I had my bike in the shop Thursday and they couldn't get it done in time for me to go to work. i walked to work from the bike shop--in an approaching thunder storm--but made it in just before the storm struck. It was the fastest I've walked in a long time!

While I was working, I thought a lot about how i would get home. I get out of work at 11:30 PM, and I was a little leery about walking home through all the inner city neighborhoods between the hospital and my apartment. I feel a lot more vulnerable to criminals when I'm walking. OTOH, I hate asking co-workers for a ride, because I once heard them talking about how much they hate taking another person home.

Any way, I decided to ask for a ride from the person who lives closest to me. She agreed and it worked out well. We've had some disagreements lately, and the time spent in the car gave us a chance to talk.

However, I sure hated the feeling of not having my bike! And bumming a ride was kinda humiliating.

Personally, I never ask people for rides; I chose not to have a car, and don't feel comfortable inconveniencing others because of my morals, or cheapness, or whatever. However, if a friend offers, and they don't have to go out of their way AT ALL, sometimes I'll accept. Sometimes.

I just always take bus money with me, just in case. There's no shame in taking public transportation if your bike breaks down.

Personally, I never ask people for rides; I chose not to have a car, and don't feel comfortable inconveniencing others because of my morals, or cheapness, or whatever. However, if a friend offers, and they don't have to go out of their way AT ALL, sometimes I'll accept. Sometimes.

I just always take bus money with me, just in case. There's no shame in taking public transportation if your bike breaks down.
Unfortunately, the busses don't run here at 11:30, when I get out of work. You bring up a very important issue....We need good convenient bus service to get more people out of their cars.

"Inconveniencing others" is OK in my book, as long as they are agreeable. We are all of necessity interdependent on one another. ("Taking advantage" of others and "freeloading" are, of course, unacceptable to me.) I often gave rides to others when I had a car, and I continue to run errands for people on my bike. It makes me feel good to help others, and I like to share the good feelings when I'm the one who needs a little help.

I too am beginning to see the wisdom of having a back-up bike ready to go at a moment's notice. Recently had a spurt of flats that exhausted my spare tube supply and convinced me to get a new tire. But, being out of spares and not wanting to fix my 4th flat of the week, I had to pass on a perfectly good riding day and use Metro for a day. Yuck.

Turns out I need a backup pretty quick. My front hub is badly out of whack. The LBS will take at least our days to fix the hub, and they want $40 for a new wheel. If I get a backup, I can either ride it while they fix my wheel, or just put that wheel on my main bike while the repair is being done.

I went to a pawn shop and a resale shop. I've narrowed it own to three choices for a backup beater:


$30--a really bad Walmart type mountain bike, badly used, needs work to be ridden. But the front wheel is good. Resale shop, "As Is."
$60--A very light-weight, old steel MTB. In fair shape but with a flat gray housepaint job. (Stolen?) Pawn shop, 30 day warranty.
$130--A nice Giant MTB in good condition. Pawn shop, 30 day warranty.

I don't like asking people for rides. I always try to ride my bike or walk if I have to and if they want to give me a ride they may offer. I feel like an @$$hole asking people to cart me around because I don't drive a car. However, if my bike is in the shop and I have no mode of transportation I wouldn't feel so bad about it. I'm sure they get a ride from a friend or co-worker when their car is in the shop.

I have a crappy walmart bike that works in 2 gears half of the time that I can use to go to work and back if I have to. Problem is, when it turns time to pick up my bike from the shop I can't ride 2 bikes home.

I have a crappy walmart bike that works in 2 gears half of the time that I can use to go to work and back if I have to. Problem is, when it turns time to pick up my bike from the shop I can't ride 2 bikes home.
Sure you can. It's called ghost riding. Just push one bike with your hand while you ride the other.

Sure you can. It's called ghost riding. Just push one bike with your hand while you ride the other.

When I see that, I usually figure that one or both of the bikes are stolen.

When I see that, I usually figure that one or both of the bikes are stolen.
Or maybe one rider went to jail an the other is being a nice guy and taking his bike home.

Or maybe one rider went to jail and the other one is being a meanie and stealing his bike.

The vaule of a spare bike, even two, becomes more obvious the longer you have it. If you wake up with a flat tire, it's pretty nice to just hop on another bike. Also nice if someone from out of town comes to visit.
If you may be ghost riding, buy the lightest bike. It's also very nice if you have to carry it, put it on a bus rack, up stairs, etc. $60 seems like a bargain to me. Even if you had to put another $60 into it if it's a nice bike it may still be worth it. With a 30 day warranty how can you lose?

If you are on very good terms with the bike shop they may have a loaner for totally trusted customers. If they take good care of you, and you do them a favor, like cold drinks on a hot day, it may pay off some day when you really need something.

