3 ms·

Mountain biking is one of the things I gave up when I moved to the city. I thought that maybe I'd occasionally rent a car and drive out to a state park, but wh

Mountain biking is one of the things I gave up when I moved to the city. I thought that maybe I'd occasionally rent a car and drive out to a state park, but what I quickly discovered was that, once driving stopped being a part of my daily life, the idea of regularly driving out to a forest preserve lost its palatability. Largely because I am no longer inured to driving, so any plan for how to spend my leisure time that involves devoting a significant percentage of it to being stuck behind the wheel on a freeway is kind of a non-starter. So instead I road bike 4 seasons and take a few camping trips per year. So far it's working for me. Less time stuck in a car and more time out walking in my neighborhood means I have a greatly reduced need for things like mountain biking to help me unwind in the first place. That said, I think that when I originally calculated it out, I figured out that renting a car 4-5 days a month was still cheaper than owning an inexpensive car. And not too much of a hassle in most cities - out of 4 urban addresses I've lived at, only one wasn't close to a car rental office, and even then it was only about 15 minutes by bus.

Polylactic_acid 7y ago
I think I'll likely end up the same as you. I also enjoy road cycling so I think I will probably just sell the mtb and go full time road. A bit sad but the other benefits I expect to see will make it worth it.
justinator 7y ago
Consider doing multi-day trips from your front door during the weekends (bikepacking). I used to live in Denver and never understood why people would find the need to drive 10 miles to the nearest trails when you could just ride to them. Then I realized, once you're done with those initial 10 miles, you could link up routes that covered practically the entire rest of the state. Now I'm writing a guidebook on those routes. Bummer about buses not accepting bikes - that sounds crazy to me. They just don't have room underneath or a bike rack up front? I can hardly understand how that could be true!
- Polylactic_acid 7y ago
  >10 miles to the nearest trails when you could just ride to them. Because they are usually up in the hills so its a fairly large effort to get there and by the time you are there you have no energy left to do the trails unless there is a ski lift to get you to the top.
  - justinator 7y ago
    I guess what happened to me is that I just got better at riding bikes, and before I knew it, I had cross the country by bike three times for fun! :) As they say, "Any Distance Is Cycling Distance!"
  - 8draco8 7y ago
    But if you are riding bike seriously 10 miles is nothing. It's literally 30-40 minutes ride. I am runner not biker and on many occasions 10 miles for me is just a morning run before work.
    - Polylactic_acid 7y ago
      The mtb park is 30km away from the city and its uphill the whole way. Sure its not impossible to do 60km road and then 10km mtb riding but it excludes all but the fittest cyclists.
- bbradley406 7y ago
  In my city the buses do have bike racks, and people use them pretty frequently for road / town bikes. A cross country or downhill bike doesn't fit on the rack though. Longer wheelbases, wider tires and wider handlebars make it very difficult or impossible to rack or bring inside (if the driver even allows it, usually not the case unless the bus is very empty). The trains here have front wheel hooks, dedicated spots and more space, which is better. The size of XC and DH bikes still makes it a hassle though, and obviously you're limited to spots near the train stops.
- mumblemumble 7y ago
  re: bike racks on buses, I don't know that it's worthwhile. Chicago has them, and they rarely get used. Personally I don't use them because my bike moves faster than the bus, so it hardly seems worthwhile. I've also seen a bike get stolen off of a bus I was on - the bus was stopped at a red light, and someone who was crossing the street just grabbed a bike off the front as he was walking past and rode away before anyone could do anything about it.
yardie 7y ago
> I figured out that renting a car 4-5 days a month was still cheaper than owning an inexpensive car. This is what I tell people now when they ask how I get around without a car. Renting 1-2x/month for a road trip is still cheaper than parking, insurance and maintenance even on a fully owned car

Polylactic_acid 7y ago

I think I'll likely end up the same as you. I also enjoy road cycling so I think I will probably just sell the mtb and go full time road. A bit sad but the other benefits I expect to see will make it worth it.

justinator 7y ago

Consider doing multi-day trips from your front door during the weekends (bikepacking). I used to live in Denver and never understood why people would find the need to drive 10 miles to the nearest trails when you could just ride to them. Then I realized, once you're done with those initial 10 miles, you could link up routes that covered practically the entire rest of the state. Now I'm writing a guidebook on those routes. Bummer about buses not accepting bikes - that sounds crazy to me. They just don't have room underneath or a bike rack up front? I can hardly understand how that could be true!

Polylactic_acid 7y ago
>10 miles to the nearest trails when you could just ride to them. Because they are usually up in the hills so its a fairly large effort to get there and by the time you are there you have no energy left to do the trails unless there is a ski lift to get you to the top.
- justinator 7y ago
  I guess what happened to me is that I just got better at riding bikes, and before I knew it, I had cross the country by bike three times for fun! :) As they say, "Any Distance Is Cycling Distance!"
- 8draco8 7y ago
  But if you are riding bike seriously 10 miles is nothing. It's literally 30-40 minutes ride. I am runner not biker and on many occasions 10 miles for me is just a morning run before work.
  - Polylactic_acid 7y ago
    The mtb park is 30km away from the city and its uphill the whole way. Sure its not impossible to do 60km road and then 10km mtb riding but it excludes all but the fittest cyclists.
bbradley406 7y ago
In my city the buses do have bike racks, and people use them pretty frequently for road / town bikes. A cross country or downhill bike doesn't fit on the rack though. Longer wheelbases, wider tires and wider handlebars make it very difficult or impossible to rack or bring inside (if the driver even allows it, usually not the case unless the bus is very empty). The trains here have front wheel hooks, dedicated spots and more space, which is better. The size of XC and DH bikes still makes it a hassle though, and obviously you're limited to spots near the train stops.
mumblemumble 7y ago
re: bike racks on buses, I don't know that it's worthwhile. Chicago has them, and they rarely get used. Personally I don't use them because my bike moves faster than the bus, so it hardly seems worthwhile. I've also seen a bike get stolen off of a bus I was on - the bus was stopped at a red light, and someone who was crossing the street just grabbed a bike off the front as he was walking past and rode away before anyone could do anything about it.

yardie 7y ago

> I figured out that renting a car 4-5 days a month was still cheaper than owning an inexpensive car. This is what I tell people now when they ask how I get around without a car. Renting 1-2x/month for a road trip is still cheaper than parking, insurance and maintenance even on a fully owned car