turkdc

On Tuesday of this week I decided to forgo the use of my car for 24 hours! I live in a suburban town and work about 2 miles from my house. I usually ride my bike to work 2-3 days per week in the summer. On Tuesday I decided to do all of my personal transporting by bike.

My rides consisted of 2 miles to work
4 miles to the post office
6 miles back home

2 miles back to work
2 miles back to the house

7 miles to my parent's house
4 miles to a local park
3 miles back home.

Most of my riding was done on our local rails to trails system and a bike path that runs along a very busy road. I was riding my Specialized Tricross and I carried my stuff in a Timbuktu messenger bag. I averaged about 14 mph for the trip. Figuring the 30 mpg I would have gotten in my 1999 Plymouth Neon, I saved about a gallon of gas ($4.15 on Tues)

My observations:

I really enjoyed my car free day. Tuesday gave me a real appreciation for people who live their lives without a car. I don't think that going completely car-free is possible at this point in my life. I am married and have 2 kids and, frankly, some of the places we have to go are just too far away for the family to get to on a bike. I do think if I was single I would spend more time on the pedals and less time in the car! I also plan on doing more of my local errands on the bike.

Things that would have made my trip better:

I should have packed more water and something to eat on the way back from my folks. I was pretty hungry when I got home.

If the jerks in suvs would look where they were going (and hang up the phone).

Bike lanes on our roads.

I would love to hear comments!

FredOak

I'm getting closer to doing the same for one day. They just announced that they are going to start installing bike racks through out the city and business owners can request them at no cost through a state grant. I think things like that will make it even more advantageous to use the bike. My work ride is 16 miles round trip and I've clocked 80% of my errands at 2-4 miles round trip.
But I agree on the cagers...if they would get off the freakin' phone!

DallasSoxFan

There's no way you are getting 30 MPG in a neon on short trips. Shorter trips zap your fuel economy because you never have any sustained cruising, even at city mileage.

My Passat has a pretty accurate MPG instantaneous and average computer. When I lived 15 miles form work on my city drives I would get about 25 MPG, 32 Highway on longer trips. Now that I live 3 miles from work, I'm averaging about 17 MPG.

Don't go by the EPA estimate, figure it out for yourself. Next time you get gas fill it up, but do not top-off. Write down your odometer reading, or reset your trip meter. The next time you get gas, fill it up, but don't top it off. Write down the number of gallons you filled up with. Divide the number of miles on your trip meter by the gallons added. This is your true MPG.

turkdc

I calculate my actual MPG every time I fill the tank. I divide the number of gallons I put in the tank by the number of miles on the trip odometer which I reset when I fill the tank. I have been doing this since I bought the car 9 years ago.

I have consistently gotten 30-32 around town and up to 36 on some longer trips. I am sure that on my 2 mile trip my car doesn't get great mileage, that was not the point of what I was saying. I was estimating to avoid undue confusion in my post. In actuality, I rode 29.7 miles - not 30. The car probably doesn't get EXACTLY 30 mpg. Big deal.

You might get better gas mileage if you don't run the A/C. Also, the curb weight of the Passat is about 800 lbs more than my Neon. (3,206 vs. 2389) My Neon has the 2L DOHC engine mated to the 5 speed manual transmission. Personally I find it hard to believe you are only getting 17mpg in the V-dub.

77midget

Nie job, OP, and as for the MPG, I believe it. Sensible driving with a 5spd will net you great mileage. I started driving more carefully, and upped the city MPG on my BMW 330i by 4.

Now, I am 99% car free from M-F, so I don't have to do that much anymore, but my wife drives it to her work as it gets better mileage than her car, so we are burning much less overall, and saving a lot of $$$. Haven't even put gas in her Sienna in almost 6 weeks, and still have 1/4 tank left

gerv 

I think your next logical step would be to devise some activities that you alway do on bike, never in car. This will establish some good habits for you to build on. For ex, if you continued to ride to work and, say, your parent's house, after a while (if you like riding...) you will probably add more routes.

The real test is when you feel like cycling on a rainy or cold day... although, like everything else, it becomes a thing you just do after a while.

cyclezealot

Nice bike. / We have one car. Had to have a universal joint replaced . We were without out a car for four days. I did not mind. It felt great. Over those four days I logged over 200 miles in errands for the home and business. My wife walked to her classes. / More of that and we'd be healthier. We would miss a car on weekends, when we go out or to the movies. / How do you feel a road bike fits in as a car substitute. Love my road bike, but a tourer bike is more practical for errands.

turkdc

Unfortunately, I tend to hang up the bike when it starts to get cold, or snows. I have been considering getting some cold weather riding gear but I'm not sure what I would need. Michigan winters can be pretty darn cold as well.