Originally Posted by Bekologist
[snip] A certain hypocracy would be exhibited by a self identified 'utility biker' taking lots of trips with his 4WD. If you want to 'self identify' as a person belonging to a group you only aspire to emulate, that's self delusional.[snip]
I guess I didn't make myself clear enough. I enjoy all sorts of outdoor sports. Not just mountain biking, but motorcycle riding as well, and have owned several 4WDs. I did not drive a 5000lb Toyota Landcruiser as my everyday vehicle. Never mind fuel prices and environmental concerns - it would have been highly impractical. This vehicle was highly modified for off-road use. Purpose built from the ground up for going places not accessible to your average 4WD or Starbucks parking lot SUV.
I'll probably haul my utility bikes in a trailer behind our car, not lug them around in a 4WD. But I'm not sure where they'd be delivered to anyway, so it's hardly an issue right now. The thing is, I'm pretty keen to use my bike more and more when practical, and my wife is too.
Originally Posted by nathank
i could drive a huge massive gas-guzzling car all over the place - actually i used to as i grew up in auto-centric Texas because i'm American and i can afford it and i could use my car to demonstrate to others how bad-ass and rich and successful i am, but why? so why should i drive to conform and prove my social status? [snip] blah blah blah
Now that's the kind of logic I don't get. I never used my car to identify with the size of my ego, genitals, or wallet. As I stated above, my 4WD was built for off-road. I saw no sense in driving daily. I worked weekends as a photographer for 6 months out of the year in Malibu. I'm sure PatC will agree that it's not easy to transport photo gear by bicycle. Certainly not through the mountain roads of Malibu. For that, I drove an economical, yet twisty road friendly Honda Civic. Carried all my gear, and I had to fill it up about once a month. The rest of the time, I drove a new RAV4. The girly-size SUV. Room for my girlfriend's kids, or our dogs, or all my studio gear. AWD for trips to the snow. Yakima racks on the roof for weekend getaways in Cambria.
I guess my point is that I don't identify myself as someone that sees my car as a status symbol, but rather someone that views them as another tool to get a specific job done. I do the same with my bikes - one for each task or type of riding.