Originally Posted by
mdilthey
I lived on a bike for a year. I made my money writing freelance from a small cheap laptop in coffeeshops and libraries. I traveled thousands of miles in all weather with just the stuff I had on my back, self-supported, while paying back my college loans.
Lots of people my age work odd jobs in cities and then move on to rock climb, alpine climb, mountain bike, etc. Lots of people my age work 6 months and travel 6 months alternately. Lots of people older than me do it too.
You are not wrong about a bum living off of society being an unfortunate thing, but you are wrong to think you can identify that situation from simply looking at someone passing you by on a bike.
Good points and words of caution but how about the grunge factor? A person's 'identity' encompasses an overall aura that a passerby on a bike gives off, no? In the situation you describe, use of a laptop, stopping at coffee shops -- I'm thinking you'd fit comfortably within the description of bicycle touring and would not likely be classified as a
bum on a bike --e.g., you were probably taking advantage of daily access to showers and assorted utilities and wearing clean clothes that were well-suited to cycling. In other words, you probably looked
employable even when you were not actually looking for work.