so i really havent been driving at all this year and have decided to sell my old diesel passat[commute vehicle] and go car-less for the remainder of the good weather[i'll buy another car in the fall, in preparation for winter]. how many of you are completely car-less?

Not me, but I wish! One of these days I'll join you, after the kids and the dogs depart for college and the happy hunting ground respectively. In preparation, I've told my wife that our present car will be our last car... but we'll see.

You know there's a car-free-living forum, right?

Anyway, congratulations!

Dog is going to college, too, eh? Very good!
Yes, congrats 91MF!!! Have you tried going through the winter. I found it's not all that hard, and that a warm and humid summer causes more hassle in regards to preparation than the winter.

yea my wife is still gonna have the van[4 year old and 14mo old boys].
my commute is 30kms one way between the suburbs and the city - heavy traffic and horrible roads. winter isnt really an option im thinking.
also, i find the hotter it gets the faster i am haha. yesterday we broke record temps and i only took 58 minutes to get home.

im currently commuting on this



but plan on building up another bike with a less aggressive riding position, a little fatter tires, fenders and maybe a rack.

heres another question: if i decide to put a rack, on the front or back?

Back, unless you like funky steering. Also, with the right rear rack, you might be able to get away without a rear fender.

< raises hand >

I got rid of mine in April 1999.

And you don't need to buy another car in the autumn. Get studded snow tires for your bike instead, and some good winter gear for yourself.

And tsl knows a thing or two about Winter riding Listen to him!

I'd love to be able to go car free. Living in a rural area makes it almost impossible. There's not a doubt in my mind I could do it in an metropolitan area though. Especially if you could occasionally use public transit. And tsi is right, studs make winter riding very doable.

Have you explored public transportation?
If you have decent public transportation, you have an alternative to the bike through the winter. If you don't want to bike every day, you can use the bus or train.... which should make you feel more confident about not needing a car just for the winter months.

gave up my car a couple years back. trimmed down to just the van. wife drives that. my daily round trip commute of 22 miles is great. I ride year around (no lightening). Have saved a small fortune in car related expenses. It was tough at first having to plan ahead for who's got the car or not but now we hardly think about it.

91MF you don't mention where you are located or what type of public options you have to assist you.

I've thought about it since I've reduced my driving so much, but there are times when I really need a vehicle. I've got a small pickup truck, and it is great for hauling stuff - like our kayaks and camping gear. I paid cash for the truck years ago, with money I inherited when my Mom died, so it has a lot of sentimental value for me. I don't spend much on gas and insurance is relatively cheap for a 12-year-old truck, but repairs can get expensive on an older vehicle once parts start wearing out. I've had to overhaul the brakes and replace the batter so far this year, and new tires will be needed sometime soon.

suburbs of central Mass with kids, can't do it. Everything is too far.

...and that is good enough to commute when your snowfall is measured in feet rather than inches? (as I believe you have out there) You must be reliant on snow plows...

I've arrived at work in the middle of winter by bike only to find it is emergency travel only and work is canceled. That has actually happened twice. I leave early in the morning, long before the workday begins for most people.

So yes, you can literally ride through most anything.

Yeah, I rode through all NYC blizzards this year, over Williamsburg Bridge covered in ice, through fresh snow before the streets got plowed, when most people stayed home. It was fun too Cars had hard time moving while I plowed through on my knobby, studded tires. People were looking at me as if I was mad, but I was actually moving while they were trying to dig their cars out

When the bridge was iced it was actually hard to walk, but easier to ride on studded tires And very few people around!

I had lots of fun commuting this Winter.

^^^^right and then add the knowledge how to dress for various conditions and there ya go!

i live in ajax ontario canada, just east of toronto. i work in scarborough which could be best described as northeast toronto without being in the core. my commute is 30.1kms door to door and i ride on some horrible roads with bad[very] traffic. it takes me about an hour each way. there are buses available for my route and there is a train however it heads too far south to be effective as an option.

i have thought about winter commuting but im not really a 'mtb guy'. i dunno if a road bike could handle our winters in the city or alternately, i could handle a road bike in the winter in the city.

here in detroit metro we have basically no public transit- just huge urban sprawl

I gave up my car in August last year (it was a diesel jetta), and have been living car free since then. My wife has a car, but it is not driven very much. Factors that have helped us go car lite are living in an urban area where they have no weather, and having the kids move out.

Of course. And so is every other wheeled vehicle here. No different for me than for soccer moms in minivans. Well, except that they're more likely to end up in the ditch.

In the winter, my co-workers hate me. On more than one occasion the boss has used my example to browbeat driving staff. "If he can ride a bike through this snow, you can get here too." And of course, I never have to scrape a windshield either.

I'm just across the lake from you. I don't like MTBs. My primary commuter is essentially a cyclocross front end mated to a touring bike back end. I run Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106 tires in 35mm, under 45mm fenders. Three winters on this rig and I still can't see any reason to change it.

In some respects the studded-tire cyclist is a lot more road-worthy than the car with all-season radials. In Iowa, it's against the law for car to use studded tires, so no one does. Consequently, I seem to be able to brake and climb hills when cars can't. I've many times biked over routes that I couldn't walk on.

I lived in high school during high school and the traffic has only gotten busier in 20 years. Have you gone to www.bikely.com to search for
routes from Ajax to Scarborough? Also, next week is Bike Month in Toronto and the city gives away free maps of the city with all of the bike lanes, MUPs, park roads, and quieter routes marked on it. You will be able to pick one up from libraries, bike shops
and the Scarborough Civic Centre (next door to the Scarborough Town Centre) later in the month.

As well, the TTC buses have bike racks on the front on nearly of their routes. There's no cost to use them and you can use them at any time of day (unlike trying to bring a bike onto a bus or train during rush hours). Depending on your schedule and crazy road conditions, hoping on the bus might let you escape Ellesmere Rd or Kennedy or Nielson.

LOL My boss never said that outright, but I have the satisfaction of being nice and early at work while everybody else is stuck on trains and buses But then.... it happens in summer too!

Very good point. Yes, same thing in NYS, studded tires and chains are against the law except for buses and city services. There are couple of short hills around where I live that I have to avoid when driving in winter, I stalled at least once and had to back up and take another route. No problems on a bike, although it's hard and a lot more tiring, but incredibly satisfying.

I parked my car 5 years ago when my ex asked for a divorce (less than a week after I bought it) and I needed to start my economic recovery. Not the first time in my adult life that I've been car free, but the most recent.