I drive a Honda Insight (#643 ever manufactured) and my wife drives an 1994 Infiniti. She's a teacher who works 30 miles away, but I work at home. I have to drive 40 miles each way twice a week to my job headquarters, but other than that, I was just using the car for groceries, going to the gym, etc.
Our old Infiniti started acting up, and when we took it to the shop, they came back with a list of repairs totalling $4,000. We were about to take on another loan to get a new car when we stepped back and looked at the economics of it all. Even with a used car, we were paying about $400 a month to own a car. If I rent a car 2 or 3 times a month, we're still WAY ahead of where we are now.
So we decided to sell the old car before it completely falls apart, and my wife will drive the Insight, saving a lot of money in her commute (55 mpg vs. 23 mpg for the Infiniti).
Because of a ruptured disc in my neck years ago, I can't ride a regular bike, so I'm getting a recumbent. I'm looking forward to being car-free and care-free in a couple of weeks! Fortunately, I've been working out like crazy the last six months, so I think my quads can handle the hills in a recumbent. And Encinitas is a very bike-friendly place, too.
gerv
06-12-07, 10:25 AM
Congratulations! Reducing your car stable sounds like it was a wise decision. Too many people keep a herd of vehicles to cover exigencies that almost never occur. Usually, if you really need to go somewhere by vehicle, you can wait until your wife arrives back. Also, if you live in a bike-friendly town, well... it's a no-brainer.
vulpes
06-12-07, 11:05 AM
+1 :beer:
acroy
06-12-07, 11:10 AM
Congrats!
get a big ol' pirate flag or something for that recumbent, scares me how little visibility thay have - be safe!
cheers
Roody
06-12-07, 11:11 AM
Welcome to the forum!! :)
Chaco
06-12-07, 11:24 AM
Congrats!
get a big ol' pirate flag or something for that recumbent, scares me how little visibility thay have - be safe!
cheers
The bike I'm getting is a Stratus XP, where you sit fairly high off the ground, just about as high as you would with a regular bike. But I'm getting a flag as well -- no need to take unnecessary chances.
My kids (23 and 28) thought I was a bit crazy at first, but they're used to weird ideas from their parents by now. :)
gwd
06-12-07, 11:33 AM
The bike I'm getting is a Stratus XP, where you sit fairly high off the ground, just about as high as you would with a regular bike. But I'm getting a flag as well -- no need to take unnecessary chances.
My kids (23 and 28) thought I was a bit crazy at first, but they're used to weird ideas from their parents by now. :)
Don't worry so much about the recumbent. Practice a lot to get used to the handling. It seems to me that cars notice me and are more polite when I ride the recumbent. You do have to be aware of driver's blind spots.
jeff-o
06-12-07, 01:12 PM
It seems to me that cars notice me and are more polite when I ride the recumbent. You do have to be aware of driver's blind spots.
I find this to be the truth as well, and I ride a recumbent trike. It's about as low to the ground as you can get. Welcome to the worlds of car-lite AND recumbent cycling!
Chaco
06-12-07, 01:37 PM
I find this to be the truth as well, and I ride a recumbent trike. It's about as low to the ground as you can get. Welcome to the worlds of car-lite AND recumbent cycling!
Thanks -- curious about one thing. Do you find the flag is really necessary?
wrafl
06-12-07, 01:38 PM
Don't worry so much about the recumbent. Practice a lot to get used to the handling. It seems to me that cars notice me and are more polite when I ride the recumbent. You do have to be aware of driver's blind spots.
Could the car folks think of the trike bent as a highly engineered wheelchair? I think that would get their cautious personality out don't you think?
jeff-o
06-12-07, 01:46 PM
Thanks -- curious about one thing. Do you find the flag is really necessary?
Me? No, I've never felt I needed one. But from comparing the drivers in my city to the horror stories that others on the forms post, I think I've got it pretty good in Kitchener. A flag certainly wouldn't hurt, and you can get some pretty cool ones. A pirate flag or a USA flag are good bets if you don't want to use a somewhat dorky high-viz orange triangle (perhaps a combination would be good). Also try doing a google search for "lawn sails", they make good flags as well.
gwd
06-12-07, 02:27 PM
Could the car folks think of the trike bent as a highly engineered wheelchair? I think that would get their cautious personality out don't you think?
I ride a recumbent bicycle. I think that many of them want to look at it so when they pass on my left they give me room. If I look over many times they're looking at me. At intersections they tend to wave me through giving me the right of way when they don't need to. Again, it looks like they want to see how I ride that thing. It has underseat steering and a short wheelbase so my legs are sticking out infront of the front wheel and my hands are down. When recumbents become more popular this novelty effect will disapear.
Chaco
06-12-07, 02:44 PM
Yeah, people used to ask me all the time about my Insight. Then everybody and their grandmother bought a Prius, and it no longer was very interesting.
davidmcowan
06-12-07, 04:59 PM
Yeah, people used to ask me all the time about my Insight. Then everybody and their grandmother bought a Prius, and it no longer was very interesting.