STR | SocalTrailRiders.org

Red Hot Sloth

Not very realistic, some of us work in the field on various jobsites trucking around tools and supplies and not working in a cubicle day in and day out, going to the same place 9-5 & M-F.
But we really do believe in it, was it our choice to work outside with our hands and tools absolutely, but thats not the point..the point is that it just isn't an option for some of us. If it was possible for me to ride my bike everywhere instead of drive, I would do it, in fact I did before I had major responsibilities, it was great, but at the same time, I don't want to listen to a holier than thou statement basically saying stop complaing about it. Maybe you meant it differently, but it doesn't seem so.
For everyone that has resigned themselves to the fact that fuel costs are giving these companies record profits at ridiculous rate, and say its just business...stop being such sheep, its people with this mentality (and yeah..millions of you) that allow this kind of fudding to happen. I sincerely believe America has been pu$$ified, by what exactly? Pu$$ies who allow others to do this to us, just lay down and let's get fudded.
Got a problem with what I just said? PM me, we can discuss it or ride it out of our systems.

__________________
"This is America, we are supposed to be the best at everything...Period"
Charles Barkley

el_d00der1n0

you all just quit your jobs and sell your stuff to me real cheap.

thanks

__________________
all your macs are belong to us

richie_rich

I love biking, but there is no good or direct route from So. County to No. OC. I looked into taking the MetroLink from Mission Viejo to Orange and it is no bargain at all. $182 for a monthly pass.

My commute is 50 miles round trip, my truck gets 23 mpg so at $4 per gallon $8.70 per day. My motorcycle gets 50+ mpg which is half the cost and I can split traffic...saves time and money!

The train was going to be $9.10 per day based on 20 days, plus the last pick up was after when I would get done work...definite drawbacks of mass transit.

I still say take $1500-$2500 and get a scooter if you have a shorter commute...at 80-110 mpg you'll make up on the investment shortly and have fun at the same time.

__________________
SHEDEVIL: "Haven't you ever seen me grab my crotch going downhill?"

"The world is small and the trails are smaller, so when you see another biker smile and wave, you never know who you might meet."

Seat Sniffer

I would like to reiterate my questions:

1. Why are gas companies reporting record profits if they are not price gouging?

2. Referring to the chart I posted, why have gas prices spiked in the past 3 years and continue to rise? I'm not looking for the canned responses everyone knows from the oil companies, I want to know exactly where the demand has increased, and where the supply has diminished.

3. Then, I would like an explanation as to how oil companies can report record profits in a time of diminished supply if they aren't gouging?

Only if you come pick it up. I can't afford the gas.

speckledtrout

I bought a Honda Metropolitan scooter back in 2002. It looks retro, goes up to 40 mph and it gets about 85 mpg. (I keep it full throttle most of the time so I don't get the 100 mpg I could be getting ). I paid about $2,000 out the door for it and it is one of the best investments I've ever made. I pay $150 a year for insurance and about $50 a year to register it with the DMV.

I can not tell you how much money this fun scooter has saved me over the years. Not to mention the time it has saved me in traffic! Honestly, If you don't have to drive on the freeway to get to work, you're crazy for not getting one.

sailcalifornia

What exactly is "price gouging", and who decides when it is gouging or not.

Supply of GAS has gone down becuase we are not building refineries, supply of oil goes down because it is NON-RENEWABLE, thus the supply is always shrinking.

Where has demand grown, how about all the people who i see living in "McMansions", the energy and cost to heat and cool them has grown dramatically, if everyone were willing to live in apartments in cities, like say Europe, take mass transit, ect. our use of oil products would drop dramatically.

But everyone wants a big house with a big yard, and 3 cars, 2 jet skis, and what ever else. How many people on here are driving Jacked up pickup trucks??

I am not hollier than anyone, i am just putting the facts out there.

Finally, if you run a company, should the government tell you how much you can charge for your service or product?? I know there are people on this board who are craftsman and the like, if demand for your services were through the roof, shouldn't you be able to make as much money as possible. Further more, "We" are the oil companies, these are public companies that anyone here can own and profit from. It is not like John Rockefeller and standard oil pocketing all the money possible, the money flows back out of these companies.

__________________
"I love to pedal, I have not found anything i can't hike up" - Maxwell

Abui

Within every crisis is an opportunity. Shift your 401k funds into Exxon. If you can't do that quit your job and roll your 401k into an IRRA then buy Exxon.

.........

__________________
--

Seat Sniffer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_gouging

Because of the spike in prices AND record profits in the past couple years, I consider it gouging.

I don't think huddling together as they do in Europe is working out to well for them because they pay $8-10/gal.

If the government shouldn't have the right to regulate costs of Necessitus products such as fuel or electricity, then they shouldn't be able to tell Microsoft who they can or cannot buy either, right?

What option would you have if electricity went up $1000 a month just because The electric company thought they can charge more and get away with it? Where do you draw the line with how much power you allow commercial entities before they try to take over the world?

drclark

Gas boycotts don't work unless they result in permanent reduction in consumption. Refiners sell gas to various retailers so shifting demand from one retailer to another doesn't do much as the overall demand from the refiners doesn't change.

We had a thread about this about a week ago. Those who cannot ride to work, try car pooling with a buddy. Take the bus or the train. Depending on your job, you might even be able to ask to work from home 1 or 2 days a week and not commute at all.

Don't speed, drive slower... you'd be amazed as how slowing down boosts your gas mileage (especially those with big trucks & suvs). Don't mash the gas when starting off from a stopsign or light.

