Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Living Car Free
Reload this Page >

Share your outdoor winter experiences

Notices
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.

Share your outdoor winter experiences

Old 01-18-18, 10:02 AM
  #51  
prj71
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: North Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,601
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2964 Post(s)
Liked 1,163 Times in 760 Posts
Originally Posted by cooker
Let's see yours then. Do you commute on it?
Hell no. That would be silly. Road salt eats up the components. Off road use only.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
Fatboy.jpg (196.9 KB, 60 views)

Last edited by prj71; 01-18-18 at 10:39 AM.
prj71 is offline  
Old 01-18-18, 10:19 AM
  #52  
PdalPowr
Senior Member
 
PdalPowr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Canada
Posts: 755

Bikes: Norco hybrid

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 287 Post(s)
Liked 26 Times in 19 Posts
Originally Posted by 350htrr
Just seen a guy riding a unicycle coming from a Tim Horton's drinking a coffee while riding... -5*C Ice and snow everywhere...
It is ignorance at its finest for him to drive a unicycle in the winter.
He could crash and spill his coffee.
PdalPowr is offline  
Old 01-22-18, 01:34 AM
  #53  
Roody
Sophomoric Member
 
Roody's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dancing in Lansing
Posts: 24,221
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 711 Post(s)
Liked 13 Times in 13 Posts
Originally Posted by Obeast
cycling has limits as some weather in the winter (icy hilly roads and strong winds) just make riding intolerable. I donīt think living car free is 100% practical.
Do you have any ideas for making it more practical? Or do you have questions that we might be able to answer about overcoming obstacles? (I mean, it's really kind of pointless to just post that it doesn't always work for you personally.)

I live in Michigan--definitely icy and windy, although we don't have a lot of hills here. I have always been outdoors every day, unless sick, whether on foot or on a bike, and I certainly don't have any special physical or mental attributes that make me cold-tolerant. I know the right clothing and gear to use, but anybody can learn that.

I have been carfree for at least half my life (I'm 62) and I've enjoyed myself and done as well as people who own cars. In fact, overall the carfree years were happier than the ones when I did own a car.
__________________

"Think Outside the Cage"
Roody is offline  
Old 01-22-18, 08:33 AM
  #54  
prj71
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: North Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,601
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2964 Post(s)
Liked 1,163 Times in 760 Posts
Originally Posted by Roody
Do you have any ideas for making it more practical?.
Drive a nice warm car?
prj71 is offline  
Old 01-22-18, 09:20 AM
  #55  
Maelochs
Senior Member
 
Maelochs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15,453

Bikes: 2015 Workswell 066, 2017 Workswell 093, 2014 Dawes Sheila, 1983 Cannondale 500, 1984 Raleigh Olympian, 2007 Cannondale Rize 4, 2017 Fuji Sportif 1 LE

Mentioned: 144 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7628 Post(s)
Liked 3,452 Times in 1,823 Posts
Originally Posted by Obeast
cycling has limits as some weather in the winter (icy hilly roads and strong winds) just make riding intolerable. I donīt think living car free is 100% practical.
It isn't for some people. But ...


Somehow people survive artic climates. Cycling Can work in any environment which supports human life (people have ridden to the South Pole. Eagle Mountain man first to ride bike to South Pole | Eagle Mountain News | heraldextra.com
https://newatlas.com/south-pole-fat-trike/30245/)

That doesn't mean it works for everyone. For some the sacrifices are too great; for some, a bicycle cannot haul the loads required in the time allotted. For some the complications of transition from a form of physical exercise to other activities (people who need to dress well for work come to mind) outweigh the benefits. People with a lot of children or pets to haul often cannot use bikes.

So what? "Living car free" is not really a thing. Some people treat it like a holy state, and look down on those who occasionally get a ride from a friend ... and have complete disdain for people who actually own cars.

That's silly.

Riding a bike for transport is a choice, and the specific choice one makes bestows no moral inferiority or superiority. Evil people can live car-free. None of the world's greatest holy men even owned a bicycle.

If some days you say "It is too cold for me to want to ride" well ... good thing you have a car. If the next guy says, "I love riding when it is -7 F," well, lucky for him it is -7 F.

If you decide (and I have done this after my car-free days transitioned to car-lite) that even though it is 63 degrees, it is damp and windy and don't you don't feel like riding .... or if you think "It is a perfect day for riding ... but it is also a perfect day to drive my car," ... guess what? You are the same person either way.

I have discussed this in different places with different people ... car-free living is Often not practical, and for a lot of people even car-lite demands more than it delivers.

