• eestileib@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 hours ago

    I’m disabled in a way that means I can’t use one, but can use a car, which kinda sucks.

    Fortunately bike infrastructure usually helps me in my chair, so I’m all in favor of wider bike adoption.

    • BorgDrone
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      40 minutes ago

      I don’t know your limitations, but you’d be surprised at the number of ways cycling can be made accessible.

      For example, there are handbikes that attach to a wheelchair. As with all assistive tech it depends on your specific situation what is possible.

    • GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml
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      1 hour ago

      That blows. Glad the infrastructure helps your chair get around, though. Also, every biker not using a car gives you more space, so that’s an additional plus

  • TDCN@feddit.dk
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    18 minutes ago

    Someone can probably do the math, but i have a hunch that humans are technically not very fuel efficient if you look at calories burned pr the total mass being moved along.

    But whatever it is biking is awesome, but being technically correct is even better.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    22 minutes ago

    “Just leave it anywhere there is a secure structure” - Yes, I see this regularly when I have to maneuver around bikes carelessly “parked” in the middle of the pedestrian walkway…

  • LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works
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    24 minutes ago

    The one downside is that a lot of people I know have had some nasty accidents and broke a bone or something. Sure, in cars you are also at the risk of kissing a tree at highway speed, but bike accidents feel a lot more common and have a lot less protective metal involved

    • naught101@lemmy.world
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      19 minutes ago

      I’ve known a few people killed in car accidents. I know lots of people who have had bike accidents, but none of them died, and the only ones with serious injuries were when they got hit by a car.

  • e$tGyr#J2pqM8v@feddit.nl
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    2 hours ago

    Welcome to the Netherlands. If there’s anything that fills me with pride it’s our cycling culture. Most people have a car too, but I don’t, and I do everything by bike and public transport.

    • vandsjov@feddit.dk
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      34 minutes ago

      Denmark checking in. Not unusual for people in the city not to have a car. I’m happy with my bike that I use every workday to cycle into the city centrum in all weather - I love dressing myself up in rain boots, rain paints and rain jacket and be on my way in heavy rain or snow, feeling like I’m in an episode of Deadliest Catch

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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        1 hour ago

        I rode one for a while in college.

        Didn’t really help with the sweat problem between April and October in Texas. Or was less work than pedaling, but nothing aside from air conditioning helps with the sweat issue in Texas summer heat.

      • Pacattack57@lemmy.world
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        1 hour ago

        Being cheap is the entire benefit. Everything else is just a plus. If you lose the cost it’s not worth it at that point.

        • Bosht@lemmy.world
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          1 hour ago

          But somehow 20k plus for a vehicle with the added maintenance, gas, inspection, and registration is. Gotcha.

    • SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      Workplaces that require employees to be presentable then offer locker rooms, showers, and enough reasonable time to get ready to accommodate the fact that everyone who works a service job arrives soaked in sweat.

  • Matriks404@lemmy.world
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    60 minutes ago

    They might be inexpensive where you live. I’ve paid more than half of my paycheck for my bicycle, and it’s one of cheaper ones.

    • LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works
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      32 minutes ago

      Gift a man a bike, and he will ride for a year. Gift him bolt cutters, and he will ride forever.

      Jokes aside, where are you? Here, good new bikes are ridiculously expensive, but if you know where to look and what to look for, used ones are cheap. You don’t even have to deal with a shady dude in a back alley, a lot of municipalities etc. auction off bikes they confiscate, which are often a few hours of work away from being pretty okay

  • reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net
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    3 hours ago

    I used to love to bike but I moved to an area with steep hills and it’s too high effort. Maybe fine for exercise but I always used them for transport and you can’t arrive at work or a music lesson drenched in sweat. Wish they would install those hill lifts some countries have. I walk now. Would love an electric but the expense makes it much more painful when it’s stolen (and every one of my regular bikes has eventually been stolen).

  • RejZoR@lemmy.ml
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    5 hours ago

    Rain, ice and severe cold are a removed. I like bicycles, but driving to work in a heated car looking at that poor cyclist riding somewhere at 6 in the morning at -6°C, sorry, no, I’m gonna go with a car.

    • Bosht@lemmy.world
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      1 hour ago

      If the cities are built for it, cycling doesn’t become something where you’re doing it for extended periods or distances. Neighborhoods that are setup for bikes means everything is local area, or mostly.

