From fear of bikes to (almost) car-free – BionicOldGuy

This is about an adorable YouTube video I just saw. The Active Towns host interviews Tatiana in Carmel, Indiana. She had a bad bicycle fall as a child and was afraid of bicycles as an adult. Since her husband was an avid cyclist, she wanted to give it another try. The video shows her progress, from timid riding in a parking lot to confident cyclist using an electric-assist cargo bike for all errands and travel. Since her husband also rides his bike everywhere, she says they haven’t driven a car in months (which is why I said “almost” car-free). At the start of this adventure, they lived in Minneapolis, a bike-friendly city by North American standards. They then spent a stay in the Netherlands and learned about cycling there. When they returned, they decided to move to Carmel, Indiana, a city of just over 100,000 people located about 20 miles (32 km) north of Indianapolis. Carmel is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the United States. Crucially, city planners hired Dutch consultants to help them renew the city’s transportation infrastructure and didn’t make the mistake that many U.S. cities make by trying to “reinvent the wheel” but not getting it right.

Carmel faces some weather challenges in the winter, but Tatiana and her husband ride year-round, wearing warm clothing when necessary.

Apart from good infrastructure. The main takeaway I took from the video was how important proper bike fitting is for a nervous beginner. It really helps if you can put your feet flat on the ground without getting off the seat, which is not possible on most bikes. Exceptions are more upright bikes such as the cargo bike above, cruisers or Dutch bikes.

Personally, I’m still “car-lite”. I do most of my errands in Morgan Hill by bike. But so far I mostly cheat and use a car in heavy rain. If others can ride in much colder weather and snow, I’ll be motivated to try harder in our next rainy season (mainly winter). Additionally, my wife and I have a second car that is rarely used other than we take it for a short trip once a week to keep it usable. It is 26 years old and we have decided to decommission it soon rather than replace it. Looking back over the last few years, there has been virtually no reason for my wife and I to need a car at the same time. If something comes up, I could always rent. I asked Gemini to research the economics of renting multiple times a year versus owning your own home this chat. It appears that even with a vehicle paid off in the US, renting instead of driving saves almost $10,000 per year. None wiser!