Living car free

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Von-Skipp

I don't have much advice for ya Rob. But if you do make the choice to live without a car, I have soo much damn respect for that!!

Are you thinking about getting a road or cross bike if you sell the truck?

I'll commute on my Titus El Guapo for now, but when I get caught up I plan on getting a few more bikes. One a custom steel hardtail that can take abuse, and that's suitable for touring or hauling stuff. I'm going to have this guy build it.

http://www.waltworks.com/dev/index.php

It'll be able to take small drops and jumps and technical trailriding, but also be able to put racks on for heavy loaded off road expedition touring. I plan on this bike being the ultimate do all hardtail(for me). It'll have paragon sliding dropouts, one set of dropouts for a Rohloff setup, one for geared setup and one for SS. It'll have rack and fender eyelets mounted on the seatstays and on the custom steel fork. The fork will have 20mm thru axle droputs. The right chainstay will have a S&S coupler to allow a belt to slip through for when using a Rohloff or SS.

For tubing, this is what Walt said he would rec. using.
-For really serious durability, I'd recommend True Temper Supertherm tubing. It's the same material as their OX platinum, drawn MUCH thicker and larger (so, for example, the Supertherm downtube I like to use is 44.5mm in diameter, with 1mm/.7mm/1mm thick walls - a typical OX platinum downtube for mountain bikes is 35mmx.7/.4/.7). Probably do something like a 44mm downtube, 31.8mm seat tube with beefy brazed-in shim for a 27.2 seatpost, and a 35mm toptube. That would have good manners under any conditions, and be stiff as heck.
-I'd probably use 19mm x .8 or .9mm wall seatstays - again, super beefy. I'd have to think about what would be best for chainstays - probably some big strong Zona S-bends.

Eventually I'll also get another steel cross bike, one that has semi long chainstays so I can tour on that as well.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Rivet

Car free is fine as long as you don't become "that" guy. You know the one, he brags about being car free then leaches rides to all the far away riding events. I used to dread getting phone calls from "that" guy, it'd generally be him hemming and hawing on the phone until I "offered" to drive him. I finally quit offering and made him ask outright just to force the issue, he eventually got a car again. Bragging about being "car free" and bumming rides is like bragging about being vegetarian but eating fish and chicken.

Well, I'll still have access to my girlfriends car for group rides which now has a Yakima Roofrack with racks for big bikes, and a trunk rack for another 2-3 bikes.

But I'm trying to persuade her to ride her bike to work now too, which is only 6 miles with no real climbing. I think she'll be up for it.

Originally Posted by chongoblanco

wooby you should by one of these!
http://www.surlybikes.com/bigdummy.html

or cruise around on a tandom that way you can still pick up on chicks

I'll be able to put big panniers on the hardtail when that is built. The big dummy is cool though.

[evdog]

Its pretty tough to be car free or even car-lite in Socal. I tried riding to work last winter and managed it maybe 2-3 days a week for a couple months (downtown SD to UTC area - ~ 13mi each way). Not bad but I found there were too many times I'd need to drive somewhere during the day that it wasn't really feasible to continue. I'd like to get back into it a couple times a week but to not have a car at all would shrink my world too much given the limited public transportation and bike routes here. It seems to be 20miles to everywhere here.

When I lived in vancouver it was easy to commute anywhere by bike, bus, cab, or walking - living without a car would mainly mean no more trips to whistler. I could walk to work in 45 mins, bus in 20-30 (waits included), bike in 10, or drive & park in 15. I could even ride from my door to the base of all 3 north shore mountains in 45 mins. But that is a more compact, urban setting.

Here, so much distance is involved and there tends to be poor routes for cycling. There is great potential however - like linking up all the canyons and/or major urban roads with bike trails and bike routes to connect everything together. And there is Flexcar here - if you are nearby one of their locations you can join the club and use their cars on a per-mile or per-hour basis which cuts down on costs and means you pay only for what you use. But they are not everywhere, nor are efficient buses or trolleys or train service. A lot of my friends are in PB but a cab back to downtown after a night in the bars is $25 if I don't have somewhere to crash.

Going without a car entirely would mean living in an area reasonably close to work and all your amenities, and being in a social situation (read: no kids and probably no wife/spouse unless they're totally into biking) that permits it. Unfortunately most areas in socal are just not set up that way unless you're a total shut-in with no hobbies or social life!

