38 ms·

Hm, I've been riding bikes as my main transportation for a while; so far none have been stolen (the most expensive bike I'm willing to lock up where I can't see

by enoch_r 12y ago

Hm, I've been riding bikes as my main transportation for a while; so far none have been stolen (the most expensive bike I'm willing to lock up where I can't see it was about $700 new). I lock it up at restaurants, symphonies, etc. in areas ranging from downtown to residential, including some areas with high petty crime rates. Maybe your location has an unusual amount of bike theft, or maybe you've just gotten unlucky. Or maybe I've gotten unusually lucky! But even if I expect to get one $700 bike stolen per year, I'm going to save a significant amount of money over maintaining/owning/fueling/insuring a car. I will say that so far I've never locked up a bike overnight--bringing it into my apartment has always seemed like the normal thing to do.

darklajid 12y ago
Location: I didn't name all the places, but I'm talking about Tel Aviv, Cologne and Bochum in those cases - 'big' cities (TLV and Bochum aren't, really. Cologne crossed 1mil again I think). Given that I rule out the location or I just happen to hit bad locations, consistently. Savings: That might make sense. For me each bike had a value beyond the money. I picked it, really liked it. I was in a rage each time I lost it. Plus, in Cologne and Bochum I'm issued a company car. No fuel, no maintenance, no .. bike. Sad, but easier. Similar to your argument: The cost of a bike is significant if the alternative is 'free'. Apartment: Did that in TLV, as I stated. Afterwards I got kids. I don't have a "do not touch" area anymore, if we ignore a couple servers and gadgets. Storing a bike in my apartment isn't an option right now. (I _loved_ my bike in TLV. Stayed for one year, rode to work every single day - I think there were max. 2 occasions where I used the bus for some reason. Now I'm certain that I cannot protect a bike, so I won't invest in one. Thieves completely destroyed my fun here.)

by enoch_r 12y ago

darklajid 12y ago

Location: I didn't name all the places, but I'm talking about Tel Aviv, Cologne and Bochum in those cases - 'big' cities (TLV and Bochum aren't, really. Cologne crossed 1mil again I think). Given that I rule out the location or I just happen to hit bad locations, consistently. Savings: That might make sense. For me each bike had a value beyond the money. I picked it, really liked it. I was in a rage each time I lost it. Plus, in Cologne and Bochum I'm issued a company car. No fuel, no maintenance, no .. bike. Sad, but easier. Similar to your argument: The cost of a bike is significant if the alternative is 'free'. Apartment: Did that in TLV, as I stated. Afterwards I got kids. I don't have a "do not touch" area anymore, if we ignore a couple servers and gadgets. Storing a bike in my apartment isn't an option right now. (I _loved_ my bike in TLV. Stayed for one year, rode to work every single day - I think there were max. 2 occasions where I used the bus for some reason. Now I'm certain that I cannot protect a bike, so I won't invest in one. Thieves completely destroyed my fun here.)