Non Car Commuters
 

Curious how many non car commuters we have on board?

We have it pretty easy in the south even durning "winter" anybody up north commuting in the bitter cold?

I don't commute per se. I ride my bike as often as I can.

I don't have a commute. I don't have a bike anymore, either. Stolen because I tried to help someone that I thought was a friend.

Man that stinks. So sorry:mad:

I wouldn't consider myself a non-car commuter, but i always try to ride my bike if i make trips downtown, to my friend's house, or to my church. All these trips are about 2-4 miles. In the spring i'm planning to get a nice road bike and start going farther.

If it's snowing out or the roads aren't plowed well, i don't bike. In this situation, typically the roads are narrow or slick and i don't feel very comfortable riding my bike, especially seeing how it's hills either way i go. I usually give myself a lot more time (if i can) and walk. This way i can get way on the side of the roads in the snow if there are cars around.

I walked to downtown today and back (7.2 miles round trip) while it was still snowing to run some errands. This is actually the longest walk i've done so far.

When I lived in Winnipeg, Toronto, and Victoria, I went decades without a car, using a bike for everything, every day. Now, I'm in a small town, and have to walk to get more exercise than the bike affords in the distance I travel. Every month or so, I buy some insurance and go buy some health food in the city.

Next time you're in western New York, stop by the Buffalo Blue Bicycle workshop. They're a charity that takes in bikes people don't want anymore, fixes them up, and lends/sells them for free/cheap.

In the past couple years, I've given away three bikes, one of which I bought expressly for that purpose.

But no, it's too cold to ride. With the increase in frontal area and encumberance from all the extra clothing, and the higher rolling resistance and air density, and the fact that two wheels + ice don't mix, I'd rather just walk or get in my gas-guzzling cage.

RobertSmalls -

Thanks for the tip. I usually find them locally pretty cheap. I used to fix them up, but found that around here, there is no business for it unless you're near the college, and there's a bike shop there now.

When I was in Drivers Ed I always rode my bike when nobody could give me a ride. I put several miles on that bike! Not just when I went to Drivers Ed, but I commuted for food at times, and I just generally loved riding that bike!

There have been times that I've been car-less, but I don't think I've been bike-less since I was 10. I live in a small town, and if I never had to leave it, I probably wouldn't drive, but there are times when a bike won't do. I'm not going to try to load a Mesa-Boogie on a bike.

The cold isn't so bad when I'm riding. I can bundle up against it. But I don't like losing traction on ice and hitting the ground, and I've done it many times. But when you add traction-less multi-ton vehicles into the mix, then enjoyment of riding just goes away.