Originally Posted by
Artkansas
I was a teen in the Tampa Bay area and did all my commuting to school by bicycle. With fenders and a raincoat you should stay generally dry. You don't say how long your commute is, which is a major consideration. Orlando is generally pretty flat so you don't need major bicycling firepower. Three speeds are all you need really. And unless you have extreme distances, a used bike properly chosen, will deliver what you need for far less than $800.00. My current ride is a mountain bike streetified with slick tires, fenders, lights, a rack and it ran me about $100.00 total when I first got it and accessorized it. (Yeah the bike was a FREEBIE!) Admittedly, after 5 years of hard service I did put it in for an overhaul and spent 300 on that. LOL.
Basically you are washable. Unlike the Wicked Witch of the West, you won't melt. If you just put dry clothes in a sealed plastic bag and get wet, you'll still get where you are going. The rain in Florida tends to be warmer, so choosing to just get wet is a doable option. And I noticed that when I lived there, it may rain frequently, but it doesn't rain all day. I used to time my recreational rides in summer. Ride west in the morning, turn back east when I saw clouds and arrive home just before the rain. You will often be able to time your ride to avoid the rain. Modern weather services such as weather.gov make doing this much easier.
And yes, your father is trying to do what is best for you... as he sees it. At times, my father opposed my bicycle commuting which I didn't understand since he had bicycle commuted himself. Turned out that stopped when he got hit by a car pulling out of a driveway. He even urged me to ride a motorcycle instead. Though that sentiment disappeared when my step-brother got left-hooked by a schoolbus on his motorcycle.
So yes, the streets out there are tough. I attribute my current fearlessness in traffic to my days in Sarasota, St. Pete and Tampa. Take care to learn the ways of traffic. The League of American Bicyclists offer courses in
Traffic Skills 101, Traffic Skills 201, and Commuting. Taking classes like these may go a long way towards convincing your parents that you will be safe and that you are committed to doing it right.
Good luck.
Thanks for the links, Artkansas! I'll definitely take the time to look into them and consider taking a few classes if I can't find the information through research!
Originally Posted by
LarryMelman
Yeah, yeah. You only want to hear that you're right, so of course I must be "negative" or "insulting." No, no. That won't fly.
You are making grand uninformed plans when there is absolutely no need to. This is what your father is trying to tell you. Maybe you should listen.
You said you'd never commuted by bike and have very limited biking experience. Does it really make sense to commit most of your earthly funds to biking, then? Absolutely not! You could borrow a bike for a while. Rent one if you can. Buy a used bike if you must. You might find that after one commute, that you totally hate it and will never do it again. Or you might find, like most of us, that bike commuting can be an occasional replacement for a car... but that you really do need both.
Pull your head out of the clouds and stop worrying about "taking full advantage of my youth". Whatever that even means. Use some common sense. Your father would like that.
I don't know what your deal is, LarryMelman. Or why it is you've chosen to bash my aspirations. But, yes. I would like to hear that commuting would be the way to go, rather than purchasing a car, along with all of the future maintenance and fuel that I would need in as well.
You're correct about me having never "commuted" with a bike and have had very limited biking experience. But what it seems that you can't understand is everyone has to start somewhere... I would actually say I have the same amount of biking experience as any Average Joe. Biking around the city as a kid, and my occasional rental of road bikes at a few trails. And whether you read it or not, I did mention that I rode 40 or so miles before, and I enjoyed every minute of it. (except for when everyone wanted to take a break...)
But if I did not mention before, I'm seeing commuting as more than just commuting, but a sort of gateway for me to gain experience with a bicycle and the "bicycle world". Helping me prepare myself in taking on triathlons. What other way would I have time to do so? I wake up, run, go to school, go to work, come home, and pretty much repeat the process the next day. So there's very little time for me to spend taking the time to make myself comfortable with bicycles...
I agree with you that I do need a car, and that the bike could be a replacement. But at the moment, with my schedule the car seems unnecessary. And it could be that I'm just so biased with the thought of commuting that the option of a car seems obsolete. But from what I can see, there are quite a few people here who commute everyday, and enjoy it. And I'd like to see if I would enjoy it, too. (Also, regardless whether or not I like commuting, I plan to purchase a bike to train with anyways.)
Lastly, I honestly like where my head is at. I'm enlisting in the Navy after I get my degree, which is in two years. And I would like to be able to finish a Half Ironman by then. You may say that's "taking full advantage of my youth". I'm not going to have all the time in the world to dedicate myself to triathlons. So I feel I better start now. I hope that clears up your negative ideas of myself, and that you could possibly stop with the meaningless insults. I wouldn't want my early comings of this forum to be demeaned by arguing with someone who is consistent on talking down to me.
And, again. You had a few good points, but they're nothing more than false assumptions that sort of leaves me scratching me head. I'm sure you're a respectable member, and I hope you too enjoy your future commutes, as will I!