People who can live well without a car, or without using a car, are very lucky. Instead of looking down on others, they should look up and be grateful for their blessings.
Maelochs is offline  
Old 01-22-18, 09:33 AM
  #56  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,527

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
Originally Posted by Maelochs
oh she is both brilliant & a badass
rumrunn6 is offline  
Old 01-22-18, 09:36 AM
  #57  
cooker
Prefers Cicero
 
cooker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto
Posts: 12,870

Bikes: 1984 Trek 520; 2007 Bike Friday NWT; misc others

Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3939 Post(s)
Liked 112 Times in 87 Posts
Originally Posted by Maelochs
So what? "Living car free" is not really a thing. Some people treat it like a holy state, and look down on those who occasionally get a ride from a friend...
In my experience in this forum, it's usually people who aren't living car-free who complain about that.
cooker is offline  
Old 01-22-18, 09:42 AM
  #58  
Maelochs
Senior Member
 
Maelochs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15,453

Bikes: 2015 Workswell 066, 2017 Workswell 093, 2014 Dawes Sheila, 1983 Cannondale 500, 1984 Raleigh Olympian, 2007 Cannondale Rize 4, 2017 Fuji Sportif 1 LE

Mentioned: 144 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7628 Post(s)
Liked 3,452 Times in 1,823 Posts
Originally Posted by Obeast
cycling has limits as some weather in the winter (icy hilly roads and strong winds) just make riding intolerable. I donīt think living car free is 100% practical.
I forgot this.

I wanted to second this post by Roody--
Originally Posted by Roody
Do you have any ideas for making it more practical? Or do you have questions that we might be able to answer about overcoming obstacles?
If it just doesn’t work, it doesn’t. But a lot of folks here might be able to provide practical suggestions to make it more practical.
Maelochs is offline  
Old 01-22-18, 11:16 AM
  #59  
I-Like-To-Bike
Been Around Awhile
 
I-Like-To-Bike's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Burlington Iowa
Posts: 29,950

Bikes: Vaterland and Ragazzi

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Liked 1,517 Times in 1,031 Posts
Originally Posted by Maelochs
If it [winter cycling on icy hilly roads and strong winds] just doesn’t work, it doesn’t. But a lot of folks here might be able to provide practical suggestions to make it more practical.
The only"practical advice" on making cycling work in such conditions that I remember seeing on this list are suggestions on the theme of HTFU and/or learning to enjoy adversity and bragging about it later.
I-Like-To-Bike is offline  
Old 01-22-18, 12:17 PM
  #60  
Isolation
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Europe
Posts: 22
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I went out riding in cold weather and it was fine, because I remembered to put some clothes on.
Isolation is offline  
Old 01-23-18, 01:27 AM
  #61  
Roody
Sophomoric Member
 
Roody's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dancing in Lansing
Posts: 24,221
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 711 Post(s)
Liked 13 Times in 13 Posts
Originally Posted by Maelochs
It isn't for some people. But ...


Somehow people survive artic climates. Cycling Can work in any environment which supports human life (people have ridden to the South Pole. Eagle Mountain man first to ride bike to South Pole | Eagle Mountain News | heraldextra.com
https://newatlas.com/south-pole-fat-trike/30245/)

That doesn't mean it works for everyone. For some the sacrifices are too great; for some, a bicycle cannot haul the loads required in the time allotted. For some the complications of transition from a form of physical exercise to other activities (people who need to dress well for work come to mind) outweigh the benefits. People with a lot of children or pets to haul often cannot use bikes.

So what? "Living car free" is not really a thing. Some people treat it like a holy state, and look down on those who occasionally get a ride from a friend ... and have complete disdain for people who actually own cars.

That's silly.

Riding a bike for transport is a choice, and the specific choice one makes bestows no moral inferiority or superiority. Evil people can live car-free. None of the world's greatest holy men even owned a bicycle.

If some days you say "It is too cold for me to want to ride" well ... good thing you have a car. If the next guy says, "I love riding when it is -7 F," well, lucky for him it is -7 F.

If you decide (and I have done this after my car-free days transitioned to car-lite) that even though it is 63 degrees, it is damp and windy and don't you don't feel like riding .... or if you think "It is a perfect day for riding ... but it is also a perfect day to drive my car," ... guess what? You are the same person either way.

I have discussed this in different places with different people ... car-free living is Often not practical, and for a lot of people even car-lite demands more than it delivers.

People who can live well without a car, or without using a car, are very lucky. Instead of looking down on others, they should look up and be grateful for their blessings.
I agree, but the point of this particular forum is living carfree. It's off-topic for people to post how it's impossible to live carfree. (It's similar to posting on the bike touring forum that it's impossible to ride a bike from California to New York.) Nothing to get bent out of shape over, but generally a waste of time for everybody, including the poster.
__________________

"Think Outside the Cage"
Roody is offline  
Old 01-24-18, 09:26 AM
  #62  
prj71
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: North Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,601
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2964 Post(s)
Liked 1,163 Times in 760 Posts
Originally Posted by Maelochs
car-free living is Often not practical.
Yes.
prj71 is offline  
Old 01-24-18, 10:09 AM
  #63  
Maelochs
Senior Member
 
