Living Car Free - Walk how far before opting for the bike?

After being multimodal for an employer that was located 26 miles away via the most direct route in a car, but was longer than that in both time and distance doing the bus/bike thing, I recently started a new job in my town that is less than 2.5 miles away. So far, I have biked it and/or caught a ride in and hiked home.

To be honest, I think that I prefer walking over biking for this distance.

How far would you be willing to hike before reaching for the bike?

I'll take the bike for the <1-mile ride to my mother-in-law's house to help her out. Then again, I don't like walking if I don't have to.

It depends on the weather and the neighborhood. I walk a few blocks to the post office in the winter. In summer I use my Xootr most of the time. I wouldn't want to walk three miles to work. I also don't want to pull out the bicycle just to go to the post office.

In a bad neighborhood I would prefer riding a bicycle quickly through it than slowly walking through it. The distance wouldn't matter much. For me walking one mile would be about my limit unless I was in the mood to walk. The farthest I've ever walked for fun is four and a half miles. I definitely wouldn't want to do that daily.

I don't like walking at all. I have a leg length discrepancy that has resulted in my knees and ankles being messed up.

Very simply, it hurts to walk. As such, whenever the opportunity provides itself to ride, instead of walking, I ride.

(I am still trying to find a precedent, or study, to provide my doctor, in the states, in order to get a letter of medical instruction to ride my bike rather than walking. He has never heard of such a thing and dosn't want to be the first.)

2 blocks or so. Possibly longer if there are stairs at either end of route, cuz I hate carrying bike up stairs just a little bit more than walking.

A kilometer or so then I'll sometimes take a skateboard instead of bike.

i've thought about using a skateboard, but there isn't enough smooth pavement to warrant getting one. If I could find one with wide pneumatic tires instead of the usual wheels, then maybe...

I think a half hour, maybe 45 minutes one way. I carry my stuff in a back pack. I walk fairly fast so that's probably in the 3 mile range.

It's almost a draw because a big reason I bike is for the exercise, and I can't get what I want from walking. As a runner I can't walk fast enough to get a work out unless I'm going up a pretty good hill or carrying a heavy load. So it is possible I would be willing to ride my bike to work 2 miles if I was going to go 15 home, something along those lines.

Me? Under 1km. Which gets you just about nowhere in my town.

Dunno, but I guess I'm a freak or something. I've never really had a problem with walking to get somewhere, even if there were other options. Of course, I'm a introvert and asocial, so the solitude doesn't really bother me. And with my glaucoma, it's just a matter of time that biking will no longer be an option.

If my bike is available I tend to use it for trips longer than about half a mile. But I used to walk 1.75 miles to the train station, ride the train for 15 minutes, and walk another .75 mile at the other end. After work I would do the same trip in reverse. Hiking and backpacking for recreation, 10 to 15 miles isn't uncommon for me.

What is funny is when I visit London, I walk all over the place. I guess because I don't have a folding bike to take along with me.

Then again, I don't mind the walk when I am there. I actually enjoy it. I guess it really depends on where I am at...

I enjoy walking very much and often will walk 2-3 miles one way to see friends or run errands rather than taking a bike, and I regularly do 6-8 mile walks with Apache on weekends just for the exercise and to enjoy the outdoors. I have also often had friends stop and express surprise or concern when they find me walking 4 or 5 miles from home while listening to my MP3 player. For me it is relaxing and I enjoy the opportunity to slow down the pace of life and just "wander".

If I need to carry much in my backpack while on an errand though I will usually take the bike, or if I think that I might find myself needing to making additional stops or anticipate having a change in plan while out, I will take one of the bikes. Otherwise it really depends more on how critical the time factor is. I have been carfree for so long that walking is just another normal method of transportation for me.

About 2 miles...however I have been found walking up to 4 miles from home, just out wandering. If I have any load at all it is going to be on a bike, regardless of the distance involved. Depending on several factors I would probably bike that distance to work. To walk that would take me just about 40 minutes, riding less than 15.

