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Name a beloved activity you had to give up to be Car-Free.

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Living Car Free Do you live car free or car light? Do you prefer to use alternative transportation (bicycles, walking, other human-powered or public transportation) for everyday activities whenever possible? Discuss your lifestyle here.

Name a beloved activity you had to give up to be Car-Free.

Old 10-28-18, 09:16 AM
  #51  
linberl
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
It's not that carrying a rifle is difficult, the problem is that it would attract too much attention and put you under suspicion.... It's just too bad that law abiding citizens have to suffer and restrict themselves all because of few crazies out there who have committed horrible acts of violence against the innocents....If you rode a bicycle with a rifle here in Canada you would have a SWAT team and 50 police cruisers on you in no time.
Could you carry it on a burley travoy inside of something more benign looking? Assuming you the proper permits, it wouldn't matter that you had it concealed, right? Just asking, as I know zero about rifles. But I have a friend who carries skis on his travoy and a rifle isn't longer that they are....
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Old 10-28-18, 09:20 AM
  #52  
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Originally Posted by Sal Bandini
$250 per tire for 08 CR-V is certifiable. So is taking a car that old to a dealer. I got 17" Continental tires for my wife's 2010 CR-V for $100/per, and the independent shop I take my cars to has free courtesy car to borrow while car is being repaired and is significantly cheaper and warranties their work.

But it sounds better in your story since you can bash cars more that way.
How about $450...? I was on holidays in Manitoba and got a flat running over a bungee cord, then when I got home had to order another one because that tire I managed to find to allow me to drive home, was not the same make (nobody had one in Canada) as the other three and my car is AWD with Posi traction and all the tires need to be the same... $900. in total that flat cost me. but man I loved driving that car and miss it as I am trying to be car light now...
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Old 10-28-18, 02:11 PM
  #53  
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It isn't that it is hard from a physical point of view. The problem is actually getting to the range without being arrested. Here is an excerpt of the problem encountered by my daughter.
Are you talking about the[shooting range name removed]? My daughter stopped there to ask about the range and it was made abundantly clear, by some police that were there, that she was very unwelcome. She used to enjoy shooting with friends, when we lived in California. However, that visit to the range left her with a rather sour taste.

She rides her bicycle everywhere and at 29 still does not have a drivers license. When looking at data for millennials, this is not too unusual. She rode to the range to find out if there would be an issue with a rifle, in a case, on the bicycle trailer. Her main question was if she could roll her bicycle up to the shooting line. If she could then she would be able to set a trailer up, just for range trips, and not be constantly packing and unpacking shooting stuff. She also wanted to know if the range allowed Black-Powder, as that is her main interest.

The police there told her that if she was ever seen with a firearm on a bicycle, even cased and on the trailer, carry permit or not, she would be arrested. They went on to say that the firearm would not be returned. They also told her that they would not allow her to lock the bicycle when arresting her and that her permit to carry would be revoked (It's a $5,500 custom built bicycle, when you think in terms of not having a car, it makes some sense, assuming the police don't just toss it to the bike thieves. The rifle she wanted to shoot was a Black-Powder Sharps, the weapon of choice for violent hoodlums nowhere).

Apparently it was a pretty rude and aggressive encounter. It definitely left her a lot less interested in doing much shooting. I mentioned driving her to the range, thus avoiding the issue of firearm near a bicycle. She wasn't interested, the incident left her pretty sour.
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Old 10-28-18, 03:39 PM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by Robert C
It isn't that it is hard from a physical point of view. The problem is actually getting to the range without being arrested. Here is an excerpt of the problem encountered by my daughter.
Unloaded (legal definition especially muzzle load) & cased I do not think those LEO's legally would have a leg to stand on regarding the transport of firearms. In any state.
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Old 10-28-18, 04:23 PM
  #55  
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I think you would find both police and range operators in other places are more welcoming. I certainly hope so. That story is a sad comment on humanity. The problem isn't the law, it's the cops.
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Old 10-28-18, 04:55 PM
  #56  
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Hey guys. Lets leave the gun talk out of this thread as it will force us to move it to P+R.
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Old 10-31-18, 10:55 AM
  #57  
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To be fair, I'm car-lite, given that my wife has a car, and I can occasionally abscond with it if she's not looking. But those moments are rare, because she works several miles away and with a schedule that doesn't always mesh with mine. So sometimes I can make it work, but the thing I miss the most is partaking in the entertainment options of the neighboring cities/towns. There are two music venues and one movie theater in particular that I enjoy but seldom visit. The center of one town is 20 miles away, the other is 35. Since the entertainment seldom wraps up before midnight, it would require cycling until 2 or 4 in the morning, and, for some venues, through some rough neighborhoods. On a warm night, with good weather, when I have no reason to be up in the morning, I might consider it, but generally I forgo an event if I can't get my wife's car.

