fat_bike_nut

Your Mom and my Mom could be sisters

Rowan

Getting back to folder fanatic's OP, there is nothing wrong with being free of car ownership for years, then not being that way.

I've done it, too, although my same reasons are nowhere near the same as yours. However, a change can round out some understandings of both sides of the arguments. And there is nothing to stop you from changing back to being free of car ownership in the future; you still have your bikes and that's the main thing.

As to the ongoing costs of car ownership, much does depend on how much you drive, and what type of vehicle you drive. There is always bill shock when the insurance and registration renewals arrive, but divide the amount out on a weekly basis, and put aside that amount from your income to cover it for when the bills do arrive.

There are times when I would like to be back in a position where I can leave my vehicle in the garage and rely almost entirely on my bikes. But it's not that way at the moment, simply because I choose it not to be. And I don't feel guilty about it. But that may change into the future. It's same as my dream of going entirely to solar power and living "off the grid".

Fortunately, bike-jackings, and indeed car-jackings, aren't prevalent where I live. It may be getting that way in the nearest big city, but I wouldn't choose to live there anyway. Again, it's down to life choices, and in the end all those choices have to be balanced by each related one. You've balanced your ledgers...

cooker

That is pretty awful. It's shocking people would go to that trouble and risk (of being ID'd and arrested, not of being resisted by the victim) for an old bike.
And so many of them. Even for a crime, that was hardly a cost-effective deal for them.

wolfchild

There are many people out there who have no purpuse in this world other then commiting criminal activities. They don't care if they go to jail, it's a way of life for them. Attacking an innocent person and stealing their stuff is a way to get more "street cred", and if they go to jail it gives them even more "street cred".

Roody

Overdetermined behavior.

fat_bike_nut

Rowan, I agree with your point there on having to get a car again. I think most people on this board would understand if someone ends up in a situation where he/she is unable to move while still being stuck in an area where car driving is the most reliable form of transportation, like in rural areas or suburbs. As much as I am currently enjoying being car-free, if I ended up in the same sort of situation that folder fanatic is in, I'd probably be driving my car a lot more as well.

Artkansas 

They were in no danger. After the attack, I walked the two blocks to the police HQ. The cops didn't even want to take a report until a witness called in to report what she saw and could identify one of my attackers. Then they took a report. And the bike was less than a month old. Grand theft and assault would have been the charges had the police acted.

cooker

Oh yeah, I see where you said it was your good bike. Do you think they targetted you based on knowing its value?

wahoonc

We just had a guy that broke into a school, which BTW is an automatic felony in NC and stole $3.20 worth of candy and a blue ball....

Aaron

Artkansas 

I think it was a crime of opportunity.

technoD

In all my years of riding, even in bad hoodvilles, I've never had someone try to bike jack me but I have thought about it and I feel sorrow for the op. I ride on a dark trail in the wee morning hours and don't fear much, except maybe bambi crossing my path.
I am a 6year u.s. army vet so while not a easy mark, I am humble enough to say to any adversary; IF you jack my bike, I MAY jack your life!
Not that I really would but no they can't have my bike, (and yes I'm armed.)

technoD

A felony is STILL a felony in most states, no matter what the property is! I think a good attorney would have a field day with your podunk police dept!

cooker

Would being armed have helped in this case, if it was you?

UberGeek

Meh, if I were to get "Bike jacked", I wouldn't risk my life over it. That's what insurance is for. Insurance can replace a bike. Can't really replace me.

However, I've rode through some of the roughest parts of my city (Which has been deemed "The most violent in the US"). I've never had a problem. Who knows? Maybe I will someday. But, the only time I was stopped was when one guy wanted to see my bike, and he really liked it. Asked me where he could get one too.

I did stop for an older woman who was walking down the sidewalk on a 90F day. I asked if she needed any water or anything, because she had walked at least 1.5 miles (Due to the proximity of residential areas to where she was at). She politely declined, and held up her water bottle, which was in her purse

I think a lot of people, as alluded to earlier in the thread, get scared because of the news, rather than real-life occurrences. 99.999% of the people I encounter while cycling are just people doing the same thing as me: Living their lives, and going about their business.

Roody

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the police in many jurisdictions will often fail to report a bike theft. It's happened to me and my friends, and many people on BF have reported this.

For example, I once called the police to report that my bike, which had been locked in a public place, had been stolen. The cop came after more than an hour, but he wouldn't write a report. In fact, he let me take home a second stolen bike, which my thief had left laying on the ground when he stole mine.

Roody

I agree with you last paragraph. Most people are decent, even on the worst blocks in the city. Nevertheless, I would not stop for some guy that says he just wants to see my bike. That raises lots of red flags for me!

UberGeek

And, for me, it was a chance to make a cyclist appear to be more than a pathlete, and instead a part of the community.

To be fair, I was already stopped at a red light. So, he engaged me in conversation, would be a better way of putting it. But, I think if more people actually engaged people, many of those "red flags" will be found to be just over-cautious.

Artkansas 

I'm sure it could have escalated the situation. And considering their natures, I would guess that they could have been carrying quite a bit more firepower in their '64 Impala than I could have on my bike.

When we fantasize, anything is possible.

Artkansas 

I was in L.A. when Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker) had everyone in the suburbs frightened out of their wits. My bosses at the bank were all talking about him and how scared they were.

I lived in a poor neighborhood then. My neighbors said that if the Night Stalker dared show his face, they'd beat the cr*p out of him. As it turned out, he dropped off the orange toyota wagon that he used in one crime a few blocks away from where I lived. It became the police's first solid bit of evidence. He was finally apprehened in another neighborhood like mine, when the police had to save him from being beaten up by the locals as he was trying to steal another car to use.

Perception is a powerful thing.

Roody

I have fantasized that I could slow down time so that nobody could attack me. Stupid, yes. But not much less realistic than the gun carriers who fantasize that they will be able to hold off seven armed guys who are trying to steal their bike.

Guns are great offensive weapons for criminals. They are less effective as defensive weapons for honest citizens.

Ekdog

Let's be honest. Something like this is much likelier to happen:

4-year-old boy accidentally kills dad in Arizona

cooker

Actually I was wondering about technoD's response - he says he is armed and ready to threaten to take a life, although perhaps not as ready to actually shoot. How would he have handled this incident?

For you, Artkansas - I'm not surprised the police don't care about bike theft, but this was no covert lock snipping. Surely the fact they took a bike is not the issue, it's that you were held up by a group of armed men in public. Don't they take that seriously?

wolfchild

That's because the average person who carries a gun has no real life combat experience. And has never been in a situation where their life was threatened. Unlike seasoned criminals who are very much used to living on the edge. I think situational awarness is a much better strategy, although sometimes honest citizens just can't help it and they find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time with wrong type of people around them.

Ekdog

It's time we stopped glorifying the carrying of firearms and looked at the day-to-day reality:

Gun Fail XXI

Dahon.Steve

This is sad.

I had no idea FF became a motorist. Of all the people on the forum, I would have expected her to remain carfree the rest of her life for financial reasons alone. I guess you never know.

What people don't understand is that it's much harder for women to be bike dependant and carfree in this country. Most will take the bus or spend their last dime on motor transport before they use a bicycle for trasportation. I give FF alot of credit for keeping the struggle for so many years.