Aaron :)

If I'm carrying stuff, the bike gets pressed into service for anything over about 3-4 blocks. I hate lugging heavy backpacks or bags.

Well, unless I'm on my way back from a store run, I always walk to the convenience store 1/8 of a mile away. I usually ride to the Post Office which is about 6 blocks away. So the dividing line is somewhere between them.

But it all depends on temperment. I have been known to walk a couple of miles. But in general, if I can get there significantly faster on a bike, that's the way I go.

....I recently started a new job in my town that is less than 2.5 miles away. So far, I have biked it and/or caught a ride in and hiked home.

To be honest, I think that I prefer walking over biking for this distance.



I prefer to ride, a 50 minute walk versus a 15 minute ride is a no brainer for me, add in over an extra hour round trip every workday, that equates to 20 hours extra a month. With that amount of time, one can do a serious amount of errands after work.

Depends on how much time I have. If I have the time, I'll walk. I like walking and my 3yo likes running around in circles and interacting with his environment. If I'm by myself, I'm happy walking for an hour. With kids, no more than 1.5km as I run out of patience past that point.

If I have to carry anything, I'd rather have the bike to bear the weight. :)

I have walked the 3.5 miles from work to home once. I don't normally do it because I have to carry a laptop and the shortest route goes through a part of town I don't want to carry a laptop though.

Most of the time I'd rather ride. I have a single-speed bike with dyno-lights that's perfect for those half-mile beer runs. :)

For a daily commute, I would probably walk to work up to about 3 km (2 miles). There is very little exercise value in that short a bike commute, and the walking would provide that seamless daily exercise. For a longer commute, walking would take too long. If my commute was 3 km or less, I would only bike on days I intended to go on a rec ride after work, ie. taking the long way home.

For errands, I typically walk up to about 1.75 km (around a mile) to the bank or drugstore. However I take the bike if I am buying a few bags of goods.

So about the same as Aaron, it seems.

I've been walking to work fairly often since I got a shorter (1.75 mile) commute. My arthritis and various injuries make bike riding uncomfortable for the first couple miles, so I save the bike for longer trips. I'm lucky to commute through a pretty area (bike or walk) and I have a variety of routes I can take to prevent boredom.

Years ago, before I "discovered" bikes, I would almost always walk 5, 10, or even 20 miles a day.

For, a single lockup procedure takes about 100m of walking so anything under 300m is slower by bike.
I also factor in where I can lock the bike locally, ie how close to my destination.
I do like to wake up my walking muscles occasionally and keep them in shape.
Generally anything within 500m is a walk and often 1km is a walk.

I prefer to ride, a 50 minute walk versus a 15 minute ride is a no brainer for me, add in over an extra hour round trip every workday, that equates to 20 hours extra a month. With that amount of time, one can do a serious amount of errands after work.
There is that. However, even if I walked to this job, I will still see a net savings over what my previous multimodal commute took- on average of 4 hrs daily. I'm still getting used to this new sleep/work cycle, so I imagine I'll come to my senses eventually.

This job is one of those "take something, anything" type of scenarios. Temp to perm, but no guarantee I'll make the cut. Even though the pay is less than my last job (-$5.50/hr), I'm getting a full 40 hrs- and with virtually no transportation costs, it's totally doable.

My walking limit is about 3-4 blocks one way. More than that, I get out the bike.

Walking, though healthy, is something that must be endured; riding is something that, even at distances of 1/2-mile or less, is to be enjoyed!

My walking limit is about 3-4 blocks one way. More than that, I get out the bike.

Walking, though healthy, is something that must be endured; riding is something that, even at distances of 1/2-mile or less, is to be enjoyed!As long as the bike is a proper fit, then yes. But if the frame is a bit too large and you didn't realize that there was more to checking fit than simply the stand over test??

I live about 1.5 miles away from the town centre, which is where I usually shop. Mostly I walk there - it takes just under a half-hour each way. If I'm short of time, I ride. And I would certainly tend to ride were it two miles or more.

