Greentext

Frankly I find bikes stupid as a proposed method of transportation.

I would love to see cities designed around everything needed being in walking distance, with a supply of inexpensive rentable cars for the things that aren't, like meeting friends that live elsewhere, so we can travel between walkable locations, but at no time do bikes seem a reasonable option.

They have so many inconveniences and problems attached, and don't provide enough transportation utility to make up for it.

A car provides shelter, climate control, a comfortable and relaxing ride, and enough cargo space to transport most things we could need to transport on any sort of regular basis.

A bike meanwhile provides no shelter from the elements or outdoor temperature, an uncomfortable ride that digs into your ass, requires you to exert yourself significantly, and has between zero and very little cargo space; certainly not enough to do something like shopping for groceries.

Pushing for using bikes as primary transport is ridiculous; there's a small number of people for which that would work, but for most it doesn't and never will. For most people, things are either in walking distance, or you need a car, so it'd be a lot better to restructure our living spaces around walking.

Bikes are awesome. I would love to experience the joy of waking up in the morning and riding a bike to work. No traffic, healthy and all that good shit. I live, however, 40min away from my work by car and 3 hours by bike, one way. I dont see this changing in the foreseeable future so my idea of freedom has to be something different.

Cop pulls you over on a bicycle:

"Drivers License and registration please"

"I don't need those, I'm not driving this bicycle, I'm travelling on it officer. Private conveyance. I don't contract with DMV."

"Right you are sir, have a nice day!"

Why haven't the sovcits cottoned on to this loophole?!

Nothing feels more like freedom than being stuck in a traffic jam.

With the average commute to work in the US being 16 mi one way, The average speed of riding a bicycle in the city being 15 mph, that makes the average commute to work just over an hour long (over 2x the 27 minutes it takes in a car). If you work in a job that requires you to be presentable, then you need to add another 15 minutes to take a quick shower and change (if your workplace even has such facilities).

Obviously, this changes with e-bikes, but there's not really a practical difference between most modern e-bikes and an electric moped.

Cars are the ultimate symbol of freedom because you just get in and go wherever to do whatever.

Pick nanna up? sure. Go buy her groceries? Sure. In the pouring rain? Ok. Pick up her dog from the vet? Yep. Drop by the garden store and grab 50kg of fertilizer? You bet.

You can do all of those things with out any planning or notice. You just get in and go wherever the day takes you.

I'm a bit bonkers about bikes. I have a cargo e-bike. It absolutely could do all of these things in separate trips. Doing all of them together would be a challenge but I am 100% here for that so long as nanna is. The main difference is planning. You need different gear, like a bike trailer for example. You're also probably going to pick the right time of day, like early before it gets too hot or too windy, provided that it's not raining.

Where are you all buying bike that don't hurt your wallet to replace? I guess there are Walmart bikes but I've literally had a huffy fall apart while in motion.