View Full Version : Has your Trek become your main wheels?
With all the talk around here and in the media about climate change and green tech, I'm guessing that there has to be a few browsers of this forum who would like to lighten up on the use of fossil fuel-powered vehicles...
If you have suddenly had a change of mind, sold your SUV or started picking up groceries with your bicycle, tell us your story. Many of the lurkers ( and quite a few posters) on this forum are making solid steps to reduce automobile use.
Are you?
lyeinyoureye
04-29-07, 08:40 PM
On more than a local scale? Hell no. Public transit is so bad here in CA... A trip to visit relatives ~100 miles away would take at least 12 more hours round trip and cost at least three times as much compared to an average car. I'd probably have to be driving something that got ~10mpg for it to be the same financially, go through 3-4 separate bus lines, with schedules that may not match up, and even if they did and I spent the ~6-8 hours per on way trip, if just one is off, I'd probably be SOL. Not to mention I'd have to wrap my bike up (according to web site) before getting on greyhound.
kjohnnytarr
04-29-07, 08:50 PM
Why only Trek?
Why only Trek?
Oh sorry. I really meant to ask "Has your bicycle become your main wheels?" but this was too long.... so all you Bianchi and Diamondback users, please forgive me.
not my main wheels, because some trips are just too long or on roads where biking would be inadvisable. However, I have been using the bike for as many of the short trips as I can, planning those kinds of errands for days when the weather is decent. It just makes sense, in terms of getting extra exercise and reducing pollution. Besides, it's just plain fun :-) I even ride my bike to get groceries--there is a store about two miles away that I can get to using back roads, and I have a crate attached to the rear rack to carry stuff home in. Looks a bit dorky, but very functional and much better than carrying things in a backpack or just trying to bungee grocery bags to the rack! Basically, I've been choosing the appropriate vehicle for each situation, whether that be the bike or the car (or the train when it comes to going into Boston).
dynodonn
04-29-07, 09:31 PM
A Trek has been my main means of travel for several years now. I do go out and give my SUV a hug every now a then, just so it doesn't feel totally neglected. :D My new Motobecane (horrors, say the purists!:eek: ) is now going to be my main ride for that the better weather has arrived. I have loved riding my bikes long ago even when gas was 27 cents, and smog was the latest enviromental buzz word. My trusty bikes always seem to be ready and able as compared to my first couple of vehicles that were always finicky and temperamental and ready to strand me at a moments notice. I did take out my truck/Trek, a few days ago, in order to haul some paint and supplies from the hardware store for the homestead, and will be taking it to work tomorrow so I can haul additional items from the hardware store.
not my main wheels, because some trips are just too long or on roads where biking would be inadvisable. However, I have been using the bike for as many of the short trips as I can, planning those kinds of errands for days when the weather is decent. It just makes sense, in terms of getting extra exercise and reducing pollution. Besides, it's just plain fun :-) I even ride my bike to get groceries--there is a store about two miles away that I can get to using back roads, and I have a crate attached to the rear rack to carry stuff home in. Looks a bit dorky, but very functional and much better than carrying things in a backpack or just trying to bungee grocery bags to the rack! Basically, I've been choosing the appropriate vehicle for each situation, whether that be the bike or the car (or the train when it comes to going into Boston).
Jolt, sounds like you probably use the car to work, but make a lot of local trips by bicycle. I started by biking to work, then added local trips to the library, health food, groceries. But I'm still not car free by any means, especially for trips > 10 miles. I just really amazed at how often those have been popping up lately, :(
lima_bean
04-29-07, 09:44 PM
my story is boring.. moved to chicago, most people i know here are car free, even if they own a car not a single person at my company drives to work so it made sense not to have a car, and then eventually discovered bicycling was faster and more fun than the train and bus.
boyvirgil
04-29-07, 10:24 PM
got a DWI a year ago after swiping two lightposts in a bigass pickup.
lost my license. quit driving, quit drinking.
daily get-around-town of 10+ miles daily. i'm very happy with how i'm doing things lately.