[ryandood]

I think that you can do it if you are living somewhere where public transportation is prominent. Obviously busses are everywhere but I think that access to a good train system would be key. From reading what everyone else has posted here, it's obviously been done in SoCal but I think it would be a bit harder given your location.

I grew up in Laguna Niguel and know the surrounding areas very well and have always been bummed out about how everything was so far away. I think it would be difficult to ride everywhere. You can take the bus and I guess if you map everything out beforehand you can make your way around town pretty easily, it would just take a lot longer. Much of SoCal, and probably much of the country is not setup to be as car-free as other places around the world.

I love the idea of a car-less life but I think that because of where we live and how it is spread out (in comparison to dense cities) it is much harder to do. If you were in S.F. or practically any major city that had a much better public transportation system then it would be cake by comparison.

If you do end up going car-less, I owe you two props.

[kanga]

If you feel strongly about trying to make So Cal (los angeles in particular) more bike friendly, read this post: Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan Workshops

[Rob]

Originally Posted by evdog

Going without a car entirely would mean living in an area reasonably close to work and all your amenities, and being in a social situation (read: no kids and probably no wife/spouse unless they're totally into biking) that permits it. Unfortunately most areas in socal are just not set up that way unless you're a total shut-in with no hobbies or social life!

But when your main hobby is riding bikes, I guess it can work out then

Where I live right now-Dana Point the two train stations are a 15 minute bike ride, so my job opportunity limitations are what's within riding distance and what's accessible by trains, by looking at the stations map, it seems like I have a lot of choices. I'd prefer not having to use the train though and just ride.

I've got a GF so dating isn't an issue, and I wouldn't want a girl that wouldn't date me because I don't have a car. And the only people who I enjoy socializing with, I ride with them and chat with them here on STR.

I think I'm a good candidate for being car-free.

[dstepper]

In my years living in Laguna Beach I have met more than a few that don't own cars, a few that have never had a drivers license.

Dean

[Rob]

Originally Posted by ryandood

I think that you can do it if you are living somewhere where public transportation is prominent. Obviously busses are everywhere but I think that access to a good train system would be key. From reading what everyone else has posted here, it's obviously been done in SoCal but I think it would be a bit harder given your location.

I've taking the train from San Clemente, it took 15 minutes to get there from Dana Point. Laguna would add another what 20-30 minutes?

I grew up in Laguna Niguel and know the surrounding areas very well and have always been bummed out about how everything was so far away. I think it would be difficult to ride everywhere. You can take the bus and I guess if you map everything out beforehand you can make your way around town pretty easily, it would just take a lot longer. Much of SoCal, and probably much of the country is not setup to be as car-free as other places around the world.

I love the idea of a car-less life but I think that because of where we live and how it is spread out (in comparison to dense cities) it is much harder to do. If you were in S.F. or practically any major city that had a much better public transportation system then it would be cake by comparison.

If you do end up going car-less, I owe you two props.

I think Laguna Beach has a free bus system.

Originally Posted by kanga

If you feel strongly about trying to make So Cal (los angeles in particular) more bike friendly, read this post: Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan Workshops

I'll try to make it, maybe I'll take the train

[sasquatch9billion]

My room mate is 26, he's been car free his entire life. He rides the bus or his old beach cruiser, or gets a ride from his g.f.

[ryandood]

I think if you plan your day out a bit more you could definitely do it. I just think it would be a pain to go to the more obscure places that don't have train stations nearby. From my parents' house(Niguel/Camino Del Avion) I think the closest train station is in San Juan? (correct me if I'm wrong). I just can't imagine having to ride to/from san juan everytime if I want to go anywhere further than several miles away from home. And for that area that seems to be a lot of things.

I guess I've never really considered what I would have to do and I guess riding to SJC is not that far but I'm a lazy ass I suppose. This is starting to sound like a fun thing to try out for a week or month or however long. Maybe I should try it for a short bit just to see what it's like.

