Goupilandcie

I just wanted to add my input to this thread. The difficutly of living car free is going to greatly depend on your location and needs.

Me and my wife have been living car free for 5 years with out any bikes. We are lucky enough to work from home so commute is a non-issue and my grocery store is two (long) blocks away so I just walk and use a garden cart. Public transportation is only one block away as well. I have found over the years it is very helpful to research an area for grocery stores and public transport.

The main difficuties of living car free seem to be groceries (because they are heavy and frequent) and commuting to work. Everything else can be done online or a taxi once in a while or a rental car for things like moving. So if you really want to you can live car free and no bikes, its not as hard as you think. Alot of areas you can even get groceries delivered though the options are often limited.

That being said, I have been looking into a bike (hence why I am here) just to broaden my boundries of the 5 or so miles I can walk. It has not always been easy, but not so hard and over the 5 years I have probably saved 30k.

My advise to the others trying the lifestyle. Start with walking as much as you can, you will get a feel for your needs that way and can grow from there, plus it costs nothing. If everything is out of a two mile radius, start with one bike and go up from there. It never hurts to start small.

Roody

I started with a used Walmart mountain bike that I bought for $30. By the time I'd been riding 3 or 4 months, I knew enough to make a wise purchase on a second bike. I'm still pretty much a minimalist. For basic transportation cycling, you really don't need much.

gerv 

Great first post! What type of city/town do you live in?

Goupilandcie

Thanks gerv.

Started my car free life in Bainbridge Island (aka middle of nowhere), WA. Had groceries delivered and whatnot. But after being hostpitalized and the ambulance took 30+ min to get to hospital I relized I needed a more car-free friendly community.

Am happy in Hillsboro, OR right now.

What inspired me to go car free was really the economics and a general disliking for the hassle of auto ownership.

I think the economics and will of people are changing. Unlike in the 70s today we have online where we can discuss stuff (such as here). We can buy what we want, play games, etc. There is probably less need for car today then ever before and yet they are more expensive than ever before. At some point that will reach a tipping point for each person who will figure out it is just not worth it.

One more advise for those going car free, get yourself some good shoes. Alot of sneekers today are made for about 300 miles which is less than 6 months of walking.

SunnyFlorida

I was born and raised in NYC so going car-free was easy. There was plenty of public transportation that ran 24/7. Grocery stores, doctors and dentists were within walking distance or a short train ride.

To go to the "big" supermarket I took a shopping cart and walked the 1/2 mile to get there. this was not fun to do when it was cold, icy or rainy.

The only draw back I found had to do with getting frozen food. Bringing home frozen food/ice cream was pert near impossible since they would be 1/2 way thawed out by the time I got home. I tried to use a small cooler but that didn't work well and just reduced the space in the cart.

However, that only meant I ate more take out or home made meals since there was plenty of local green grocers around. Having ice cream became a seasonal/summer thing because I would wait for the ice cream truck to roll around in summer.

Unfortunately my car-free lifestyle did not work as well in Florida - where I now live. Public transportation is limited and it's no fun waiting in 90 degree heat sometimes. I was able to move near a supermarket with a drug store but now I use a bike to go to the dentist, doctor and work.

How many bikes do you need then? I think a minimum of two. One is your main bike and the other is your backup. I have a trike as a utility bike and a folding bike for zipping around.

zbikema

Hi! I'm new to the forum. To test the water, I've just been exploring to see what kinds of things persons talk about here. I am really in to the using of bicycles for commuting; so, I thought I would start my first few posts in this section of the forum.

Chipcom made a good point: you do not need a bicycle to not have a car life style ... but, I would say that you definitely need one if you live some where where there is not a decent public transportation system or a place that is spread out to the point where walking places would not be an efficient method of transportation. Those are both obstacles which I have personally faced. But I only have one bicycle, and that works for me. A year ago, I commuted round trip ninety kilometers, or thirty miles each way, but then I moved. Now I commute about half of that. I haven't had that much of a problem with riding in winter regarding my bicycle holdup and bike parts. There is a lake effect where I live, so I have had days when I am completely unable to bike to work and other places, but it is hazardous for persons in cars as well. But my bicycle holds up pretty well. It is steel though.

Do people with bicycles made of other materials have significantly more of a problem when winter comes around? Maybe with wind on lighter bicycles? Or would that not matter? I don't know.

