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-   -   Are Gas Prices Affecting Your Riding/driving? (https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus-50/433023-gas-prices-affecting-your-riding-driving.html)

DnvrFox 06-23-08 05:07 PM

Are Gas Prices Affecting Your Riding/driving?
 
Higher gas prices. Any changes in your 50+'r driving/bicycling habits?

colorado dale 06-23-08 05:40 PM

just like last yr I try not to move the car for a week at a time in the warm months
last yr i biked 1500 miles of errands ytd I'm at about 650 miles

DnvrFox 06-23-08 06:41 PM

I am using the bike for more errands and around town stuff

My wife is now driving her economy compact almost exclusively, instead of the Town and Country.

We are purposely trying to combine several trips into one.

I don't put the bike in the car and drive to rides much any more.

rainycamp 06-23-08 06:48 PM

I'm kinda stuck -- my commute is a 30-mile mostly highway drive, one way. So I'm still driving about the same amount, but my cruise control is now on 70 instead of 80, and I concentrate on driving for economy (lots of coasting, for example). I did buy a more fuel-efficient car in January, and am I glad I did!

w2brdbkr 06-23-08 06:49 PM

We are trying to combine out trips to the store as well. Don't drive across town just for one item. So far it's been hard on the wife having to plan. :lol:

I hope to use the hybrid more often but since we pass a Wal-mart & King Sooper on the way home it makes it easy to stop, just as long as we remember our list....:thumb:

vtc12ip 06-23-08 06:57 PM

We only use the car for errends when we can combine 2 or 3 stops. We use the bikes for trips to the grocery store, if it is for just a few items. The wife just put gas in her car today for the first time in 5 weeks. Helps living close to work.

DnvrFox 06-23-08 07:08 PM

Also, we are using mail/online ordering for items for which we used to drive to the shopping center.

It occurred to me that it takes about a gallon of gas to get there and back, and the delivery charges are about $5, so, with not having the wear and tear on the car, and not having to spend time driving and buy gas, we make money on the delivery.

And, the UPS truck goes by anyway, so we are not adding to their costs.

Suzie Green 06-23-08 08:01 PM

I've cut down on driving my car, mostly by taking fewer trips over the weekend. My cycling has increased very slighty, only because I now pedal to the convenience store (6 mile round trip) for milk and bread instead of taking the car.

John E 06-23-08 08:02 PM

No change here. I have always tried to minimize my driving and to bike, walk/jog, or ride transit whenever I can reasonably do so.

Tom Bombadil 06-23-08 08:08 PM

No change here. My primary car gets 30+ mpg. When gas goes up 50 cents a gallon, that increases my cost by 1.67 cents per mile. So a 40 mile round trip costs me an additional 67 cents.

As I've always keep my driving to modest numbers, the higher gas prices are having only a small impact on me.

If I lived 4-5 miles from my workplace, I would commute on occasion by bike. But being over 12 miles each way, nearly all of which would be on 50 mph roads, that's not an attractive option for me.

cranky old dude 06-23-08 08:29 PM

My wife drives a '96 Camry and seldom gases up due to excellent
trip consolidation and close proximity to the important stores.

I drive a '98 Tacoma 2WD. I used to buy 8 to 8.5 gallons of gas every 10
days. I'm on my fourth tank of gas this year...last fillup was 05/11/2008.
We're using the money that isn't going into the tanks for filling the refridgerator
instead, so we're still getting the short end of the stick so to speak.

Louis 06-23-08 09:30 PM

Not much change here. 95% of my rides start from home. I'm retired and we don't go too many places as it is, so it's only a minor gripe.

Although I do feel sorry for my kids and grandkids who are feeling it.

SaiKaiTai 06-23-08 10:53 PM

I'd love to forego the car and ride the bike to work but that just isn't realistic for my situation.
So, I'm just telecommuting more while the boss allows it.
But I'm still riding about 200 miles a month so that hasn't changed

Rober 06-23-08 11:01 PM

I answered "something else" because the change I have made is I now commute to work in addition to my regular riding. It is a 22 mile round trip on mostly flat ground. I can average about 17 MPH, depending on the wind direction, on my road bike and about 14 MPH on my touring bike. Saved 40 bucks in gas last week!

solveg 06-23-08 11:05 PM

I work from wherever I'm at, and I live in a first tier suburb of the cities, so when I'm at home I can go 2-3 weeks on a tank.

