View Full Version : Would give up car except for...
I'd seriously consider giving up our car except for one thing - hiking. We LOVE to hike and go hiking 4 or 5 times per week. The nearest trails to us are really too far to reach by bike. We don't ZipCar or anything like that in our area so that isn't an option. Here's the ideas we've considered:
- Taxi ==> 4 or 5 times per week would cost more than our car
- Public transportation ==> doesn't go anywhere near hiking trails
- Biking to trails ==> just too far
Oh well, just thought I'd throw this out there for any ideas or suggestions anyone may have.
Thanks in advance!
How far do you have to go to get to the trails?
The nearest hiking trails are about 10 miles away, 20 miles round trip. For some that's just a warm up ride but at our current endurance limits that's just too far to commute by bike and then throw in a good hike. Eventually we may be able to work up to that, but right now it's beyond our limits. And that's just for the nearest trails. Some of our favorite trails are more than 20 miles away.
Living car free often means that a person's choices are limited by the available transportation options. Sometimes it's possible to make alternate arrangements, but in most cases a lot of convenience will be lost. Other times, living car free makes it impossible to do those things.
It's okay to keep the car if you can afford it and if it enables you to do what you need to do. You can still live car light!
If you can't even manage car light -- that's okay too, we need all the motoring friends we can get.
The nearest hiking trails are about 10 miles away, 20 miles round trip. For some that's just a warm up ride but at our current endurance limits that's just too far to commute by bike and then throw in a good hike. Eventually we may be able to work up to that, but right now it's beyond our limits. And that's just for the nearest trails. Some of our favorite trails are more than 20 miles away.
Come on--with all that hiking you should be in pretty good shape. Have you ever actually tried to ride to the nearest trail? It might be a lot easier than you think. The work needed to ride a bicycle 10 miles is roughly equivalent to walking 2.5 miles. The time would be about equivlent too--less than an hour for a slow rider.
Nycycle
05-20-08, 08:16 PM
What Roody say
I'd seriously consider giving up our car except for one thing - hiking. We LOVE to hike and go hiking 4 or 5 times per week. The nearest trails to us are really too far to reach by bike. We don't ZipCar or anything like that in our area so that isn't an option. Here's the ideas we've considered:
- Taxi ==> 4 or 5 times per week would cost more than our car
- Public transportation ==> doesn't go anywhere near hiking trails
- Biking to trails ==> just too far
Oh well, just thought I'd throw this out there for any ideas or suggestions anyone may have.
Thanks in advance!
Riding on the same trails 4-5 times a week will tend to get boring. Can you kind of invent your own trails? Isn't there something close by? I do quite a bit of walking in the winter. What I do is figure out a couple of good walks that I can manage leaving from my front door. In the process, I've actually discovered a couple of trail-like lanes I knew nothing about.
For the trails farther out, take the bike. 10, 20 even 30 miles by bike is nothing once you are in the groove.
OK, I knew someone would shame me into at least trying it ;) We'll be elsewhere for the summer but will give it a shot in the winter. In the meantime we are trying to use the car as little as possible. Thanks for all the replies!
coldfeet
05-20-08, 08:38 PM
1. Try one of the closer, shorter hikes with a bike to the trailhead.
2. Car share with other hikers?
3. If you get into cycling, you may find it will substitute for hiking.
3. If you get into cycling, you may find it will substitute for hiking.
Mountain biking is a great activity. But I would never want to give up walking and hiking, even though I pretty much live for cycling.
Don't sweat the car; if you use a bike for everything <5 miles from your house, and mostly use the car to leave town, you're doing a lot better than almost everyone.
Trade in the car for some electric assist on the bikes?
mavimao
05-21-08, 11:27 AM
Get a scooter
BarracksSi
05-29-08, 03:34 PM
Don't sweat the car; if you use a bike for everything <5 miles from your house, and mostly use the car to leave town, you're doing a lot better than almost everyone.
Agreed.
My own "Would give up car except for...":
I'm not about to lug my ~75 lb tuba & hard case by bike, nor am I going to bike & carry another horn plus a weekend's change of clothes for 300-500 miles. I'm also still paranoid about my bike's security in some areas.
CliftonGK1
06-02-08, 09:52 AM
I'd seriously consider giving up our car except for one thing - hiking. We LOVE to hike and go hiking 4 or 5 times per week. The nearest trails to us are really too far to reach by bike. We don't ZipCar or anything like that in our area so that isn't an option. Here's the ideas we've considered:
- Taxi ==> 4 or 5 times per week would cost more than our car
- Public transportation ==> doesn't go anywhere near hiking trails
- Biking to trails ==> just too far
Oh well, just thought I'd throw this out there for any ideas or suggestions anyone may have.
Thanks in advance!
Come on--with all that hiking you should be in pretty good shape. Have you ever actually tried to ride to the nearest trail? It might be a lot easier than you think. The work needed to ride a bicycle 10 miles is roughly equivalent to walking 2.5 miles. The time would be about equivlent too--less than an hour for a slow rider.
