Landon's Epic Vlog Thread: living without a car in a car-happy world

[Lazarus]

Peakster how long does it take to get dressed for the great outdoors? Nice blog how much cash was the extra cloths?

[Peakster]

I takes probably about 90 seconds to put on all of that attire (assuming I don't have to look for it all). But remember, all of that isn't needed unless it's -46*C like it was a few days ago. If it's only -7*C or so on a sunny day, I could get away with a toque, thin gloves, a coat, and regular shoes.

The toque, thin gloves, scarf and headband came up to $4 at value village
The snow pants and boots came up to $32 at Zellers

I've had the black and green coat for years, so no idea how much that cost me. I'm sure I could find one a good one for under $50.

[Gone4]

Awesome follow-up video. In Vermont I need to walk decent distances to get to and from school in cold weather. I use pants that would I guess be considered pajamas or sleeping pants under jeans and it seems to work out pretty well. If I felt like wasting money I would try underarmor. I'm sure months of not paying for vehicle repairs, gas, and insurance will pay for any clothing real fast. So when are you selling them?

I just purchased my new bicycle off ebay last night! So I need to wait a week before I have it in my possession. I'll probably hold off on using it until the snow and ice melts.

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by GenKreton

So when are you selling them?

Gloria, the Ford Tempo is #1 on my list and she'll be sold when I'm in Regina next (which could be several weeks). I won't be selling the Geo until school is done because of the distances travelled between Regina and Winnipeg. Plus it's much easier hauling sculpture material with a car than by bus. I plan on making 'Farewell' videos of both cars just before they're sold.

I just purchased my new bicycle off ebay last night! So I need to wait a week before I have it in my possession. I'll probably hold off on using it until the snow and ice melts.

Nice! What kind of bike is it? You're sure you're going to wait until the snow melts? Some people in Winnipeg have studded tires on their bikes for the winter. One guy e-mailed me from east Winnipeg and said that he always uses his bike to travel 5 miles... as long as temperatures are above -30*C .

A fair few people that e-mailed me after watching the first video suggested I buy a $1000 bike, but I think that's just crazy. I mean if I can buy a Ford Tempo for $200 (a car that can do 180km/h, has heat, and seats 5), why would I spend more money on something that's simply 2 wheels and a frame? I would have to ride a $1000 bike 6,000 kilometres before it became cheaper (per kilometre) than the Geo! Whereas I'll only have to go 450 kilometres on my $68 bike to displace the $/Km of the Geo.

...Actually, come to think of it: 450 kilometres on a bike is a lot!

[igo]

Nice bike peakster. What company makes it? I looks to be chromoly steel (lighter steel then walmart bikes are made of).

How long does the snow pack last up there? I assume you have snow on the ground basically non-stop from december to march or april.

[Peakster]

The bike is made by Norco. I actually made an entry in the EM Garage for it.

We can get permanent snow as early as October and we often get one last dump sometime in April. So basically 1/2 of the year. Some cities in the province of British Columbia have 250+ frost-free days of the year.

I would totally move to the west coast. The unfortunate thing is that the closer one gets to the coastline, the more expensive it is. I have a friend working in Vancouver and his 2 bedroom apartment is $1500 a month Whereas in Winnipeg I have friends renting posh bachelor suites for less than $400 a month.

[Gone4]

Originally Posted by Peakster

What kind of bike is it? You're sure you're going to wait until the snow melts? Some people in Winnipeg have studded tires on their bikes for the winter. One guy e-mailed me from east Winnipeg and said that he always uses his bike to travel 5 miles... as long as temperatures are above -30*C .

A fair few people that e-mailed me after watching the first video suggested I buy a $1000 bike, but I think that's just crazy. I mean if I can buy a Ford Tempo for $200 (a car that can do 180km/h, has heat, and seats 5), why would I spend more money on something that's simply 2 wheels and a frame? I would have to ride a $1000 bike 6,000 kilometres before it became cheaper (per kilometre) than the Geo! Whereas I'll only have to go 450 kilometres on my $68 bike to displace the $/Km of the Geo.

...Actually, come to think of it: 450 kilometres on a bike is a lot!

I bought a Masi Vincere. Your bike is MUCH better suited for winter conditions than mine. I'm not sure it can fit the cyclocross tires I would need to consider riding it in the slushed, iced, and sanded streets we have. This will probably be my last winter in stuff this bad so I justified the purchase. It also cost me $400 (retail is around 3x that), but that is because I ride for sport. I would definitely say you made a great choice living in the great white north.

And 450 km isn't quite as much as you think I started my summer as a skinny out-of-shape guy who struggled making a 15 mile (24 km) journey in decent time and finished the summer doing 250 miles (400 km) a week.

[igo]

Peakster, I just did a price breakdown on my bike. $0.17 a mile or $0.101 a km

That is not too bad and it can only go down from there.

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by GenKreton

I bought a Masi Vincere.

I just did a google search for images and wow, that does look like a nice bike.

This will probably be my last winter in stuff this bad so I justified the purchase.

Moving someplace in the country that doesn't see much snow?

I started my summer as a skinny out-of-shape guy who struggled making a 15 mile (24 km) journey in decent time

Sounds like me . When I started biking after a 6 year absence, I was thinking to myself: "I don't remember riding a bike being so much work!" as I'm averaging about 10 mph.

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by igo

Peakster, I just did a price breakdown on my bike. $0.17 a mile or $0.101 a km

That is not too bad and it can only go down from there.

Nice! How many miles have you gone with your bike in total?

EDIT: oh, I see you have 'miles displaced by bike' in your signature. Nice going!