I got rid of the car about a year ago, which I never much liked to begin with, and am much happier now. Virtually all of my trips of 10 miles or less (one way) are by bike, and even some longer trips, if I'm not in a hurry or if the weather's nice (which hasn't been the case for most of this winter). On longer trips, I take public transportation. Twice this year, I did break down and borrow a friend's car, once to haul big things and once to take a person to the doctor, and I do occasionally accept car rides from people because it would be awkward not to. So, I guess I'm car-free, but I cheat once in a while.. ;)
kjohnnytarr
04-29-07, 11:10 PM
Ya, I'm 100% car-free. I haven't used public transportation in years. My bike is my only transport.
got a DWI a year ago after swiping two lightposts in a bigass pickup.
lost my license. quit driving, quit drinking.
daily get-around-town of 10+ miles daily. i'm very happy with how i'm doing things lately.
Very inspirational, and I bet you're in a heck of a better shape.
I wish I could quit driving, but I am forced to sometimes.
I wish I could quit driving, but I am forced to sometimes.
Someone holding a gun to your head?
If not, then it's a choice or the result of other choices you made.
Jolt, sounds like you probably use the car to work, but make a lot of local trips by bicycle. I started by biking to work, then added local trips to the library, health food, groceries. But I'm still not car free by any means, especially for trips > 10 miles. I just really amazed at how often those have been popping up lately, :(
Yeah, I make most of my local trips by bike unless they are on roads that would be dangerous to ride on and there's not a feasible alternate route. As for work, I just got out of school for the summer and am looking for a job, and I'm hoping to get something close enough to bike to (or walk--one of the local hospitals is only a mile away). I hear you about the longer trips popping up pretty often! They definitely do.
wahoonc
04-30-07, 08:03 AM
I don't have a Trek...that means I can't be car free:eek: :D
Actually I am car free, but not truck free:p :o But I am working my way towards that just as fast as I can go. My current job requires me to have a truck for transporting company equipment and materials. But they do cover the cost of it. I also try to run it on B-80+ when I can find it. I figure 2-3 more years at this job tops then I can park the truck and ride my bike full time. I do use my bike to run errands, shop at the store and visit neighbors.
Aaron:)
well, i'm not car-free but have moved from being car-centric to car-lite.
Like a lot of 20ish males with some money, i spent it all (and borrowed some more) to support a car habit.
I was up to 5 cars, the most efficient of which was a 2-seater that got 20mpg while spewing the smell of unburned gas and 2-stroke oil. the worst offender was an old truck that got 8mpg on a good day with a light foot.
I got to wondering where all my money was, then added up what i was spending on cars, shiny parts, insurance, etc etc. I was spending $25-30K per year.
Since then i've moved to car-lite: bike to work, the family makes most small trips by bike for groceries, to eat out, for fun... I bike about 5000 miles per year.
we have an econowagon for road trips, and i kept one mid-sized truck, cause this is Texas and it's law that a male has to have a truck:rolleyes: . It gets used 1-2 times a month to help people move stuff, get a load of mulch, whatever. I'd sell it but it's super handy to have - paid for, reliable, quite convenient.
Insurance went from about $4k/yr (for just me) to $600/yr (for 2 of us) and we buy about 200gal of gas a year, mostly on road trips (many of which are to bike-centric events, yeah!). the truck gets filled up about 2x per year.
In my head at least, that qualifies as car-light:D
well, i'm not car-free but have moved from being car-centric to car-lite.
Like a lot of 20ish males with some money, i spent it all (and borrowed some more) to support a car habit.
....
I got to wondering where all my money was, then added up what i was spending on cars, shiny parts, insurance, etc etc. I was spending $25-30K per year.
Since then i've moved to car-lite: bike to work, the family makes most small trips by bike for groceries, to eat out, for fun... I bike about 5000 miles per year.
we have an econowagon for road trips, and i kept one mid-sized truck, cause this is Texas and it's law that a male has to have a truck:rolleyes: . It gets used 1-2 times a month to help people move stuff, get a load of mulch, whatever. I'd sell it but it's super handy to have - paid for, reliable, quite convenient.
Insurance went from about $4k/yr (for just me) to $600/yr (for 2 of us) and we buy about 200gal of gas a year, mostly on road trips (many of which are to bike-centric events, yeah!). the truck gets filled up about 2x per year.
