Bikes for people not interested in cycling

[KneesUp]

... a lot of people who could afford to, moved further way from where they worked and drove to work. That also meant they lived further way from things like shops and public services, so it became more practical to drive to get your shopping or visit the library, than to ride a bike or walk.

With the odd exception, British cities aren't that sprawling though - I lived in the South Manchester suburbs as a kid (nice, middle class suburbs) and it was still only 5 miles to the city centre. I live in Sheffield now (10th biggest city in the UK) and 8 miles from the city centre looks like this even on a main road (A625):

 

[Gravity Aided]

In the States, the distances are a bit immense , but the cities end quite abruptly. In my area, subdivisions abut cornfields, as mine does. But a ten mile trip to work, each way. Church as well. And work is nowhere near the southern edge of our medium sized twin cities.

 

[palinurus]

My Elephant bike does a lot of these things but it would be way better with Dynamo lighting (like my winter commuter), so far I've used blinkies but they've not been very reliable. No chaincase but I've had it over 18 months and haven't touched the chain- not even a wipe and lube, I use it for shopping and local trips- it just doesn't get the mileage to require much work- plus if it's raining hard I go shopping when the weather improves.

 

[BurningLegs]

I have often wondered why the government don't do more to incentivise electric bikes in the UK. Electric bikes are great for hilly terrain and the same for utility cycling with a bit of storage.

 

[Nibor]

I have just pulled the trigger on an Orbea Katu 20 2020 (have to wait until mid September for it) for just this purpose simple no froills pootleing and short shopping trips.

 

[DRM]

Having just got back from the Atlantic coast of France, I noticed this year a huge amount of bikes being used as general transport, more so than in previous years, but I think that the main drivers for this is threefold, 1 climate which is generally warm to hot and dry, you don't have to think too hard about clothing, 2 Geography it's quite a flat area, 3 Parking is horrendous with narrow streets & lots of tourists, and the infrastructure is there with cycle routes following the coast and the roads into towns too, in the city's inland it was easier & quicker to cycle.
Bike wise, the locals all seemed to be using old steel MTB's with rigid forks, usually Decathlon branded Rockriders or B'Twin newer versions, they had child seats on them, or a rack, even the trail gator tag along thing, but all were not cherished, just used, in the UK the areas I know that have a lot of utility riding is just because they're flat (Hull & York) and parking in York is also difficult to say the least.

 

[Paulus]

Image? Folk more concerned about how they look/come across to others in their chosen world/clique than how they feel in themselves riding whatever?

I was in Milan a few weeks back, and I know the weather there is much more conducive to cycling, but the amount of cyclists was amazing. Women wearing skirts/dresses on all sorts of bikes, there are several bike hire schemes, and men wearing suits and "ordinary" everyday clothing. Trust the Italians to look stylish on a bike.

 

[Blue Hills]

I was in Milan a few weeks back, and I know the weather there is much more conducive to cycling, but the amount of cyclists was amazing. Women wearing skirts/dresses on all sorts of bikes, there are several bike hire schemes, and men wearing suits and "ordinary" everyday clothing. Trust the Italians to look stylish on a bike.

Ah but that's the north. Lots of cycling in Ferrara as well. Head to the depths of the south and you'll find a different story.

 

[confusedcyclist]

The Dutch, in the 70's, found the number of traffic fatalities unacceptable, so they banned traffic in the cities to a great extent, and built infrastructure accordingly.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7o

Don't underestimate the impact of the two big oil crisis of the 70s too. NL imported virtually all of its oil, and their economy was hamstrung by OPEC embargoes, whereas we still had north sea production to smooth out the worst of it. Motor centric society is an aberration of the 20th century glut in energy. Sooner or later our government will realise that as oil supply continues to shrink that people will need to take alternative (read less energy intensive) forms of transport.

 

[nickyboy]

I'll accept the hills, but..... surely it's possible to have a bike as reliable as a Dutch bike with gearing to suit hills? Not mountains, just hills.
The weather, I think, is more psychological.
I used to be one of those who'd avoid cold and wet like the plague. Then I realised it wasn't so bad. Then it became less bad and just a different aspect to cycling. With the right mindset, it can be overcome.
One thing about the Dutch, is that they are very practical. They'll have very practical outerwear to get to the pub in winter, but once inside, they'll drop the outerwear to display the designer gear.
The fashion displays on Geordie Shore (especially in winter!) always used to raise incredulous cries here!

And.....by your own admission, utility cycling used to be more popular. Perhaps the weather has changed, but the topography hasn't.

