Bicycle Only??? Check in here!!!!

[cliffordu]

I haven't had a car since right after 9/11 (but I went for years without when I lived in PDX)...


How about you??




Xtracycles rule!!

[taterguy]

1. Not surprised but a bit dismayed that this thread doesn't have any replies

That lifestyle is easiest if you're:
Single
Male
Live in an area with a good climate and
Work in a place with a lenient dress code

There aren't many people who fit that criterion and not many of those folks are interested in relying on a bicycle for transportation.

If you're a single male, not having a car is a good way to insure that you stay single.

The unfortunate reality is that a lot of things in our society are a major pain in the ass without a car and once you have a car there's a great temptation to use it, even for trips that could be done by walking or biking.

I lived without a car for about 10 years. The only thing that was a real challenge was buying dog food. Eventually I married someone with a car so we share one. It stays parked in our driveway most days but still get used more than it should.

[DarkTirade]

2. Or you have to live in a place with good public transit

and a well-planned out city.

[taterguy]

3. Some forms of public transit are really annoying to cyclists

Have you ever been stuck behind a bus when you're on a bike?

Those fumes are murder.

Seriously.

[DarkTirade]

4. That's why I said GOOD public transit. :P

The best systems I've seen are the ones where the main form of transit is a monorail or train of some kind (preferably raised or underground so it doesn't tangle with traffic) and the only buses needed are the ones that go out short distances from the main lines.

I just spent the last 20 years living in a city with bad urban sprawl, ridiculous traffic and the ONLY form of mass transit were buses. It was practically impossible to live there without a car, and a pain in the ass to live there with one.

[harmonicon]

5. bicycle schmicycle

I use nature's transportation: feet.... and buses and trains.... and sometimes rides in friends' cars.

[regularguy]

6. More "Anything but Car" than "Bicycle Only".

I walk and take public trans more than biking. I used to think that I would set some sort of example, but instead I'm seen more as some sort of eccentric, the weird dude that walks everywhere.

[mikeytherat]

7. A few years back I dropped off my car to get new tires,

and as I was leaving, one of the clerks asked if I had a ride home. I mentioned that I only lived about 2-3 miles from the store, so I'd just walk home and walk back when the car was ready. You could have heard a pin drop in that waiting room. Walking? 2-3 miles? Was I nuts or something?

Well, since I'm the guy who always takes the stairs instead of the elevator, I guess I am nuts, or something.

mikey_the_rat

[regularguy]

8. You obviously need an intervention :)

[Crazy Dave]

9. I'm a wannabe or walk only

But the town I live in has the worst public transportation system in the nation. They even had us on "The Fleecing of America" once on NBC.

My plan is to retire in a small town where I can walk to everything as long as my health allows. I love walking.

[Bennyboy]

10. 2 years, no car for me.....

At times it is a pain in the ass however. I need to get one just so I can do things...But then i am afraid i would get all dependent on it again and stop riding my bike as much as I do now.

[stuntcat]

11. wish I could bike!

I bet I'd wreck and kill myself. I haven't driven in nine years though, I just walk, and take the buses and trains sometimes. I'm crazy about AmTrak :headbang:

We have a bike that's propped up so I can use it to exercise, and the other day my husband was talking about making room for a big new speaker he's got and he suggested throwing away the bike :o I'm all like "what the Hell, what if something happens.. I mean, it's a BIKE.." Not to be all doomy gloomy but that's the last thing in this house we should throw away, we need to clean it up and make sure the tires are good.

[Vidar]

12. Can't afford insurance gas & taxes, so I've been biking for 4 years.

[bikebloke]

13. I haven't been behind a wheel since '92.

I ride in most all weather, except when there's snow and ice on the ground. And I used to chance that until I took a freak fall, injuring my leg that was really sore for months. That, and now living a'top a big hill, I'm a bit ice shy.

As far as being single, there are always women who also ride. Or date someone who has a car. The kind of women who prefer you have a flash car, are not the type I'd ever fancy.

I even haul groceries on the back without trouble. Of course, I'm now too bloody healthy.

[taterguy]

14. 100,000 users on this site and a dozen replies to this thread

I'm guessing we'll be involved in oil wars forever.