In my head at least, that qualifies as car-light:D
Acroy, 5000 miles a year on your bike is no small feat. I think younger people seem to be more willing to change than older people like me.
At work today, I spoke with one of the bike commuters, a young guy, who told me it was his first bike commute. "It was fun," he told me. "And I guess it's good for the environment."
Funny... I seldom hear anyone over 30 saying something like that.
At work today, I spoke with one of the bike commuters, a young guy, who told me it was his first bike commute. "It was fun," he told me. "And I guess it's good for the environment."
Funny... I seldom hear anyone over 30 saying something like that.
gerv, some of the car free people who post on LCF are way over 30. At the last two jobs the regular
bikers were all over 30, there were many more under 30s at one job. The young people would say things like "Its wrong for you to ride on the streets they were designed for cars." This was in a city with streets designed in the 1750s years before the first cars. When the city makes repairs you can see the original cobble stone streets below the asphalt. The person who made that ignorant statement isn't car free but now is a regular bike commuter. He's also now over 30 and he rides in the streets.
Artkansas
05-01-07, 09:41 AM
Funny... I seldom hear anyone over 30 saying something like that.
Perhaps it's because we know that actions speak louder than words. I've been bicycle commuting since the 1960's. So my first day of commuting was long ago.
Acroy, 5000 miles a year on your bike is no small feat. I think younger people seem to be more willing to change than older people like me.
At work today, I spoke with one of the bike commuters, a young guy, who told me it was his first bike commute. "It was fun," he told me. "And I guess it's good for the environment."
Funny... I seldom hear anyone over 30 saying something like that.
Wow that stings!
I just turned 52. I've been totally carfree for more than 5 years. Before that, I was carfree for a total of about 20 years, off and on. I only use cars or public transit when I'm sick or hurt. Otherwise I ride and walk everywhere.
BTW, I ride about 100 miles per week. That works out to 5,000 miles a year, doesn't it? It's really ignorant to think that somebody over 30 is physically decrepit and ready for the rubbish heap. This post really pisses me off!
:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
I see lots of gray hair on two wheels around here. Grannies and grandpas. Most of us must have grown up on bikes.
I started commuting 7.5 miles each way a couple of months ago after not having been on a bike for 25+ years. I'm 52. I was riding a low end MTB, F.S. Elite Grand Teton, that I found in near-new condition at a thrift shop for $30. I put bar ends on it, made pannier racks out of u-shaped bamboo trellises from the garden shop and found a couple of suitable second-hand bags that serve nicely as panniers for rain gear, grocery shopping, etc.
"Springtime in the Rockies" limited the days I could ride in March and April. It worked out to 2-3 days a week. I started out riding 1.5 mi to a bus stop, busing for 3, and riding the last 3. As the weather improved and more bicycle commuters got their bikes out of winter storage, I found an empty spot on the two place bike racks on the bus less and less often. By that time, though, my strength and stamina had improved enough that I could ride the entire distance without too much difficulty. I ride it every day, now. By the time I ride through the fall and into winter, I'll have all the necessary accouterments to continue riding year-round.
Sunday, at the flea market, I found a vintage Puch "hybrid" with narrow 26" slicks for $20 :D . Transferred my racks, bar-ends, etc. over to the new commuter. The faster bike has cut about 10 minutes off the commute time.
My short-term goal is to be as carfree as possible. My long-term goal is to be carfree.
fat_bike_nut
05-01-07, 01:13 PM
Once I find a new bike to buy & ride, yes, it will become my main set of wheels. I can run errands or ride to work within a 10-20 mile radius from home. Where I live, the grocery store is within walking distance, however, and the last time I bought groceries, I walked. No point in taking the bike along when the supermarket is less than one mile from the house! :)
Wow that stings!
I just turned 52. I've been totally carfree for more than 5 years. Before that, I was carfree for a total of about 20 years, off and on. I only use cars or public transit when I'm sick or hurt. Otherwise I ride and walk everywhere.