Tomorrow will make this the first week this year I've ridden my bike to work all five days. I've been doing good lately averaging at least 3-4 days each week. Only trying to use my gas for funstuff on the weekends.

We also ought to start a "ride-swap" forum or at the very least when replying to posted rides in the trailhead section, state where you live and if you'd like to carpool to/from the trail head and how many riders/bikes you could carry.

drc

edit to add; those complaining about record profits, are you just looking at the net profit or the profit margin (ie. profit made relative to total income/expenses). In order to look attractive to investors, every company stives to achieve at least a 10% profit margin. Otherwise investors would do better putting their $$ in a high yield moneymarket type account. If a company takes in 140bn in revenue, they ought to make 14bn in profit or they risk losing investors. By itself, 14bn in profit sounds huge.... but in context of total revenue, it might not actually be that much.

Reduce you consumption and "pump" the savings into buying stock in the oil companies!

Seat Sniffer

I dunno, but I wouldn't mind paying less for gas for a little while by shifting demands if all it took was monthly cycling of different brands.

sailcalifornia

First off, the reason it is $8/$10 is because of taxes, which pay for things like the public transportation and health care, which i have heard people complain about here also.

Yes i dont think the government should be able to tell microsoft what they can and cant buy. Bill Gates (The Worlds biggest Philanthropist i might add) created something that other people want, if you want it pay, otherwise don't.

If the electric company started charging $1,000 per month, i would be willing to guess people would make sacrifices to bring down the costs. But you cant compare public utilities to oil companies. Utilities must be regulated becuase there is no competition. There is competition with oil companies. Think about this, if oil companies could charge $3.50 instead of $4.00 dont you think everyone and their mother would buy gas from that company. The problem, is our choices have pushed the price of oil up for everyone.

People forget that it is our CHOICES that leave us where we are today.

__________________
"I love to pedal, I have not found anything i can't hike up" - Maxwell

Seat Sniffer

This is The USA. This crap hasn't occured since Carter. We shouldn't have to deal with it. But then again I shouldn't have had to watch 3000 people get buried in rubble on our home turf 7 years ago either. Someone is making very poor decisions.

Liquid55

I personally don't care, nor will i get worked up about it. The gas companies are in it to make money and thats what they are doing. Americans have lived a lavish lifestyle and not caring about gas prices driving there full size pickups, SUV's getting 10 mpg. Oil companies know this, they raise prices to get more money they're not a charity organization. Now gas is expensive and everybody is crying about it get over it, its only going to get higher. Boycotts, picketing using your freedom of speech won't solve anything. The gov't knew when the "bush bucks" (stimulus checks) was thought up people would spend most of that money for gas, and it would come back to line there pockets.

Seat Sniffer

I guess I have a cynical attitude when it comes to situations where an entity stands to lose/make money. What choices have we specifically made to spike oil costs to nearly double in 2-3 years? I know I haven't changed my consumptions in that time. I've been buying gas at the same intervals all my life. If anything my vehicles have been getting progressively MORE economical, yet every time I went to the pump, somehow the price was higher. With the advent of hybrid and more economical cars, I don't see a logical reason for it being the consumer's fault. Especially here in CA. I see more hybrids than anywhere else. So why does CA have some of the higher gas prices in the country?

Seat Sniffer

wow. you must do yoga and have alot of money. so I guess the consensus on this topic is bend over and take it in the rear because there's nothing you can do! The new american way i guess...

dudevf1

It's a tough situation, without the higher prices there are no incentives to conserve and switch to other fuel sources, but it can take a while for alternatives to come to the market or just to sell a vehicle and get a more fuel efficient vehicle. It's a costly transition.

Regarding supply and demand, low cost supplies/reserves are falling while demand is increasing, primarily from China and India. There's a world market for oil and the typical USA consumer doesn't have to increase their demand to raise the price. In fact, we may have to decrease demand much more then in the past to see a price response.

Hopefully plug-in electric vehicles will make to the market soon for light duty and fleet uses and then to the mass consumer. But right now it sucks.

Abui

Coins are about to disappear from circulation because the metal is worth more than the face value.

You ain't see nothing yet - quote

Potash prices have gone from $100 a ton four years ago to more than $600 today, and some forecasts call for $1,000 by year's end.

__________________
--

RustyIron

This IS America. You are NOT a victim, despite what Rosie and the New York Times would have you believe. This is the freest country in all of human history, you are faced with unlimited options. Leverage those options with your own personal potential so that you needn't worry about asking the government to rescue you from perceived oppressors.

After you maximize your potential, live within those means. Not every night can I afford the same wine that Wozniak drinks. So I settle for a lesser vintage. I'd like to fly to Holland this weekend, but airfare is steep so I'll have to party locally. I'd like a carbon bike, but those damned shops are just too mercenary. What's a bit of carbon and resin cost, anyway?

Just remember, when you ask the government for help, you are asking a bunch of regular folks, many even dumber than you and me. If we cannot look out for ourselves, they certainly won't be able to do it. Remember the Soviets.

Another little tidbit that I thought I'd throw in. One reason for the higher cost of gasoline is the declining dollar. A year ago I was listening to people whine about "trade deficits" and the evil Chinese, no jobs for Americans, ad nauseum. Now we have a cheap dollar, trade is affected, and now there are more opportunities to manufacture VCRs and running shoes domestically. Yet, people are still complaining. Some people, you just can't please.

Pain Freak