Giving up motorised transport in favour of biking it everywhere

[ColinJ]

The trick with long distance train travel is senior rail card and book your seats in first class. Nice seats and you get wined and dined as part of the deal.

I have the rail card, but unfortunately I can't afford first class!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I do have a driving license, but I have actually only driven for a few months 25 years ago.
I hate driving, also I don't think I'm very good at it, I used only public transport for many years.
About 15 years ago I had a job I really liked, but was poorly served by public transport so I started to cycle commute after seeing a colleague doing it.
It's great, but of course not suitable for everyone.
I wear a uniform at work, don't have to worry about looking perfectly made up, hair can be basic.
I can see that a person that needs to look impeccable at work could have problems cycle commuting in bad weather.
Adaptations: I must have 3 bikes in working order: a commuter, a back up in case the commuter is out of action, an ice bike with studded tyres for the icy mornings.
More powerful lights than if I were just leisure cycling, because then I wouldn't set out in the dark.
Loads of wet weather clothing, but then I'm an outdoor person anyway, I use my gear off the bike too, a couple of good sets of panniers for shopping, Ortliebs of course.
It's a lifestyle choice too: I chose to live in an area 4 miles outside town, with plenty of supermarkets/shops/my dentist/my GP/the local hospital walking or cycling distance.
When I got made redundant during the pandemic, I only applied for jobs I could cycle to.
There is also a good public transport network if one is inclined to do a big food shop with a shopping trolley instead of a car.
I get a free bus pass nowadays, but I mainly food shop small quantities with my bike, on my way back home from work.
For the big stuff there are the usual online outlets.
Social life? I don't really go out in the evenings now, but have done in the past, by bike, of course, as the city centre is only a half hour flat ride away.

if you're single or don't have any kids who rely on you for transport, it's not only doable but quite liberating

Indeed, that's me.
Before Covid I had 3 hospitality jobs on the go, all with unsociable hours/no public transport.
I used to cycle to them all, was able to accept shifts starting at 6am or finishing at 3am, great!

What I want to know is what has happened to all the money I should have saved?

Hehehe, it's a mystery!
Extra coffee and cake??

I think being carless depends on what transport you have in youe area and what your hobbys and interests you have.

Yes, and also on how hardened to the weather one is.
If you hate being wet or cold, or if you aren't very steady on your feet, even a short mile walk in winter could be off putting, then you end up a semi recluse, which is no good either.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I always used to tell folk I did around 8,000 a year cycling, including work, shopping etc while only doing 3,000 a year driving, plus I'd spend more on buying a bike than buying a car. It was all true, but now that I haven't ridden a bike for six years I still do around 2,750 miles a year driving. I couldn't give up my car now due to mobility problems, hence me not having cycled for six years. Before my mobility problem I'd ride or walk to my local pub, to watch Accrington Stanley play at home three miles away, ride to hospital appointments, etc.

 

[newts]

The trick with long distance train travel is senior rail card and book your seats in first class. Nice seats and you get wined and dined as part of the deal.

1rst class carriages on cross country trains down to the south west are often crammed with passengers from cattle class due to overcrowding & no sign of waiter service.

 

[cyberknight]

Indeed; while winter commuting is rarely fun, dark, potholed, icy, national-speed-limit country lanes are a whole new ballgame.

By Britain's crap standards I'm pretty spoilt in Oxford when it comes to utility cycling

sounds like my commute roads !
Much as i want to not run a car with mini ck 1 and her multiple health issues along with mrs ck health issues it means we have multiple hospital visits , sometimes 2-3 a month on top of my commute being country lanes on shifts so last night i would have been soaked to the skin and blown around a lot getting home at 1 am isnt the most fun ( i have done it ) .

 

[matticus]

It's a balancing act, keep the flexibility and not book a seat or do book one and be restricted to a single train.

Some operators are more flexible than others, TPE will let me book a seat but on an anytime ticket - there is a seat reserved for me on a train of my choice but I can change plans.

