- cross-posted to:
- fuckcars@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- fuckcars@lemmy.world
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someone compared efficiency and long distance trains are more efficient, but that’s it.
Further proof that trains are the ultimate form of transportation. But we all knew this. Choo choo!
Bring back trains so we can have real suburbs, where you can live in a small town and be a 30 to 45 minute train ride from a city center.
Bike and train could mean never having to deal with owning a car ever again.
Have you seen Montreal and their REM?! An autonomous train every 15 minutes?!?! Sign me up!!!
I live in Montreal, the REM is nowhere near where people live so people end up driving to it anyway, it doesn’t transfer from the Montreal Metro or buses and it’s more expensive.
I honestly believe the REM exists so that our scumbag conservative provincial government can point at it and say “See? Trains are a failure!”, while he cuts public transport funding again.
I use a bike to commute 6.5 km to work and it’s not just a good time. I do have a dedicated bike/pedestrian paved path (with few pedestrians, just a lot of other bikes) which is nice.
But in rain it sucks. And in winter it sucks even harder with the cold, and snow and ice. I have studded tires but that adds to the suck as they make you slower. I always have to shower when I get to work. I deliver and pick up in kindergarten, and there is no place to lock the kid trailer, so it adds an extra km to pick up and dump of the trailer at home.
I still use a manual as it gives me some excercise, but an electric bike would solve many of the issues.
And I save money on parking and toll. And bc of traffic I use about the same time.
Nothings perfect
But in rain it sucks. And in winter it sucks even harder with the cold, and snow and ice. I have studded tires but that adds to the suck as they make you slower. I always have to shower when I get to work. I deliver and pick up in kindergarten, and there is no place to lock the kid trailer, so it adds an extra km to pick up and dump of the trailer at home.
Where I live the parents all have those e-bike SUV things that have faring and rain covers. They are about the size of a large motorcycle and probably weigh 100lbs. Urban arrow is the brand and they are about 10,000. Price of a used car.
One downside I haven’t seen mentioned yet is the hassle of having to laboriously lock up your bike front and back, saddle bag, too, so some freaking degenerate won’t steal anything that isn’t secured. I’ve had my rear wheel stolen before (who even DOES that?) and am not looking for a repeat.
I love riding my bike and do most trips with it in the summer (shopping, appointments, gym, etc.)
But I envy motorists sometimes who just get out of their car, push the button on their key and everything’s neatly locked up.
Friendly reminder that if you only have enough lock to lock your frame and ONE wheel, make sure it’s the rear wheel! It is the most expensive of the two to replace.
That said, bike thieves should have their fingers broken.
I feel like drop out wheels were a bad idea. For the number of times you actually want to remove your front wheel I’m happy just having to undo a lug nut. Drop out wheels have made it too easy for bike thieves and they just unhook the wheel and run off before anyone notices what they’re doing.
A good compromise would be dropout wheels but they need unique key to unlock the wheel.
There are locking axles that replace the quick release axles, to do what you described. A couple companies I’ve heard of (but haven’t tested myself):
As a full time car-free person, this is absolutely a valid argument. I’m lucky to live less than 10 minutes away from my job. I could bike there in even less time, but walk anyway specifically because I don’t want to deal with these logistics.
This is the upside of living in a very bike heavy cultured city, I feel like there’s so damn many bikes everywhere that no one gives a fuck about my bike. I also have never left it outside overnight.
Weren’t you paying attention? Bikes are so cheap you can just buy another when it gets stolen.
I use locking axles for the wheels and have the saddle attached with a chain. That reduces the effort quite a bit :) Admittedly I don’t use a saddle bag on the city bike.
Replacing those quick release skewers is so satisfying. I couldn’t justify a real bike with real axels so this is what I got lol.
Suppose that I decide to pack up the cat and everything I own and just disappear one day?
I can’t do that with a bike.
unless you and your bike are very strong and you have a large cart and some rope
Then you own too much shit
Hills. If you live near hills bikes don’t work too well at least not as transportation, they work more as exercise equipment then.
I’ve actually got an electric bike and it does solve the hills problem but then it has the it weighs as much as a baby elephant problem. So it’s still a pain if you have to lug it on and off the train.
