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Walk how far before opting for the bike?

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Living Car Free Do you live car free or car light? Do you prefer to use alternative transportation (bicycles, walking, other human-powered or public transportation) for everyday activities whenever possible? Discuss your lifestyle here.

Walk how far before opting for the bike?

Old 03-27-12, 05:30 PM
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Anything up to 1.5km and I'll walk. If I have time and its less than 70km I'll take the bicycle. Anything over 70km or if I'm short on time the motorcycle gets a turn. The car... that gets used if I have no other options.
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Old 03-27-12, 06:16 PM
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I do enough walking ON the job; my workplace is about 5-1/4 acres under roof, and I'm all over the place in there. That's enough, more makes the calves stiffen up. Besides, pedaling brings a smile to my face, EVERY TIME.
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Old 03-27-12, 08:54 PM
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Sort of off topic; but, I was going to mark google maps with "live here" "walk to here" "ride to here" type of tags; but, I can not figure out how. Can someone tell me how to mark up a map and post it?
https://maps.google.com.hk/maps?q=xin...nt=3,0x0:0x0,0

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Old 03-28-12, 02:42 PM
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Walking is boring... I can walk maybe two blocks before regretting not taking a bike
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Old 03-28-12, 04:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Underground
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.
More like a torture device. Bought me a pair of them fancy schmancy Dr. Scholl's shoes to wear while at work- and my feet hurt even more . If those VFF and their knock offs weren't so pricey, I sure would like to give those a shot...
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Old 03-28-12, 08:39 PM
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Completely depends on the day and my mood. Less than 1.5 miles, I usually walk, after that, up to about 10 miles, I'll bike it. Beyond that and the weather, I'll drive it if necessary or wait for a better day.....
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Old 03-29-12, 04:38 PM
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I usually walk to places in my neighborhood that are up to 1.5 miles one way, and pedal or drive to some others that are 4 - 6 miles away. One of these days I'm going to walk the 4+ miles to my GFs place, and walk back the next day.

Most of my neighbors think I'm strange for walking "all that distance" to the store (the up to 1.5 mile trip) when I can ride my bike or drive, as well as riding my bike to work (the 6 mile journey) when I can drive. Kind of like the returning Harley rider who was surprised when I told him I was going to ride 50 miles all in 1 day.
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Old 03-29-12, 09:35 PM
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If I'm going somewhere that is less than three miles away, I always walk there. If I'm going someplace that is less than six miles away, I sometimes walk and sometimes ride. If it is less than three hundred miles away, I ride my bike. If it is more than three hundred miles away, I may use the train and/or ride my bike. Buses and cars are only used as a last resort.
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Old 03-29-12, 11:44 PM
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I would walk about 3 miles, bike about 25 miles one way if commuting to work, 30+ miles take the car.
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Old 03-31-12, 01:05 AM
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Lots of predetermining factors to take into consideration, but I'd say if its more than 2 miles, I'm getting the bike.
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Old 04-03-12, 07:02 PM
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I think my limit for walking to work or store would be 1.5 to 2 miles. As it is I walk 3-5 miles for exercise every other day and I enjoy it immensely, but I would not want to have to carry packages or bags that far.

