well, i havent ridden a bicycle in years, and within the next month i'll probably be investing a few hundred dollars getting myself set up with a very roadworthy bike. when i first started driving an automobile, the price of gas was below 2 bucks. i think it was 1.65, in fact. it stayed like that for a while, and for a few years the price increases were small enough (but steady!) that i just sort of figured i'd live with it. now prices are above 3 dollars a gallon, and show no signs of going back down. its odd, but i'd be thrilled to find gas at 2.50! i don't make much money, and with my car as my only means of transportation other than walking (which is impractical given the distance i must cover to get to work nearly every day) i'm pretty much being robbed of what very little money i make. a lot of people i know have refused to ever get a car, or have gotten rid of their cars, and now get around primarily via bicycle. granted a significant portion of the middle class and the entirity of the "upper" class can still afford to drive their disgustingly wasteful SUVs, but i think enough is enough and its time most of us start reevaluating how much we really need our cars. my car has nearly 160,000 miles on it, and a fair portion of it i put on there, travelling to canada, delivering pizzas, just driving for the hell of it. its in the shop being repaired after an accident, and i have realized how much money i've been wasting on a thing i have such little actual need for. the bike i want to get will run me a little less than 400 bucks, plus around 100 for some really good lights for when i need to be at work by 5am or if i need to go home near 11pm. the only time i need to use my car is in really bad/cold weather or when i'm going downtown to get to class. i will spend some more money to equip the bike to be able to carry some small items (change of clothes, books, a few items from the store) for about 4 months out of the year, i'll still need to drive to get around, and in certain situations a car will be handy. but after the initial costs of getting a good bike put together to meet my needs, its completely free transportation, great exercise, and reduces the waste of burning fossil fuels. i only have a few miles to go from my apartment to work, and so long as i have a change of clothes with me (riding in work clothes would be uncomfortable) i'll have no problem riding to work. and when my lease is up this summer, i'm thinking i'll try and get a place even closer still to work. has anyone else started using "alternative" means of transportation recently? i have a feeling that transportation not requiring petroleum is going to be one of the next big changes for western society, and that in a matter of a few years there will be far more people reducing the amount of oil they consume. of course for some people simply biking most of the time isnt going to be practical, but even with gas prices the way they are the vast majority of people on the road are the only one in their car! does there really need to be one car running for every person that needs to go somewhere? its so wasteful! its inevitable that in the long run, and i'd venture to guess within the next ten years, people will stop being so selfish in their transportation by necessity. gas will only continue to rise in prices, and we can never hope to see it at less than 2 bucks a gallon again. in some places i hear its even as high as 4.50! people will need to start relying far more on mass transportation, carpooling, and most importantly earth-friendly means of getting from point a to point b. i dunno...i always knew this to be true in the abstract, but lately this has really hit home and become painfully clear to me. so i'm trying to make a lifestyle change, one step at a time, to become more frugal, less wasteful, gentler on the environment, and doing the right thing for my health all at the same time. any thoughts? i know i just wrote a lot of preachy treehugger bullshit...so dont bother pointing that out to me
reminds me i have to get my bike taking in to get tuned up and fixed....new brake wires, handle bar tape, gear wires...tune up and cleaned up or get a new bike, i keep forgetting how old that bike is. but yea, biking is a great alternative to car use. i've seen plenty of people in boston biking, plenty of places to lock your bike up, or just take it in the office with you. seen plenty of people just bike in there work clothes too haha, looks uncomfortable though. you can just get a rack for the back of bike and you'll be able to strap whateverr you need on it...or get some side panniers and put whatever oyu need inside them. they cna hold a lot. i've biked with around 70 pounds of gear on my bike, but then again i was doing a bike trip haha. we just used a simple headlight for when it was dark out...no fancy expensive lighting system, just a head light and the reflectors on the bike...
Bikes are the shit man, for sure. I ride to school day near everyday. I can fly through the city. I know it very well now. So many people i know dont care for bikes they spend the money on there car. I tell you this, im in much better shape than ANY of my friends Oh yea and also, depending where you are and how urban it is. You may not want to wear headphones. you can get fucking tickets although i never have. Ask about that, some places are bad.