BTW, I ride about 100 miles per week. That works out to 5,000 miles a year, doesn't it? It's really ignorant to think that somebody over 30 is physically decrepit and ready for the rubbish heap. This post really pisses me off!
:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
Sorry if I offended you. I'm 53 and bike about 4,000 miles a year.
However, I still stick by my claim that I seldom hear anyone over 30 expressing anything more that muted derision over my attempts to car freedom. Generally, it's at work and generally it takes the tone of "Did you bike in today?" in a tone suggesting I'm some kind of eco-freak. Someone asked me today if I got my hair cut because it wouldn't fit under my helmet.
However, when I do run into younger people, the attitude is "Cool", as though 1) it was something they might try themselves or 2) it was entirely my business and more power to me.
Is your experience different?
Wogsterca
05-01-07, 05:27 PM
Sorry if I offended you. I'm 53 and bike about 4,000 miles a year.
However, I still stick by my claim that I seldom hear anyone over 30 expressing anything more that muted derision over my attempts to car freedom. Generally, it's at work and generally it takes the tone of "Did you bike in today?" in a tone suggesting I'm some kind of eco-freak. Someone asked me today if I got my hair cut because it wouldn't fit under my helmet.
However, when I do run into younger people, the attitude is "Cool", as though 1) it was something they might try themselves or 2) it was entirely my business and more power to me.
Is your experience different?
I think a paradigm shift is occuring, I just took a course, we had 13 people in it, maybe 4 drove, one biked, one walked and the rest (including me), took transit. I know this, because, we often rode the streetcar or subway together, and the guy who biked was concerned about "parking".
A lot of younger people, in larger cities, are not bothering to get cars, especially when they live or work downtown.
oneredstar
05-01-07, 06:59 PM
Ya, I'm 100% car-free. I haven't used public transportation in years. My bike is my only transport.
Excellent, I knew there was someone else like me out there. I however have a move coming up and have decided to do 2 loads in a pick up truck.
Excellent, I knew there was someone else like me out there. I however have a move coming up and have decided to do 2 loads in a pick up truck.
I'm kind of like you two-- I don't own a car. I do use a car occasionally, and I use public transit, but only if I can't get away with using a bike. (When I'm going somewhere with my partner and she doesn't want to bike, basically.)
Sorry if I offended you. I'm 53 and bike about 4,000 miles a year.
However, I still stick by my claim that I seldom hear anyone over 30 expressing anything more that muted derision over my attempts to car freedom. Generally, it's at work and generally it takes the tone of "Did you bike in today?" in a tone suggesting I'm some kind of .eco-freak. Someone asked me today if I got my hair cut because it wouldn't fit under my helmet.
However, when I do run into younger people, the attitude is "Cool", as though 1) it was something they might try themselves or 2) it was entirely my business and more power to me.
Is your experience different?
It depends. Everyone at my workplace, young or old, seems to admire my decision to be car-free, though few of them intend to try it themselves. Some of my students (ages 11-14) have expressed admiration as well, but I think that's mostly because report cards are coming out soon. But it seems to me it's not really a function of age, but of education. Here's a short list of people I've met or have encountered on the road who seem particularly hostile to a bicycle-centered lifestyle:
1. People at or nearing retirement age (my guess is that many of them are simply not used to bikes);
2. People who have wholeheartedly adopted a hip-hop lifestyle, esp. the whole gangsta ethic;
3. People who work in the construction or industrial sectors;
4. People who live or have lived in the rural South.
(BTW, I'm 45. I ride virtually everywhere I go. Living where I do, I see a lot of other bicyclists. Many of them are younger than 30, but most, about 60%, are at least old enough to have kids in college.)
BlueBirdE
05-02-07, 12:27 PM
My first post here, but I've been reading for about six months.
I got a bicycle (trek soho) for my birthday in November last year, and since then, I've only been driving my truck about once a week. Eveywhere I have to go is less than four miles, and also I picked up a chrome messenger bag so I can haul all my gear around. I get the groceries, go to school, the gym, out for drinks with friends, etc on my bike. It's fun, and I enjoy it much more than driving.