HEY you could do trial runs right now!! Just go a week without your car and see how it goes. Go and do things that you would normally do and some things that you normally wouldn't just to see how it is without a car. Sounds like fun

[RacinJason]

If you don't mind riding to work in the rain and wind at times.
It might be cool. If you have a job that you have to dress up for a big meeting or something and you are riding to work and a big truck drives through a puddle and soaks you. It could be problem. I rode a street bike when I was younger and it sucked in the winter time. On a motorcycle you don't sweat and stink but you still get drenched by trucks. It happened to me many times.
If I work local I will be riding my Vespa to work or my bike.
But I could never live with out my Truck. It would turn me in to (THAT GUY).
I would be a ride mooch and I would need help in the rain and when I need to move something. Racing DH would be out of the question. Riding a DH bike to Fontana would kill me.
Pick up a Toyota SR5 truck for cheap for a back out plan.
Great gas mileage and reliable. Not to expensive.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by ryandood

I think if you plan your day out a bit more you could definitely do it. I just think it would be a pain to go to the more obscure places that don't have train stations nearby. From my parents' house(Niguel/Camino Del Avion) I think the closest train station is in San Juan? (correct me if I'm wrong). I just can't imagine having to ride to/from san juan everytime if I want to go anywhere further than several miles away from home. And for that area that seems to be a lot of things.

I guess I've never really considered what I would have to do and I guess riding to SJC is not that far but I'm a lazy ass I suppose. This is starting to sound like a fun thing to try out for a week or month or however long. Maybe I should try it for a short bit just to see what it's like.

HEY you could do trial runs right now!! Just go a week without your car and see how it goes. Go and do things that you would normally do and some things that you normally wouldn't just to see how it is without a car. Sounds like fun

I've actually been car-lite for the last year and a half. I would say I've driven my truck about 1,500 miles in 2007. 600 of those was a trip to Vegas.

In the last 6 months, I've probably filled up my gas tank 3 times.

Your ride from the SJC train station to your parents house would be 25 minutes tops.

[DISCO]

I have been pulling it off since December, what is amazing is that the bus will take you anywhere in the county for only three bucks. It takes a bit more planning but it is not impossible if you have a large enough cargo rack. Just making small changes make a big difference, like riding your commute one day a week. Most everything I do is in Irvine which is pretty flat, sounds cool until you realize how bored the fuzz is in this town. What can suck is how many calories you must consume to avoid burning muscle, worse still is the loss of desire to ride for pleasure due to all the work.

For me the green benefits still outweigh the time disadvantages but I enjoy the outdoors best this time of year. Once summer rolls around it's back behind the wheel baby.

[uno-speedo]

Sounds like you need a beater without a car payment. I went from being car free (and having tons of money) to owning an STi that cost me close to a $1000 a month

[OffRoadie]

I've been thinking of doing a car-free month, just for educational purposes. I think a week is too short to learn anything.

[dstepper]

I wish I could lead a car free live, but work rears it's ugly head.

Dean

[DBD]

If you truly want to be car free AND STILL have the ability to get to far away places then go for a set up like this.

[Fired Yo Momma]

Rob if I were you just get yourself a klunker for a car that has a dependable engine ungly body. Just use it if your going to go to other trails. I would hate to be dependent on my GF or anybody else for a ride. Like back in high school asking for a ride to and back to school from your relatives or friends.

[sir crashalot]

I have a truck- 1993! toyota pickup, which still has only 150,000 miles and still going strong. Paid off a decade ago, rarely drive it, I'm not going to buy a new vehicle till this one absolutely bites the dust. But, i'm lucky, I live in laguna 1 mile from work and 1 mile from trails. I obviously ride the bike to work and hardly ever drive in town, so I have vastly decreased my carbon footprint but have not completely eliminated it. I use my old truck or my GF's more fuel-efficient vehicle if I'm driving out of town. I figure with all the gas I save on a regular basis i can splurge on a drive out to the santa anas once or twice a month. I also to drive out to Riverside once or twice a month to visit my elderly parents, not gonna give that up because I don't know how much longer they'll be around. I try to combine that with riding though! I think it's practical to have an old cheap beater to use if you need it, but you can still drive as little as possible. kudos to you though for the low-carbon philosophy. i don't feel too bad about my driving occasionally; if we all drove as little as I did, there would be far lesss pollution and traffic. the downside: the job I ride my bike to is low-paying; still worth it to me though.
Rob, so what sort of car salesman doesn't own a car? JK.

[~ Pakiha ~]

I haven't had a car (long story) since July of last year, and it isn't as bad as I had thought. Admitably I don't get out to distant rides as often as I'd like, but it did force me to look deeper into my own back yard, and I am glad I did. I don't spend money on Gas, maintenance, Insurance, etc ... but I do but more milk