Does anyone here put in a lot of time on the bike? I am (primarily) a bicycle commuter, riding 16 miles / day four days out of the week for work and then some undiscernable extra amount for whatever I'm doing on the weekends. I do this on a Schwinn Trailway.
What about you?
M.
I used to cycle a lot when I lived in Lincoln, but since moving to London I've not had space to store a bike. We do have a bycicle hire thingy in London, which is free for the first half hour, but I've never used it as I don't like the look of the bikes they have. Also, in Lincoln I could get away with being a reckless cyclist because it's a small town so traffic isn't as deadly as it is here.
While I don't bike, I have a pretty idyllic 10k in-line skate commute through the countryside since my suburb is separated from the rest of the city. Tempest 110s, not that anyone knows what that is. I just don't feel stable enough on a bicycle, and while I've never fallen off of a bike I dislike having the knowledge that I wouldn't be able to catch myself if it did happen.
Kindling: Acquire a folding bike. I can't speak for London traffic, though. Around here it can be a little dicey, but I stick to the bike lanes anyway.
TMG: I know those are expensive skates. As for falling...wouldn't falling on skates be worse? I fall off mine on occasion - you just get back up and start spinning again.
M.
Quote from: TheMeanestGuest
... while I've never fallen off of a bike I dislike having the knowledge that I wouldn't be able to catch myself if it did happen.
You do know you can take your feet off the pedals if you want to, right? :P
Indeed. Wouldn't it be harder to "catch" yourself with skates? I would not know, for I cannot wear skates.
M.
Well, I don't know, catching oneself might be more difficult for a beginning inline skater vs. a beginning cyclist. But what I mostly meant was with your hands to prevent your face from impacting pavement. Flying over the handlebars of your bike is a lot more dangerous than falling forwards on in-line skates.
Cycling just isn't for me. I feel way less maneuverable, can't jump over obstacles, etc.
It's all good.
M.
I live in Copenhagen, Denmark, where everybody bikes everywhere. It's rare for someone to not have a bike, even in the center of the city.
I bike to my university most mornings, but I honestly prefer walking if it wasn't so damnably slow. I've also recently moved further outside the city, so that has put a proverbial stick in my wheel.
I'm a proponent of the Carfree lifestyle in the U.S., but it is more difficult here in many places than Denmark or the Netherlands.
Most of the people I know have a hard time wrapping their heads around the concept, let alone that I commute that way. It also carries a bit of a stigma. Things will change, or perhaps after I finish my degree programme I'll transfer to one of our European offices and not have to deal with it as much.
M.
Yeah when I went to the US I found it very strange how the towns I saw were laid out - it seems very difficult to get anywhere without a car.
This is pretty generally true. It is a side effect of our history - agrarianism in the midst of industrialism. Lots of land, cheap, where self-sufficient towns and whatnot grew up around. We started to urbanize better in the early 20th, but the post WW2 era and the interstate project (rise of the suburbs) saw to the end of that.
At one point, we had better rail transit, but the car companies saw to that problem in the early 20th century.
M.
How do you store your helmet when you are not riding?
How do you secure your bike? Chain or bolt?
Has your bike ever been stolen?
>>At one point, we had better rail transit, but the car companies saw to that problem in the early 20th century.
I am fairly certain that the consumers preferred car to passenger rail. Cheaper and it could get you point to point (more freedom). So yes, car companies 'saw to that problem' by creating a better product.
I don't wear a helmet, I chain it up, and luckily no, never, although I know for a fact someone tried to break into the shed where I used to store it at least once.
I keep my helmet in the house. When at the house, I don't secure the bike but at work or shop I use a 4 letter combo chain. To date, never had one stolen.
May be moving soon, into the "seedier" part of town, so I'm looking at investing in a folder for easier inside storage.
M.
Cheo- ah, so you don't usually wear the helmet when you ride? That was one problem I ran into when I was in a position where I could bike and I was in a country that had a helmet law-- I was close to places I wanted to be, but I couldn't figure out where to put the helmet when I arrived at stores or shops.
Great that your bike hasn't been stolen.
OH! No, I wear it almost every time I go out. Since I bike to work, I have to wear it on those days. The navy guard guys will not let you through without one. When I'm at home, I meant I just store it in the house.
When I'm at work, I just sit the helmet on top of my pack. When I'm walking about (stores, etc), I clip it to my pack - typically the "gut belt" part.
My pack is one of these: http://www.amazon.com/5-11-Rush-72-Back-Pack/dp/B005AG3YQG/ref=pd_sim_sg_2
M.
EDIT: Wrong pack posted.
Ah, I am surprised that no one tried to steal it at a store, etc. That was always my concern about leaving the helmet attached to the bike--having my helmet stolen while I am in a store, then needing to buy a new one and getting stopped by a police officer while I bike back home for riding without a helmet.
Yeah, that is an important concern - this is why I keep it clipped to my pack.
M.
So it's nicer out. Biked all winter, feeling like I've earned this better weather a little bit.
I am finally investing in a folding bike. Specifically, to test the waters I am purchasing this one:
http://www.citizenbike.com/catalog.asp?product_category_id=1&product_id=1
I'm getting it in Olive Green. Just need to swap out those rather bold red cables for something less crazy.
I like the look, it is certainly inspired by the Dahon "Curve" series. The Olive colour scheme looks rather military, I think. Very nice. I plan to install a rear rack and a front rack and put a few trunk bags on it. My current bike is a bit tall for me (some of you might know that I am not a tall man by anyone's standard), so this might become my main ride if I like how it handles vs my 700c set.
I might eventually upgrade it with a cassette that'll net me more gear inches, or perhaps I'll dabble into hub gearing.
M.