I like walking. And I think it a good idea to vary one's exercise; cycling is great, I ride maybe 150 miles a week on average now that I don't have a car, but walking and running provide benefits that cycling does not.

If I walk more than a few blocks I will get blisters without taking precautions. Years ago a guy I met taught me a way to avoid them. He said that if I wore thin nylon socks against my feet and then covered them with my favorite cotton or polyester thick sock it would prevent blisters. The way it works is the nylon allows the foot to move freely against the other sock. Without that barrier the skin would stick to the thick sock, which would be sticking to the shoe once perspiration made everything sticky. That means that as the shoe moved against the sock and foot it would drag and tear the skin which causes blisters. This method really works for me.

Though I would like to become a barefoot walker it isn't practical. I might try making my feet tougher this summer by walking barefoot for a while. I only learned of the benefits of it this winter so I'm just getting around to testing it, weather permitting.

If I walk more than a few blocks I will get blisters without taking precautions. Years ago a guy I met taught me a way to avoid them. He said that if I wore thin nylon socks against my feet and then covered them with my favorite cotton or polyester thick sock it would prevent blisters. The way it works is the nylon allows the foot to move freely against the other sock. Without that barrier the skin would stick to the thick sock, which would be sticking to the shoe once perspiration made everything sticky. That means that as the shoe moved against the sock and foot it would drag and tear the skin which causes blisters. This method really works for me.

Though I would like to become a barefoot walker it isn't practical. I might try making my feet tougher this summer by walking barefoot for a while. I only learned of the benefits of it this winter so I'm just getting around to testing it, weather permitting.My problem with barefoot walking is all the broken glass in the city. Are you going to get those "barefoot" shoes that look like rubber foot gloves?





http://www.rei.com/pix/expertAdvice/articles/ea4028_805275.jpg

About 500 feet.

There is that. However, even if I walked to this job, I will still see a net savings over what my previous multimodal commute took- on average of 4 hrs daily. I'm still getting used to this new sleep/work cycle, so I imagine I'll come to my senses eventually.

This job is one of those "take something, anything" type of scenarios. Temp to perm, but no guarantee I'll make the cut. Even though the pay is less than my last job (-$5.50/hr), I'm getting a full 40 hrs- and with virtually no transportation costs, it's totally doable.

Good luck with the new job! :)

i've thought about using a skateboard, but there isn't enough smooth pavement to warrant getting one. If I could find one with wide pneumatic tires instead of the usual wheels, then maybe...

I'd love to build one of these. I'd imagine you'd be able to work it by using the wheels from a powered wheelchair or something of similar size, welded on to extended skateboard axles.

My walking limit is about 3-4 blocks one way. More than that, I get out the bike.

Walking, though healthy, is something that must be endured; riding is something that, even at distances of 1/2-mile or less, is to be enjoyed!

I like walking. I didn't know some people "endure" it. Now going at toddler speed, sometimes I'm just enduring it.

I'd love to build one of these. I'd imagine you'd be able to work it by using the wheels from a powered wheelchair or something of similar size, welded on to extended skateboard axles.

They make lots of different dirt boards. Non-motorized ones are typically kinda slow in non-downhill situations. But ya know, I did see a guy commuting to work on a perfectly smooth street on a Surly Pugsly once.
http://wardley.org/images/boards/dirtboard/upangle_large.png

http://www.firstbtob.com/upload/20090410/46c2b207eddfe76d2baaa0373f99107e.jpg

If I walk more than a few blocks I will get blisters without taking precautions. Years ago a guy I met taught me a way to avoid them. He said that if I wore thin nylon socks against my feet and then covered them with my favorite cotton or polyester thick sock it would prevent blisters. The way it works is the nylon allows the foot to move freely against the other sock. Without that barrier the skin would stick to the thick sock, which would be sticking to the shoe once perspiration made everything sticky. That means that as the shoe moved against the sock and foot it would drag and tear the skin which causes blisters. This method really works for me.