I'm in a similar situation to roka; most of the hiking trails I go to are 20 or more miles away. Yes, I *could* ride there and back (for the select few trails I don't need the highway to get to), but I'd be in no shape for a 9 mile hike with a few thousand feet of climbing, and still save enough energy to ride home again.
I balance out my one-day-a-week drive to work and my occassional weekend drive to a trailhead or a group ride with bike commuting to work 4 days a week and running all my errands on my bike. Car-lite is at least more of an effort than most people make. Heck, I know plenty of people in my apartment complex who drive to the grocery rather than walk, because it's a whole mile!
Nightshade
06-02-08, 10:02 AM
I'm in a similar situation to roka; most of the hiking trails I go to are 20 or more miles away. Yes, I *could* ride there and back (for the select few trails I don't need the highway to get to), but I'd be in no shape for a 9 mile hike with a few thousand feet of climbing, and still save enough energy to ride home again.
I balance out my one-day-a-week drive to work and my occassional weekend drive to a trailhead or a group ride with bike commuting to work 4 days a week and running all my errands on my bike. Car-lite is at least more of an effort than most people make. Heck, I know plenty of people in my apartment complex who drive to the grocery rather than walk, because it's a whole mile!
The solution is an electric assit bike. Think not? Well, consider ALL the cost of a car besides
gas and you have a grand electric bike and lots of change to invest or spend.
To those who say I can't.....Stop making excuses for not even trying.............
CliftonGK1
06-02-08, 02:52 PM
The solution is an electric assit bike. Think not? Well, consider ALL the cost of a car besides gas and you have a grand electric bike and lots of change to invest or spend.
Electric bike assist won't help much for getting me up to highway speeds for 50 miles. Yes, I realize that there are plenty of costs aside from gasoline which are associate with car ownership: Insurance, routine oil/filter/fluid checks and changes, etc. I could put that money towards a really nice electric assist bicycle, or a CF racing bike, or any number of bicycle types. Still won't solve the issue of getting me on the highway.
To those who say I can't.....Stop making excuses for not even trying.............
I never said I can't: I said I won't. I'm fine with living car-lite. I don't make any excuses, because I don't feel I need to excuse myself for anything. All I did was state my personal position: I drive to things which are inaccessable by bicycle, and I ride my bicycle (or walk) for everything else.
"Not even trying" would be the woman across the hall from me who drives the 200 yards through the parking lot and across the street on the weekend, just to hit the drive-though at the coffee shop.
With some effort and sacrifice, I could choose to go entirely car-free. There are some things that I simply refuse to give up.
zoltani
06-02-08, 04:35 PM
Yeah, that is the only thing i miss about having a car also. Although, now i have started weekend tours, or bike camping trips, that satisfy my urge to get outside and gives me a chance to use my gear. Most of the time i am too pooped to hike after biking to my campsite, but once i get the chance to do multi-day tours i will give it a try.
So either change your lifestyle to include bike oriented activities/trips, ride to the trailhead, or just keep the car.
For round trips to destinations 10 to 20 miles away, there are electric bikes that are up to the task. For carrying a tuba? Maybe if you have an xtracycle or a trailer, otherwise, no. I play violin and guitar, and have carried both at the same time for upwards of 12 miles round trip (using a camping backpack). I still would not try it with a tuba.
...I still would not try it with a tuba.
Some will, some won't, some do, some don't...
"...I completed my first Inner Tuba Tour in Leicester, East Midlands on 7th October 2000. During the preceeding 20 days I cycled 1,184 miles around the six counties of England's East Midlands Region. I towed behind me a trailer containing various musical instruments, most importantly my tuba..."
http://www.innertuba.org.uk/
BarracksSi
06-02-08, 06:34 PM
I'd have to get a smaller horn, then.. :p
MrCjolsen
06-02-08, 11:30 PM
The nearest hiking trails are about 10 miles away, 20 miles round trip. For some that's just a warm up ride but at our current endurance limits that's just too far to commute by bike and then throw in a good hike. Eventually we may be able to work up to that, but right now it's beyond our limits. And that's just for the nearest trails. Some of our favorite trails are more than 20 miles away.
You would be surprised at your abilities. For one thing, when it comes to "endurance" the bike rides and the hike create entirely different stresses on the body. In the few triathlons I've done, my times for the swim, bike and run were not much slower than if I'd done any one of those events individually.
Gustavo
06-03-08, 01:08 AM
I would have to agree with Roody. I know that many people feel faint just thinking of walking to the bus stop, but if you can hike 10 miles, then a 10 or 20-mile ride is really nothing on the right bike, i.e. a road bike, or even an old three-speed if the tires are skinny. On a mountain-bike though, it's something to reckon with. Not impossible, or even very tiring, but at least you'll notice it. Perhaps if you are not used to bicycling it will feel strenuous the first few times, but after a while you won't even notice it. If the route is boring, bring music, an audiobook or company, or get into the meditative state of the zen-bicyclist. You are just moving, spinning your legs, thinking of other things. Before you know it, you are there.
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