How useful is a bicycle as a form of transportation to you?

[hypatia]

Roads in Metro Detroit, were not ment for bikes. A biker on the road really freaks people out.

 

[Four]

What about us fat people that just sitting on a bike will break it down. There is no way I can bike; I have to take my car a few blocks. Wheels on bikes are just not durable and bend to easily. And the seat just bends backwards; well atleast no one will be able to steal my seat after I sit on it

 

[Huckleberry]

I'm looking at using a bicycle and public transportation for all of my transportation needs. I think it's feasible in my case and would benefit me in many ways. I live in Oregon and it rains here much of the time, but that doesn't concern me too much. There hasn't been much snow the two winters I've been here, so that's not much of a concern. It's not terribly cold in the wintertime. Only 3 things concern me about selling my automobile and just using a bike and public transportation to get around.

you lost the instructions to use

1. This is actually a concern of mine. I like the idea of using a bike for transportation, but I'm not sure how to ride one safely on the roads. I've asked a few people and they tell me it's the same rules as riding a car. I find this hard to believe. I don't see bikes on the highway. Sometimes there are bike lanes and other times there aren't. Is it ever legal to ride on the sidewalk? Are there some kind of biking laws or is it just etiquette?

2. Shopping for anything could be a pain. I usually stop at the supermarket on the way home from work and get what I need and just throw it in my car. This would not be possible on a bike. I'm also worried about keeping my bike safe while I'm in the store. I've never noticed if there are places to lock up a bike at most stores in the Portland area. I'm thinking I would probably have to use public transportation for shopping, and I'm not wild about that idea. I don't want to be sitting at a bus stop with half a dozen bags in the rain, waiting for my ride home. Also, I work nights so the bus shcedule doesn't fit nicely with my needs. These are probably my main concerns. Knowing myself, if I can't make this practical I'll never do it.

3. Getting to places out of town would be difficult. I don't go out of town very often, but there are times where I might want to visit a place that I can't reasonably ride a bike to. I'm not very familiar with the public transportation system here in Portland. I might want to go to Multnomah falls or MT. Hood or the Wilson River to go fishing and camping. I can only rely on friends so much for these things. They have their own busy lives and I wouldn't want to impose on them for a ride if they didn't want to go to these places. I've enjoyed the ease of travel that my car has provided for a long time now.

Any ideas for getting around some of these problems? At this point I'm playing with the idea of getting rid of my reliance on an automobile completely. I'd really like for it to be practical. Otherwise, I'll probably only use a bike for the rare occasion that I feel like going for a ride.

I looked at a few online sites for biking groups in the area and they all seem way too professional for my tastes. I didn't see any that were for beginners. A friend mentioned that the bike shops might have some recommendations for beginner bikers. Hopefully I'll get around to asking them this weekend. Anyone here have any ideas on this? Man, when I was younger I would go anywhere and everywhere on my bike. I don't understand why this seems like such a task now.

 

[daveb]

When i was attending school at UCLA, work, school and home formed a nice equilateral triangle of about 3 miles each side. My car rarely left its parking spot except to move from one side of the street to the other when the street sweepers came by.

 

[chroot]

1. This is actually a concern of mine. I like the idea of using a bike for transportation, but I'm not sure how to ride one safely on the roads. I've asked a few people and they tell me it's the same rules as riding a car. I find this hard to believe. I don't see bikes on the highway. Sometimes there are bike lanes and other times there aren't. Is it ever legal to ride on the sidewalk? Are there some kind of biking laws or is it just etiquette?

It is rarely legal to ride a bike on the sidewalk. Some cities allow it, but most don't. Even if it is legal, though, it's terribly, terribly dangerous. People do not expect vehicles to be going 15-20 mph on the sidewalk. When people pull out of driveways, they don't look up and down the sidewalk. You will almost certainly get into some kind of accident if you ride on the sidewalk, unless you're basically riding at a walking pace.