Only drive the truck now when I need to take my laptop to school (I'm afraid of dropping it) and when I have something big/heavy that I need to move. Car insurance is starting to look worse and worse every month, and I'm thinking of getting a smaller and less expensive vehicle, or just starting to ride my motorcycle full time instead (if I have to go somewhere that would be difficult on a bike). :)
I would like to not have a car at some point, but I find having one useful for now. I'm not ready to go cold turkey, yet.:rolleyes:
My first post here, but I've been reading for about six months.
Welcome to LCF, and thanks for joining the conversation.
BlueBirdE
05-02-07, 08:46 PM
Welcome to LCF, and thanks for joining the conversation.
Thanks! :)
I'm not ready to go cold turkey, yet.
If you get rid of your truck, my guess is you will have the opportunity to rent U-Haul pickups if the need arises. Just something to keep in mind. As far as I know their minimum age to rent is 18 rather than 21 to 25 like many vehicle rental places.
By the way, welcome to Bikeforums/LivingCarFree, BlueBirdE
thimblescratch
05-03-07, 09:06 AM
I started biking and skating to work a few years ago, off and on (whenever I was up to it and the roads weren't wet, and not in winter, too dark in the morning). Then I started realizing since I live in town (not a big city, not a suburb) and everything is less than 2 miles from me, why should I drive? The last time I got gas, by the time I put 2 gallons in, my mind was reeling, and then suddenly everything clicked into place, the war, the dependance, the pollution, global warming, and I became nauseous. I realized I have a power to change what I do not believe in. Why should I support oil and everything that it causes and stands for? That night I looked into e-bikes. I ride my e-bike to work, and my hubby and I ride a tandem to the store. We walk everywhere else. I haven't driven the car in 2 months, and we are going to sell all but one (which will be for visiting relatives or emergencies).
It's exciting that after locking my bike to the handicap sign at work, I've seen that someone else is now biking to work and locking it up on the next sign. HR came to me to ask which kind of bike rack should we get? Looks like a movement!
I'm hoping to see more people keep the cars in the driveways on May14, Bike to Work Week.
I started commuting 7.5 miles each way a couple of months ago after not having been on a bike for 25+ years. I'm 52. I was riding a low end MTB, F.S. Elite Grand Teton, that I found in near-new condition at a thrift shop for $30. I put bar ends on it, made pannier racks out of u-shaped bamboo trellises from the garden shop and found a couple of suitable second-hand bags that serve nicely as panniers for rain gear, grocery shopping, etc.
"Springtime in the Rockies" limited the days I could ride in March and April. It worked out to 2-3 days a week. I started out riding 1.5 mi to a bus stop, busing for 3, and riding the last 3. As the weather improved and more bicycle commuters got their bikes out of winter storage, I found an empty spot on the two place bike racks on the bus less and less often. By that time, though, my strength and stamina had improved enough that I could ride the entire distance without too much difficulty. I ride it every day, now. By the time I ride through the fall and into winter, I'll have all the necessary accouterments to continue riding year-round.
Sunday, at the flea market, I found a vintage Puch "hybrid" with narrow 26" slicks for $20 :D . Transferred my racks, bar-ends, etc. over to the new commuter. The faster bike has cut about 10 minutes off the commute time.
My short-term goal is to be as carfree as possible. My long-term goal is to be carfree.
You're a great inspiration for the young whipper-snappers out there! :)
My dad has a friend who, at age 75, still does several rides of 300 miles or more every year. He's my inspiration when the knees are aching.
Sorry if I offended you. I'm 53 and bike about 4,000 miles a year.
However, I still stick by my claim that I seldom hear anyone over 30 expressing anything more that muted derision over my attempts to car freedom. Generally, it's at work and generally it takes the tone of "Did you bike in today?" in a tone suggesting I'm some kind of eco-freak. Someone asked me today if I got my hair cut because it wouldn't fit under my helmet.
However, when I do run into younger people, the attitude is "Cool", as though 1) it was something they might try themselves or 2) it was entirely my business and more power to me.
Is your experience different?
Yes, very different. Among friends and co-workers, I find the older ones to be more interested in human-powered transport. I think one reason for this is that boomers are very interested in fitness now, and see cycling and walking as great exercise. Sometimes they start to think that one way to find more time for exercise is to incorporate it into your daily life, especially that commute to work.