In the summer, my main place is up north, and I have to go into the cities once a week for a couple of days. So that's 180 miles a week right there. When I'm up north, I don't put on many miles unless I'm really going* somewhere to see something. In general, though, I don't drive too much.

In Kansas I put on a ton of miles. I'd say 50 on an average day, 120 a few days of the week. 300 mile days once or twice a month. Once I get settled down there I should have a lot fewer errands and things to get, and it should decrease my mileage substantially.

But I'm kinda glad gas prices are high. I don't want devastation to happen to people, and I wish it had happened more slowly. But I think some good things will come out of it, and since I assume oil will run dry at some point it may take high gas prices to get us to explore other fuels.

Another interesting trend has happened. The Twin Cities has some really bad urban sprawl, with people regularly working 20-40 from where they live. There seems to be a lot of moms pulling kids out of day care. I guess they ran the numbers and realized that it might be more cost effective for one of them to stay home with the kids when you combine the gas prices with the day care prices. Or, one parent has been layed off...

Catweazle 06-24-08 03:47 AM

'Something else'.

I'm riding more and driving less, but that's not the result of increased fuel prices. It's because I've fallen in love with riding.

I'm buzzed for sure that a side-effect of it all is a decreased drain on my wallet, at a time when I'd otherwise be having an increased drain on my wallet!

:D

Bill Kapaun 06-24-08 03:50 AM

Since I don't have a car, I only use gas for the lawn mower. I'm stretching that out a few days longer between mowings though. Can't pass up a good excuse!:)

One thing I am doing, is keeping a much closer eye on my bike when it's parked! I figure the odds of theft increase with the price of gas.

Something I've always tended to do, is keep a grocery list.
IF I happen to be going by the grocery store for some other reason, I'll stop in on the way home and pick up a couple items that I can carry easily, to reduce the amount of trips with an uncomfortably heavy load.

Beverly 06-24-08 06:14 AM

I really haven't changed my driving habits due to the higher prices. I still have the long commute to work but that will end with my retirement in October.

I've always shared rides with others to out of town bike events and will continue to do so. I do plan on using the bike for more around town errands after retirement.

Neil_B 06-24-08 07:34 AM

I planned to switch to bike commuting most work days following my tour, but my crash two weeks ago stopped that for now. Once my fractured rib heals, I'll be out there commuting.

Rick@OCRR 06-24-08 07:51 AM

My work commute is 23 miles each way, but I drive a Honda Insight and get 65+ mpg, so it's not too bad.

I've been doing more training rides from home, but still have some long drives to event rides. With the bike(s) on the rack (instead of on the luggage tray behind the seats) mileage goes down to 60 mpg.

Rick / OCRR

richking1953 06-24-08 08:50 AM

car-lite is tough for me because I'm in a rural area 15 miles from town (Morgan Hill). I used to bike commute but now "virtual commute". The "big city" (downtown San Jose) is 30 miles away but I'm 15 miles from light rail line. So I've
-traded in one driving trip per week to MH for a biking trip
-started using bike/light rail to get to downtown SJ
-omitted frivolous driving trips to town/consoldiated trips.

PaulH 06-24-08 09:46 AM

I only fill up once a month, so I don't have a good day-to-day feel for the price of gas.

Paul

Louis 06-24-08 07:55 PM

I used to hand the cashier a $20 which filled my lawnmower gas cans with some to spare for the car. Nowadays I hand her $30...it doesn't even fill the cans.:bang:

AAX 06-24-08 11:48 PM

I don't have a car anymore,but I did get a moped. For longer distances and higher speeds
In and around town I still use my bike, but with severe ostio-athrites in both feet I don't know
how much longer I can still push the pedals.

oilman_15106 06-25-08 09:14 AM

The adverse weather has reduced the cycling miles greatly. Rain and more rain. Driving has been reduced somewhat by better planning of shopping trips, etc.


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