Maelochs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15,453

Bikes: 2015 Workswell 066, 2017 Workswell 093, 2014 Dawes Sheila, 1983 Cannondale 500, 1984 Raleigh Olympian, 2007 Cannondale Rize 4, 2017 Fuji Sportif 1 LE

Mentioned: 144 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7628 Post(s)
Liked 3,452 Times in 1,823 Posts
And the corrollary:
Originally Posted by Maelochs
People who can live well without a car, or without using a car, are very lucky. Instead of looking down on others, they should look up and be grateful for their blessings.
Maelochs is offline  
Old 01-24-18, 10:55 AM
  #64  
cooker
Prefers Cicero
 
cooker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto
Posts: 12,870

Bikes: 1984 Trek 520; 2007 Bike Friday NWT; misc others

Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3939 Post(s)
Liked 112 Times in 87 Posts
Originally Posted by Maelochs
And the corrollary:
Nobody here actually looks down on people owning or using a car. However, apparently some car owners/users are a bit insecure in themselves and have to keep justifying their lifestyle - to whom, I do not know.
cooker is offline  
Old 01-24-18, 11:20 AM
  #65  
Maelochs
Senior Member
 
Maelochs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15,453

Bikes: 2015 Workswell 066, 2017 Workswell 093, 2014 Dawes Sheila, 1983 Cannondale 500, 1984 Raleigh Olympian, 2007 Cannondale Rize 4, 2017 Fuji Sportif 1 LE

Mentioned: 144 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7628 Post(s)
Liked 3,452 Times in 1,823 Posts
Originally Posted by cooker
Nobody here actually looks down on people owning or using a car. However, apparently some car owners/users are a bit insecure in themselves and have to keep justifying their lifestyle - to whom, I do not know.
I have a very different perception .. and while I am clinically insane (and in fact only a figment of my own imagination (which is why I worry about You .... you keep talking to me like I am a figment of Your imagination .... but i am not here at all)) my particular psychosis is bolstered by the fact that others here have mentioned having this same perception.

In any case ... People who need to justify themselves to others aren't doing it right.

In any case .... I think anybody who isn't already dead is pretty lucky. can we safely shake hands over that highly controversial concept?

(Ha ha ... fooled you into thinking about shaking hands with an imaginary, imagined, virtual entity.)
Maelochs is offline  
Old 01-24-18, 11:33 AM
  #66  
cooker
Prefers Cicero
 
cooker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto
Posts: 12,870

Bikes: 1984 Trek 520; 2007 Bike Friday NWT; misc others

Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3939 Post(s)
Liked 112 Times in 87 Posts
Originally Posted by Maelochs
In any case .... I think anybody who isn't already dead is pretty lucky. can we safely shake hands over that highly controversial concept?
Actually no. It's usually true, but occasionally people would prefer to be dead already - say if they have a painful terminal illness.
cooker is offline  
Old 01-24-18, 12:02 PM
  #67  
Jim from Boston
Senior Member
 
Jim from Boston's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 7,384
Mentioned: 49 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 800 Post(s)
Liked 218 Times in 171 Posts
Originally Posted by Maelochs
I have a very different perception .. and while I am clinically insane (and in fact only a figment of my own imagination (which is why I worry about You.... you keep talking to me like I am a figment of Your imagination .... but I am not here at all)) my particular psychosis is bolstered by the fact thatothers here have mentioned having this same perception.

.... I think anybody who isn't already dead is pretty lucky. can we safely shake hands over that highly controversial concept?

(Ha ha ... fooled you into thinking about shaking hands with an imaginary, imagined, virtual entity.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
…One other whimsical technique on familiar roads [to alleviate boredom] is to imagine I'm riding with a certain fellow BF subscriber from the Midwest I enjoy reading, and I'm showing him around on my route. I particularly enjoy having visitors to Boston and take them on tours…
Originally Posted by Steven Wright
”I have an imaginary friend,but he won’t play with me.”
Hey Maelochs,


If you’d like to go for a ride with me here in Boston, come on down...Steve is too slow.
Jim from Boston is offline  
Old 01-24-18, 02:23 PM
  #68  
tandempower
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 4,355
Mentioned: 90 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8084 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 14 Times in 13 Posts
Originally Posted by cooker
Nobody here actually looks down on people owning or using a car. However, apparently some car owners/users are a bit insecure in themselves and have to keep justifying their lifestyle - to whom, I do not know.
I CAN look down on people for any number of reasons related to driving, but in practice I choose to love people and forgive them for their bad habits because no one is perfect.
tandempower is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
DnvrFox
Fifty Plus (50+)
110
03-07-20 01:23 PM
Shiloh253
Winter Cycling
41
11-23-15 10:50 AM
ParkingTheBus
Commuting
48
11-21-14 09:44 PM
youngbeginner
Northeast
17
09-23-13 10:52 PM
southpawboston
Recreational & Family
5
01-05-11 08:15 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.