For younger people, economy seems to be a big motivator for becoming carfree or carlite. Us older folks usually make more money and have savings, so we're less likely to worry about saving money. But we have realized how important fitness is, something that's less salient to younger folks.
.... I find the older ones to be more interested in human-powered transport. I think one reason for this is that boomers are very interested in fitness now, and see cycling and walking as great exercise. Sometimes they start to think that one way to find more time for exercise is to incorporate it into your daily life, especially that commute to work.
For younger people, economy seems to be a big motivator for becoming carfree or carlite.
Maybe it's the price of gas, but there does seem to be quite a few young folks heading to work on bicycle this Spring.
There are many cyclists around my age, but they generally seem to park their trucks at the trailhead.
Although, just as I say this, I found this article about this lady in my town who has been carfree since 1987, so... there are a few around!
http://www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/LIFE/704220301
When she returned( from a trip to Poland...), she had two daughters in college and a lot of expenses. So she decided to do without a vehicle for a year to save money.
That was 1987.
"When the year was over without a car, I was so much happier, I never considered getting one," Goldsmith said.
It was a choice she says her students, some driving less than half a mile to school, found unfathomable.
For her, it became the cornerstone of a different way of living.
No car meant fewer shopping trips.
Fewer shopping trips resulted in fewer purchases.
The less she bought, the more thought she put into each purchase.
Goldsmith said she began avoiding heavily packaged products to seek out foods and goods produced locally.
cyclezealot
05-03-07, 05:13 PM
I have been doing such for years. Brand does not matter. Mabye the 520 Trek would work best. My tourer bikes are a Surly Long haul and a Fuji tourer. The wheels on my Fuji is better suited for greater weight. Gas goes up any higher, maybe I will put a trailer behind the Surly. For faster appointments , I use my race bike along with a back pack.
FS1974JH
05-03-07, 05:37 PM
Besides choosing not to drive - ever, because of health issues and (also) liking bikes better, I have decided to never drive because I feel its too dangerous for me, and it would be better for our planet, and its just the little thing I can do that I enjoy that would also help the planet. :)
I also use a laptop in which I try to limit the times it it plugged into the wall. I run it off the battery as much as possible to save energy.
-- Joshua H.
wahoonc
05-03-07, 07:12 PM
I started biking and skating to work a few years ago, off and on (whenever I was up to it and the roads weren't wet, and not in winter, too dark in the morning). Then I started realizing since I live in town (not a big city, not a suburb) and everything is less than 2 miles from me, why should I drive? The last time I got gas, by the time I put 2 gallons in, my mind was reeling, and then suddenly everything clicked into place, the war, the dependance, the pollution, global warming, and I became nauseous. I realized I have a power to change what I do not believe in. Why should I support oil and everything that it causes and stands for? That night I looked into e-bikes. I ride my e-bike to work, and my hubby and I ride a tandem to the store. We walk everywhere else. I haven't driven the car in 2 months, and we are going to sell all but one (which will be for visiting relatives or emergencies).
It's exciting that after locking my bike to the handicap sign at work, I've seen that someone else is now biking to work and locking it up on the next sign. HR came to me to ask which kind of bike rack should we get? Looks like a movement!
I'm hoping to see more people keep the cars in the driveways on May14, Bike to Work Week.
+1! that is the way to go! I hope to be able to make "the move" in the next couple of years and get down to one car. With minimal use.
Aaron:)
I also use a laptop in which I try to limit the times it it plugged into the wall. I run it off the battery as much as possible to save energy.
you have to plug it in to charge the battery so you don't save any energy that way
Robert C
05-04-07, 12:27 AM
I also use a laptop in which I try to limit the times it it plugged into the wall. I run it off the battery as much as possible to save energy.
-- Joshua H.
Please... Please tell me that this was a joke...
My Toyota pick up truck got run off the road into the back of a school bus about a year ago. Just enough damage to make it not worth fixing. The next day I bought a used 10 speed and haven't looked back. I don't think I'd ever want to own a car again especially if I have access to one on the very rare occasions that I need one. I live in Brooklyn so it's pretty convenient to get to any place I'd need to go. I couldn't imagine living in a rural area though and being car free.
