I dunno, sounds pretty dramatic to me ! I think I'm now where you were when you started ; overweight, feet hurting, grumpy. Let me add >>guilty for driving<< to the equation. I basically want to do *now* what I will be proud of when I'm too old to do it.

I hear you loud and clear! For me, limping from the bed to the coffee pot is just a sad state of living... :D

Thanx Knobster. I have a spare tire in the back, and I don't care for the idea of those hitch racks being a permanent fixture, because I'm not one to take it off everytime I use it... I've decided even a trailer would be too much hassle, therefore add to the reasons not to ride >> the fewer the moving parts, the less there is to go wrong<<

I think I will go with a front and rear set of meaty panniers. I already have a small rear, which I can put in the front. Those can then just hop into the grocery cart, etc. I will have to do 'stock up' trips, still with the car.

It usually improves life ten fold, and I know it, yet just starting is the hardest step. Thanks!

Awesome. I too commute on a fixed and enjoy the simplicity of it. I asked because I recently moved much further from work. My commute used to be 24 miles round trip but now it's about 22 miles each way. Right now I'm taking the train/riding which has cut my ride down to 12 miles round trip. I've been toying with the idea of riding the full distance a few days a week but was wondering how it would be on a fixed. Hearing that others do a long distance on a fixed makes me want to do it more. I'll have to go for it one of these days!

How do you like your sputnik? I'm in the market for a new ride and dig not worrying about gears...

Distance +climb =long ride time. Probably over 3 hours in my condition, getting home from town (compared to about 35 minutes going into town). Thus, PartWay is going to be the first baby step, starting from as close into town as possible, getting accustomed to riding just around in town, building confidence, routine, learning how to streamline the whole thing. Then, adding the miles will be the easy part.
I think that bike commuting is a definite form of meditation, which always sweeps the mind & soul clean. :) Thanks!

I'll take your word for it, since you use both. I've also decided front and rear panniers would be more versatile. Thanks.

ps. never had a bungee get caught in my cogs, but have much more interesting things....:D

I know, it just makes sense to ride.

Thank you, I most surely will pick all of your collective brains, as well as vent my own angst over the adjustments. Just for the record, I *use* to bike commute this mountain, even at night, and remember the calming effect of the croaking toads along the creek, the crickets and owls, while I rode along. Maybe again.

I happen to think those who conquer the routine, and set an example to all those caught in rush hour, while merrilly peddling their way , in all weather >> is completely inconsequencial to the distance traveled. :D

Thanks!

Hey 6bikes, sounds like you got a lot of it figured out already, best of luck to you.

You might check out the "living car Free" forum for advice on errands, trailers, etc. And the occasional nasty spat on who's holier than thou, but it's fun ;)

personally, my bike has been my main transportation since i learned how to ride (age 5). i had no car till i was 19. then it was a truck, kinda necessary for my lawnmowing business. I'd mow 8 lawns, then bike to the pizza buffet. busy fun times.

only time in my life I was chained to car commuting was as an interen for 4-5 months. the route to work was impossible to bike. i made a bad choice of housing location (nice cheap place but no way to bike to work), not knowing how miserable commuting via car was. gained 20lbs in those months, even though i still rode after work. might have something to do with the Cajun food... Never doing that again.

However you do it, work up to your daily commute, and you'll go from what you are to what you want to be. with a commute like that you'll be a monster!

Cheers

I just might, once I bolster myself a bit. As long as I live where I'm living, I could never be car free, so I kinda wonder what's the point of being a hypocrate and posting there/ unless the philosophy there is a tad more lenient than carz R coffins screaming radicals. I get intimidated easily :o

I know... that's the really , really, really fun part imagining. Thanks acroy !

Yeah, this (on the "big") threw me too, but I read it as "on the bike," 'cuz that's what did it for me: getting out there and doing it. When I first thought about commuting by bike, it seemed pretty ambitious if not completely impossible; but once I started riding it, I discovered routes that hadn't seemed like an option in the car, and before long I was on a route that's impossible in the car... and it's great. The fact is, I have an easy commute, it's fun 95% of the time, and I wouldn't dream about going back to driving.

Yahoo homepage has a story about a 59 year old who is going to play division III college football. I wouldn't count yourself down and out yet.

A lot of the folks there are not true car-free but car-lite, as I am (own a car, drive about 1x week). Lots of good utilitarian info in there.
Cheers

You're right! Anyway, I remember when I was 30 , I was getting in bad shape again (no exercize), and then I joined a bike club, and trained a lot , and moved up on the mtn, and was in the best shape of my life from 33 to 36. So, I'm not *that* far gone, as that's less than 10 years ago. I could very possibly exceed my expectations of commuting, even then.

It's not like I'm entirely unsympathetic to the whole rant. I did in fact , live car free a couple of years in my mid twenties. I really am aligned with the goal to be Car Lite... and get involved in some kind of advocacy (usually setting an example by riding is the best way.) Thanks! I'll go there and sniff around....