I've been debating selling my car for a bike and I want to know what you think /n/. All my life all I've ever owned are cheap ass big box store bikes and I thought that's just how bikes were. I thought the expensive ones at bike shops were just for hardcore riders. Well, I decided to check one out as there are several in my town because riding is quite big here. Well, I don't need to tell you guys how much better these bikes were. And it had me thinking.I'm a tubby broke neet. I need to save more money and get in shape. I can get somewhere around $7000 for my car, enough to get a really solid bike and have plenty extra. I want to know if anyone has ever done this. I've thought about it for several days, and the ONLY reason I can think against it is "driving is easier". There are bike paths and lanes everywhere in my town. It snows maybe 2-3 weeks a year. Grocery store is a 5 minute bike ride away. Has anyone done this before?
I bought my first car when I was in my late teens and took it very seriously at first. I wasn't making a lot of money at the time but Big Cage had brainwashed me into putting a significant % of paychecks into my cage, until I got fed up with the absurdity of it all. I noticed how CRAZY people got behind the wheel, how they thought of their cars as an extension of their own bodies, how they became psychotic, homicidal freaks, how no car was ever good enough, the more you make the more expensive a cage you are obligated to buy, it's a lose lose, and thought, there has to be a better way. so I sold it, and got what I thought at the time was an incredibly expensive bike (carbon fiber was rare in those days). it was a big change. I had to do everything by bike. in some ways it was tough, but I was tougher back then than I am now and I was also stubborn. I think it helped that I sold it in the spring and got addicted to riding before the weather turned colder. I have not had any desire to own a car since. I have had 4 bikes since then, and bought my first home, but I have not once looked at a car and been like "I want that"I still rent a car when I need it, which is rarely. keeping your license is a good idea. but if you don't want a car, you can choose not to have a car. don't listen to the morons who will say "but if you don't live in europe blah blah blah", they have an agenda. make your own agenda. you don't need a car.just don't cheap out on bike gear. the wheels, the tires, the bad weather apparel. the good stuff is worth it. just remember it's still cheaper than what you're spending on your cage.
if you live in a nice bikable place and don't go on constant roadtrips then it's a no brainer to save money. as for bike recommendations that's not my area of expertise but I'd say you'd be well suited with a good midrange brand road bike from like trek, cannondale or giant to start so you don't overspend on something that might not work for you. like something in the $1500 range and make sure to go to a shop and ask to try out a bunch, and the first few months of riding WILL suck ass especially if you hit any. eventually I'd say you might want 2 bikes, one road bike and one cargo ebike for when you can't be assed and you need to carry stuff.
op i dont really know how the bike market is nowadays or what type of bike you need, but people fail to understand that the used bike market is very similar to the used car market. what i mean is that you can get nice road bikes that are the relatively expensive $1000-2000 new for like half or less 4-5 years later. there isnt just either garbage big box store bikes or $5,000 carbon fiber bikes.for example my bike is quite old (2006 model) aluminum cannondale road bike that was $1400 new, i got it for $500 in 2011. its been my only bicycle for many years and i havent had to do any major repairs on it outside of regular maintenance. basically my point here is that especially for someone who is showing an interest in possibly biking and using it as your main form of transportation, there arent two extremes where you either get some $200 piece of shit huffy for a $3k carbon fiber. you can find very affordable used bikes that are still very good and i would recommend looking into those
>>1989920just don't fall for the cable disc meme, there's a lot of that shit on the market now for bargain prices for a reason. hydro or rim. pick one.
Bike is not great for transport. Its excellent for going out specifically to ride, go on trips, track etc.And then you either go the cyborg route, where your bike is littered with panniers and you carry normal walking shoes and have helmet top case or you're always hot, in thick protective jacket, uncomfortable hard boots and lugging a helmet around in one hand.
>>1990048Oh shit, you mean bicycle. IMHO ask /n then. But personally i like to have both - decent shitbike for errands and commute and a car for longer trips, carrying weekly groceries, bigger appliances / construction materials or emergencies.
If you're selling your car, you might as well buy a few bikes. I'd pick up at least one expensive road bike like a Giant Contend with good nimble handling and comfort for commutes. Then go with either a used upright or mountain bike from the local pawn shop depending on what you want Don't forget to secure it if you live somewhere dark btw. They'll steal an expensive bike fast
>>1989922Fuck off
Don't. If you want to lose weight change your diet. You'll lose far more weight as a result of changing your eating habits than exercising.
