Work Drive Cut 3/5ths

[MorningGaser]

After working 1/16th of a mile from a river trail for the last 4 years, it occured to me that that trail runs just 1 mile from my house. This trail provides a nice paved path for bikes, joggers, etc. So I decided to buy a hybrid bicycle (semi-mountain bike/road bike) and have decide to ride to work 3 days a week, thereby cutting out gas consumption by 60%, but the best thing about this is that I will be putting my body in better shape (cardio-vascular system). In financial terms I'll only be saving around $6 in fuel, as the drive from home to work is just 9 miles each way, but what compels me to do this primarily is the physical fitness aspects of riding a bike, and the fuel savings and the saving of wear & tear on the car are only secondary.

Anyone else people-power to work?

[MetroMPG]

I do: I roll out of bed and walk down the hall every morning :)

Seriously, nice to see someone making the switch from ICE to bike.

Have you seen this?

Electric bikes: Suitable Transportation? Of course, just ask Stephen Gale!

It's a great vid clip of an Australian who saves significant time riding his bike rather than driving his car on a busy urban commute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfyJZ6lTm84

[SVOboy]

Very cool! Right now I walk every where because I'm at school, so yay!

[zpiloto]

I'm on my bike 3-5 times a week. No hybrid just all people power.

I went back and took a very quick look at the gaslog that showed when I joined the site I was driving 40 miles a day and my last fill was 28 miles a day. Woot

[repete86]

I try to bike when I can. Most of my driving is flow long distance travel. The vast majority of my miles this year has been driving to various places around the country for work.

[Hockey4mnhs]

sweet i wish i could do that. Its just to far for me tho.

[trebuchet03]

School is within a few miles from me :thumbup: :thumbup:

this is my ride (http://www.instructables.com/id/SCY4GKGO0BEZTBBBXU/?) - I guess it's a hybrid road - utility bike :P But there's instructions on how I made it in that link :thumbup:

http://static.instructables.com/deriv/F90/UZ6X/T1PEZTBBC08/F90UZ6XT1PEZTBBC08.MEDIUM.jpg

I can carry lots of groceries with the inefficiency of long chain and lots of people staring at me :P What's great is that as long as I carry my chain cutting tool - I can convert that back to a road bike in less than 15 minutes (should I have to for some unforeseen reason).

Oh, and I do feel safe riding it - I ride on the (busy) roads on that thing ;)

[trebuchet03]

^ My question is why?

I can carry all my groceries... and I can put my laptop over the back seat without it rubbing/interfering with the wheel....

think of it as a trailer - except it's more stable and you never have to hitch or unhitch or carry a trailer up to a second story apartment :thumbup:


I must admit though -- the concept is not my own....

http://www.xtracycle.com/sub.php

[repete86]

I just put a stolen milk carton onto the back of my Motobecane. Works fine for me, and has plenty of room in it. I still don't see what the benefit of a longer wheelbase and increased weight would be other than some increased stability. I would feel safer in urban driving with something shorter so that I can get out of someone's way faster.

[trebuchet03]

I just put a stolen milk carton onto the back of my Motobecane. Works fine for me, and has plenty of room in it. I still don't see what the benefit of a longer wheelbase and increased weight would be other than some increased stability.

I had a toolbox on a seat post rack for awhile... It just didn't hold enough :P When I go shopping, I buy a lot and in bulk :thumbup:

The extra weight really isn't noticeable when you're hauling a month's worth of groceries or 180 pounds of extra passenger :p But yes, it is more stable -- but mostly because the CG is a little lower when loaded with stuff (compared to the toolbox) :thumbup:

But when I'm not hauling extra groceries and such.... It's just a work out -- I'll be that much faster on a lighter bike because I trained on a heavier one (if only :P). haha

[repete86]

Oh, I get it now. I didn't realize that that was a post for a back seat before. I thought that it was just a longer wheelbase.

[Snax]

Since selling a vehicle in November of this last year, I've been biking and riding the bus to work. Here's the rough financial breakdown on savings to date:

Payment on $30k vehicle - $500 x 5mos = $2500
Insurance $100 x 5 mos = $500
Fuel 20gal x $2.50 = $50

Less $500 for a new bike and roughly $15/mo for the bus, it's been worth close to $2500 in savings overall in just 5 months. The only real drawback for me is about 5 extra minutes each direction by bike, and 15 minutes by bus. I'm obviously giving up the luxury of heat and weather protection, but figuring in the roughly 1050 extra minutes I have given to self propelled commuting, that works out to over $140/hr for my 'inconvenience'.

I think I can stand a slight delay for that.

Obviously taking a loan payment out of the picture changes the economics of this substantially, but I still look at it as getting paid to exercise.

[kickflipjr]

I have been keeping track of my miles since September '06

So far I have biked 268 miles in 2007 and 625 miles since September. Most of these rides are purely recreational and don't directly replace trips by car.