SPECELIZEDRIDER

We live in a materialistic society.i have seen one couple in Las Vegas where I live that use a bike as transportation, they live in a nice highrise.I would think 99% of women would consider you a loser and not want anything to do with you without a car.

Sixty Fiver

I blame my bicycle for introducing me to my wife.

SPECELIZEDRIDER

really, I know there is a story there.

1nterceptor

Try to find or hang out places where you can meet like minded women. Bike
events, coop's/kitchens, bike discussion boards ,etc. Anyway cars are overrated

When I first met my wife I was driving a Honda Accord, she didn't know I already
have a Lexus ES300 and I was just trying to get rid of my Accord at the time.
Then we moved in together, after a while I realized I didn't really need my car
living in the NYC area and I could borrow her Honda Civic in those rare instances that
I needed to drive. So when my registration and insurance was up, I sold my Lexus. So
my wife married a guy who doesn't own a car for about 5 years now. But we both own
a house and have travelled around the world, so it can't be that bad.

Ekdog

I wouldn't go out with a woman who was so superficial that she judged me by whether or not I owned a car or by what make or model I drove. Anyone that shallow is a loser in my book. Fortunately, I suspect your 99 percent figure is way off.

LesterOfPuppets

That's all well and good but besides the judgemental factor is the convenience factor. If you can pick yer lady up and drive her around it makes things a LOT easier, ESPECIALLY in a place like Las Vegas

Ekdog

Could it still be good if you rented and never left your city?

Juha

I've been down this road before in the Forums, so I should know better, but I'll give it a shot anyway.

Around where I used to date, a lady who would expect her date to provide transportation would've been considered a loser. You have a date, both persons get there by whatever means they find convenient.

I realise this is different elsewhere. Just providing my perspective, is all.

--J

Shimagnolo

See? Yet another way in which cycling saves you money!

LesterOfPuppets

It's definitely different everywhere.

I can totally see this working in NYC, Boston, Portland, SF or Seattle.

Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Salt Lake City? Much more difficult.

In Portland you probably have a chance with 33% of the ladies. In Phoenix, maybe .5%. Harsh odds.

charbucks

I think there is a certain element of what is or is not normal in your town.

When I was a student in Guelph, Ontario, not many students owned a car. Most of us got around by public transit, and when I look back on it I realize I should have biked way more. Either way, it didn't seem like car ownership had any impact on dating life in university. Then again, dating usually involved at least a few drinks, so we wouldn't be driving anyways

Now that I live in Calgary, cars/massive trucks are a lot more common among my peers. The only person that I know who is both single and car free is a girl, which somehow doesn't matter as much. However, I could see that in a car-centric city, being car free could well impact your dating capabilities.

marqueemoon

My wife and I met in 1999. We were both car-free. Several years later she bought a beater Camry which eventually became not worth fixing and was donated. We were car free when we got married (She proposed on a bike trip. I rode to the wedding on the rented Bakfiets I carried her home from the wedding in), and we had a car free honeymoon.

We were still car free when we bought our house, but eventually got a car when we found out our kid was coming along. We are both committed to remaining a single car household though.

There are a few compelling arguments to be made for car ownership, but impressing the ladies was never on the radar for me.

frantik

Living car free definitely limits the distance you can conveniently travel to meet a potential date. Public transportation helps somewhat but you're still limited by operating times.

I live in San Jose which is very spread out and the public transportation system is slow. The people here are also more yuppie/conservative compared to the rest of the bay area. If I lived in SF, Berkeley or Oakland, I'd guess that living car free would probably have much less impact on dating potential than living in San Jose.

iheartbacon

I dunno, I've had some nice cars and it didn't seem to help with the ladies. What did seem to help was ready access to drugs, more drugs, yet more drugs, and alcohol. When I got clean I started dating a better class of ladies and found that they were, mostly, turned off by a loud muscle car. My beater Renault Alliance was actually more successful because you could talk to your date and listen to music while driving. Now I'm car free and only date Christian ladies from church and I find that they care more about what kind of man you are that what your material/financial situation is.

Having run the spectrum, from drugged out skanks to role models, I can tell you that based on my own personal experience the car doesn't matter much.

no1mad 

There is. I know of at least 5 couples that have met here on BF and then eventually married, and there are a few couples that haven't tied the knot...yet. Most of them at one point or another participated in this thread- https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...sers-anonymous

Newspaperguy

The last woman I dated didn't care about my car-light lifestyle. She liked walking even more than I do.

Standalone 

Natalie Portman was totally going to go out with me to like the movies or something. Then she read on my match dot com profile that I was all into bikes and stuff.

LesterOfPuppets

You probably woulda had a chance, I think she lives in NYC. She's in a committed relationship with a ballet dancer now, though. Missed your chance.

I do imagine noting "No Car" on a dating profile would be a red flag in suburban sprawl type of communities.

I dunno if they all have that line on their form but I know Plenty of Fish does.

frantik

yep... in places like that, a lot of people assume if you have no car that you will be depending on them for rides. If you prove yourself to be self sufficient before they know you don't have a car, I think that helps.

But even without taking into consideration people's feelings towards those without cars, just the fact your traveling range is limited is going to have an impact. If there are lots of potential partners in your immediate vicinity, then that might not be a problem.

Sixty Fiver

I had already met my wife when I started this support group... as my wife and I still live in different countries there are still quite a few dateless nights.

When we got married we rode to the ceremony, and afterwards took our first ride as husband and wife around the esplanade in Portland... although we now have a car we still ride most of the time and use the car for trips we would otherwise have top rent one for and it takes me to and from Portland.

Arrowana

It hasn't hindered me much. With the last guy I dated, I rode my bike 14 miles each way to see him. Now that I'm living in a city instead of a small town, it should be even easier for me to find a girl or guy. Being under 21 gets in the way far more.

Artkansas 

Dating is an expensive hobby. Get your finances back in order and then worry about dating.

Commodus

Yea. I went car-free in the middle of my dating career...and during a transition period for me, from one professional career to another. So I got to see both sides of this issue.

There are many women who expect a certain level of accomplishment from someone my age (late 20s at the time). It's not unreasonable. One of the measures of that is your car. It's not necessarily a crass economic assessment...if you have a decent car, it means that generally you're able to get to work/school on time and apply yourself, which indicates a generally well-adjusted adult. Certainly this is a broad generalization and there are many exceptions, but it's working against you nonetheless.

LesterOfPuppets

Yep, for a great deal of american society car ownership is right there alongside of not living in your mom's basement and having all your teeth in the realm of qualities to look for in a guy. Sad but true.

Astrozombie

I will go into the field and report back, those are my fears as well but i have seen more and more people on bikes including a group of nice young ladies near Dodger Stadium once. Hey man if they aren't that open minded then you don't need um. It'll get even more interesting when i say i want to date irreligious woman.

Let's move to SF, Denver or Seattle TC!