6 ms·
5km is more of a bike ride length than a car ride length, so to me cars still don't make sense
by dncornholio 5y ago
5km is more of a bike ride length than a car ride length, so to me cars still don't make sense
- kybernetyk 5y agolet me guess: you live somewhere where winter is 10C with occasional rain? nordic winters are brutal - riding a bike in winter is suicidal
- dncornholio 5y agoI have cycled 12km everyday to school when I was young, but it was on flat roads. In winter it was sometimes -5 to -15 and around those temps, sometimes I would fetch a ride, because I agree, in winter it can be harsh, but other then that, it was biking every day. Rain is even worse than snow by the way. Wind is also killing. But if it was a snowy day with not much wind, cycling is actually fun.
- Kim_Bruning 5y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU Riding a bike in Finland seems to work just fine, given decent infrastructure. (Where "given decent infrastructure" is a constraint for practically any vehicle).
- european321 5y agoThis video is from the fifth largest city in Finland, so that hardly counts as a rural area with long distances This is what the roads looks like in the rural areas during winter https://www.google.com/search?q=maantie+talvella&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-iYuDm_X0AhVoAhAIHatPDScQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1900&bih=915&dpr=1 https://www.google.com/search?q=maantie+talvella&source=lnms...
- user-the-name 5y agoTry doing a 5km ride on ice in -15 C, and then report back about making sense.
- fulafel 5y agoThat's a routine & enjoyable commute for a lot of people (usually that weather means more packed snow than ice though). Along with doing a lot of recreational outdoor stuff at that weather. You want proper clothing of course.
- shkkmo 5y agoStudded tires and pogies work. My dad commuted regularly to work by bike more than 5km in the winter in Alaska at those temps. Edit: He lives in Fairbanks, where the fat bike originated. He doesn't ride one since he doesn't like the bounce, but people ride them all winter for fun. I think, like many places, the key is having trails to ride on to improve safety.
- user-the-name 5y agoSure, it works. I've done it. You'll wish you were in a car the whole time you're doing it though.
- shkkmo 5y agoHe owns a car and regularly chose to commute by bike during the winter. Now that he is retired, he still bikes during the winter purely for fun, as do many other people. That may not be the choice everyone would make, but my point us that it can make sense and bikes are quite feasible during the winter. Of course, the availability of trails has a huge impact on that choice and it's safety. Sled dogs, snow machines, and now other bike rider make sure that there are lots of trails all over.
- verve_rat 5y agoWhat's the weather like in Northern Scandinavia?
- pembrook 5y agoHave you ever taken a 30 minute bike ride over ice-and-snow-covered roads, in -20C temperatures, in the dark, on roads with no street lights or sidewalks (the sun sets at 2:00pm)? If so, good for you, you rugged badass! But I’m not sure we need to force everybody to do the same.
- kuschku 5y agoI think it's not that bad, I've done similar in the past and still cycle everywhere, no mtter the weather. Just get a good bicycle light (B&M have some dynamo powered 80lux or 100lux lights) and then it's easily possible.
- Gravityloss 5y agoCountry roads might be ok for biking, even in winter with the right equipment (clothes, spike tires) but there can be roads with 100 km/h traffic and very narrow shoulders. And the flying sleet and salt etc... Sure, there are quite many bike roads and side roads but not available everywhere. And there are some buses too. But again, since it's so sparse, buses are hard to make work. Taxis do work. Basically, some parts of the country are really "car country" - and it makes total sense there. One shouldn't try to shoehorn cars into city centers, I agree about that. This is something else.
- alistairSH 5y agoAnd you want young teens driving in those conditions? Remember, these “tractors” are speed limited to a fraction of 100km/h too.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- Gravityloss 5y agoYes, much rather I'd have the teens driving "light cars" which are regular cars at 80 km/h in those conditions than for example flimsy moped cars. Cars have a tremendous amount of safety nowadays, and you get a lot of features for a little bit of money. We have excellent driver training, including training how to drive in slippery conditions, cars have regulation that they need automatic light leveling, there's yearly checkups for cars etc.
- elzbardico 5y agoSeeing the comments here I am happy for the swedes that Americans with their safety obsession are not allowed to vote in Sweden.