You are seriously underestimating baby elephants :D
If only we had good bicycle infrastructure everywhere 😔
Distance. Carrying capacity Speed
I used to live in a town in the US where I could bike across a college campus to get to work. That was heaven.
Propaganda.
Yes
I love bikes, and don’t own a car. But, this is misleading.
Bikes are terrible off road where there are no paths. They’re decent if there’s a well worn path, as long as there are no exposed roots or big rocks, but if the path isn’t well maintained walking is probably better.
Where bikes excel is very flat surfaces. The modern world is filled with those. The problem is that in most places the assumption is that those flat surfaces belong to either cars or pedestrians. Theoretically, in many places, bikes are allowed in the same places as cars most of the time. But, if a biker shares the space with cars, it’s just a matter of time before that biker collides with a car. When that happens, the person in the car won’t be injured. The biker may be dead.
When a driver hits a bike, normally the driver gets off easy. Even if there’s evidence of malicious intent, it’s almost never treated as manslaughter or even murder. If there’s no evidence of malice, it’s treated as an “oopsie daisy” and there’s virtually no chance that the driver will spend any time in jail or prison.
Finally, bikes aren’t treated as important property that the law should protect the way that cars are. Even in places like Amsterdam where biking is one of the most common ways to get around, the canals are filled with bikes that have been stolen and thrown in. If you steal a car and get caught, you’re in serious trouble. If you steal a bike, the odds of getting caught are tiny, and if it happens it’s not treated as a very serious issue.
Sure, laws can be changed. But, drivers tend to be older and richer. The older they are, the more dependent they are on their cars. So, they almost always manage to defeat any potential changes to the law.
Bikes do give you a lot of freedom, but in a world designed around cars first, it’s not as much freedom as you get with a car. Maybe in 50 years it will be different. I hope so.
Theoretically, in many places, bikes are allowed in the same places as cars most of the time. But, if a biker shares the space with cars, it’s just a matter of time before that biker collides with a car. When that happens, the person in the car won’t be injured. The biker may be dead.
Assuming every cyclist who shares the road will eventually have an accident involving a car is kinda fatalist IMHO, but I guess it depends on where you are … where I live, bicycles on the road are very common, both in the city and outside.
My typical ways in the city involve a multilane road that doesn’t have a bike path yet, and while it can be stressful I don’t consider it overly dangerous.
Road cycling is a common pastime here so having bicycles on the country roads is expected, and motorists are required to maintain a certain distance (1.5m), as indicated by many roadsigns along popular roads. They typically comply.
So, yeah, I don’t think it’s a given and very much the results of cultural attitudes more than anything …
The problem is banks own the majority of cars. Stealing a car is stealing a banks property. The banks have enough money to get pissy about this and make the government do something.
If cars didn’t require loans and had entire major industries profiting off them then it’s likely cars would be treated like bikes.
It is cool and all, but I don’t wanna haul a crap load of tools on a bike
Cargo bikes are a thing!
No cargo bike can support 500lbs dude. A single pro toolbox worth of tools is well like 200lbs. Most people have 3-5 of those boxes.
Yeah, you can move a house via cargo bike, but normal people hire movers. Poor bike weirdos in their 20s do it via bike as a political statement. every bike weirdo I know now hires movers because they got older and have money now. They also own cars and drive them most of the time…
it’s almost as if once they got money to afford a car being a zealout about bike-only lifestyle disappeared from their mind…
Let’s be real here: cars are more convenient for a lot of things, especially when proper bike infrastructure is still lacking. That’s why people tend to move in that direction.
However, keeping at it is not sustainable and makes life worse in the long run. Adopting sustainable strategies comes with some pain points, but it’s simply the only way forward.
Ok, slap a motor in that thing. I see washing machines+dryer pretty frequently.
this is a motorcycle with extra steps or a motorized bicycle
Motorcycle, moped, scooter, ebike, escooter, there’s no clear delineation, the point is there’s 2 wheel vehicles that trade workers use every day to transport tools and materials. When there’s too much, they typically hire a kei truck, but I see 20 bikes with tools or bags of concrete or whatever for every truck.
How many tools are we talking about here? Have you tried?
Mostly true but I find the price is pretty high nowadays.
You don’t need a carbon road bike to cycle to the supermarket, you’re not racing in the tour de france.
Yeah well even basic bitch bikes go from 300-1000 euros. Even second hand is 175 cheapest. And then you have a shitty one.