Utilitarian cycling in UK used to be more common because we were poorer and couldn't afford other means of transport. As soon as we became richer, we ditched the bikes which weren't much fun on hills, in the rain, on dark winter days and started travelling by car.

I wonder what the level of utilitarian cycling is in places like France, Germany etc? I get the feeling we are looking at Netherlands and saying "we should be like them" but maybe it's the Netherlands that's the odd one out due to topography, infrastructure planning foresight etc etc

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I wonder what the level of utilitarian cycling is in places like France, Germany etc? I get the feeling we are looking at Netherlands and saying "we should be like them" but maybe it's the Netherlands that's the odd one out due to topography, infrastructure planning foresight etc etc

Anyone who thinks there is going to be a wholesale change away from driving to cycling is living in cloud cuckoo land. Realistically, we might get a few more percent of cycling, and a few less percent driving for local journeys, but that will be the limit of it. Any change will be marginal, and in terms of overall road miles covered by all means, pretty insignificant. Cycling has a lot of downsides, not least the fact it is really only practical as solo transport for journeys that do not require anything bulky or heavy to be carried.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Utilitarian cycling in UK used to be more common because we were poorer and couldn't afford other means of transport. As soon as we became richer, we ditched the bikes which weren't much fun on hills, in the rain, on dark winter days and started travelling by car.

I wonder what the level of utilitarian cycling is in places like France, Germany etc? I get the feeling we are looking at Netherlands and saying "we should be like them" but maybe it's the Netherlands that's the odd one out due to topography, infrastructure planning foresight etc etc

The reasons you give for switching to other means of transport apply universally. It just seems like not al countries ditched the bike to the same extent as the UK.
There's still rain, and dark winter days in NL. Less hills, certainly, but a lot of wind in places.

Is utility cycling as prevalent in other countries? Purely using my own eyes not as prevalent in places in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, but probably on a par with Denmark. Having said that, there is still a lot of utility cycling.
I was very surprised with the level of utility cycling in Switzerland. And they're not short of hills!

One thing to remember is that E-bikes are also quite common here. There are a few local commuters I see regularly on powerful (registered) E-bikes.

There is definitely infrastructure and cycling is very high on the consciousness level. For example, for roadworks etc. diversions are clear and easy to follow for bikes. Sometimes easier than for cars. For infrastructure, though, there has to be demand.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Anyone who thinks there is going to be a wholesale change away from driving to cycling is living in cloud cuckoo land. Realistically, we might get a few more percent of cycling, and a few less percent driving for local journeys, but that will be the limit of it. Any change will be marginal, and in terms of overall road miles covered by all means, pretty insignificant. Cycling has a lot of downsides, not least the fact it is really only practical as solo transport for journeys that do not require anything bulky or heavy to be carried.

I'm kind of surprised with that.
I think the barriers to cycling are mainly psychological. Cycling in rain, hills, etc.
The fact is people used to do it. People can do it again.

It cries out for a grassroots movement.
Bike co-ops that take donor bikes, do them up, sell them on, run maintenance days. Perhaps teach road skills. Organise "cycle Trains" to get kids cycling to school. For heavier or bulky transport there are cycle organisations in a few cities that have cargo bikes, some even electric assist, that people can hire for moving stuff. Not your washing machine, sure, but your music collection? No problem.

Not militant, angry cyclists vs the world. Regular people helping regular people get around by bike.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I'm kind of surprised with that.
I think the barriers to cycling are mainly psychological. Cycling in rain, hills, etc.
The fact is people used to do it. People can do it again.

It cries out for a grassroots movement.
Bike co-ops that take donor bikes, do them up, sell them on, run maintenance days. Perhaps teach road skills. Organise "cycle Trains" to get kids cycling to school. For heavier or bulky transport there are cycle organisations in a few cities that have cargo bikes, some even electric assist, that people can hire for moving stuff. Not your washing machine, sure, but your music collection? No problem.

Not militant, angry cyclists vs the world. Regular people helping regular people get around by bike.

That's what we do, pretty much a place for the rich to get rid of their bikes, and the poor to get a nice bicycle. We have some of the best cycled working poor populations around. We also make kids bikes safe for them to ride, as it seems those who look after them don't know or care that their kids bikes have bad, or no brakes, or tubes, or a pedal. Sad, but at least we can help out.

 

[User169]

Yes, NL has a high degree of utility cycling, but these are usually very short trips. Faced with a commute over 5km and the Dutch will pile into their cars. And they absolutely love cars - higher private ownership rates than the UK. Not entirely surprising given the poor train service.