00 including gas, insurance, and registration .


Well that is it for now I will check back after a few weeks of comutting to work.

thanks again.

jared

Ok, as mentioned before about if any new bikers. I just bought a 2K bike all composite frame jobber. Anyway, I am just plain sick of increasing costs of gas and insurance.

I drive about 62 miles a day for work. There is a bike path on the river which is 10 to 15 miles 1 way that will get me pretty close to the place I work. I see 1 or 2 other guys biking as well.

anyway, i am going to give it a shot. I would love to tell the car, insurance and gas companies to shove it. My annual cost of my Hyndiu is about 6000.00 including gas, insurance, and registration .


Well that is it for now I will check back after a few weeks of comutting to work.

thanks again.

jared

Bike paths are nice, and I ride the one here pretty often. But I think that if you are carfree, there will be destinations the bike path just doesn't go to. You might want to think about learning more about cycling safely in city traffic. It isn't hard to ride in the streets once you get the hang of it.

yes I use the bike path whenever possible..even going longer..but street riding is a skill that must be learned..
the biggest thing I learning is stop at those stop signs..wait for those red lights..and cars will respect you more. singnaling is a good idea too, in busy traffic. and walk the bike across if at really busy intersection..don;t worry if the cars have to wait..

Seeing a lot more on my daily rides as well. It's interesting to note that probably half of the harder core looking roadies refuse to wave or acknowledge. Bummer to be so uptight :)