Almost as if cost of living has increased, but wages have not…
Yeah that’s my point. We don’t exactly live in a “oh it’s stolen, oh well” time.
Paint it with extra rust and stick some exposed wires on it for +15 to theft resistance.
but wages have not…
This makes me appreciate the UK minimum wage rising faster than inflation over the past several years.
A weeks work at minimum wage will get you a pretty decent bike. Not a carbon race bike, but a good bike for general riding.
What the hell? That’s crazy. My current bike was 20€, needed a bit of fixing. Bought it when my 30€ one was stolen. Both have served fine for my 2km daily commute, and occasional ~10km trip to the city centre.
Could probably buy a stolen one for that money yeah, or someone that really needs to get rid of their bike to make space. But at an actual refurbished second hand bike goes for those prices after a quick google search.
I think we have different definitions of shitty bike. I could go to Kmart and buy a $120 AUD (€73) brand new bike. It has 2 wheels, pedals, a handlebar. Sometimes they have bells. You can even make it go forwards if you try hard enough.
If I go to Gumtree (our classifieds app), there’s literally free bikes or ones for* as low as $20:
Mountain Bike. In working condition, has back brakes and rides straight. The gear shifter doesn’t work, but just leave it the desired gear.
If I go to an actual “bike shop”, their cheapest bike is $400 AUD (€243), which is close to your listing.
Yeah well I live in the Netherlands
Man, no wonder they’re expensive, Dutch bicycles are world famous for quality commuting. I really wanted one and tried to buy one q few years ago but got scammed haha.
You can absolutely find 2nd hand bikes for less 175. One search of marktplaats for an omafiets and there are plenty for less than 90 euros. Sure it’ll be a real nugget but with 30 euros of parts, youtube and some elbow grease it will last for years. They probably even will without fixing it up first
I bought my last two bikes for $20 and $50 at the goodwill respectively
Cars can easily long distances in a short period of time in most weather conditions comfortably, allowing the freedom of movement even if it isn’t done daily. It is a symbol of long distance freedom on weekends and holidays, not daily commuting.
Bikes have that “start riding wherever, feel the wind in your air, hop off wherever and lock wherever” freedom.
With the big trade-off that it eats up space and money when it’s not a weekend or a holiday … I sometimes think it’d be nice to own a car to go out on the weekends, but then I remember that I’d have to pay insurance and taxes independent on how much I use it (which would amout to “any other weekend”, maybe), and couldn’t use my garage as a workshop anymore because it’d be occupied by a car. Plus, short-term rentals and car sharing are a thing … so, yeah … in the end it always feels more like a liability than “freedom”
goes as far and as fast as you can
And cars go much further and faster than I can
I prefer to call it “freedom”. Nowadays your vehicle spies on you and you’re tracked everywhere you go and anaylized.
Not mine, lol, the benefits of driving an 18-year-old car I guess.
Mines older 🤣. But even at that, I think it still has a chance to have OnStar…
These are great points and suddenly I feel like the all weather point is showing a nonexistant / totally under served market.
A quick google search shows even quadricycles tend to be un covered. Man, this feels like a real business opportunity.
Ofc, cause #Murica, I’ll bet I’m the one in a million people who’d want a covered bicycle / quadicycle (vs trying to get a golf cart) for local mobility.
Probably because the cover is extra weight and cumbersome rigging for all of the time you don’t need it. Rain gear works well enough in a pinch.
Yeah, I’m sure for my interests, I could strap a lock box to the bike with all weather gear (so that I don’t have to think about bringing it with me all the time).
Still, a neat idea. I’d love the vibes of being a biking Fred Flintstone.
Do they not have coats where you live?
Yeah, but I grew up in a part of the world too hot year round to wear them, so as an adult, most jackets are just really uncomfortable for me. Doubly so for water proof materials that don’t breathe.
The material doesn’t need to breathe. Use a poncho type of thing instead.
I bike everyday to work and back. Ponchos suuuuuck to ride in. Theyre constantly getting into your chain or wheel. It’s hard to do a shoulder check because you’ll get poncho in the eyes. And the wind getting in will make it come off your arms and head. Plus they’re uncomfortable with helmets and biking gloves.
