Advocacy & Safety - Should I do this?

Not ride a bike anymore but walk where ever I want to go even if it does take longer? The reason I am thinking about that is because walking is the most reliable.

I don't know anymore. Maybe i am just tired.

well since walking is no big deal to you then you might as well just ride the bike.....
if it breaks down you can always walk it home ;)

True. I just hate how when you hit a big branch or something it can mess up the chain then you have to fix it. Thats why i think walking is more reliable.

Yes I would of avoided the big branch but I didn't see it plus I couldn't, even if I did see it, because i would of went directly in the path of a car, etc.

I wish bikes could fly!

I wish bikes could fly!

Deja vu!?

Anyways, I've always thought of cycling commuting in this sense: if I need public transit (I don't have a driver's license) to get somewhere, I bike. Otherwise, I walk. Yesterday I'm pretty sure I covered about 10KM walking around doing X-mas shopping and such. I'll probably do the same today. :)

MsMittens yeah but can you think of anything more reliable than walking when traveling even ?

Match rugged tires to a 7 speed drivetrain
and you have some serious reliability.
But I don't think that is the issue... at all.
Take a break from riding.
It will give you time to figure out
what you were doing wrong.

Well, depends on what you define as reliable. The downsides to walking:


- getting splashed on rainy or slushy days (getting a "soaker" is the most uncomfortable experience I've ever hard)
- getting nearly run over by cars
- shoving by super-impatient pedestrians
- being behind those that are slow and aimless (they tend to slowly zig-zag across the street)
- being manhandled by <insert person type here>
- sweating because it's too hot/humid
- frost bite because it's too cold
- takes a long time to get from A to B, especially when going between cities
- may not be practical on some roads (highways)
- could twist ankle on side walk
- could be robbed or raped


Ain't I just a handful of joy this morning.. :D

Well, depends on what you define as reliable. The downsides to walking:


- getting splashed on rainy or slushy days (getting a "soaker" is the most uncomfortable experience I've ever hard)
- getting nearly run over by cars
- shoving by super-impatient pedestrians
- being behind those that are slow and aimless (they tend to slowly zig-zag across the street)
- being manhandled by <insert person type here>
- sweating because it's too hot/humid
- frost bite because it's too cold
- takes a long time to get from A to B, especially when going between cities
- may not be practical on some roads (highways)
- could twist ankle on side walk
- could be robbed or raped


Ain't I just a handful of joy this morning.. :D

Some of those like sweating happens on a bike and frost bike. As well as getting nearly ran over by cars :(
May not be practical on some roads is possible as well. A few more are as well.

walking is too slow. biking is just the right speed for me.

[QUOTE=MsMittens]Well, depends on what you define as reliable. The downsides to walking:


- getting splashed on rainy or slushy days (getting a "soaker" is the most uncomfortable experience I've ever hard)
- getting nearly run over by cars
- shoving by super-impatient pedestrians
- being behind those that are slow and aimless (they tend to slowly zig-zag across the street)
- sweating because it's too hot/humid
- frost bite because it's too cold
- takes a long time to get from A to B, especially when going between cities
- may not be practical on some roads (highways)


All these apply to bikes, too. :o

Oh certainly. Heck, some of these could apply to even being in a car. However I don't think I've ever gotten a winter soaker when riding a bike (that is, 6 inches of slush into your boots). That seems to be a specific pedestrian experience for me.

I've caught the splash from large vehicles, but not in the winter, that would really suck.

Preventive maitainence goes a long way for ensuring reliability though. Check the other thread in this forum: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=79607

For me, walking in just too dang slow...

Not ride a bike anymore but walk where ever I want to go even if it does take longer? The reason I am thinking about that is because walking is the most reliable.

I don't know anymore. Maybe i am just tired.

If you live in a walkable community, then by all means, go right ahead. I like taking my bicycle with me even though I'll do plenty of walking. Yesterday, I must have walked about 2 or 3 miles in various neighborhoods with my bicycle. I don't have anywhere near the problems with my 7 speed or 3 speed bicycles.

Simple answer. Yes, walking is the safest and most reliable means of transport available to mankind. However, the question here is whether it's necessarily a practical means of covering the distances that one has to cover in their day to day life.

I know that I don't have time to walk 26km each day to and from work.

Not ride a bike anymore but walk where ever I want to go even if it does take longer? The reason I am thinking about that is because walking is the most reliable.

I don't know anymore. Maybe i am just tired.

If you walk you might trip and fall. Your shoes may wear out. It's more reliable to just stay home.
:)

Bikes have a good capacity for carrying loads. My mother used to do her grocery shopping with a bike. She would ride the bike into town, then push it home with a loaded basket on the handle-bars, and bags hanging on each end. Far heavier loads were carried by bike on the Ho Chi Mihn trail.

Not ride a bike anymore but walk where ever I want to go even if it does take longer? The reason I am thinking about that is because walking is the most reliable.

I don't know anymore. Maybe i am just tired.

Is anything else getting you down right now? I use my bike mainly for exercise and recreation. Seldom do I use it just for transportation. I am riding it just for the sake of riding. Most times errands, appointments, etc., I use the car. There are days when I just don't feel like riding, sometimes several in a row. Maybe there is something else bothering you right now. Take a bit of time off the bike and see how you feel.

Not ride a bike anymore but walk where ever I want to go even if it does take longer? The reason I am thinking about that is because walking is the most reliable.

I don't know anymore. Maybe i am just tired.

I rarely use my bike for anything other than training rides (40 miles or so in the country) or touring (3 months in the summer, etc). When I lived in the semi-burbs I would either walk to my destination (if it was within a few miles and i didn't need to carry anything back and forth) or take my car if it was beyond that.

Big cities are different. When I visit Boston I ride to the amtrak park/ride station and go alll the way to South Station in the city. From there you can take the T or buses or walk just about anywhere. It is so liberating: why would ANYONE want to ride their car (or bike) on those narrrow streets with pedestrians sneaking out between parked cars?

roughstuff