chucking your car and going bike only?

[Gnan]

hi

the above thought has crossed my mind regularly, i'm sick of sitting in traffic jams and paying a fortune on servicing and getting jipped off for insurance.. when i see bikes going past when i'm stuck at lights, etc it makes me lust for a bike only life - however on the downside how would i get my paint in from B&Q, and when it's snowy/icy/minus 10 i wouldn't want to be out on the bike... also there's the convenience side of jumping in a car without throwing on leathers..

anyone run a bike only? what do you think?

[secret squirrel]

Run a bike only. Not an issue over carting stuff about so far. Use a tailpack and have sports panniers to boot if required. A cargo net otherwise secures bulky items with a few bungees to boot. You would be amazed at how much you can fit with careful packing :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I can work at home if the weather looks like its going to be really attrocious. If I have to go in I'll ride to the station. Though I have ridden in ice, snow, torrential rain etc. Personally I think its improved my riding overall - I'm far smoother on the throttle and changing gears than before.

Cold can be dealt with easily. Heated grips, heated waistcoat, good thick thermal socks make a huge difference. Also sensible things like carrying extra layers of clothing or a thermos of hot drink can make a difference on long journeys.

I look at it this way. For the 10 minutes it takes me to gear up I more than save that amount of time riding in than I would if I drove in or when I use public transport. :D

[Diveboy]

I have always though about this but I need the car for shopping, yes I can order online but I like to go to the local butcher and market rarther than ASda.

Plus my wife hates bikes. I say plus what I mean is its the main reason. :oops:

[TC3]

I would never dream of being without either car or bike. They both have there uses i enjoy using both

[Skip]

Soon as the weather warms up a bit and it stops being icy in the morning I will be going 90% bike, really feel that I didnt get full use out of it last year (4000 miles) - so will be correcting that this year - having a 25mpg car kind of helped to influence that decision too... :lol:

[mysteryjimbo]

Bike only here. 350+ miles a week, 52 weeks of the year (if i have bike holidays :lol: )

My other half has the car and does all the running about. I dont see the point in have two cars as its very rare i need to use one when i'm on my own.

You just have to allow for poor weather. Wrap up very warm in winter and stay dry or your concentration will suffer. Summer is great unless you have traffic to go through and slow you down. You'll get very hot.

You cant beat the feel of a nice sunny morning on your way to work by bike. Far better than a car!

[tricky]

I admire people that are bike only, I've considered it but couldn't part with my car when it came down to it.

I don't mind being stuck in traffic in the car because I'm sat in a very comfortable seat listening to the best stereo I own.

The only times I wish I was on the bike when I'm in my car is when I'm driving down a lovely twisty road and I have bikes passing me having far more fun.

[Grinch]

I ran a bike since I was 21, I'm now 30 and only past my car test last year, and this was due to us having a nipper.
But still use the bike every day to get to work in London... 140 miles a day.

Remember most places deliver (for free if your pushy enough)... or I've used the bus and trains... Only just got heated grips this weekend, have yet to put them on.

[Ward8124]

I do 140miles a day on my commute down the m11 and my car is sat at home festering and awaiting a decision from me whether to sell it or keep it.....just cant bring myself to sell14ks worth of car for less than 3k.....just doesnt make sense to me.

[Gnan]

i use my car a lot but only for commuting.. seems like a waste of time to be honest with all the anti-car measures they are put in place - i'm planning on getting a VFR with all the goodies soon, so ill see how it goes with that..

[Scooby Drew]

I am bike only and yes I did ride to work for an hour on the day that it was -9 in Edinburgh.

I hired a car the other day to take my mom to my naturalisation ceremony (I am now a UK citizen and can't be deported for speeding!) and absolutely hated driving the car. I feel safer on my bike cos I can get in and out of the traffic and away if I have to.

I have no reason to own a car and unless I could afford something a bit sporty and can at least come close to my bike in performance, I don't see the point.

[JakeRS]

I am a bike only man, brave the cold, snow, ice, hail etc through the winter then revel in it when its summer :)

[thor]

Bike only, and sometimes it's a pain. The most annoying thing is carrying passengers (do they have a lid gear etc) and carrying oversized objects. I bungied a strimmer on once, and any time I gained by riding was lost in the bungying...

[Grinch]

largest object I think I've carried is a hover... got to pick up some renthals later not to sure on how I'm going to do that! :D

[Sudoxe]

40Miles a day, 5 days a week + Weekend play.

Never owned a car...Well i did but didn't have a licence etc...then gave up lessons and sold it so never drove it. Does that count....

largest object I think I've carried is a hover... got to pick up some renthals later not to sure on how I'm going to do that! :D

Did that last week, they go on easy, still thinking how to strap a hover on!

[Samurai]

I ride day in and day out, 365 days a year, well would be that much if i had had the bike that long, sold my car in august to buy my bike , ridden ever since.

I do miss the car sometimes and would like to run both a car and a bike but just to expensive, plus when ever i find myself filtering in traffic, (which is most of the time) i remember why i did the trade. :wink:

[kwak zzr]

i did enjoy the car heaters this morning @ 5.20 when i went to work :oops:
know what you mean tho about running two tis expencive.

[Ceri JC]

I've gone "bike only". You can ride in snow if you're careful, but I don't like ice much. I'm probably going to buy a car in 2-3 months time.

[jambo]

Keep meaning to get a Car licence, have been "bike only" for the whole 6 years on the road, thing is I've no-where to store a car and would use it about once a month, as most of my milage is up into central london, or out for a blat for fun :twisted:

[northwind]

Don't have a car, or a license... But that's something I might change before next winter.

[medwaysv]

i own a car and bike but my girlfreind drives the car i drive only if the gf dont fancy doing a long journey.
sometimes in the winter,i think about using the car when its freezing cold,but soon come to my senses lol.
i sometimes even use the bike to get small ammounts of shoping..you know,stuff it in the tank bag just as an excuse to get out and ride