I always had a fantasy of wanting to walk to work (~6mi) one day, until I got a flat half way home and had to push it the rest of the way. Yeah. That sucked the air right out of that dream.

I always had a fantasy of wanting to walk to work (~6mi) one day, until I got a flat half way home and had to push it the rest of the way. Yeah. That sucked the air right out of that dream.

That's why I carry a pump and patches! Last weekend I loaned them to someone on a brand new $1200+ road bike.... he had a brand new bike, and didn't think he'd need his patch kit or pump or any tools.

He was more than 10 miles from where he'd parked his truck, and had already been walking his bike for an hour. (I just have to wonder how many other cyclists passed him and didn't bother to stop and offer assistance...)

I always had a fantasy of wanting to walk to work (~6mi) one day, until I got a flat half way home and had to push it the rest of the way. Yeah. That sucked the air right out of that dream.
Pro cyclists refuse to walk more than a few feet because they believe it somehow saps their cycling strength. I would never go that far. But it is true that if you ride everywhere, your walking muscles will atrophy, and it will become more of a chore to walk. This has happened to me, even though I used to walk as much as I now ride.

I try to take at least one long walk a week. It helps my muscles recover from cycling so much, and keeps me in shape in case the time again comes when "my feet is my only carriage."

The $60 bike looks like the best value to me. I picked up an old Bianchi earlier this year for 50 bucks...it's now my favorite 'fair weather' bike (after putting some cash into it). Dude, I'm surprised you waited this long to consider a back-up bike.

Ride sharing seems to be worse when you are a woman. I feel so obligated to someone else and shackeled in the process. I have been slowly purchasing a folding bike here and there over the almost three years since I bought my first one. I have been so pleased with my first one that it became the foundation of the type of features that I wanted in each of my bikes and it left me very happy and more independant as I always wish to be.

As for public transportation improving it's late night service, or true secure bike parking/storage with a real security guard stationed at the site, forget it. Public service is tied to when the most bodies are out and about or demand protection for themselves or their belongings. It is simply up to each person not to be too dependant on pubic assistance of any sort. Look what happened to the people who needed their goverment during and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita! Need I say more?

I was a little leery about walking home through all the inner city neighborhoods between the hospital and my apartment. I feel a lot more vulnerable to criminals when I'm walking. Toronto is fortunate to not have really dangerous neighbourhoods, but some are worse than others. So one night, around 11 p.m., I was riding my bike through a somewhat questionable area of the city when I got a call on the cell phone from my mom. I stopped to answer it. Mom asked where I was and got all angry at me for riding that late at night in that part of town (I'm not very good at lies...). Funny thing is she was prepared to give me a long lecture on the subject, but I remarked that it would be much safer to continue riding than to be standing on a dark sidewalk listening to my mother's concerns about my safety. :D She let me go at that. :D

More on the topic, I'd go with the $60 bike. Seems like a great bargain, and I like my beaters cheap, so that I don't shed too many tears when (probably not if in Toronto... :() they get stolen.

The $60 bike looks like the best value to me. I picked up an old Bianchi earlier this year for 50 bucks...it's now my favorite 'fair weather' bike (after putting some cash into it). Dude, I'm surprised you waited this long to consider a back-up bike.
Actually I've bought or acquired 5 bikes for backup, but i ended up giving them all away to people who needed tham worse. I'm getting the $60 bike today. One consideration is that i need my front hub fixed, and that's going to take the LBS several days. I'll just switch wheels and ride the bad one to the shop.

(OT--It's great seeing you on this forum, chipcom, which is where i now spend 75 % of my BF time. I hope you like it and stick around! We need a new troll real bad. :))

Actually I've bought or acquired 5 bikes for backup, but i ended up giving them all away to people who needed tham worse.

That means you need a "permanent" backup. Then a small fleet of loaners. Then a fixed gear for the workout and really bad weather. Then you need an old mtb to leave the studded tires on, then you need................:rolleyes:

Now you're talking 2many!

(OT--It's great seeing you on this forum, chipcom, which is where i now spend 75 % of my BF time. I hope you like it and stick around! We need a new troll real bad. :))

and I am just the bad troll to do it! :p

and I am just the bad troll to do it! :p
So I suppose you'll have to get a new sig about how much you love your Escalade or something?

I have several bikes (see my sig), but a beater is something I need to, uh, invest in (haha). It's important to have something that you can leave locked to a fence for several hours without worrying about it.

Pro cyclists refuse to walk more than a few feet because they believe it somehow saps their cycling strength. I would never go that far. But it is true that if you ride everywhere, your walking muscles will atrophy, and it will become more of a chore to walk. This has happened to me, even though I used to walk as much as I now ride.

