So Sunday morning I woke up feeling super lazy. I'm mean really lazy, too lazy to cook a bowl of oatmeal. I decided I wanted to head to the grocery store and buy a couple of doughnuts and cup of coffee. I had my 1 year old though, and was feeling too lazy to hook up the bike trailer and pedal over there. I decided to drive since I haven't driven my car in two or three months and I figured I should at least start the old VW now and then. I put the kid in the car seat and strapped him in to the car but when I tried to start it the battery was dead from sitting. No problem, my driveway has a good slope and I can usually push start it fairly easily. I let it roll down the driveway and popped the clutch but it didn't start. I realized I had turned off the ignition. Crap. Oh well, I decided to push it down the street and try again. Nothing. One more try. Almost. Ok, one more. Nothing. Frustrated and halfway down the street, I decided to give up on the car and take the bike. The only trouble was, I felt silly leaving my car 8 houses down so I had to push it home. What a headache.
I ended up having a really nice ride with my son, just as I should have in the first place. It's funny how the more you use your bike the less convenient the car becomes. I guess the reason I'm posting this in the Car Free forum is that it makes me wish I was car free. Car free is not really an option for me because my wife is not committed to it, but I could definitely do without that silly second car.
Roody
04-23-07, 01:22 PM
.... I haven't driven my car in two or three months....
I guess the reason I'm posting this in the Car Free forum is that it makes me wish I was car free. Car free is not really an option for me because my wife is not committed to it, but I could definitely do without that silly second car.
If you haven't used in 3 months, and it won't even start when you do go to use it.... Maybe sell or donate it. The only thing you'll miss about it will be the hassles! :)
Wogsterca
04-23-07, 04:10 PM
So Sunday morning I woke up feeling super lazy. I'm mean really lazy, too lazy to cook a bowl of oatmeal. I decided I wanted to head to the grocery store and buy a couple of doughnuts and cup of coffee. I had my 1 year old though, and was feeling too lazy to hook up the bike trailer and pedal over there. I decided to drive since I haven't driven my car in two or three months and I figured I should at least start the old VW now and then. I put the kid in the car seat and strapped him in to the car but when I tried to start it the battery was dead from sitting. No problem, my driveway has a good slope and I can usually push start it fairly easily. I let it roll down the driveway and popped the clutch but it didn't start. I realized I had turned off the ignition. Crap. Oh well, I decided to push it down the street and try again. Nothing. One more try. Almost. Ok, one more. Nothing. Frustrated and halfway down the street, I decided to give up on the car and take the bike. The only trouble was, I felt silly leaving my car 8 houses down so I had to push it home. What a headache.
I ended up having a really nice ride with my son, just as I should have in the first place. It's funny how the more you use your bike the less convenient the car becomes. I guess the reason I'm posting this in the Car Free forum is that it makes me wish I was car free. Car free is not really an option for me because my wife is not committed to it, but I could definitely do without that silly second car.
I would definitely, in that situation, dump the second car, pick the one with the best mechanical condition as the keeper, sell or donate the other one.... My wife and I have only ever had one car, and my family only ever had one when I was growing up. What's funny is that the car hasn't moved since Saturday, and while I am on holidays now for a week, if it was just me, it would probably sit for a week, but my wife will probably decide to drive somewhere:rolleyes:
kemmer
04-23-07, 05:15 PM
I'll miss it, I've always wanted a Bug but now that I have it I never drive it. I think at this point I'd rather have bike money. :)
bragi
04-23-07, 10:04 PM
I'll miss it, I've always wanted a Bug but now that I have it I never drive it. I think at this point I'd rather have bike money. :)
Wouldn't you rather just sell it and buy a couple of nice bikes? You know, one for you and one for your wife?
Platy
04-24-07, 05:00 PM
I think you can keep the car if you want to, and if you accept the costs.
It could be that in the long run, many people might decide that car-lite is the optimum way to go. There are some social changes that could make car lite an even better option. For example
Insurance expense based on miles travelled
Cars that don't degrade as much if they're not driven very often
Public infrastructure costs apportioned more fairly according to a person's actual usage of those resources
Sammyboy
04-25-07, 03:22 AM
I can't be car free, because my job requires me to drive long distances sometimes, and my spare time vintage bike business needs me to have a car that can transport multiple bikes at once. So, we have a big mini-van, and a little hatchback. I've now got to the point where I never drive around town - I can haul almost anything I need to in my trailer, I can pick up and drop off my son on the tandem, I've got a beater which I can leave all day at the station, so I take the train when I can. I have a Raleigh 20, but it doesn't fold small enough to use on really busy peak time trains. If I can afford a Brompton, I will.
Then, when I do need to drive, I take the little Fiesta, and my wife takes the people mover (she works supporting people with learning disabilities into employment, and has to have a car at all times for transporting clients). Between these things, we've reduced our fuel usage massively, by about 2/3rds in fact.
le brad
04-25-07, 08:27 AM
I can't be car free, because my job requires me to drive long distances sometimes, and my spare time vintage bike business needs me to have a car that can transport multiple bikes at once. So, we have a big mini-van, and a little hatchback. I've now got to the point where I never drive around town - I can haul almost anything I need to in my trailer, I can pick up and drop off my son on the tandem, I've got a beater which I can leave all day at the station, so I take the train when I can. I have a Raleigh 20, but it doesn't fold small enough to use on really busy peak time trains. If I can afford a Brompton, I will.
Then, when I do need to drive, I take the little Fiesta, and my wife takes the people mover (she works supporting people with learning disabilities into employment, and has to have a car at all times for transporting clients). Between these things, we've reduced our fuel usage massively, by about 2/3rds in fact.
You should build a trailer specifically for hauling multiple bicycles, that would be super specially cool.
Sammyboy
04-25-07, 08:54 AM
It would, and I could, but most of the bikes are a LONG way away. I make the vintage bike business work by sniping eBay bargains from places where I know I'll be passing through in the future. If in London, I buy them and ride them back to Waterloo (which has got me lost a lot of times). More often, though, it's the bikes which are collection only from a little town in the middle of nowhere. If I've got an appointment nearby, I can make a killing, but I can't ride 150 miles each way with a trailer in my business suit.....
bragi
04-25-07, 10:46 PM
It would, and I could, but most of the bikes are a LONG way away. I make the vintage bike business work by sniping eBay bargains from places where I know I'll be passing through in the future. If in London, I buy them and ride them back to Waterloo (which has got me lost a lot of times). More often, though, it's the bikes which are collection only from a little town in the middle of nowhere. If I've got an appointment nearby, I can make a killing, but I can't ride 150 miles each way with a trailer in my business suit.....
You're doing great avoiding car use, much better than most people; given your situation, I wouldn't sweat it too much. (BTW, is there that much of a market for vintage bikes, that you have trouble finding them near London?)
Sammyboy
04-26-07, 12:29 AM
Well, bear in mind that I need to buy bikes well under the market, in order to make good profit, and also that I live in Southampton, rather than London. If I was limited to buying locally, I'd get a few bikes a year. If I could bring in London as well, a few more. The fact that I have most of the central south, and the east midlands too, means that I get access to a LOT more cheap bikes. The thing I try to avoid doing is driving more than a few miles out of my way for a bike. As a consultant and account manager, I have to be all over the place anyway, and there's no need to go further, really.
Tomorrow, I'm picking up an old Rudge for a forum member, which will take me 40 miles or so further than I would have gone, and which will be hung on a bike rack on the little Fiesta, for minimum impact!