[MENTION=492339]Indigo82[/MENTION], welcome to bikeforums. Where are you in the world?

Serbia

Thanks for asking Tom. I'm living in Serbia, Europe at the moment, my hometown is called Pančevo, close to the capital Belgrade. I spent nine years in sandy deserts of Arabian Peninsula in the meantime. Enjoying cycling again in a nice climate. I like all seasons. Currently restoring and modernizing my old bikes and having lot of fun. Wish I could post some photos but it is my fourth post only. I have lot of plans about cycling, perhaps to do a bit of touring during summer months along the Danube River. But will take it easily as I want to enjoy in it while I last.

[MENTION=492339]Indigo82[/MENTION], you will soon have enough posts to show us pictures. And we have someone here who is in Novi Sad.

One thing that did change for me a while after "giving up the car" was I stopped comparing myself and my travel to people traveling by car. It's been more helpful for me to think of it as an improvement over walking. For me, and maybe for some other people, it's satisfying to be able to provide nearly all my transportation needs with the power of my own body. For me it's satisfying enough that I don't really tend to think beyond that unless somebody else prompts me to. Cyclists, especially online cyclists, tend to be more demanding about my explanation/motivation for car free or car light living than non-cyclists IRL.

I think a lot of bike commuters can relate to the feeling of satisfaction from transporting oneself by one's own power. I love it so much that perhaps it's out of proportion. I am extremely proud of myself whenever I cycle somewhere, and oddly, that feeling doesn't fade. I've been bike commuting on and off since 1978! Most of the years in the middle, I did not commute by bike, as I lived in the suburbs and had long distances to travel over hostile roads. I don't know how many years I've bike commuted, but a lot, by any measure.

Same here Tom. When I still lived in Germany I did a lot of commuting by bike. After we moved to the US in 2001 I kind of abandoned it because of lack of infrastructure. I did not really start picking it up again until about 3.5 years ago. Lots has changed in our area in regards to trail infrastructure and I do really feel safe nowadays. I have put more than 7K miles on my bikes in the past 3.5 years and I really love it meanwhile and feel bad and awkward if I have to take the car at some days. I even try to plan my days around the bike from shopping to doctors visits. Rain or shine.

[MENTION=7914]Harhir[/MENTION]: !

I had one job that was only 1.4 miles away. Driving took too long because the parking garage was a good walk from the office, and if I remember right, I had to pay to use it. The director told me it was just fine to bring my bike into the office, so that was great. It was a very short distance and totally flat. I rode slowly. Yet I noticed i had gained five pounds and lost an inch or two off my waist, meaning I had gained muscle weight. I eventually concluded that riding every day made sense because even if the rain drenched me, it was easier than driving. I kept a change of clothes in the office for the rare drenching, and I still do that. I guess if we had snow, I would have walked rather than cycling.

Well, I'm late to the party, and no I have not given up my 1994 Acclaim that I have had for nearly 20 years. But, it has been a good 15 years since I have put more annual miles on the car than my bikes, so I think that counts for something!

I just realized I could not afford one , at current costs..

One of my old bike's final journeys last month was doing the annual tip run..



Being car-less is usually a breeze, though. I'm happier. There was a negativity that came with being a motorist, I barely noticed it though. Would be handy to just borrow a car or van occasionally, that's about it.

My wife and I just became a two-car couple, so we're headed in the wrong direction. Or so it would seem, but not really. She has an SUV which she needed for hauling building supplies. But now the need has diminished, and she felt it was silly to be consuming all that fuel when she isn't hauling stuff. So she bought herself an old Prius and will drive that mostly. She'll leave the SUV upstate and barely use it. She says the insurance cost of having it is low enough. She said I can use the Prius, and who knows, I might need it, depending on where I land for my next job. One reason she's been driving a lot is that in the city, we have alternate side of the street parking, and it's necessary to move the car every day or two. When the street cleaning hour comes, parking becomes more scarce, so she drives to her work to avoid that problem. But if I need the car, and I might need it, that removes the burden for her and lets her take mass transit which is less stressful. But I really don't like driving, so I hope I don't get a job that requires a car commute. The Prius is still nice to have.

no. I know there is no way to completely get rid of my cagers, mainly due to weather

I never had a car to start with. I used to get around by bus but I caught wind of the bus company wanting to cut my line, so I picked up bicycle commuting. About a year later they cut the line. I don't ride for sport, or recreation, but to get places as I did with the bus. I'm what one would call a 100% utilitarian rider. I get around on dutch city bikes in a somewhat hilly medium density american urban area (so low density suburban by European standards). I simply do not see a use for cars in an "urban" environment.

Avoiding the Draft ( right after my High school graduation in 1966) but not military service , I was a sailor, at the helm of a Ballistic Missile Nuclear Submarine ,
submerged in the Atlantic Sea , before I had a Driver's License on land..




...

Car lite only since November 2018 when car was in accident and was written off. Been biking to work, grocery, etc for a year and a half before that. Joined car sharing coop to ferry wife and daughter a few times a month. If it we're just me I'd rather bike.