Personally, I just use a rain jacket plus accept the fact that I’ll get wet sometimes. I already carry a towel in my rear rack for sweat so it’s not that big a deal as long as I get to my destination.
Mine hasn’t caused any issues. It has velcro straps that clip it to my legs and it’s designed for cycling. I do think I probably could have got the larger size though.
Not sure, bit more airflow around my arms and upper chest could be nice.
Because cars make a shit load of money for the
economythe rich people.the only bikes that make any money to sell are the ones that are for rich people.
the profit on a $500 bike is like 200 bucks, the profit on a $15,000 bike, is like $10,000
I bet it’s closer to like 13k profit, depends on how you do the math on the supply chain
Yeah but how many more people are buying the £500 bikes?
Going by the stock of bikes in Halfords, almost no one is buying the 15k bikes. Very few bikes are not a 3 figure price tag.
not as many as you’d think. it also depends on the demographics of your city. in my city people buy 10K bikes like they are $100 bikes, because they have the money.
True, I could see it being a thing in parts of London
Cycle2work scheme has, I think, massively inflated the prices. Not in a way where same shit costs more, but truly cheap bikes are just not really a thing anymore.
Idk I typically buy mine from anarchist bike co-ops and they’re pretty cheap
truly cheap bikes were never a thing, unless you are talking wal-mart bikes. and those aren’t really bikes, they are disposable toys.
Decathlon is offering real cheap contenders :D Their line of city bikes is SUPER affordable and already comes with every needed accessories
Anon missed the biggest sin of all:
Monetizable, but only at two or three orders of magnitude less than automobiles.
TL;DR: “He’s cheating because he’s not spending as much as I am.”
They’re cheaper in every conceivable way than cars, and that’s why the worst people out there hate them. Once you see the systems in place to equate personal validity and social values with what wealth may be extracted, it’s impossible to look back. Bikes are effectively a form of protest by way of scaling back one’s economic interaction, because of this.
yeah, but once you hang out with other bike people they will just you on the cost of your bike and your ‘gear’ instead of the cost of your car.
and if your bike is fancier than theirs, you’re a rich douche, and if your bike is less money than theirs, you’re a poor piece of shit. and if your bike is just like theirs, you are a practical and sensible person just like them.
I have never seen people do this. All I’ve ever seen is that those who spend extravagantly on bikes and gear do so because they are literally professional athletes. For everyone else, the closest to what you’re talking about is just basic advise to spend only a little bit more on an entry-level bike because the so-called “department store” bikes tend to be notorious for being cheaply made and poorly assembled, requiring repairs in a very short amount of time. But even those bikes are perfectly fine if you’re okay with having to spend additional money in the near future to replace problematic components, and either hire someone to fix it or learn how to do your own repairs.
wow cool. i was on a bike ride last night with 5 middle ages dudes who are average chubby bozos and they all had 10-20K bikes, and kept asking me if I was ‘doing ok’ because my bike is only worth 1K. because how could anyone possible ride a bike that isn’t uci level?
i have met way more people with very expensive pro level stuff than I do people without, but I live in a very rich city where people buy Rivians R1s and never drive them as a leftist eco crunchy flex. maybe you live in a poor place, where I live folks are buying 10K bikes every other year because they don’t want to be caught on an ‘old bike’ w/o all the latest and greatest upgrades and my bikes are ‘retro’ because they are more than 5 years old and people are ‘concerned’ for me because they are so old and I must be financially struggling.
Yeah that probably does explain it, I don’t hang out with rich assholes. People like that may as well be living on another planet as far as I’m concerned.
It’s almost like gentrification makes everything more insufferable for everyone.
you have that backwards. I am the asshole in that situation because I’m not as rich as them.
Sounds like you’ve encountered MAMILs in the wild.
Middle Aged Men In Lycra.
I like to point out that a 10k bike is really just a cheaper mid-life crisis than a sports car, tends to shut down the conversation one way or another pretty quick.
No. These are folks who have been riding since they were teenagers and got 10K bikes back then too and their first car was a Lexus, etc.
They are just rich people. Lots and lots of people, are rich. Mid-life crisis for these folks is buying a house in Hawaii for 5 million.
Wealth doesn’t necessarily exclude them from being MAMILs, but from what you’ve described, it seems there are plenty of other reasons to ride solo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZK8Z8hulFg
it’s the same for any interest
