Parking the car and getting a bike

[GarlicEater]

In my case I don't HAVE a car, but I borrow the land owner's car quite a bit. Now that the weather's nice, I borrow it more than I need to, really.

I have an old beach cruiser with a coaster brake I can get around on, but I want something better.

So, I've decided on .... the Felt Cafe 3!

It's got everything I want and none of the stuff I don't want, 3 speed internal hub, can keep the fenders off during the dry months and it just looks like a really slick ride.

I know some are serious riders and even racers, we've all been there. this thread is more about bicycling around for fun, exploring, and replacing a motor vehicle with a bicycle and having the experience be a good one. I'm not entering any races again no matter how big my legs get, I'm all about puttin' around these days.

 

[dadsdeercamp]

A few years back i rode 32 miles aday back and forth from work it was great most of the time. and i lost a ton

 

[GarlicEater]

I put a "new" (bought it for $1 at a garage sale) seat on my cruiser, and rode to Gilroy downtown and back, a nice 20 or so miles. The seat's a lot less lousy than what I had on there, usually I'd have "agony of de-seat". Makes riding the ol' cruiser much less of a PITA

That Felt Cafe 3 is a nice bike, there are also the Electras, they look like cruisers but are a lot lighter than they appear, and have what they call "flat foot technology" which means the seat post angle is 'way back, so when you put your feet down you can sit flat-footed, but the pedals are effectively forward, so you can stretch your legs out properly when pedaling. I still think I like the Cafe a better, but an Electra I was looking at would cost me about $150 less, and the Electras are *very* popular.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Quote:

How long did it take you to get to work?

 

[GarlicEater]

I'm thinking that's the total, so it was 16 miles each way, and I'm thinking he covered it in something between an hour and an hour and a half.

OK so 32 miles in a very efficient car is 1 gallon of gas, but it could take as much as two. So we're talking $5-$10 (just wait another week) in gas costs, plus there's other wear'n'tear on a car.

 

[Gelky]

Could be worse. You could have a road bike, a mountain bike and a commuter bike because you can't afford to get your road nor mountain bikes stolen.

And with gas at $4/gallon, I am more than happy to bike it.

 

[StupidBird]

out here, it's pretty "interesting" to ride a bicycle anywhere. Suggestions for getting over the fear of traffic?

 

[CluckyJay]

Quote:
Drink?

Seriously though, I'd be so scared to ride a bike around our drugged up and drunken town. :| This scardy cat just stays home as much as possible, LOL.

 

[dadsdeercamp]

Quote:

How long did it take you to get to work?

it was 16 miles one way it took 50 min to an hour and half

 

[GarlicEater]

There's just about NO shoulder on the roads where I am, but the drivers are VERY considerate. Just like I do when I'm in the car, they go WIDE around any bicyclist, because after all, it's a neighbor.