But it's not all negative. As a result of sticking closer to home, I've become more in tune with my city has to offer. Most local acts that play the neighboring cities will end up playing mine as well. National acts that play a venue 30 miles away are unlikely to then play my city, but sometimes they do on their next pass through the area. And, at any rate, I've learned that I much prefer to see a local act where I can stand by the stage and actually see the performers to a huge act that I have to watch from a distance or even on a screen. And I've become more familiar with the local music scene, which is pretty good.

In terms of canoeing/kayaking: I picked up one of these: https://www.klymit.com/litewater-dinghy.html Not great compared to other options, but cheap, and it floats. I haven't used it much yet, but I've used it enough to know it works. I've been contemplating a trip where I bike with my raft and an inner tube to the nearby river, put my bike on the raft, me on the tube, and float down to another take out point, from which I can bike home. If that proves feasible, then it becomes even better than a car-based trip, because with a car, you generally have to find a way back to your starting point. There are other portable watercraft of better quality, or at least comfort, but the price goes up quickly.
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Old 10-31-18, 11:00 AM
  #58  
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^^Nice!
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Old 11-03-18, 01:18 PM
  #59  
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Dating, but I'm also Old .. stopped asking..




last attempt 21 years ago...








...

Last edited by fietsbob; 11-18-18 at 03:29 PM.
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Old 11-03-18, 03:44 PM
  #60  
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Dating actually improved for me because I had a lot more disposable income after ditching the car and motorcycle. The nice thing about not having a car is that it weeds out the shallow women right up front. No gold diggers are interested in a "bum" with no fancy car.
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Old 11-04-18, 11:49 AM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by JoeyBike
Dating actually improved for me because I had a lot more disposable income after ditching the car and motorcycle. The nice thing about not having a car is that it weeds out the shallow women right up front. No gold diggers are interested in a "bum" with no fancy car.
True, but watch out because I think some gold diggers realize that if you're not spending much money then you are probably saving a lot of it, so there is that angle on gold-digging as well.
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Old 11-04-18, 12:04 PM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by tandempower
True, but watch out because I think some gold diggers realize that if you're not spending much money then you are probably saving a lot of it, so there is that angle on gold-digging as well.
Don't worry, I think you are safe from this alleged problem.
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Old 11-04-18, 01:10 PM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Don't worry, I think you are safe from this alleged problem.
There's no hope competing for ladies in this world when you are online wooing them with your razor sharp realism.
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Old 11-08-18, 12:00 AM
  #64  
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Staying in motels.
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Old 11-10-18, 05:19 AM
  #65  
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Originally Posted by StarBiker
Are you kidding. DC has a great bike infrastructure, so does Boston. Nobody living in these places is going to do this. It's not remotely safe throughout the 95 corridor to do this, Traffic? Are you kidding? In Maryland you would get squashed trying to do this, and get pulled over by the police for impeding traffic. And with the level of affluence it's never going to happen.

No wonder people are pulling everything in California around by bike, it has some of the worst infrastructure in the US, and only three states spend less on infrastructure. Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan. In the eighth largest economy in the world?
I didn't look further but how much of this is tied to the enormous homeless population there.

Funny, I am waiting for someone from the northeast to mention all the people they see pulling sofas, plywood, and all kinds of things by bike with a bike trailer.

And I live in an area where there are no bike lanes but it's easy to get around by bike. All the sidewalks are ramped, and nobody questions cyclists on them because there are so few cyclists in the suburbs. Nobody does this.
Every third car is a late model euro mobile.
Sorry, your figures seem a little shakey. Did you just make up all those numbers?

I appreciate your expressing your opinions and preferences. That is what forums are for. But you don't have to throw in a lot of dubious facts and figures!
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Old 11-10-18, 07:24 AM
  #66  
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Originally Posted by StarBiker
No wonder people are pulling everything in California around by bike, it has some of the worst infrastructure in the US, and only three states spend less on infrastructure. Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan. In the eighth largest economy in the world?
I didn't look further but how much of this is tied to the enormous homeless population there.
Look, when affluence grows in an area, more people want to move there, but the people there don't want everyone flocking there so barriers emerge, such as high cost of housing/living. So there's really no point to bringing up this issue of infrastructure spending and homelessness, etc. because ultimately the issue is whether people can get around car-free in whatever situations they're living, whether that's so they can live more affordably and/or so they can make inroads in paving the way to a more sustainable environmental future in terms of transportation and infrastructure design.
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Old 11-10-18, 07:47 AM
  #67  
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Originally Posted by Roody
Sorry, your figures seem a little shakey. Did you just make up all those numbers?