Though I would like to become a barefoot walker it isn't practical. I might try making my feet tougher this summer by walking barefoot for a while. I only learned of the benefits of it this winter so I'm just getting around to testing it, weather permitting.

There are benefits to barefoot walking? What are they? I always did that on my grandparents farm and sometimes cheat and walk to the nearby parks barefoot. Unfortunately, when people realize how caloused my feet are, they're grossed out. No young woman likes being told her feet are gross. All of the paths and roads around the farm are rocky like this: http://www.edenlandscapingllc.com/html/driveway_5.html Same as the beaches I used to swim at. I've also given up on my shoes hiking up in Algonquin Park a few times when my shoes hurt. I'd rather go barefoot than invest in good hiking shoes seeing as I'm just fine barefoot if it isn't freezing out. My mother and sisters are the same, preferring barefoot.

I like walking. I didn't know some people "endure" it. Now going at toddler speed, sometimes I'm just enduring it.

I like shorter walks around town and long walks in the woods. Walking the 3.8 miles to work is something I've done but not something I ever want to do.

I like shorter walks around town and long walks in the woods. Walking the 3.8 miles to work is something I've done but not something I ever want to do.

I guess it really depends on the schedule and the scenery.

I'd love to build one of these. I'd imagine you'd be able to work it by using the wheels from a powered wheelchair or something of similar size, welded on to extended skateboard axles.

I have seen skateboards with large wheels 10" range with pneumatic or semi-pneumatic tires. Not sure where I saw them or what they were for, but they had to be better for rough roads than the little wheels that are normally used.

Aaron :)

No more than a mile for me for walking. The furthest I would ride is 5 miles and after that I would take mass transit.

2.5 to 3 km also for me is the tipping point; being able to juste walk home from work, if it' under 30min is so much less fuzz. If you ever have to be in trouble with your bike, whatever that will be, it sucks to have to walk when you're short on time ( i usually don't have a toolkit around if I bike to work/around for no more than 5-10 km in an urban area). And drivers around Qc City are becoming more awful to bikes. Sometimes it feels safer just to walk than take the bike. This and bike thief, and me always ending up wet when I'm biking (even with full-on fenders, I still find a way). Sometimes also, it's much more of a hassle to lock your bike when you are working in a huge building, and then go to the front door than simply walk in. And huh, huge thing, there are hills everywhere around here, so sometimes a 20 min walk is close to a sweaty 15 min bike for the same trip :-p

I would say that under 2 km, I walk, 2-3 km, If I want/have to run around I'll sometimes bike, but more than 3 km I ride. If the weather is totally foolish, I prefer to walk longer than bike (i.e. snowstorms, hailstorms). And, sometimes if I have around 3-7 km to go somewhere, I run there with a small backpack, then come home running... or by bus if I feel lazy (much more likely if I already did 8-10 km of running).

I'm also the kind of girl that loves to overlook other peoples' trashes, so if I just see something that I like, I grab it and go. If it's too big and I can't carry it on my bike, I don't like to walk a bike looking foolish with whatever big thing I'm carrying (stumbled upon an older pair of xc skis: the bindings were perfect, so I grabbed the skis, but I was on my bike, and only for about 2,5 km.... I walked my bike for 1.5 km with bike in one hand, and skis in the other. Walking would have been better)

Walking 2.5 miles would take too long for a daily commute, but it would be a neat distance for running.

Indeed, a 4 km (close to 2.5 mi) is a nice running commute: you don't get too exhausted, you can simply wipe out and change when you come to work, your running clothes are not totally wet (so you are asured they'll dry completely), and at the end of the day, you got an 8 km run in, which is pretty decent.

I enjoy walking outside and by the good fortune of my life choices I get to everyday. From walking fence lines, checking livestock, assessing crops, evaluating range, or doing field work with one of the dogs.

When your used to walking a you will not break a sweat unless increase your pace or the terrain gets harder.