Op you can get a great bike used for like $500. Don't sell your car just use it less. You're gonna regret it if you're not already a cyclist. This sounds like a "I'm depressed and need to be bold" kind of shit
>>1989912>Has anyone done this before?No, nobody in history has ever chosen a bicycle over a cage before. You would be the first and wholly unique.
>>1990057Exercising makes you fitter, which increases metabolism, which makes you burn more calories even when resting, which help with losing weight. Being fit also makes you healthier and improves both physical and mental wellbeing. Why the fuck would you recommend against this?
>>1990054honestly this but i wouldn't buy something new. op says he COULD sell his car for 7k, not that he will get that, as well as trying to save money.buy a 90s mtb or touring bike, some racks and panniers ~$600 including new tires n stuff, less if it's an mtb. just look for a lot of braze ons. then buy a nice 80s-90s sport tourer with clearance for 35s, good tires and a good saddle and it's probably going to be in the same ballpark of ~$600then spend ~$100 on tools from the pawn shop and learn to work on shit yourselfthis probably sounds very out of touch, but if you're a neet it's time to learn a new skill. and i have the worst luck with bike shops so i'm kinda jaded.
>>1990122if "riding is big" where op lives then the shops are going to be good, provided you go to a shop that sells nice shit
>>1990123riding is "big" in my town, for being what it is and the two shops suck. but also this ultimately is an exercise in saving money.
>>1990125I guess it's all relative. when I hear "riding is big" I assume there's shops dealing with more than just the usual boring trek, specialized, giant, cannondale. like unless there's at least an AD for six or more of the following it can't really be considered a "riding is big" town: seven cycles, parlee, look, moots, pegoretti, firefly, storck, alchemy, festka, baum, sarto, wittson, mosaic
>>1989912Just try it out bro.You can always go back to a car.
>>1990064Because if you still eat like shit no reasonable amount of exercise is gonna help you. If your idea of a meal could feed a small family of 3 then what good is exercise then? In my experience exercise is great for maintaining the weight you want. "You cannot out train a bad diet" is technically wrong but in reality its true. What sounds more appealing to you. Being in a calorie deficit or having to run every day because your diet is awful?
>>1990132You're an idiot. Partly because what you say kind of sort of true but not really, but mostly because non of it actually answers the question you replied to. So I'm just going to assume that the answer to the question is>Because I'm an idiot.and move on. Good day.
Why would you sell your car when you can get a nice bike on craigslist for like fifty bucks
>>1990056>mt200 set for 50€>still fall for cable shit
>>1990265If you live somewhere where you don't have depend on one, you might as well cash out on it if you're gonna pick up riding
OP here. Sorry for not responding for awhile. Thanks for the helpful posts, much appreciated. I read all of them. To add a bit more detail, I'm 33 y/o and live in a small/medium town. The city has been spending a lot of money on improving cycling routes the last decade and continuing to do so. There's a cycling path that runs all the way from the south end, thru downtown and to the north end. You don't even need to ride on the shoulder of the road unless you're going east or west on a side road.I know ideally, the best decision is to keep the car and get a used bike. I've spoken to my family about it and they think the same. But... I the grocery store is a 17 minute walk away. I really only occasionally haul things like twice a year and my mom has a truck at her place she can let me borrow if I need it. I'm honestly just sick of driving too. People drive like shit here. I get my ass ridden even going 10km/hr over the speed limit on main roads. I'm sick of it, really. It's stressful.Regarding used bikes, I have been looking. But the market isn't great. For one I have an uncommon build. I'm 6'0 tall but my inseam is 29". The vast majority of used bikes I've seen have L/XL frames and they feel like shit, can barely get my tip-toes on the ground while seated. I'm still looking but I'm more inclined to get a new one. There are least 5 bike shops nearby all with 4.9/5 ratings. I went into one to look around and there was no pressure. Dude showed me a few bikes even though I said I didn't have the money right now. He also said to keep an eye on the used market.I haven't put the car up for sale yet but I'm probably going to do it. I know it's a big change and there are many good reasons to keep the car. But I just can't afford a $500+ bike while paying $90/mo insurance, $80/we gas on top of other expenses. I know the bike will have maintenance costs of its own too like tires, brakes, something breaks, I get a tire puncture etc.