Yes - this is standard practice. You can book a seat, and still know that if you miss your train you're allowed on the next one!

( This is why most trains have some reserved seats, without their "owners" using them. )

 

[wafter]

sounds like my commute roads !
Much as i want to not run a car with mini ck 1 and her multiple health issues along with mrs ck health issues it means we have multiple hospital visits , sometimes 2-3 a month on top of my commute being country lanes on shifts so last night i would have been soaked to the skin and blown around a lot getting home at 1 am isnt the most fun ( i have done it ) .

Absolutely. Even when I was parking outside the city and riding in I still had the fairly uncommon luxury of a nice route including dedicated cycle paths and tow paths which made it so much more tolerable when the weather was bad.

I'm sure many have it a lot worse and given the demands of modern society there's no shame in owning a car, as long as it's used responsibly unlike all the dickheads who like to drive five minutes round the corner to the shops.

 

[fossyant]

I have thought about it previously as I was cycle commuting and one car was enough, but I've given up commuting when icy (for reasons of nearly killing myself and breaking my pelvis and hip), so I keep a vehicle.

That said I have spent a bit in the last year on a van that we use for trips away for pursuit of our hobbies (bikes, swimming, camping, paddle board/kayak).

The van doesn't move during the week. Our other car is 13 years old and very well maintained.

 

[cyberknight]

Absolutely. Even when I was parking outside the city and riding in I still had the fairly uncommon luxury of a nice route including dedicated cycle paths and tow paths which made it so much more tolerable when the weather was bad.

I'm sure many have it a lot worse and given the demands of modern society there's no shame in owning a car, as long as it's used responsibly unlike all the dickheads who like to drive five minutes round the corner to the shops.

i looked into public transport but as i work shifts they dont run at the times i need and go no where near where i work . I did work out if i was on regular days i could walk a couple of miles to the village catch a bus into town then catch another bus home .This would take a good 2+ hours each way for a 10 mile direct route by cycle or car.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Nicest motorbike I had was a Honda CB125s, you could ride it 'flat out' everywhere but it had one problem too undergeared in that it would 'redline' in top at about 65mph but a trip to the local Honda dealer sorted that..........1 tooth bigger gearbox sprocket so it would now hit over 70 just on the redline. Light 'flickable' handling and adequate brakes plus decent grip once I'd thrown away the OEM tyres (designed to last a million miles) and fitted decent rubber it could embarress bikes more than twice its size...............whilst they were braking and thinking about a corner I could stuff it up the inside, throw it 'on its ears' and be off up the road.
Bigger bikes are nice but none was as much fun as that little 125 single.

Some years ago I had a CB500 and when it was in for a service I was disappointed that the loan bike I was promised turned out to be a CB125. On the way home from Ilford to Hornchurch I fell in love with it, beautifully light and flickable and enough grunt not to be embarrassing on the short section of NSL dual carriageway on the A12. It would never have been suitable for the type of biking I did then, but all of a sudden I could see the point of them.

Unfortunately since those days, bikes have put on weight and bulk just like cars and going by the Lexmoto125 I briefly owned a few years ago they are slower and less manouverable than theit older counterparts.

 

[MichaelW2]

I have been car-free for many years but not car-less. When I need transport I take a vehicle from the car club, something of the right size and shape for the task.
If you are aiming for a car-free and car-light lifestyle, you need a bike trailer. I have a 2 wheel flatbed with plastic bin. It is good for large shops and a lot of DIY materials.

 

[raleighnut]

Some years ago I had a CB500 and when it was in for a service I was disappointed that the loan bike I was promised turned out to be a CB125. On the way home from Ilford to Hornchurch I fell in love with it, beautifully light and flickable and enough grunt not to be embarrassing on the short section of NSL dual carriageway on the A12. It would never have been suitable for the type of biking I did then, but all of a sudden I could see the point of them.