Walking will assist in increasing and maintaining bone density, I have read that riding actually results in loss of bone density because there is less stress on your skeletal structure or something like that.

Walk for a warm or cool down after your bike rides.

I enjoy walking outside and by the good fortune of my life choices I get to everyday. From walking fence lines, checking livestock, assessing crops, evaluating range, or doing field work with one of the dogs.

When your used to walking a you will not break a sweat unless increase your pace or the terrain gets harder.

Walking will assist in increasing and maintaining bone density, I have read that riding actually results in loss of bone density because there is less stress on your skeletal structure or something like that.

Walk for a warm or cool down after your bike rides.

I agree that if you really want to be fit you have to do some walking. Another idea is to ride your bike to a nature area (where bikes are usually not allowed), take a nice hike and ride your bike back home. Sometimes I even rent a boat and row or paddle for a while. A short swim in the lake would really complete the day.

I like exercise, but only if I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere.

How far would you be willing to hike before reaching for the bike?

I would be willing to walk no further than my garage where I keep my bicycle herd.

There are benefits to barefoot walking? What are they?

Typically those who walk barefoot have stronger feet. It does depend on how you walk too. Supportive shoes tend to be nothing more than a crutch. Think of this, if you walk and repetitively strike your heel into the ground hard, that isn't good for your feet. So the supportive and cushioned shoes help reduce this impact, but it is still there.

By walking in minimalist shoes, or barefoot, I find that I really pay attention to how I walk and therefore walk better (normally slower). There are several benefits to barefoot walking, but you have to be listening to your body. Heel striking barefoot on concrete would hurt after a while. :)

Up to 2.5 kilometres one way is a comfortable distance for walking, but I still prefer riding the bike, even for short distances. I like my bike and I like to ride it every chance I get.

Typically those who walk barefoot have stronger feet. It does depend on how you walk too. Supportive shoes tend to be nothing more than a crutch. Think of this, if you walk and repetitively strike your heel into the ground hard, that isn't good for your feet. So the supportive and cushioned shoes help reduce this impact, but it is still there.

By walking in minimalist shoes, or barefoot, I find that I really pay attention to how I walk and therefore walk better (normally slower). There are several benefits to barefoot walking, but you have to be listening to your body. Heel striking barefoot on concrete would hurt after a while. :)

I think I would have hurt myself by now going barefoot if I bashed my heels into the ground. I don't know that I really pay attention to how I walk, so much as I pay attention to where I walk.

Another benefit to walking barefoot is the grounding effect. There are people who claim that making contact with the Earth directly with one's bare feet improves the electrical balance of the body. It releases free radical electrons and gets rid of inflammation. It helps to balance the body's electrical system which helps all aspects of health. Look for videos online about grounding or Earthing. They will explain some of the theory.

I would be willing to walk no further than my garage where I keep my bicycle herd.
Same here.

I would be willing to walk no further than my garage where I keep my bicycle herd.

:D

I read a book about the lifestyle of the European professional bike racers. Evidently they believe that walking saps their strength. They make their wives or girlfriends drive the car right to the door so they don't have to walk. Also, they won't live in an upstairs apartment unless there is an elevator.

Walking 2.5 miles would take too long for a daily commute, but it would be a neat distance for running.


Indeed, a 4 km (close to 2.5 mi) is a nice running commute: you don't get too exhausted, you can simply wipe out and change when you come to work, your running clothes are not totally wet (so you are asured they'll dry completely), and at the end of the day, you got an 8 km run in, which is pretty decent.

Y'all made me think...actually a 2.5 mile "commute" to work by walking isn't all that bad in the grand scheme of things. My office is about 42 miles from the house (I only go in about once a month) however a couple of the clowns that work there commute 15 miles or so across town to get there, they typically spend 45 minutes or so on the commute due to traffic, then they leave and go to the gym to work out, so a 45 minute walk to work and a 45 minute walk home might just be to their advantage. :D

Aaron :)