I've been car-free for 15 years. The first seven were done with the bus and shoe-leather. It was the issues of schedule, routing, and a change in the fare structure that drove me to the LBS eight years ago.

I live on a bus line. I can see the stop out my apartment window. The city locates libraries only on bus lines. We have a stop at either end of the block. So I have no need to fill in a gap at either end of the commute.

The bus schedule doesn't line up between the city's east and west sides. Even during peak periods, there's a 20 minute wait for a transfer. Thus, it takes a full hour to travel the 4.3 miles to work. Coming home from work, I have to wait either 15 or 75 minutes for the next bus, depending on closing time. I can walk it in 80 minutes, or ride it in 17, 35, 45, or 57 minutes depending on the route I choose.

I've had flats and mechanicals over the years, but have always been able to fix things roadside, or at least rig them for a limp-along mode. I always leave enough time in my schedule to cover that sort of thing.

That leaves conditions. This past December, I ended 1,596 consecutive workdays (seven years, four months) bike commuting due to weather. I also used the bus twice in January, once in February, and once again in March.

An MTB with studs would probably have worked on those five days. I briefly considered it, but even a cheap, BikeDirect 29er with disc brakes would have cost $150 per day of use this past winter. And I'd have to find a place to keep it for the other 361 days of the year. So I used the bus to work those days, and walked home.

Standing around freezing while waiting for the bus was a good reminder of just how nice it is to ride through the winter.