chucking your car and going bike only?

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?

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

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.

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.

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

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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...

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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..