Living Car Free - Are you a hippie?

I ride seven miles to work in -5f weather. When I get to work, I CHANGE CLOTHES and run a comb through my hair. A few weeks ago I had a business meeting 12 miles away. I biked to it, used their shower, changed clothes, and went to the meeting.
I'll bet if you stopped telling yourself how impossible it was, you might find ways to do some of it.

I wish I was a Hippie
if I was a Hippie I could tell all you non-hippies a thing or two
But I think the Hippies lost the war when they took up drugs... they had it won till then
Till the next lot of hippies come along I'll keep on riding my bike
:)

During the 7 years I was carfree, I was a fairly well off Engineering Technician in the Engineering Department of a fairly large company. Definitely not a hippie! Definitely not on the lower end of the economic scale.




Even though I'm not a hippie ........ I will admit to being a bit of a Gypsy! :D

I'm sure we've all got dress codes of some sort ... but we don't cycle to work in our work clothes. We dress in cycling gear of some sort for the ride, and carry our work clothes in our panniers or trunk bags, then change and shower and/or clean up in some way once we get to work. :)
Your "we" doesn't include me, nor I daresay most "lifestyle" bicyclists on the planet (outside of North America, that is). Special cycling clothes have their place above a certain level of intensity, and in certain climates, and with certain kinds of sport-oriented bikes, that just don't apply when you live, say, within 5 flattish miles of your usual destinations. Even when I had a hilly 9-miles-each-way commute, it was on the San Francisco peninsula whose exceptionally mild cool climate meant I could wear office attire (wool, naturally) on the bike. True, some days I arrived a bit warm and sweaty, but only because I left late.

Your "we" doesn't include me, nor I daresay most "lifestyle" bicyclists on the planet (outside of North America, that is). Special cycling clothes have their place above a certain level of intensity, and in certain climates, and with certain kinds of sport-oriented bikes, that just don't apply when you live, say, within 5 flattish miles of your usual destinations. Even when I had a hilly 9-miles-each-way commute, it was on the San Francisco peninsula whose exceptionally mild cool climate meant I could wear office attire (wool, naturally) on the bike. True, some days I arrived a bit warm and sweaty, but only because I left late.

When I commute to work in the summers, my commute is 70 kilometers round trip. I'm on the road at sunrise, and it's about +5C. Believe me, I don't wear the light summer dresses, which I wear at work, on that commute!! They're way too dressy, would be way too cold, and would catch in the gears. :lol:

I wear tights and merino wool on my commutes.

When I commute to work in the summers, my commute is 70 kilometers round trip.
Well, more power to you -- you're doing the right thing for your conditions, and according to your pleasure, etc. I meant only to counter your assertion that "we" car-free types are all randonneurs or similar in choice of suitable gear and apparel, which I think intimidates a lot of people who'd be fine riding to work in work clothes. These days I ride mostly bikes with chaincases and coat guards. I could just as easily wear a long skirt if I were so inclined....

I could just as easily wear a long skirt if I were so inclined....
Nothing personal, but you don't need to demonstrate - really. :p ;)

Sorry I wasn't trying to instigate. No offense intended. But you have to concede that there are lots of "neo-hippies", if you will, who champion the car-free cause. Don't act like that's a stretch of my imagination.

My reference to "social-economic disparity" doesn't imply a class struggle or income disparity - it was my general reference to the fact that the car-free types that I know are hippi-eque and that's a social-economic category. That's what I had intended to get across anyway.

I went to school in Eugene and live in Portland. C'mon, I know hippies.

Remind me again what were you trying to get from this posting? Do you want people to admit that they're losers and don't have have a car because they can't keep a job or are dope fiends? Cause I'm sure there are people here like that. Do want to justify your not riding, by seeing these people as losers and yourself as successful. Hence you have a car? Please clarify what your looking for. If you can identify the care free ideal as a hippy movement, would that make it easier to dismiss it?

From what MIN has posted so far, he probably wouldn't be very happy with a carfree existence. It isn't for everybody in America (although it is the norm for the world as a whole). But I do hope that he'll try to reduce car trips a little more all the time.

tfahrner, which bike shop?
Beyond that, say I need some friggen groceries from costco, what the hell do I do? It require MAJOR life changes and consumer-behavior changes to adapt into a car-free life. You know, I'd love to have a custom Ira Ryan porter bike with a nice grocery-go-getter rack, but I can't be bother with the wait time.
:)

When I need to go to Costco (monthly), I lure a car owning friend to drive. Most anyone can be tempted with $17 pallets of toilet paper. Always point out toilet paper and paper towels, it always works. Need I even mention bottomless free samples?

Don't bother with a nice grocery getter, get an old English 3 speed and a HUGE basket, you won't be disappointed. Its what I use for grocery trips that involve less than four cloth bags of groceries.

