a semi serious inquiry

[The Notorious LOL]

now what with the ever rising costs of gas, and my car being a shitbox, and my credit being less than perfect...I find myself in a bit of a situation.


Right now, my car needs its brakes fixed pretty badly. Problem is the pads calipers and rotors need to be done and the total cost will be approx $200 for parts. My cousin will do the work.

However, I was considering just taking that money and buying a semi nice bike and for the remainder of the warmer weather just biking everywhere. That should give me at least six weeks to bike to and from work, and I live in a pretty populated area where theres a best buy and clothing shops, etc etc within a mile of my house easily. On shitty days I could just ride the bus.

I do like the independence of a car though and not waiting for scheduled bus times and shit. I dont know, I do want to get some money together definetly. Anyone have any ideas on which way to go?

[Documad]

Do you seriously get bus service where you live? Seriously?

Do your friends love you? My brother free loaded from his friends for 4 years by chipping in for gas.

I have a friend who lives in Mpls and bikes to work in Eagan each day. But I don't like it when people bike to my work because sometimes they smell bad.

[tracky]

if it was me i'd fix it

cars are a bitch tho, i'm just trying to decide what to upgrade to now or if it's even worth it. i've got a 1969 corolla, which while it's in good condition with a newish engine and stuff, is still just falling short of my needs. my needs being more luxury less fun. i guess i'm getting old :( Oh well gotta happen eventually

[The Notorious LOL]

I live on 32nd and lyndale, my job is just past loring by the farmers market.

biking would take 5 minutes.

[HotAndWet]

I say yes to the bike, you'd get way more ass and PLUS you could get a gnarly bike horn!

[Tzar]

sell the car. buy a pushbike and a skateboard.
the skateboard for short distances, the pushbike for longer distances, public transport for fuck long distances. (y)

[Documad]

Public transportation here is a travesty, but you could actually take a bus if the weather's bad. I don't suppose you stock up on groceries or do anything where you have to haul stuff around.

Getting rid of the car would also save you a pile on insurance, I'm guessing. It sounds like it might be worth a try.

You could talk about how you're saving the environment too.

[Sarky Devotchka]

riding a bike rules, do that. it makes you a better person.

[Medellia]

I was going to say sell the car and get a motorcycle, but Doc's "saving the environment" comment made me rethink that.

[Dr Deaf]

you've got nothing to lose. you might even find yourself going longer than 6 weeks w/o the car. it's a brilliant idea, and one you should follow thru with.

i'm hoping to do the biking thing shortly myself. fuck knows i need the cardio.

good luck.

[Abe Froman]

If you were to ride your bike and keep the car parked, would it decrease your insurance rates at all?

Would you be able to interact with more females on the sidewalk vs on the road?

Can you eat while steering your bike vs. your car?

Would you wear a backpack while on the bike and would that mess up your fashion sense?

[pshabi]

Do you seriously get bus service where you live? Seriously?

Do your friends love you? My brother free loaded from his friends for 4 years by chipping in for gas.

I have a friend who lives in Mpls and bikes to work in Eagan each day. But I don't like it when people bike to my work because sometimes they smell bad.

Yeah, I can see that.

Who wants to sit at work all day with "swamp ass?"

Not I.

[abcdefz]

now what with the ever rising costs of gas, and my car being a shitbox, and my credit being less than perfect...I find myself in a bit of a situation.


Right now, my car needs its brakes fixed pretty badly. Problem is the pads calipers and rotors need to be done and the total cost will be approx $200 for parts. My cousin will do the work.

However, I was considering just taking that money and buying a semi nice bike and for the remainder of the warmer weather just biking everywhere. That should give me at least six weeks to bike to and from work, and I live in a pretty populated area where theres a best buy and clothing shops, etc etc within a mile of my house easily. On shitty days I could just ride the bus.

I do like the independence of a car though and not waiting for scheduled bus times and shit. I dont know, I do want to get some money together definetly. Anyone have any ideas on which way to go?





...are you going to keep up on insurance payments, regardless?

Also: consider just going to the thrift store and getting a $20 bike. Ride that around for a while and see how you like the lifestyle rather than plunking down $200 for a bike you'll use for two weeks.

And, yes, you can get a decent enough bike for $20 or so. Mine's lasted three years now, and it's also not the sort of thing thieves drool over.

[ET]

Would you wear a backpack while on the bike and would that mess up your fashion sense?


He already wears pink. Why don't you get a man purse too, homo?

Biking. It'll save you on insurance and you can buy a PSP with that kind of change. Zzzzz! Make sure you get a decent lock for your ride. Not those shits you can open with a ballpoint pen. (http://www-tech.mit.edu/V124/N38/38nytBikes.38n.html) You also might want to carry a metal bat with you just in case bums want to rub your butt. Speaking of that, you can just wipe that swamp ass out as soon as you get to work. Problem solved!

[enree erzweglle]

About cheap bikes--I've done both. In the long run, it was much better given the terrain here to have gone with the more expensive bike. The steep hills here, I think, really stress a bike out. I've lost parts on bikes here that I never had to replace at all when I lived in flatter areas.

(But I like the idea of getting a cheap bike just to try for a couple of weeks. I don't know what the hills situation is like where you live, but a lot of students come here thinking that they're going to bike everywhere and they get a slap in the face. The hills are daunting if you're doing them before the day begins and at the end of a long day. The weather isn't conducive to biking for transportation and, I like I said, the drivers here basically spit on bikers. It's not a bike-friendly city. If you bought a cheap bike to try it out for a couple of weeks or if you borrowed one, you'd get a feel for how you like biking and how your city/climate likes bikers.)

[enree erzweglle]

I accidentally killed one of my posts...here it is again.

I met a guy in Zurich who went there to bike the Swiss Alps for a few weeks. He said this to me very casually. He showed me the bikes he brought with him and photos of the courses. Huge hills, long days with miles and miles of hill climbing. He's my age and is in excellent shape. Has basically no resting heartrate. He does this--trains for and then bikes through a country--every year. (He trains the majority of the year and then uses 4 of his 5 vacation weeks for the actual course/trip.) Next year, it's the Apennines. And I thought I was doing well by hiking through the lower parts of the Alps. Whoa.

[TurdBerglar]

this is my kind of thread. get a bike dude. you'll save shitloads of cash