Clordio

Well I've finally got my fixie in working order, and just learned some fantastic news! Both of my jobs, and my school are within reasonable biking distance (under an hour). I'm so close to going totally car free but I have some concerns.

Winter. What can I do about this? I live in Utah so it does snow, would there be some better tires I could use, I understand fixed gears are really responsive in slick conditions so that's already a plus.

Grocery shopping. While I still live with my parents, this could be an issue when they move in a couple a years and I stay behind to finish my degree. I was toying with the idea of a bike rack or large messenger bag (I've heard this works quite well, and could also hold all my massive textbooks)

Actually getting rid of my car. I've still got payments left on it, and there are some gaskets that need replacing that I JUST DO NOT WANT TO DO. would cost upwards of a 1000 to have a mechanic handle the problem, don't want that either. It's a CRX so it's fantastic on gas, but how should I go about getting rid of this money guzzler(insurance, maintenance[another reason bikes are fantastic, ease and cheapness of maintenance], and the ever rising prices of gas)?

Newspaperguy

For winter and snowy conditions, get a beater bike, preferably an old mountain bike. If you get a lot of snow and ice, you can get studded tires, but I haven't yet found the need for them. The beater bike is important because the sand and salt on the streets will damage your good bike. Go to the winter biking section of BF for plenty of advice.

For grocery shopping and other loads, what you use will depend on your circumstances. I'm close enough to just carry a load of groceries home from the store with me. You may want to use a small backpack or get a rack and panniers if you're hauling more stuff or going longer distances.

Roody

Sorry, but I don't totally understand the issues here. You are trying to decide whether to sell or keep your car? If you sell it, I think you either have to repair it first, or tell the buyer what repairs it needs. If you keep it, you'll either have to fix it yourself, or pay a mechanic $1000 to fix it for you. Am I right so far?

What do you use the car for? Can you do these activities without the car? I get the impression that time is an issue for you, since you go to school and have two jobs. Will you have enough time to travel everywhere by bike? If not, are you willing to give something up to make more time for traveling by bike?

gerv 

Winter is a ways off [hopefully..] so I wouldn't get too concerned about it just yet. You should try to concentrate on what you need to move around right now. Just keep in mind that it is generally very do-able unless you have 3 feet of snow on the ground.

As for right now, you could focus on what you need to get you to work for the summer months. I don't know if you need rain gear, but it does come in handy around here. You might also invest some time into researching safe cycling routes (which are usually quite different than car routes). You might also look into the whole safety aspect, too. Staying accident-free is a lot easier when you are armed with some good information.

I believe you should also try to develop some "Plan B" strategies. Generally, you should also do the same thing even if you move around in a car... although most folks seldom do. You should look into public transportation as well as using your bike. It may seem right now that public transportation is useless, but perhaps when you dig a little deeper into it, you'll find there are just enough routes to get you where you need to go. It's nice to get a bus for those days when you just don't feel up to travelling by bike.