Even though I am car free I have friends and family who I do bum rides with to a few places. I never ask for a ride somewhere out of the way though. And I'm no Minnie the Moocher...I buy them lunch.

When I need to go to Costco (monthly), I lure a car owning friend to drive. .

Thn you are not car free. You just bum the use of a car.

Beyond that, say I need some friggen groceries from costco, what the hell do I do? It require MAJOR life changes and consumer-behavior changes to adapt into a car-free life. You know, I'd love to have a custom Ira Ryan porter bike with a nice grocery-go-getter rack, but I can't be bother with the wait time. :)

EASY! You do what I did when I was carfree for 7 years ...

1) You take the bus to the local shopping establishment, shop to your heart's content, and then take a taxi home.

2) You call up the local shopping service (or email them), give them your shopping list, your preferred shopping establishments, and the time you'd like your groceries and things delivered ...... and open the door when they arrive.

3) You rent a car for the weekend, so that you can go somewhere or do something, and for a few hours, one day on the weekend, you shop.

Not a problem. Not a major life-change.

Those occasions, mentioned above, happened about 2 times a year in total. The rest of the time, I walked up to the grocery store every few days.

Thn you are not car free. You just bum the use of a car.

Name one person who IS truly car free. Not any North Americans, that's for sure!

I am in Eugene, Oregon this holiday weekend (I normally live in Portland) and I see lots more car-free bikers here. It makes me realize that city planning has a lot to do with the ability to be car free.

Some cities just aren't set-up to where you can go without a car.

BTW, hope everyone had a great Christmas. I got some great riding in this weekend, including a snowy ride in rural Lane County, Oregon.

I am in Eugene, Oregon this holiday weekend (I normally live in Portland) and I see lots more car-free bikers here. It makes me realize that city planning has a lot to do with the ability to be car free.

Some cities just aren't set-up to where you can go without a car.

BTW, hope everyone had a great Christmas. I got some great riding in this weekend, including a snowy ride in rural Lane County, Oregon.

Bingo, city planning has everything to do with the ability to be car free. Even then, some people choose to have a motor vehicle despite the fact they use it 4 or 5 times a year. I'm not anti-car in anyway. Cars have their uses in society, but it should not be daily single capacity transportation, cities need to be designed in way to facilitate walking and cycling, cars then become a want item, not a need.

I can't always be car free, and there are times when I need a car for a day. That's when I borrow a friend's car or go to Budget to rent a car, there's two Budget car rental within 1 km of where I live. That happens 4 or 5 times a year.

I shop at a food cooperative, volunteer at a bike cooperative, buy clothes from thrift stores and am car free.

I don't consider myself a hippy but some capitalist pig might.

Name one person who IS truly car free. Not any North Americans, that's for sure!

None of my food arrives at the market by motor vehicle, i swear! :rolleyes:

None of my food arrives at the market by motor vehicle, i swear! :rolleyes:

Exactly! :D

Name one person who IS truly car free. Not any North Americans, that's for sure!

The Amish :p

I gave up the car because i can't modify my eating/drinking habits.
I used to be the kind of guy that my friends would say "don't turn
sideways, we can't see you!" Then one day I looked in the mirror,
Yuck! (gettin' old sucks)
"Ah!' says I, 'I'll ride the bike more!' Didn't happen, the car is there,
I'll use it. So, got rid of the car, now happier, healthier, and fitter.

Am I *becoming* a hippie? possibly. When you look at the car
culture from outside, you start to see how sick it is.

A great thing about this forum is that we bicker and mock one another, then we realize that we actually have a LOT in common. To paraphrase Harry Stack Sullivan: Underneath it all, we are all simply more cyclists than otherwise.

Am I a hippie? Not at all. I love cycling and walking and I am finding more and more satisfaction as I remove the clutter from my life and strive for simplicity. It has nothing to do with adopting a hippie or "neo-hippie" lifestyle.

Thn you are not car free. You just bum the use of a car.

You're getting a little technical with your definitions now...

- What if I took a cab?
- Ok, so what I paid a service to go pick my stuff up from the store and bring it home?
- What if I skip the store and have a UPS truck bring everything to my house?

I thought, for the purpose of this forum, that car-free meant not having a car in your household that you had access to drive.

Hell, even the people living out off the grid still had their solar panels delivered by truck...

No seriously. I'm facinated by the thought of being carless but I can't ever do that with my corporate office job.



BUMP


This thread is 6-months old. Since then, I've made many significant changes in my life to support a car-free lifestyle. I am happy to report that I am putting my (barely driven) car up for sale this weekend!

wowzers. congrats.

Good move. More money for bike stuff. :D

LOL, ...and my wife's law school tuition.