>>1990265I am still looking but the only used bikes I've seen for "fifty bucks" are walmart brands like nakamura. There are many brands mentioned from anons itt like canondale, giant etc but they are all well over $500, not fifty bucks. And unfortunately the ones I've found are all too big for me.>>1990064>>1990135Hey thanks, and I know you're right. The other guy is a retard. When I was in my early 20s I was very fit, 15% body fat and went to the gym daily as well as swimming. A lot of shit happened since and I got fat and unfit but I still have the knowledge. Even if I struggle with changing my diet I know cycling will vastly improve my health.>>1990123The shops are quite good, very friendly and bikes ranging from $700 to over $10k. The one I went to they were very friendly, knew their shit and didn't pressure me to buy anything. The owner has run the shop for 30 years.>>1990058I made a pros/cons list and I ended up with 11 pros and 5 cons. I know it will be a big lifestyle change and I have enough wisdom to know there will be days of regret. But I think overall my life will improve. I need big changes. >>1989913>>1989914Much appreciated. I really relate to these posts.
>>1990793>can barely get my tip-toes on the ground while seatedyeah, about that...you're a normie and you think a proper bike fit means you can put your feet flat on the ground from the saddle.if you prioritize that fit, the way your body fits with the bike to actually do what it's supposed to i.e. generate movement is completely fucked. you optimize your fit to making your body the ideal power source for the bike and when you stop, you either dismount or you stay seated and lean over so your foot can touch the ground.see? even this old lady agrees https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNevNqA8sIs
>>1990805>this (dramatic pause) to thisIt looks the same? Also, since it's 4chins and I am contractually obligated to meme about how the roasties can't into bikes and femoids don't actually enjoy things (they just pretend to like my favorite intendo so they can manipulate men), from real life it seems like femoids are the ones most drawn towards custom (the only moots and sevencycles I have seen IRL were owned by the women who bought them). Part of that might be the skeletal dimorphism meme which is being pushed by Big Bike to scam people out of just getting different stem or sliding their saddle rails a few mm to and fro. But that is a digression since I see op is a fellow scrote.Anyway the whole "flat foot in the saddle is LE BAD... because... it just is ok!?!?" is somewhat misguided. There is something comfy about being able to foot plant at a stoplight and then just casually keep going when it turns green, sure it's dogshit for any real distance, and I would not mention this around the children, who require good role models, but if you're just going 5 blocks once a day, what do you need biomechanical efficiency for? Not like you're going to pedal strike from cornering at high speeds.
>>1989913> I wasn't making a lot of money at the time but Big Cage had brainwashed me into putting a significant % of paychecks into my cage, until I got fed up with the absurdity of it all. I noticed how CRAZY people got behind the wheel, how they thought of their cars as an extension of their own bodies, how they became psychotic, homicidal freaks, how no car was ever good enough, the more you make the more expensive a cage you are obligated to buy, it's a lose lose, and thought, there has to be a better way.Hahahahah this is a AA-style recovery fiction You fuckers really are insane
>>1990891wow, a vehicle with a combustion engine is faster than a push bike? my mind is blown by this image, i'm going out and buying a ford f-150
>>1990883>what do you need biomechanical efficiency for?the man is replacing his car with a bike. he needs something he can really ride not a beach cruiser and stupid walls of text
>>1990798>I am still looking but the only used bikes I've seen for "fifty bucks" are walmart brands like nakamura. There are many brands mentioned from anons itt like canondale, giant etc but they are all well over $500, not fifty bucks. And unfortunately the ones I've found are all too big for me.any idiot can find a $50 bike and overhaul it. you need a couple basic tools. some grease, and a wire brush. new tires, cables and brake pads and you're golden. $100 investment. i understand wanting a nice modern bike, but i can't understand selling my car to purchase one, especially when a cheap bike will suit your needs.
>>1990891how many times are you going to post this image from a shithole like sanfransisco in every thread? go back to /o/
>>1990910the thing is a car isn't really "free" even if it's paid off, maintenance, gas and insurance are gonna be hundreds of dollars a year if not over 1000
>>1990805I didn't say I wanted to put my feet flat on the ground. You said that. So I'm not gonna bother with the rest of your post since you didn't bother with mine.>>1990910Damn so /n/ has their own version of "3k civic" guy.>i can't understand selling my car to purchase oneYou might not do it and that's fine. But if you bothered to read you would understand it. Thanks to those who were helpful but the shitposters are here so I'm out. Cheers
>>1990910yea and while youre at it you can make a decent pair of shoes out of cardboard boxes and twine, only an idiot would pay for brand new shoes
Bumping because op is actually trying to live the /n/ life instead of trying to impose his control freak mentality on others by corrupting the law and turning it into power armor for rapacious developers, like the average yimby urbanist