Currently my bike is my go-to option for most errands under 30-miles R/T, and I think my absolute limit for biking on an errand would be 40-50 miles R/T. This is based on my suspicion that I would be physically incapable of finishing anything further in a timely (to me) fashion.
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Old 04-03-12, 09:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Cyclepup
I think my limit for walking to work or store would be 1.5 to 2 miles. As it is I walk 3-5 miles for exercise every other day and I enjoy it immensely, but I would not want to have to carry packages or bags that far.
But if you carry the load in a backpack, it makes the exercise much more effective.
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Old 04-03-12, 10:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Roody
But if you carry the load in a backpack, it makes the exercise much more effective.
Shoulder pain has made wearing a backpack very uncomfortable in recent years, otherwise that would be doable. My hands/arms/shoulders are all rebelling against me :-(
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Old 04-07-12, 06:59 PM
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I walk more often than I bike. In fact, in conjunction with the bus, I'll walk just about anywhere. But knees and feet start to hurt after five or six miles, and a typical trip for me involves no more than a couple of miles of walking. I mostly use the bike for trips when I need to carry large and/or heavy items, or just for fun, or when I want to go somewhere that's just not practical to walk to. For example, there's a lake I like to visit occasionally, and while it's only a couple of miles to get there, if I want to go around the lake it adds another 2.5 miles or so, and then I'd have to walk home again. That also requires walking up the brutally steep hill to get there. That sucks on a bike, too, but overall the trip is MUCH easier. I can also take the bus there, but to do so requires me to go downtown first (the opposite direction) on one bus, then catch another bus to the lake. Just getting there that way takes a good 45 minutes, assuming I time the buses right. And coming back takes even longer because of the way the bus route runs. So biking definitely wins in that situation. In fact, I may ride there tomorrow.
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Old 04-07-12, 09:22 PM
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I hate running and not a big fan of walking.

I have a bike(20" minivelo with a basket ) locked up outside my building and use that to go around. I use other bikes when I have to travel more than 10km.
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Old 04-08-12, 10:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Lamplight
I walk more often than I bike. In fact, in conjunction with the bus, I'll walk just about anywhere. But knees and feet start to hurt after five or six miles, and a typical trip for me involves no more than a couple of miles of walking. I mostly use the bike for trips when I need to carry large and/or heavy items, or just for fun, or when I want to go somewhere that's just not practical to walk to. For example, there's a lake I like to visit occasionally, and while it's only a couple of miles to get there, if I want to go around the lake it adds another 2.5 miles or so, and then I'd have to walk home again. That also requires walking up the brutally steep hill to get there. That sucks on a bike, too, but overall the trip is MUCH easier. I can also take the bus there, but to do so requires me to go downtown first (the opposite direction) on one bus, then catch another bus to the lake. Just getting there that way takes a good 45 minutes, assuming I time the buses right. And coming back takes even longer because of the way the bus route runs. So biking definitely wins in that situation. In fact, I may ride there tomorrow.
That's another great thing about a bike ... it's very easy on joints. At least until you actually do impact something... then it gets brutal.

I have the same problem though. A couple of miles and I'm suffering from knee pain (although if I was standing in my driveway for the same period of time, I'd have more knee pain.)

Still... a nice walk is a wonderful thing. You get to see lots of things you never see on a car or even a bike.
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Old 04-08-12, 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by gerv
That's another great thing about a bike ... it's very easy on joints. At least until you actually do impact something... then it gets brutal.

I have the same problem though. A couple of miles and I'm suffering from knee pain (although if I was standing in my driveway for the same period of time, I'd have more knee pain.)

Still... a nice walk is a wonderful thing. You get to see lots of things you never see on a car or even a bike.
Everybody's different. My arthritic knee can tolerat walking during a flare-up, but not riding. I think it's because I have to bend my knee further to pedal than to walk. Like you, just standing still is the worst thing I can do for my knee.
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Old 04-08-12, 04:53 PM
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My knees don't get really bad unless I try to run, or jump off of something, or if I have to stand for a very long time. Biking is mostly pretty easy on my knees as long as I don't push too hard. I just have to remember to spin instead of mash, which can be difficult because I've always been more of a masher. Also, before I moved here and started walking everywhere, my knees were actually worse. When I first moved here I was taking a prescription daily to dull the pain, and I could still only walk a mile or two before hurting. Biking was only a little better. But I guess all the walking I've done throughout the winter has strengthened my knees somehow, because now I can walk three or four times as far without feeling anything but a dull, subtle ache, which is more of a nuisance than a true pain. But running is a big no-no for me, not that I ever liked running anyway. And both of you, standing is the worst. In fact, I think my last job, where I would stand on concrete for 8+ hours ever day, is what screwed up my knees in the first place.
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Old 04-09-12, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by no1mad
How far would you be willing to hike before reaching for the bike?
15-20 minutes ... After that the time savings through cycling more than offset the loss of time required to unlock/lock the bike at the ends of the journey.
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Old 04-10-12, 07:21 PM
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OK, I guess I have the exception that 'confuses' the rule. Or, a couple:

