Living Car Free - weird realization

Just by ditching my car about five years ago, riding to/from work, going thru the panniers/trailer stage, getting necessary tools (chain whip, BB tool, cone wrenches, etc.,) being in a big wreck (complacency; though a car was the real culprit,) going camping just by leaving my house on my bike, and riding to different social functions, I just realized that I used to seek out riding clubs, groups, and partners for recreational, weekend type riding. No more, I ride for function and transportation, it's ok, but on my weekends I just don't want to ride. Just like I loathed driving without a real well considered purpose. I actually HATE riding when not doing it for some function, even though when actually on my bike going somewhere I love it.

No more, I ride for function and transportation, it's ok, but on my weekends I just don't want to ride. Just like I loathed driving without a real well considered purpose. I actually HATE riding when not doing it for some function, even though when actually on my bike going somewhere I love it.

That's too bad. I'm sorry to hear it. I suppose that is one of the downsides of doing functional rides all the time.

I also prefer riding for function as opposed to riding for recreation. When I got my second bike, I took it out on a couple of weekends for fun rides, but it soon became too cold to go outside without sufficient reason. So now both bikes are used completely for utility, and I'm fine with that.

Just by ditching my car about five years ago, riding to/from work, going thru the panniers/trailer stage, getting necessary tools (chain whip, BB tool, cone wrenches, etc.,) being in a big wreck (complacency; though a car was the real culprit,) going camping just by leaving my house on my bike, and riding to different social functions, I just realized that I used to seek out riding clubs, groups, and partners for recreational, weekend type riding. No more, I ride for function and transportation, it's ok, but on my weekends I just don't want to ride. Just like I loathed driving without a real well considered purpose. I actually HATE riding when not doing it for some function, even though when actually on my bike going somewhere I love it.

I've kind of gone the same way, but not to the extent that I won't do recreational rides. I now prefer to have a purpose to riding. However, it's not that hard to find a purpose: e.g., making a 15-mile beer run....

I too only ride for transportation. The same thing happened to me with motorcycles. For years I wanted a motorcycle. One day I decided to not repair the car anymore and just use a new motorcycle. Every day I enjoyed riding it to work. Often I would go out for fun rides around town. Within a year the motorcycle was just another tool.

Every ride was fun with the exception of rainy days. Riding in the rain requires extremely heightened alertness to road conditions, even more than bicycling.

I enjoyed riding my motor scooter with other people. Rallies were fun. The other recreational riders at gatherings just wanted to hang out and talk. To me that was boring. I talk all the time. I wanted to ride with a group of other scooter riders. To me that was different and more exciting.

Same here. As I was leaving work today I was thinking about riding tomorrow and I immediately started thinking about places I could ride to. The thought of riding around in a circle is an absolute last resort.

Even if it's just "ride for 40 miles and pick up some milk on the way home"... I need a purpose.

Same here. As I was leaving work today I was thinking about riding tomorrow and I immediately started thinking about places I could ride to.

You can ride to places for fun too ... ride to the park for a picnic ... ride to the park in the next town for a picnic ... ride to the lake for a swim ... ride to a museum to have a look at some history ... ride to the ice cream shop 42 kms away ... ride to the mountains ....

About Wednesday, I start considering places to ride on the weekend, and try to include interesting roads, interesting places to see, etc.

Maybe I just haven't reached that level yet, but we just started getting some critical manners rides together. Did one Sunday that was pretty enjoyable. I doubt I will make weekend rec rides an all the time thing, but I think I will always look forward to going out and having the social fun of a group ride.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I've been there myself a couple times when I had a longer commute. I prefer when cycling is not just functional.

Riding with others is different; I almost never have the opportunity, and I wouldn't mind riding around with people for fun. But if I'm riding by myself, which I do 99.9% of the time, I need a purpose. It's sort of like how in undergrad, when I didn't have a car, walking to nowhere by myself got old quickly.

You can ride to places for fun too ... ride to the park for a picnic ... ride to the park in the next town for a picnic ... ride to the lake for a swim ... ride to a museum to have a look at some history ... ride to the ice cream shop 42 kms away ... ride to the mountains ....

About Wednesday, I start considering places to ride on the weekend, and try to include interesting roads, interesting places to see, etc.

This sounds about right for me. Some of my functional riding is just an excuse to go for a ride. I started riding to the downtown Farmer's market this summer. My trip through the market took about 20 minutes and the ride took more than an hour.