Bicycles generally have the same laws as any other vehicle, at least in regards to signalling, stop signs and lights, etc. The only additional rule (in most municipalities) is that bicycles must be ridden as far to the right as practical. Please note that this does not mean you must or should ride your bike in the gutter, or on the edge of the pavement, or anything else. Give yourself a good foot of pavement to the right. Bike lanes take precendence over shoulders, if the bike lanes are well-designed. (Sometimes they're terrible and I just don't use them.) If the road does not have a good shoulder, ride right out in the middle of the lane, right where a car would.

You will notice that people will pass you with much more care (and much more passing distance) when you ride in a relatively prominent position on the roadway, not barely on the edge of the pavement. You will also get more respect if your speed, lange changes, signals, and overall bike handling appear skillful. (This is perhaps the worst catch-22 in existence: motorists give little respect to people who appear to not know what they're doing, even though those people need respect the most.) I find that I can give many hand signals to motorists (pointing to the pavement when I want to change lanes, holding up a flat palm when I need them to wait for a second, etc.) and at least 50% of them respond to my directions immediately.

Never weave in and out of parked cars. Keep a steady, predictable line and speed, and let cars negotiate passing, without trying to "help" them by dodging in and out.

You will find that riding a bike in traffic is a terrifying experience at first, but gradually becomes pretty easy -- just like learning to drive a car on a freeway. It takes time, and practice.

2. Shopping for anything could be a pain. I usually stop at the supermarket on the way home from work and get what I need and just throw it in my car. This would not be possible on a bike.

Unless you get a rack, or panniers, or a messenger bag. You'd be surprised how much you can carry.

I'm also worried about keeping my bike safe while I'm in the store. I've never noticed if there are places to lock up a bike at most stores in the Portland area.

Most city codes require some form of bike parking in front of many businesses. Look around a bit. In the worst case, you can usually find columns or other features to lock a bike to. In some cases, stores will even allow you to leave the bike inside the building while you're shopping.

I can't really help you solve this problem directly, because I don't know exactly what the situation is where you shop.

Another mildly crazy idea is to simply rent a car for a day every couple of weeks and do all your shopping in a couple of large trips. Many cities have some kind of car-sharing system (ZipCar, etc.) where you can easily rent a car for a few hours to do your shopping.

3. Getting to places out of town would be difficult. I don't go out of town very often, but there are times where I might want to visit a place that I can't reasonably ride a bike to. I'm not very familiar with the public transportation system here in Portland. I might want to go to Multnomah falls or MT. Hood or the Wilson River to go fishing and camping. I can only rely on friends so much for these things. They have their own busy lives and I wouldn't want to impose on them for a ride if they didn't want to go to these places. I've enjoyed the ease of travel that my car has provided for a long time now.

You would rent a car for out-of-town trips, unless you know of some other convenient method, like train or bus. You can rent a car every single weekend for less out-of-pocket expense than owning one full-time. Get AAA or some other discount program to make rentals even cheaper.

I looked at a few online sites for biking groups in the area and they all seem way too professional for my tastes. I didn't see any that were for beginners. A friend mentioned that the bike shops might have some recommendations for beginner bikers. Hopefully I'll get around to asking them this weekend. Anyone here have any ideas on this?

You might want to go to bikeforums.com and ask people in your area what they do to get around. I bet you could find some local people who have solved all your problems for themselves, and can give you very good advice.

Man, when I was younger I would go anywhere and everywhere on my bike. I don't understand why this seems like such a task now.

It seems like a task for one simple reason: you have become a part of car culture, and now find it frightening to think of doing things any other way. People instinctively fear change. It's only scary for a while, though, I promise. It took me about a month to really become confident. After that, it quickly becomes liberating.

- Warren

 

[Moonbear]

If the road does not have a good shoulder, ride right out in the middle of the lane, right where a car would.

This is the only thing in your advice I'd take issue with. That's just plain RUDE! Unless you're only on a 25 mph road and can pedal 25 mph, you better get over to the right so cars can get around you, otherwise you're just going to p**s off the drivers. This is my big pet peeve about bicyclists on roads. If you can't pedal the speed limit, get your butt out of the way of the cars that intend to go the speed limit! The further to the right you are, the easier for the car to pass you, even if there's oncoming traffic the other direction, and the more willing they'll be to share the road with bikes because you're not slowing them down from getting where they're going. There's also more room for them to swerve and avoid you if you're over to the right if they DON'T see you until a bit late (like coming around a curve). If you're smack in the middle of the road, you have as much chance as the squirrels.