Yeah, the money doesn't hurt *g*. Glad you found ways to make it work for you.

Good for you! I read this whole thread to get to the bump/punchline, I'm happy you were able to figure out how to make this work!

Thanks. A big part of making this possible involved moving closer to work and buying clothes which looked good in the office, but also was weather-appropriate. I have a short commute so I ride fully dressed for work. (The distance is not great enough to work up a sweat.)

In addition, I sold my Bianchi Pista for another fixed gear which is more lax in geometry and supports racks and fenders - the Lemond Fillmore.

In addition, I sold my Bianchi Pista for another fixed gear which is more lax in geometry and supports racks and fenders - the Lemond Fillmore.

good job! BTW is the lemond fixie your daily commuter?

good job! BTW is the lemond fixie your daily commuter?

Yes it is, rain or shine.

Quick definitions (hippie)

noun: someone who rejects the established culture; advocates extreme liberalism in politics and lifestyle

Yes, I'm a hippie.

me, too.

Awesome MIN.

By the way, we should go for a ride sometime seeing as how I missed that cylocross one you put on in December.

you are a hippie.
don't try to deny it.
everyone who lives in Oregon is required to be a hippie.
they passed an initiative.
Measure 49, i think.

http://prince.org/i/s/icon_hah.gif hippie in a suit

j/k

I think you may have an idealized vision of Oregon. It is a state with its share of hippies (i.e. Eugene), but it also has more than its share of far right-wing nutcase homeschoolers, not to mention vast swaths of nothin' but rednecks. If the western part of the state fell into the sea, Oregon would make Utah look like a bunch of Godless gay socialists.

:thumb:

Half-hippy, but work in corporate situation... or at least as corporate as publishing gets.

Showers and a bike rack at work.

I am glad my career choice accommodates a bike commute. Any job in the field not with my current employer would probably lead to a 1.5 hr by bus or car commute. I'd still squeeze some biking in, probably with a bike locked up at the other end of a bus ride, but it would be a far cry from my current pretty perfect situation.

I'm a wanna-be drug-free hippie. I certainly care about the environment. I'm against globalization. I love nature and all that is natural. I support the organic movement and so on. I don't yet live car-free, but I'm working towards it. I do work for large business, but I'm saving up to be self employed.

Really, being a hippie shouldn't be a negative thing anyway!

Thanks. A big part of making this possible involved moving closer to work and buying clothes which looked good in the office, but also was weather-appropriate. I have a short commute so I ride fully dressed for work. (The distance is not great enough to work up a sweat.)

In addition, I sold my Bianchi Pista for another fixed gear which is more lax in geometry and supports racks and fenders - the Lemond Fillmore.

I'd call you "Poster Child" except I think "Count De Money" is more appropriate!

I'm not a hippy.

The social causes I am more inclined to help include concerns over homelessness, mental illness, women's shelters, etc. Seems these are becoming neglected now to fund the "green" movements.

I eat red meat, I smoke cigars, I drink scotch or whiskey and I take my firearms collection for its exercise every so often.
I have my hunting license, I fish, I love cats, dogs, all animals and respect the environment, though I am not a nutjob about it.

i drive a fuel-efficient car by choice, but won't ever be car free.

I believe in free-choice over forced lifestyle changes.
I am more capitalist than socialist by quite a long shot.

No seriously. I'm facinated by the thought of being carless but I can't ever do that with my corporate office job.

it's overrated.

On the other hand, if MIN is trying to help his wife through law school, it might be a good time in his life to be car free.

I dont think society will ever be 100% carfree. What I see happening is people becoming 'less-car' and having one car per family, or having one car per multiple families (which would give a whole new meaning to 'buying in bulk').

I dont think society will ever be 100% carfree.
Oh yes, there will be plenty of cars around for the foreseeable future. People will still own lots of cars. Getting the gas will be the problem.

Oh yes, there will be plenty of cars around for the foreseeable future. People will still own lots of cars. Getting the gas will be the problem.



I agree with you, Platy.

Probably one of the unforseen complications of the "energy crisis" is the amount of waste built into the whole existing system, and how many jobs will be lost as that waste is wrung out.

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool hippie, not the patchouli scented dreadlock kind, but honest to Goddess back to the land self-sustaining type who believes in peace, social justice and environmental responsibility. (Can't help it, raised that way by idealist parents in the 70s :)).

We blend in better than the other kind so you don't always notice us until we do something like move house by bicycle :) (Something I actually don't plan to try, because i like my house and I don't want to move!)

Wait, the original poster lives in Portland and says he needs to drive?
And mass transit doesn't make sense?
He better mean Portland, Maine...

Sorry- this was my first post.
I didn't read the bump.
This is awkward...

^^ No worries. :)