This year, I also did some camping on the weekend. Camping is fun, but it's the ride out that I seem to enjoy most.

I am the same I may not mind riding with others but when I check most of the group rides would cause me to ride 6 miles to get to one then 6 miles homes.
so I pretty much only ride when I have something to do.

That pretty much sums up my riding. Riding in itself is fun, but I'm never on a bike without a destination and purpose. And to load the bike in the car to drive to a trail or meet a group to go for a fun ride makes no sense at all to me.

As a weekend break, maybe you can take up some hobby, like racing cars or something. :)

I thought about commuting towork on the bike, but I dont like riding when I have to ride, I seem to enjoy it more when I have a choice whether I'd like to ride on a particular day or not. Maybe I'm saying that today coz the weather really sucks these days.

Moved to Holland a year ago. Have an old wobbly Dutch bike for almost all city use. Fenders, rack, big floppy paniers, tire dynamo, low seat and high, high handlebars. A U-lock around the back wheel and it's safe. Lives outside and is often nudged by parking cars or knocked over.

It's my grocery getter. Goes downtown at night on the weekends. Gets building material strapped to it or balanced on the rear rack. 2 of 3 speeds work. It's not fast.

It's by far the best city bike I've owned.

When I have time, I get out my road bike. Old SL framed thing. Nothing exotic. It and I and spin off into the countryside.

I'm a kid again. Flying. Trying to get lost so as to prolong the experience.

It's that different.

Like having a Stradivarius for weekend music and for the remainder a Casio.

Maybe for you guys your daily driver isn't different enough from your Ferrarri. You're getting that 'traffic jam' sensation everytime you swing your leg over something.

Split em up.

Since going car free most of my fun riding is exploring or showing new people the area. But, I do often take the long way home for fun so its a mix of fun and function. But the 70 mile weekend rides disappeared. The idea of having a sporty race bike for fun rides seems like a good one. I sold my carbon fiber road bike a year or so after going car free. But I'm one of those people who enjoys almost every bike.

When I was carfree, I actually rode MORE on the weekends than I do now ... more frequently, and longer distances. I'd set off at some point in the morning on a Saturday and wouldn't return till sunset ... and then do it all over again on Sunday.

But for some reason, since I started driving a car, my motivation (and time) to cycle has diminished a little. I'm looking forward to being carfree again (~9 more months, if all goes well) so I can start logging the miles again. :)

I understand the OP's point about how everyday activities can seem like chores instead of fun. I try to incorporate fun right ino the daily taskslike cycling.

I almost always take the scenic route. (I even did that back when I drove a car.) For example, my four mile commute to work is almost always transformed into an eight to ten mile ride. The eight mile ride is called "The Three Rivers and Two Lakes Ride" and the ten mile ride is called "The Three Rivers and Three Lakes Ride." Both rides are more interesting than my regular commute, but only take a little longer. I have many other routes to work, but thode two are the favorites.

I also do different kinds of riding to keep it interesting. The commute home is a time trial. Sometimes I see another cyclist (usually a young person) and challenge him to a race. On my days off I often do long road rides in the country or head to a small town somewhere. Occasionally I ride to a nice park about 7 miles from my house and spend the afternoon on the singletrack.

You can't expect life to "be" fun. Rather, you have to "make" life fun. Anybody can find the imagination and spontaneity to have fun.

When I lived car free years ago I loved those rides on the weekend.Those are the rides that set me free.
I didn't need any particular place to go,I just went.
How I wish I could go car free again.:(

I've been happily carfree and a daily bike-commuter for 10 years. During the warm summer months I still love to take longer rides on my days off. And, I often go for spontaneous shorter evening rides for no reason... like just to see the water level at the local river... or to check on some road construction which I remembered passing across town a few weeks earlier... to see what roadside flowers may be blooming...

It's much the same as when I was a child with my first new bike, a red J.C. Higgins "middle-weight" [i.e. boat anchor] with 24" wheels. Then, I would rush home from school just to ride. Now again, riding gives me a sense of care-free child like abandon and freedom, with no time constraints, no specific errands which I must complete, no appointments to rush to. A brief escape.

I also actually like the challenge of hauling large bulky loads on a bike - it gives me a sense of (perhaps stubborn and crazy) satisfaction to see how much I can really accomplish on two wheels... when any normal person would simply use a car and get the chore done as unthinkingly and quickly as possible (and my neighbor's spare car IS always available to me for the asking).