Unfortunately since those days, bikes have put on weight and bulk just like cars and going by the Lexmoto125 I briefly owned a few years ago they are slower and less manouverable than theit older counterparts.

Yep, cracking little bikes. Same engine in the TL, XL and SL.

 

[Alex321]

I have four main hobbies - Woodturning, Cycling, Morris Dancing, and Sealed Knot (English Civil War re-enactments).

Without a motor vehicle, I would have to give up two of those. Neither Morris dancing or Sealed knot are practical without own transport, and distances involved and quantities of stuff to be carried are far too much for a bike - and I'm not too sure the police would be happy about me carrying a working black powder musket on a bike even if it were practical.

My wife also has mobility issues and is never going to ride a bike again, and public transport where we live is just not practical.

So I can't see us ever going motor vehicle free unless and until we get to the point of needing to be in a care home.

 

[Andy in Germany]

As the title really. I wondered how many of you have currently, or in the past, or even considering it for the future - retirement maybe - giving up your cars and purely using your bikes as your main transport?

If you have, how has that affected how you live your life; what changes did you have to make, how difficult was it? For those of you considering it for the future, same question really: what life adaptations will you need to make to make it work?

I've never owned a car, so for me the "comparison" would be the other way around. I'd have to make a lot of adjustments, primarily to having a much smaller bank account.

After that I'd have to learn how to buy and insure a car, legal requirements like testing them and organising myself around petrol stations and the need to fill up. I'd also have to organise where to park the thing when I'm not using it. Also, I'd need to learn to park in a parking space. Then I'd have to learn what all those lights on the dashboard mean and which ones I need to take notice of, and how much it would cost to fix them.

I'd have to re-learn my way around my local town and how to commute to work without all the useful shortcuts and lovely old backstreets and pedestrian areas: I'd have to factor in extra time to walk from wherever the local car park is to where I actually need to go, instead of locking my bike up practically in front of the door.

Finally, I'd need to find the local gym, and pay for membership to use their machines, and organise a couple of visits a week because otherwise I'd turn into a hobbit, so that's more time wasted and more expense...

And then I wouldn't be able to just stop when I see something interesting or want to take a picture...

That all sounds incredibly expensive and inconvenient, so I'll stay car free...

 

[All uphill]

I've never owned a car, so for me the "comparison" would be the other way around. I'd have to make a lot of adjustments, primarily to having a much smaller bank account.

After that I'd have to learn how to buy and insure a car, legal requirements like testing them and organising myself around petrol stations and the need to fill up. I'd also have to organise where to park the thing when I'm not using it. Also, I'd need to learn to park in a parking space. Then I'd have to learn what all those lights on the dashboard mean and which ones I need to take notice of, and how much it would cost to fix them.

I'd have to re-learn my way around my local town and how to commute to work without all the useful shortcuts and lovely old backstreets and pedestrian areas: I'd have to factor in extra time to walk from wherever the local car park is to where I actually need to go, instead of locking my bike up practically in front of the door.

Finally, I'd need to find the local gym, and pay for membership to use their machines, and organise a couple of visits a week because otherwise I'd turn into a hobbit, so that's more time wasted and more expense...

And then I wouldn't be able to just stop when I see something interesting or want to take a picture...

That all sounds incredibly expensive and inconvenient, so I'll stay car free...

Great post Andy.

Your words reminded me that changing our mode of transport is never as simple as just substituting one vehicle for another. It involves adaptations in most areas of our lives.

For me going from car to bike/bus/train involved:

Getting groceries delivered.
Accepting that trips to the coast would need to be planned.
Paying much more attention to the weather forecast.
Getting some really good clothes.

If I lived out in the country that list would be much longer.

In return I have saved a fortune, I'm healthier, a long list of headaches has disappeared and I'm much happier.

So I understand that changing is best done gradually, and in this car-obssessed country is not practical for everyone.