I try to take at least one long walk a week. It helps my muscles recover from cycling so much, and keeps me in shape in case the time again comes when "my feet is my only carriage."

pro cyclists dont walk cause it hurts to walk.........ever ridden 3-400 or 500 miles a week for weeks, trust me, walking hurts, your body gets so used to pedaling that it hurts to walk, dont know if its muscle atrophy though

Anywho, as a messenger I have back up bikes, and they have come in handy many many times, I recommend at least 3 bikes, and you should like to ride all of them, nothing worse than riding a bike you really cant stand being on.

How about the lbs givin out loaners?

pro cyclists dont walk cause it hurts to walk.........ever ridden 3-400 or 500 miles a week for weeks, trust me, walking hurts, your body gets so used to pedaling that it hurts to walk, dont know if its muscle atrophy though.
So true--when it comes to professional cyclists like racers and messengers. The rest of us can't afford to ride until it hurts, because we have to get up again tomorrow and make a living doing something else. I'm 51 years old--no way i could do the kind of riding you're talking about and still make it to my job, which requires a lot of walking. The most hard urban riding I can do is about 100 miles a week. Then I have to slow down for a couple days, or even take a break from the bike.

My understanding is that cycling overdevelops muscles on the front of the leg (quads) compared to back-leg muscles (hamstrings). Over the years, this strength imbalance more or less stretches the knee and hip joints and can result in chronic problems. I do recommend that utility cyclists walk a lot. An alternative would be to do exercises that will help prevent strength imbalances.

So I suppose you'll have to get a new sig about how much you love your Escalade or something?

Escalade? You think too small...I'm looking for a pic of a big ole Hummer belching out black smoke! Maybe one of them monster trucks with dead cyclists strapped to the hood in a Mad max kinda way?

Forget about $60. Register with Freecycle, and ask for a bike! I got a 531 Falcon tourer for nothing - only needed brake pads, a new freewheel, and a cleanup! Take a look over at Classic and Vintage and see how many people pick up nice road bikes for $10 at yard sales and the likes. Best to have several backup bikes, I think......

Forget about $60. Register with Freecycle, and ask for a bike! I got a 531 Falcon tourer for nothing - only needed brake pads, a new freewheel, and a cleanup! Take a look over at Classic and Vintage and see how many people pick up nice road bikes for $10 at yard sales and the likes. Best to have several backup bikes, I think......

My understanding is that cycling overdevelops muscles on the front of the leg (quads) compared to back-leg muscles (hamstrings). Over the years, this strength imbalance more or less stretches the knee and hip joints and can result in chronic problems.
Any reference for your "understanding" about this alleged bicycling health problem?

Forget about $60. Register with Freecycle, and ask for a bike! I got a 531 Falcon tourer for nothing - only needed brake pads, a new freewheel, and a cleanup! Take a look over at Classic and Vintage and see how many people pick up nice road bikes for $10 at yard sales and the likes. Best to have several backup bikes, I think......

In a bike shop that Faclcon fix up would cost close to $60. Roody is considering a bike with a 30 day warrantee.

Yes Koffee, the 30 day warranty is worth something. Most bike problems will show up in the first 30 days. And the guy at the pawn shop actually knows about bikes. He went over each one with me and gave me the lowdown on their good and bad points. I know enough to see that he was being honest about it. The real lemons had a tag that said "As Is" and were much cheaper. I bought my current bike there and it was a real steal (for me). Of course, I bought it in january when demand for bikes in Michigan is pretty soft. also, you need to bargain with these pawn shop people, and I'm not very good at that. My stepson helped me with past negotiations, but he's out of town now.

I've used freecycle in the past for both giving and receiving, and I've written about it here a few times. It's a great resource and I'll check on it for bikes. Thanks for the suggestion, Sammyboy.

BTW, a spell of exceptionally beautiful weather came along,and I've had to put my industrious plans for buying a bike on hold until next week.

Pro cyclists refuse to walk more than a few feet because they believe it somehow saps their cycling strength. I would never go that far. But it is true that if you ride everywhere, your walking muscles will atrophy, and it will become more of a chore to walk. This has happened to me, even though I used to walk as much as I now ride.

I try to take at least one long walk a week. It helps my muscles recover from cycling so much, and keeps me in shape in case the time again comes when "my feet is my only carriage."

Agreed.

My feet started to hurt after I began cycling everywhere. I find walking painful and I'm starting to have foot problems where I never had them before.

Take a look over at Classic and Vintage and see how many people pick up nice road bikes for $10 at yard sales and the likes. Best to have several backup bikes, I think......
Don't even have to go Classic and Vintage to read about good deals at garage sales. I bought a Japanese built Schwinn Voyageur in good shape today for $10 at the first garage sale I went to. Last week I bought a US made Columbia 3 speed for $5. My garage is getting mighty full of good deals. My spare bikes all have a couple backups.