    • e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de
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      4 hours ago

      I disagree cycling in winter is nice. Just get some warm clothes and good tyres. A car is also really expensive to own in the city. Why pay for a car and parking when the alternative is almost free and arguably more fun.

      • deltapi@lemmy.world
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        3 hours ago

        It was minus seventeen degrees celsius when I got up yesterday. In the time it would take me to bicycle to work on clear paths/roads - assuming no accidents - I would have frostbite on all of my face unless I was also wearing a full-face helmet.

        • Peck@lemmy.world
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          3 hours ago

          You should check out Oulu in Finland where kids bike to school in cold weather. Not a problem apparently. If that is too far fetched, you should visit Bozeman MT where people bike commute in the winter quite often.

        • GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml
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          2 hours ago

          Could probably rock a balaclava in those temperatures. I bought one in anticipation of winter riding, but the coldest I’ve ridden this year is -11 C and it wasn’t quite necessary yet at that point, but I was debating trying it out.

          Climate change is basically killing most of the cold days we have where I live so this is a problem I’m long-term apparently not going to have to deal with. Instead I will have to deal with the way worse type of weather - wet weather.

        • e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de
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          3 hours ago

          If a full-face helmet works why not use one? You can also just skip the extremely cold days and use public transport instead. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing decision.

    • GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml
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      4 hours ago

      If the weather is bad enough, I will take transit instead, but cycling down to -10 C is doable without any problems.

      I will be far less inclined to bike if it’s raining, that I do hate with a passion. Of course, I could just work from home in that scenario as well, if I don’t feel like taking transit

    • Ibuthyr@lemmy.wtf
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      4 hours ago

      Ice and snow are difficult. But I don’t give a shit about the rest. It’s still way more fun than sitting in traffic.

        • BorgDrone
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          37 minutes ago

          If your skills are so specialized that the only company that hires someone like you is that far away, you can probably afford to relocate.

      • BorgDrone
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        1 hour ago

        Why would you need to buy a weeks worth of groceries? Just buy for 1 or 2 days. Make additional grocery trips as needed.

        • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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          27 minutes ago

          Yes because everyone loves to go grocery shopping every other day, and with a bike, who cares if you gotta do another 5 miles out of the way.

          • BorgDrone
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            12 minutes ago

            Where do you live that you are 5 miles from a grocery store? If I ride my bike 5 miles in any direction I will pass half a dozen grocery stores.

            I had a quick look at Google Maps and there are at least 50 supermarkets within a 5 mile radius of my home. That radius covers the whole of the city I live in, which has 38 supermarkets, plus a sizable portion of the neighboring city, which has 24, plus a few smaller villages which all have at least one.

            I went grocery shopping twice today. Once this morning to pick up some breakfast stuff and another visit in the evening to get some things for dinner. It’s a 3 minute bike ride. A grocery trip takes less than 15 minutes including the time spent in the store. I don’t think it’s possible to live farther than that from a supermarket in this city, I lived 1 minute farther away I would be closer to another supermarket.

    • criticon@lemmy.ca
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      2 hours ago

      if entire cities were designed around these the way they are with cars, everyone would be fine with it

  • FMT99@lemmy.world
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    4 hours ago

    But what if i need to commute 600 miles to work and back every day and on top of that once a year I drive a million miles to my vacation home? Checkmate!

  • dQw4w9WgXcQ@lemm.ee
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    3 hours ago

    I live in rural Norway up in the mountain side. We have wind, snow, ice and rain like hell, and I have ~150 elevation to get to the main road to get anywhere.

    … I’m still considering getting a bike for all the mentioned benefits.

  • letsgo@lemm.ee
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    6 hours ago

    A bicycle gives you freedom of lightweight activities within a few miles of your home. You want to play baritone sax in the band 25 miles away? It’s not happening with a bike.

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      I’ve got a cargo e-bike that could handle a 50-mile round trip with a baritone sax just fine.

    • Hoimo@ani.social
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      4 hours ago

      The 25 miles is a bit much, but if your instrument/sporting gear can fit in a bag, you can carry it on a bike. There’s backpacks for guitars, cellos and tubas and I regularly see kids cycling to their lessons with those. This is a fairly dense town though, so 5km max (20 minutes at child-speeds). Kids also can’t drive cars, so if it’s not happening by bike, it’s not happening at all.

    • AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net
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      5 hours ago

      For me? Yeah 25 miles is a bit much depending on how regular that commute is. Once a week, maybe. Once a day, like a job? 5 miles tops is my limit. But I’ve heard of people doing 20-25 mile work commutes before.