this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2023
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Fuck Cars

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Big step for me at least. I'm not using the bike gutters, because I value my life. Nothing else, other than letting you know that some kid somewhere on earth is biking to school.

Idk, I feel great, but other kids already do this. It's crazy. And they don't talk about it at all, which I should as well, to avoid the cycling stereotype thing whatever. I like talking about things, and I have to avoid talking about it too much. Wish I could, though. That's all. Have a great day.

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[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 37 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Wear a helmet, and have a good day at school.

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I would add to that, make sure to keep your tyres pumped, your saddle height correct and your chain lubricated!

[–] lemann@lemmy.one 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

When I was younger I didn't do any of that, I didn't know!

My bike bearings got bust at one point and I thought it was completely normal... kept riding the bike until the wheel could not spin anymore 😭

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 2 points 11 months ago

Oh no! Tbh that would be me if I wasn't training to be a bike technician lol

[–] nei7jc@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

Thank you! :)

[–] BaronDoggystyleVonWoof@lemmy.world 16 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Biking is life. - signed A Dutch guy.

[–] nero@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago

Biking (and public transport) is indeed life. Signed, another dutch guy

[–] teuast@lemmy.ca 13 points 11 months ago

Hell yeah! Get it, fam. And yeah, try not to be annoying about it, but don't be shy about it, either: the more people know someone personally who bikes to places, the more every cyclist on the road gets humanized in the mind of the average driver. It makes all of us safer to talk about bike commuting.

[–] regul@lemm.ee 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Here in Portland we have the bike bus. It recently got enough attention that the state legislature passed a bill allowing schools to use transportation funding to promote/organize their own.

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 2 points 11 months ago

That's awesome!

[–] Ricaz@lemmy.ml 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You should mention what part of the world you live in. Western/northern Europe is paradise for cyclists compared to USA, for example

[–] nei7jc@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

I live in the United States

[–] thefatfrog@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

Just got my bike back from shop for a hefty maintenance. A lot had to be done and couple of parts had to be changed. At the end it costed me just 50€. If this was a car with a similar maintenance, it would have been at least couple of hundred, if not even close to a 1k€. Bikes are awesome.

Hard not to talk about it when it is 100% the best way to start your day.

[–] LimitedWard@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

IDK what the culture is like at your school, but if you're feeling motivated consider offering to organize a group ride to school to encourage others to join in. It could just start out as a one-time or once a month thing and increase from there if there's enough interest.

[–] nei7jc@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

How would I do that? That doesn't seem like the kind of thing that would happen.

[–] LimitedWard@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

It would be a similar process to organizing a club, though the exact steps would differ between schools. Ideally you'd meet up at a common central location for everyone and then continue onward to school, picking up other students along the way at other checkpoints.

[–] jerkface@lemmy.ca 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Bike gutters are still safer than sidewalks for cyclists.

[–] LimitedWard@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Is there statistical evidence of that? Mainly curious so I can arm myself next time someone argues about it.

[–] MrLuemasG@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

I too would like to see it

[–] bottle@kbin.social 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

There’s a study I posted below that says that bike lanes are just about always safer, didn’t really talk about sidewalk riding though. Where I live (not Florida) there’s a lot of blind driveways, so riding on the sidewalk can be dangerous for cars coming out of their driveway. (Second link describes that). Happy riding!

https://bikeportland.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/NITC-RR-583_ProtectedLanes_FinalReportb.pdf

https://floridacyclinglaw.com/blog/bicycle-lanes-vs-sidewalks

[–] nei7jc@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

Thanks for this, I'm not sure if I'm ready to switch though.

[–] TacoButtPlug@sh.itjust.works 4 points 11 months ago

You just need biking buddies to talk about it with. Maybe you can start riding with some of your school mates.

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Good on you, buddy. When you say they don't talk about it, do you mean among each other or with others? If the former, maybe you could use questions about bike maintenance as a way to start the conversation?

[–] nei7jc@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

There aren't many others who also bike. It also feels weird to start a convo just from that.

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You could just ask something like, what's the best lubricant for your chain, something like that. You'll know from that if they're the type to nerd out about bikes. Good luck!

[–] nei7jc@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Idk, there are only so many people, that seems like a weird way to start, and it can be easily looked up. I haven't had a bike for very long, so I've never lubricated my chains. Different times, thanks for the advice anyways.

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Oh I see. I guess it's a different culture where you are.

(you should have lubricated your chains already btw. Give them a clean with degreaser or washing up liquid, let them dry, then add lubricant. Every month or so, more in wet weather. Regular maintenance will save you a lot in repair costs)

[–] nei7jc@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago
[–] WorldieBoi@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What is the 'cycling stereotype'?

[–] pjhenry1216@kbin.social 9 points 11 months ago

I find it's similar to the XYZ stereotype, where people get annoyed because you're excited and interested in topic XYZ. Then they use that as an excuse to not like XYZ.

This is a joke but also not. People as a group are the worst.