I also have far too many bikes. For me they are the equivalent of someone else owning a compact commuter car, a pick-up truck, a sports car, a classic restoration rag-top roadster, and a SUV... but I can keep my bikes indoors and overhaul them in my living room. :thumb:

Yeah, I'm just weird. :innocent:

I've been happily carfree and a daily bike-commuter for 10 years. During the warm summer months I still love to take longer rides on my days off. And, I often go for spontaneous shorter evening rides for no reason... like just to see the water level at the local river... or to check on some road construction which I remembered passing across town a few weeks earlier... to see what roadside flowers may be blooming...

It's much the same as when I was a child with my first new bike, a red J.C. Higgins "middle-weight" [i.e. boat anchor] with 24" wheels. Then, I would rush home from school just to ride. Now again, riding gives me a sense of care-free child like abandon and freedom, with no time constraints, no specific errands which I must complete, no appointments to rush to. A brief escape.

I also actually like the challenge of hauling large bulky loads on a bike - it gives me a sense of (perhaps stubborn and crazy) satisfaction to see how much I can really accomplish on two wheels... when any normal person would simply use a car and get the chore done as unthinkingly and quickly as possible (and my neighbor's spare car IS always available to me for the asking).

I also have far too many bikes. For me they are the equivalent of someone else owning a compact commuter car, a pick-up truck, a sports car, a classic restoration rag-top roadster, and a SUV... but I can keep my bikes indoors and overhaul them in my living room. :thumb:

Yeah, I'm just weird. :innocent:


We think and do very much alike.

I suppose I have to look at having several different bikes for different purposes as being essential. My commuter bike is a completely different ride to my CF road bike that in turn is completely different to my MTB, and then there is my tourer. Each brings its own pleasures and challenges.

One thought that does cross my mind, though, is that because riding a bicycle is a physical activity, and if it is done every day, there is a chance of overtraining syndrome. Transportational cyclists aren't immune from what is normally seen as a recreational/training/racing cyclist ailment.

The symptoms of this are quite defined, and include increased heart rate over normal when, say, waking up in the morning, and a lethargy that is both physical and emotional.

If someone is finding they aren't enjoying their cycling anymore, it might be a time for change or a complete rest from cycling by choosing another form of transport for a week or two.

If someone is finding they aren't enjoying their cycling anymore, it might be a time for change or a complete rest from cycling by choosing another form of transport for a week or two.

The other day I used my motorized bicycle for the first time in three months. It was fun. Now that I have proof that it is legal to use it on the roads I'll ride it more often. I had stopped using it because I wanted to become a stronger rider. Now my thighs are a couple of inches thicker. The motorized ride will be my transportation when my body or mind needs a rest from pedaling.

A motorized bicycle would make a great respite from regular bicycling. It is way cheaper than a car or motorcycle and yet allows one access to all the same great places. Get a four-stroke motor if you need to keep it indoors. My two-stroke model stinks and must be kept outside.

One thought that does cross my mind, though, is that because riding a bicycle is a physical activity, and if it is done every day, there is a chance of overtraining syndrome. Transportational cyclists aren't immune from what is normally seen as a recreational/training/racing cyclist ailment.


This is a good point. I'm lucky to live close to work (4 miles) and shopping (1/2 mile), so I can take it easy when I need to. Walking emphasizes different muscles so it's as good as a rest for the daily cyclist. Also, as Machka says, it's good for the body and the mind to do different physical activities.

I think age may play into it also. When I was in my late teens/early 20's I was car free, rode to work, rode to organized rides, raced and generally lived and breathed bicycles. I haven't been on more than a couple of organized rides in the past few years, in part due to the lack of what I call "social" rides where I live. And due to my work schedule.:( The other reason being that I use the bike to satisfy my needs and I don't need the long miles anymore. A quick trip around a couple of miles everyday is all I need to be happy.:p

Aaron:)

I've been a life-long utility rider, and I always enjoyed a little cruising around recreationally. But that is till I got to west Little Rock. Here, the hills and hills and hills and narrow poorly maintained streets make going anywhere a challenge. There are only a few choices between those. It just isn't all that fun. :rolleyes:

At least I enjoy cruising the neighborhood.

There's nothing wrong with needing a purpose for going on a ride. You just have to be creative and a purpose will appear. Sometimes the purpose is grocery shopping, sometimes it's commuting, and many times that purpose is to ride along the beach to check out the pretty ladies. :)

What are some of your more creative purposes?