I feel totally free with the bike. Not stuck in traffic. Not standing around waiting for a subway train. Not feeling weird with all the poor people on the train or bus who seem to hate their lives and the world in general. I'm not into jogging, exercise machines or any of that stuff so I'm glad to be able to get in a workout at the same I'm going where I need to go.
cyclezealot
05-04-07, 01:56 AM
I think it's great to be car free. DOubt we can ever exceed being car lite. We like to go with friends to movies at night. And we live 14 miles from the cinema that shows our kinds of movies. Still, bikes cause us to possible reduce car use by maybe 50 percent.
If only one lives in cities with decent mass transit and the city is safe, possibly car free is possible for an active life style?
What about those impromptu to some park 85 miles away. Can one chuck their bike on a bus or train and still find such impromptu trips possible?
lima_bean
05-04-07, 08:20 AM
If only one lives in cities with decent mass transit and the city is safe, possibly car free is possible for an active life style?
What about those impromptu to some park 85 miles away. Can one chuck their bike on a bus or train and still find such impromptu trips possible?
Yeah Ive known a lot of people in NYC, Chicago, and San Fransisco who are carfree and dont even bike. So it is pretty natural in those US cities. I dont know about the other 2, but in Chicago, you can bring your bike on trains and leave the city easily.
cranky old dude
05-06-07, 11:34 PM
As a matter of fact, mine is a Trek. I just bolted a wire milk crate on top of my blackburn rack and away I go. If a big load is involved the milk crate comes off (wing nuts), and the old hardshell Burley Bugger gets hitched-up. Going through life between 10 mph and 18 mph is fine by me. I still need to drive whenever the wife comes along. (Not her fault, she's got M.S.) She bikes occasionally, but more often than not, she isn't up to it.
boyvirgil
05-07-07, 01:35 PM
Excellent, I knew there was someone else like me out there. I however have a move coming up and have decided to do 2 loads in a pick up truck.
we have a couple of rough duty bike trailers. 2 bikes, one trip, max about 300+ pounds! +]
mind you i don't own a bed or entertainment system or anything else that probably seriously bogs down a move.
also the town i live in is only about 15 miles wide and long
folder fanatic
05-08-07, 11:11 AM
I am now totally car-free and feel very lucky and liberated from many more potential bills than I now have to pay. I adapted my bikes to the neighborhood that I live in and do use public tranportation only if I have to for a good reason.
liubhs02
05-12-07, 09:22 PM
My Trek is definitely getting more attention since the weather has warmed up. I've been biking to work, grocery, and misc. small stuff. I do need my car for longer trips, at night, or picking up large things. I only put about 40 miles on my car last week. My housemate is even more hardcore. He probably only put about 40 miles on his car in the last month.
I'm currently restoring my Varsity back to commuting status. I'm moving in the fall which will make it a good 8 mile ride to work and another 8 back 5 days a week. I've never commuted by bicycle before so I have no clue how I'll do (not sure if I'm in good enough physical shape). I figure I can ride to the grocery store and whatnot as well. That would still leave a good 28 mile drive for my car 3 days a week for the fall semester of school plus any other trips the car would be needed for.
So yea, I'm not totally getting rid of the car, but it's a start.
I'm currently restoring my Varsity back to commuting status. I'm moving in the fall which will make it a good 8 mile ride to work and another 8 back 5 days a week. I've never commuted by bicycle before so I have no clue how I'll do (not sure if I'm in good enough physical shape). I figure I can ride to the grocery store and whatnot as well. That would still leave a good 28 mile drive for my car 3 days a week for the fall semester of school plus any other trips the car would be needed for.
So yea, I'm not totally getting rid of the car, but it's a start.
Yes, a good start. congratulations! :)
You might want to try a couple dry runs of your commute before you do it "for real". Trainers and coaches usually suggest that you increase a physical activity by only five to ten per cent weekly. If you're young or in good shape, you might get away with a more rapid increase. If you're old or sedentary, a slower pace might be better.
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