Cyclist who drives / Driver who cycles?

[Hebe]

I'm at home with a four year old, and am trying hard to make bike the default choice for most of my journeys, which are typically less than 5 miles round trip. This has been achieved with varying amounts of success, I'm not great at loading her into the trailer on icy or wet mornings for example, and as Mickle says, it's just too convenient to use the car. I am getting better though, and the more I do it the easier it will get. There is no contest between bike and car, I prefer being on the bike whenever I can.

 

[Peteaud]

Car is only for work and the odd trip to the coast.

I work 27.5 miles away so cant commute, i would like to do some of it on the bike, but lack of place to park means drive all the way.

 

[gbb]

Car is only for work and the odd trip to the coast.

I work 27.5 miles away so cant commute, i would like to do some of it on the bike, but lack of place to park means drive all the way.

I 'cased the joint out' several times before finding a suitable place to park Pete. Now i carry the bike in the car, park up on a village high street and cycle the remainder every other day. Trouble is, if i drive all the way i use a direct route but its a bit dangerous for cycling so i take a more ciruitous route to enable me to cycle part way,,,but i only save myself a few miles in the car, but gain 7 safe miles each way on the bike.

Time is also an issue...27 miles takes you what ? 45 to 50 minutes ?. I do 21 miles each way, 14 miles in the car, 7 miles on the bike....it totals an hour each way, sometimes more, its a fair chunk out of an already long day. Its not easy.

 

[mickle]

Interesting threads just seem to come out of nowhere sometimes huh?

 

[Peteaud]

I 'cased the joint out' several times before finding a suitable place to park Pete. Now i carry the bike in the car, park up on a village high street and cycle the remainder every other day. Trouble is, if i drive all the way i use a direct route but its a bit dangerous for cycling so i take a more ciruitous route to enable me to cycle part way,,,but i only save myself a few miles in the car, but gain 7 safe miles each way on the bike.

Time is also an issue...27 miles takes you what ? 45 to 50 minutes ?. I do 21 miles each way, 14 miles in the car, 7 miles on the bike....it totals an hour each way, sometimes more, its a fair chunk out of an already long day. Its not easy.

Drive in takes me about 50 - 60 mins.

The problems for me is i go up / down the mother of all hills. I can park at the top on the way into work, that still leaves about 8 miles, 1/2 of that is uphill with one fairly steep hill. However, the return home journey would require me to go up the big one. Time wise this would add a good 1/2 hour and leave me knackered.

As you say, a big chunk out of the day.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I haven't owned a car for over thirty years, its bike bus or walk, though I have hired cars for holidays and special trips in the past, last time was about four years ago.

 

[Smokin Joe]

My interest in cycling is purely as a sport, I never ride a bike for utility purposes.