I appreciate your expressing your opinions and preferences. That is what forums are for. But you don't have to throw in a lot of dubious facts and figures!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...part/37270513/
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Old 11-11-18, 07:21 PM
  #68  
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So you like tacoed in a huge pothole pulling a large trailer on your Cdale?
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Old 02-25-19, 05:25 PM
  #69  
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Hiking.

We still do so occasionally, but the ability to wake up and declare "We're going hiking!" as a family is severely curtailed when you also have to plan enough time to secure a vehicle that will safely take you to the hiking location. On the other hand, we go on a lot more family bicycle rides now, so that somewhat makes up for it. Still, nothing beats being out in the woods.

We've been car-free with two kids for the past 3 years, and don't miss it other than that.
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Old 02-25-19, 06:02 PM
  #70  
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Originally Posted by helixbikes
Hiking.

We still do so occasionally, but the ability to wake up and declare "We're going hiking!" as a family is severely curtailed when you also have to plan enough time to secure a vehicle that will safely take you to the hiking location. On the other hand, we go on a lot more family bicycle rides now, so that somewhat makes up for it. Still, nothing beats being out in the woods.

We've been car-free with two kids for the past 3 years, and don't miss it other than that.
Hiking in the woods is nice, but (sub)urban hiking can be good too. Just remember that wherever you are hiking used to be devoid of everything human-made and people just gradually added more and more buildings and pavement between the trees and other soil-growth they left alive instead of clearing away and replacing it.
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Old 03-07-19, 04:32 PM
  #71  
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Originally Posted by tandempower
True, but watch out because I think some gold diggers realize that if you're not spending much money then you are probably saving a lot of it, so there is that angle on gold-digging as well.
When I gave up the car, only drunks forbidden to ever drive again were car-free in my city (for the most part). And poor people. Now the car-less hipsters have a huge presence, and "regular people" have taken to bikes more thanks to our city bike share and a hundred miles of new bike lanes around town. But now i am just too old to worry about women, or care. So that "problem" solved itself. And my wife is pretty far from a gold digger.
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Old 03-08-19, 07:47 PM
  #72  
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I did not do so at the time I was CF but if I were to go so now I think I would have to give up diving. No matter how you slice it the weight is prohibitive (28lb's in lead alone) and the distances to sites too far. That said, I could go less and car pool but that's sort of back dooring the concept of CF as someone needs to own one. I also free dive so the weight there is less but the distances are still great. I have plans to do biking/freediving trips though.

For me, the goal now is Cf weekdays and destination car trips on the weekend.
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Old 03-10-19, 01:58 PM
  #73  
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My "Car-Free" existence has now greatly limited my opportunity for recreation out of the city. Rental cars for the past year have gone to $60-80/day. Rentals used to be $10/day weekend specials and $20-30/day otherwise.

So I suppose there is irony in the fact that having no access to affordable rental cars has made my "Car-Free" existence a lot less fun. I would still prefer to NOT own a car full time, even with the loss. But now I do fantasize about owning a car more!
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Old 11-30-19, 03:49 AM
  #74  
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Going to county and state parks; we have so many beautiful ones down here. Of course with the crime always taking a risk, especially with a child so guess no biggie. For kayaking I got an inflatable, works ok, not very fast but good compromise.
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Old 12-01-19, 05:23 AM
  #75  
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Originally Posted by alpharalpha
Going to county and state parks; we have so many beautiful ones down here. Of course with the crime always taking a risk, especially with a child so guess no biggie….
So, @alpharalpha, where is “down here?"
Originally Posted by noglider
Folks, please put your locations in your profiles. It's easy, fun, and profitable. OK, I lie; there's no profit in it….
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
+10, especially when your post is about the area in which you ride. For example, from this Road Cycling thread, "Who do you wave to when you ride?"

Originally Posted by simot

LOCATION: [None given]

Road cyclists here are rare, seeing one on the road and not waving is plain rude! I'm talking once in a month rare, except for the weekend, that's a group ride day which doesn't count, I think…
I’m slightly more peeved by subscribers who give “cutesy” or obscure locations. Not to pick on XXXX, whose posts I routinely read, but as an example:
Originally Posted by XXXX

LOCATION: in my recliner

What a great picturesque commute! ...
I must confess though, I have thought about listing my LOCATION as: D’uh? {Jim from Boston)
Originally Posted by Maelochs
Whenever I see a series of nested quotes, I think "it's Jim from 'Duh' again."
This is one of the best examples…cutesy, obscure (and bohemian) [by the appropriately named]...:
Originally Posted by booger1
Location: Gaseous Cloud around Uranus...
Then there was this following post:
Originally Posted by trailangel
Please include your street address as well.
List all bikes.
What time of day you work.
What size your balls are.
When will there be nobody home.
End of rant (Actually, @alpharalpha, I eventually recognized that you are in Florida from another post ).

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 12-02-19 at 06:05 AM. Reason: added quote by Maelochs
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