Aren't Bicycles Great.

byjimini

There's pro's and con's to both - admittedly the thought of never scraping ice off a windscreen again makes me want to sell the car today!

pinkteapot

byjimini wrote: »

There's pro's and con's to both - admittedly the thought of never scraping ice off a windscreen again makes me want to sell the car today!

Yes! In recent weeks I've left hubby scraping his car while I've got my bike out and tootled off. I'm halfway to work before he even sets off.

Shirleykate

I grew up in the fifties (li'l ol' lady) and ramshackle bikes were part of that childhood. I still hop in to town regularly. What I want to do is get out to the countryside, but cycling all the way there is too far. Might have to catch the ambulance home! I'm looking for a lightweight folding bike which I can fold without amputating my fingers and light enough for this OAP to lift into the boot of the car. Have any of you experienced riders any tips? Most grateful.

byjimini

A folding bike sounds like a grand idea

bexhill

ridden properly they are great. ridden badly as so often happens they are a danger to other road users and pedestrians. They should be properly registered and insured for third party risks.

brat

bexhill wrote: »

ridden properly they are great. ridden badly as so often happens they are a danger to other road users and pedestrians. They should be properly registered and insured for third party risks.

Have a trawl round the forum mate, you'll soon find a thread more suited to your whinge.

Retrogamer

The folding bicycle suggestion here gave me an idea.

On the lookout on Gumtree just now so i can keep it in the boot of my car and then i can use it to go a cycle at lunch time whilst at work.

Johnmcl7

pinkteapot wrote: »

I've just had my first wear and tear cost with the bike. New tyres. After two years and 2,000 puncture-free miles on my puncture-proof tyres, I got 7 punctures in a month.

Replaced with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres at a cost of £50 and no more punctures since.

I punctured a tyre on the car (a rip in the sidewall) and it cost me £180 for a tyre that had done around £400. Shortly after I burst the sidewall on my bike (due it wearing out) and popped down to my local bike shop but they didn't have any similar tyres in stock, only more expensive tyres. Knowing the sky's the limit I braced myself for some silly cost but was amused to find it was £35 and it seems to be a decent puncture proof tyre. To my surprise I've not had any punctures on the hybrid despite it being on the road every day which is also a relief as the rear tyre is a real pain to get to.

Replacing all the car tyres would cost a lot more than £50, but then car tyres do last longer. On the other hand, my car is a diesel and my short, busy commute to work is exactly the sort of journey that will kill a diesel engine, so it's good I'm not using it every day.

That's exactly the same reason I started commuting by bike, I used to walk but as I needed to get home and back for the dog walking was too slow so was using the car. However as the car had a DPF and a turbo I knew the short drives were bad for it so when the turbo started whining I thought it was worth getting myself a good bike as it would be far less than the cost of a repair on the car. Got the bike, stopped using the car and then found the turbo whine was coming from the stereo as I was listening to quiet music and when turned up, the background whine was boosted when the turbo kicked in.

I genuinely prefer my commute on the days I cycle than those when I drive. It's four miles and due to the traffic when driving, it takes the same amount of time whether I drive or cycle.

I was surprised how cycling went from a chore to something I enjoyed, I particularly like the fact I'm the limit speed wise and nothing else as I don't need to worry about traffic or hold ups regardless of when I'm cycling.

John

h15t0r1an

Shirleykate wrote: »

I grew up in the fifties (li'l ol' lady) and ramshackle bikes were part of that childhood. I still hop in to town regularly. What I want to do is get out to the countryside, but cycling all the way there is too far. Might have to catch the ambulance home! I'm looking for a lightweight folding bike which I can fold without amputating my fingers and light enough for this OAP to lift into the boot of the car. Have any of you experienced riders any tips? Most grateful.

I think most of the folders can pinch your fingers when you fold them. And the light ones always make me worry about durability....

I can thoroughly recommend a Brompton, perhaps 3-speed, as something that will last though. Plus if you can find one then you would not lose so much on it if you then decide to sell it.

Other than that I'm not sure if I wouldn't rather look for a lighter normal non-folding one. Could actually be easier to get into some cars.

richj

decathlon do a folder if there is one close to you