To comment on the issue which LesterOfPuppets brought up: I feel that, if you lived a car life style, you wouldn't have two cars.... Some persons are unable to afford two or more bicycles, but commuting still greatly and positively affects them. I personally feel that persons who drive cars shouldn't expect a biker to have a back up bike in case some thing happens to their main bicycle and they are unable to fix it, same day. Because some one with a car wouldn't do that. I would think an employer or any where else that you need to go would understand that.

crazybikerchick

If you take a car into a shop to be repaired, you'll most likely get a loaner car to use while its in the shop. More bicycle shops need to realize that for many bikes are transportation and no you can't just leave your bike there for a week for it to be repaired, without a replacement. Some bike shops are excellent though and do provide loaners. Being able to schedule an appointment for something that needs maintenance but does not prevent riding in the meantime is great too.

Really if you commute by bicycle you should be leaving a cushion of time anyway in case you have a flat. So if you discovered a slow-leak flat occurred overnight you have time to fix it.

Ideal is to have a bicycle and live near public transportation to where you work, so you always have a backup anyway. I think employers expect you to show up for work no matter what your transportation. Of course being understanding about very rare lateness due to exceptional circumstances should occur no matter what method of transportation. It seems though that automobile drivers have more - it is not the breakdowns but the "I got stuck in traffic" one.

crazybikerchick

Hi - and welcome to the group! I also started out car-free by walking (I purposely chose an apartment 10 minute walk from work) and using public transportation (also picked said apartment close to the subway). Then I discovered the freedom of the bicycle and not having to be tied to a transit schedule or impatiently pacing in front of a bus stop wondering why it was 30 minutes behind schedule. When I lived in Toronto I was car-free for 13 years, going from rarely using the bike at first (being scared of busy traffic) to almost exclusively the bike. (rare snowstorm would take transit) Now that I'm living somewhere more rural my husband and I now share a car but use it infrequently as we walk and bike and take an infrequent bus to town where possible.

But yeah I think the biggest help to originally getting to be car-free was location, location, location.

zbikema

Crazybikerchick: I have never heard of car garages loaning out cars. Is that usual? Or do you mean for a new car? I've actually never heard of bicycle shops lending out loaner bikes either ... but that is a neat idea! Or do many bike shops do that and don't say any thing, unless you ask?

If you live some where with public forms of transportation: I would think that you wouldn't have an excuse to not be at work ever, haha, regarding just the getting there. Since you could always just take the bus, subway, train, etc unless you did have more extreme circumstances.

Roody

I think more bike shops will offer loaners when we educate them better. I took my bikes to a certain LBS for a long time before they finally understood that I was using it for actual transportation. I would take it in for repairs, and they would say, "Don't worry, wi'll have it ready by the weekend." They didn't get that I needed it for the weekdays more than the weekends. But I spent a lot of time trying to explain it to them, and I always felt like I was getting nowhere. One day my bottom bracket blew up right near the bike shop, while I was on my way to work. When I walked it into the shop, before I said anything, the owner said, "You're the guy who uses his bike for a car. Here's a loaner, hop on and we'll start working on your bike. You can call us from work to fill in the work order." I felt that was a victory, that this roadie-oriented bike shop finally understood the needs of an everyday cyclist. But it took a lot of patience and explaining on my part to get them to understand that.

zbikema

Roody: cool bicycle shop! : )

zbikema

Roody: ... and I definitely agree: for basic transportation cycling you don't need much! I really believe that one bike is all you need for commuting and getting around. A cheap, basic bike is, some times, all you need at first, and it's good for getting a feel for biking. Even just using a bicycle or walking to get to a friend's house are great ways to decrease your car usage and save money in addition to working up to maybe using the bike for commuting, or for any thing else. I usually work on my bicycle personally, now. But, when I did not know as much about bicycle maintenance, I used to have friends take me to different bike shops to have my bike worked on ... or I'd walk if I really needed to get it in and no one could help me. Quite a long haul by foot, haha.... any way: I never got a loaner. I wish more shops did that! One thing I can say is: personally, I've experienced that, if they are backed up for several days because of some bike race or some annual thing like that, bike shops seem to fit the commuters in and finish bicycles used for commuting in the same amount of time that the shop takes regardless of the wait time due to the event.