 

[morphism]

SON OF A B*TCH! My bike -- my main means of transportation -- was just stolen from outside where I live. I came out and my chain was cut in half and thrown onto the floor, adding insult to injury.

ARGH!

 

[chroot]

This is the only thing in your advice I'd take issue with. That's just plain RUDE! Unless you're only on a 25 mph road and can pedal 25 mph, you better get over to the right so cars can get around you, otherwise you're just going to p**s off the drivers.

I couldn't care less about pissing off the drivers. (Do you care about pissing off cyclists?) It's a choice between my life and ten seconds of inconvenience for them. If I were a dumptruck, a school bus, or any other kind of slow-moving vehicle, no one would have a problem with me. Think about that for a minute. The truth is that my impact on traffic on a bicycle is smaller than my impact on traffic in a car. Think about that for a minute the next time you're stuck behind a mile of cars at a traffic light, too.

This is my big pet peeve about bicyclists on roads. If you can't pedal the speed limit, get your butt out of the way of the cars that intend to go the speed limit!

Cyclists should ride as far to the right as is safe for conditions, but no further. If the road is poor and I must take the entire lane, I don't care about you or your speed limit. I'll take up the whole lane until I get through the poor section of road, then move right when it's safe -- and you are legally obligated to deal with it. I don't care if it takes you ten more seconds to get to Starbucks. Get a grip.

The further to the right you are, the easier for the car to pass you, even if there's oncoming traffic the other direction, and the more willing they'll be to share the road with bikes because you're not slowing them down from getting where they're going.

I share the road with motorists because they pay taxes and are legally entitled to use the road with me. I'm frankly don't see it as a matter of anyone's will. If you had it your way, you'd prefer that no cyclists slow you down. If I had it my way, I'd prefer that no cars slow me down. Yes, you heard me right.

There's also more room for them to swerve and avoid you if you're over to the right if they DON'T see you until a bit late (like coming around a curve). If you're smack in the middle of the road, you have as much chance as the squirrels.

I'm afraid you have no idea what you're talking about. You don't cycle regularly in traffic, so I don't expect you to know much about the subject, but try not to pat yourself on the back too much.

The best place for a cyclist to be is right in the middle of the road, right where motorists are expecting to see vehicles. You are easily seen, you have space, and cars are forced to leave the entire lane to pass. The middle of the road is the ideal place to ride a bike. Cyclists make concessions like moving as far right as possible simply as a courtesy to you road-raging adrenaline-pumping morons in cars, who are just so desperate to get to the next stop light ten seconds faster.

Keep in mind that when I'm talking about "riding a bike in traffic," I don't mean tooling around on a mountain bike at 8 mph. I'm talking about busting my ass on an 18 lb road racing bike, at heart rate of 160+ bpm and cruising speeds approaching 25 mph. If you can't bear to be behind a cyclist pushing 25 mph for ten seconds while you wait for a good time to pass, you really need to re-evaluate your rights vis a vis the rights of others.

- Warren

 

[Astronuc]

SON OF A B*TCH! My bike -- my main means of transportation -- was just stolen from outside where I live. I came out and my chain was cut in half and thrown onto the floor, adding insult to injury.

ARGH!

Bummer.

For that reason, I would bring the bike inside. Also, one could get quick disconnect front wheel to prevent someone just riding off.

I thought there are some heavy duty chains, but they tend to weigh a few kgs. There are special locks shaped like an elongated D, which I prefer to a chain - like these http://www.masterlockbike.com/product-category.shtml?id=10316&disname=U-Locks


As for riding a bike in traffic, if I am slower than the speed limit, I pull to the right to let cars go by, otherwise I ride slightly right of center. The center of many lanes it a bit more oily or greasy (particularly in high density areas), so I tended to ride to the right of center.