1. The other day, I took my nephew (9) to the local convenience store; it was 2 blocks further than we've walked in over a year. Each way. But he wanted a Honey Bun, and I wanted chocolate milk, so....

2. This evening, my neph wanted to "go for a walk". Too chilly/windy for him to ride, and I had a BAD day (shoulder's still on fire, been home 4 hours), but we went walking. Odd thing about the block we live on -- all the way around it is a MILE! I measured it a couple years ago!
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Old 04-11-12, 10:47 AM
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Originally Posted by DX-MAN
OK, I guess I have the exception that 'confuses' the rule. Or, a couple:

1. The other day, I took my nephew (9) to the local convenience store; it was 2 blocks further than we've walked in over a year. Each way. But he wanted a Honey Bun, and I wanted chocolate milk, so....

2. This evening, my neph wanted to "go for a walk". Too chilly/windy for him to ride, and I had a BAD day (shoulder's still on fire, been home 4 hours), but we went walking. Odd thing about the block we live on -- all the way around it is a MILE! I measured it a couple years ago!
That's a big block! It's probably good for cycling (fewer intersections) but TERRIBLE for walking.
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Old 04-12-12, 06:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Lamplight
My knees don't get really bad unless I try to run, or jump off of something, or if I have to stand for a very long time. Biking is mostly pretty easy on my knees as long as I don't push too hard. I just have to remember to spin instead of mash, which can be difficult because I've always been more of a masher. Also, before I moved here and started walking everywhere, my knees were actually worse. When I first moved here I was taking a prescription daily to dull the pain, and I could still only walk a mile or two before hurting. Biking was only a little better. But I guess all the walking I've done throughout the winter has strengthened my knees somehow, because now I can walk three or four times as far without feeling anything but a dull, subtle ache, which is more of a nuisance than a true pain. But running is a big no-no for me, not that I ever liked running anyway. And both of you, standing is the worst. In fact, I think my last job, where I would stand on concrete for 8+ hours ever day, is what screwed up my knees in the first place.
One thing about getting used to exercise is that it builds up muscles that actually protect the joints from stressful impact. Maybe that's what's going on with you. I know I used to have more aches and pains before I started cycling.... and I was much younger then!
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Old 04-12-12, 11:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Roody
That's a big block! It's probably good for cycling (fewer intersections) but TERRIBLE for walking.
Yeah -- takes a level of COMMITMENT. But my neph is up for it pretty much any time.

Last year, he wanted to take his new scooter on that trip; along the way, he HOPPED the thing over breaks in the pavement!
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Old 04-14-12, 07:14 PM
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For commuting to work, my general guidelines would be to walk 0 to 2 miles, bike 2 to 5 miles, bus or drive over 5. In actual practice, I bike to work six miles because that's where work is and the bike trip is faster than the bus trip, and I bike less than two miles when I am running errands because it's faster.
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Old 04-15-12, 06:00 PM
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Originally Posted by swwhite
For commuting to work, my general guidelines would be to walk 0 to 2 miles, bike 2 to 5 miles, bus or drive over 5. In actual practice, I bike to work six miles because that's where work is and the bike trip is faster than the bus trip, and I bike less than two miles when I am running errands because it's faster.
When my commute was a 9-miler, I would get to work about the same time whether I rode the bike or took the bus. I would only take the bus, though, when surface conditions were too bad for the bike (which I doubt will happen anymore, since I have some Schwalbe Spikers!).

ONE day, it was fun -- I've never been in a bus that went down a road sideways! (icy road....)
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