If you want to use a bicycle for getting groceries, or any other larger objects, investing in a utility bike or trike is not a bad idea. Then: I might say that having two bicycles is a good idea. Maybe one personal bicycle and one cargo bike that you could share with close neighbors, friends, or family members. If you live where there is no public transportation and cars drive on the roads too fast for it to be safe to ride with other cargo on your bicycle ... or you just do not feel comfortable ... it might be good to look in to other ways of filling the inability to get to the store as often and try to take advantage of the times when you are able to get to the store. Or keep a cheaper car just for that. If you are that far from a grocery store, you can probably grow your own food maybe ... or maybe there is a farmer's market which you did not know about near you during the summer. If you are really that far, you might have to have a car; but just having a car and using it only when you truly need it does not make you "carcentric": it makes you responsible, and it is good that you are trying to commute by bicycle as often as is possible. I personally would not classify that as having a car lifestyle. A car lifestyle to me means using your car for every or most tasks and commutes.

zbikema

I personally have a backpack which I use just for groceries, and that seems to work for me; I make more trips but I can't afford a utility bicycle.

Robert Foster

Grocery shopping was a consideration for me becoming car light. I have several supermarkets within five miles of me, one is less than a mile but I don't like shopping and prefer only going twice a month. The solution was a trailer. Check Craig’s list and most often you can get a small trailer that will haul at least a week’s worth of groceries at one time. I got a easy step trailer that is used for hauling children and converted it for groceries and can bring home 100 pounds of food if I want. Five bags don’t normally weigh that much however. The trailer allows you to use a commuter bike for more utility.

However living where I do I can assure you many car owners have more than one car. At least in California people tend to have a commuter car and a weekend family car. Plus depending on why your car is in for repairs you will either get a loaner or they have car rentals at the dealership. While I can get a loaner at my bike shop I tend to have a back up bike or two for different reasons. I don’t use my good bike for weekend errands because I would have to lock it up where I might not see it for 30 minutes or more. I use an older MTB that I wouldn’t be as devastated if it wasn’t there when I came out of the DYI store.
As I work for more cycling and less driving I have tried to get my wife involved in cycling. If I can get her to start shopping with a bike I can look forward to only driving my car maybe once a week. Hope I get enough back from taxes to get a Recumbent trike and that would be a perfect shopping bike.

Artkansas 

For you, only one. For me, I prefer to have two. My recumbent is my long-distance commuter, cruiser and recreational bike. I also have a hard tailed mountain bike that has been converted to a utility bike, with rack, shopping panniers and even a trailer hitch for my Bikes at Work trailer. It also doubles as my back-up commuter. Both bikes will fit on the bike racks of the local bus system, but the utility bike seems to ride a bit better and is not the theft target that the recumbent is so I feel better about riding it into situations where it may have to be parked for several hours.

That said, I also have two vintage 10 speeds and a chopper. Just for fun.

cyclokitty 

Before I bought my bike, most of my grocery shopping was done on foot. At first I carried nearly everything home in my massive backpack but then graduated to a wheely cart. But I prefer doing errands on my bike with a couple of grocery panniers and my front basket.

I have 1 bike for commuting, errands, grocery gitter, laundry lugger, and general joy rides. Pretty sure this year I'm getting a MTN bike and I'd like a lighter, speedier bike for fun zips around the city. Odds are my current bike will still be my grocery gitter but also my winter bike once I get her a new set of studded tires.

AdamDZ

I'm sure bike with such tires would be considered a weapon in NYC

Buglady

I don't have much to add to the thread but this part made me laugh out loud and scare the cat You may very well be on to something there!

(I only have one bike at the moment - it's a 1985 tourer that works perfectly for my commuting and moderate distance riding. I'm like you in that I'd rather just ride one bike that I'm used to, and repair as needed. Besides, I don't have room any more! I used to have several bikes but I've lent one out, lost custody of a couple more, and stored the last one, a Raleigh Twenty folding bike that I fully intend to restore someday).

Sargeist

In general I usually keep two bikes and one donor bike. I try and go out and find a donor bike that is as close to my main ride as possible. The two I ride right now are a 1977 Huffy Comfort Touring with all original refurbished component group and a 1998 Giant MTX 225 which I have had since child hood and will be replacing in the next month.

gerv 

Welcome aboard, Sargeist... glad your first post was in Living Car Free.

Sargeist

Thanks. I wanted my first post to be in the forum that is most appropriate to my current bicycling circumstances.

Machka 

Need ... two. Your main bicycle and your back-up bicycle.

Want ... the sky is the limit!!

Machka 

We're catching up!!

CliffordK

How often are those studs lost?

I'd hate to be the next bicyclist, or even a car that "finds" the lost studs.

=========================

As far as the number of bikes?
I've done a lot of commuting on my ancient Colnago.
But, I haven't really been able to park the car until I built a full cargo bike and cargo trailer.

Something that laughs at 100 lbs... and can carry more than I can pull.

I'm now almost 3 months without driving. I probably won't be 100% car-free, but I may get close.

Walter S

I somehow live car free with one bicycle.