As I’m preparing for the eventual buying of a house and move to said house, I’m also preparing to give up my bus route. College Town (where Public U. is located) has a fairly decent public transportation system for taking people to the university (this is limited only to and from the university and only in certain regions of town). Alas, the houses we are looking at are not within this area. This is because (1) there are only a few houses in this area– most dwellings are apartment complexes, (2) there are a high concentration of loud undergrads in this area, and (3) all houses in this area are well out of our price range. So, being the moderate liberal that I am, I’m looking for alternate means of transportation to the lab.
So far I’ve come up with a few ways of minimizing my impact on the environment/gas prices. The least environmental of these is to car pool in with Dr. Man. The most would be to just walk in to work. I think the most reasonable of these would be to bike at least one way. The one way contingency is because I do not feel comfortable riding my bike by myself after dark (whether or not this is a reasonable safety concern I do not know). If it’s after dark, then I’ll catch a ride with Dr. Man home.
However, there is one snag in my brilliant, yet modest, plan. I do not own a bike. I’ve thought about buying one at Target/Walmart for about $60, but Marie (who happens to be very into biking) has cautioned me against such a move. She claims that the weight of the bike matters a lot and the positioning of the bike. The bikes that she recommends are in the $300-600 range.* That strikes me as a lot of money to spend on this, especially since (as one might assume from my lack of a bike) I don’t ride a bike now. What if I decide that I hate riding a bike and walking would be better? Or some other unforeseen problem (like laziness) that causes me to not want to ride a bike? I’m willing to save up for a more expensive bike, but I don’t want to sink a lot of money into something untried.
So, right now I’m stuck. I usually try to avoid soliciting advice from my readers (as that seems rather selfish– I’m already making you read my words and now I want you to act as Dear Abby?). But as I said, I’m stuck. So, if there’s anyone out there with tips for me with commuter biking– help!
ETA: *I’ve been checking craigslist, but I’ve yet to find anything. Besides I don’t know a good bike if I see it on there… sigh
I have a friend who just got what I would consider an expensive, perfectly good bike ($700 or so) for relatively cheap ($250) on CraigsList because the guy wanted a different size. Perhaps since it is now Spring, CL (or something equivalent that is popular where are are) would be a reasonable place to look.
Yeah, I’ve been checking CL, but since I wouldn’t know a good bike if it bit me between the eyes…
I say go with a decent, “cheap” bike that you find comfortable. You’re not going racing with it or anything. Then, if you decide you can make a habit of riding your bike, you can save up for a better one. But yeah – what if you invest in an expensive bike and then your bike riding plan dies?
I’ve been commuting by bike for 10 years, and I’ve gradually spent more and more on each successive bike (the last one lasted 5 years and is still in service as a back-up) and I think it’s money well spent – as long as you have somewhere secure to keep it at both ends. The better the bike (i.e. the lighter it is), the more often you’ll feel like cycling.
I spent ~$500 (Canadian, but there’s not much difference any more) on the last one in October, and I love love love my new bike!
Have fun, wear a helmet, use lights, stay safe!
I got a $25 street bike on craigslist. It’s not the best bike ever but I raced it in a triathlon and it was better than my road bike the year before. I say if it has wheels and good brakes and no rust and its cheap, buy it. Then like others have said if you decide you love biking you can get a newer more expensive one and you’ll have a better idea in what you desire out of a bike. Does Dr. Man have a big car? If you get a ride back with him what will you do with your bike, and why won’t Dr. Man bike with you?? Then you would maybe feel safer about biking home in the dark. I wear a bright orange vest when I bike, it makes me feel safe. Also why not just carpool all the time? If Dr. Man is going to drive in anyway. Ok, one more comment. Maybe biking will be nice because you can keep reasonable hours because you’ll have to leave your office before sunset.
I would say go to a bike shop and find out what kind of bike would be best for you from the pros,: size, weigth, style, etc. Then take your biking friend with you to garage sales. Garage sale season is just about to get rolling. You’ll know what you’re looking for and your friend probably has an eye for quality/condition.
I agree with wxwoman a good bike shop can give you a lot of information. If you have an REI near you they will let you test drive a few bikes. Then you can get a feel for what you like and what you are comfortable riding before you invest any money.
I commuted by bike for the 5 years I was in grad school. I commuted between 1.5-3 miles one way over the years (I am not an athlete, so it took between 10-25 minutes each way).
I bought a $100 bike when I first got to grad school- it was not a great bike, but I wasn’t worried about anyone stealing it, and I never took care of it. By the time I left, it was rusty, and only had a few gears left. It certainly served my needs.
I had friends who bought the more expensive bikes, and some of the ‘biker’ types could cut my commute by half.
I would say it depends on how far you’re going and what your ability is to lock up your bike safely.
Jennie asked my question: if Dr. Man is going to drive anyway, you wouldn’t really be significantly incresing impact by riding along, right?
Try a bike shop for a used bike. Ours has a rack of them for roughly 40 % off. My dh bought the bike I ride (“Rusty” as in rusty but trusty) for 350 bucks in 1995 when he went to grad school. In 1996 I bought a 150 dollar bike which has long-since passed on.
If you’re considering catching a ride, consider spending a little $$ on a bike rack for your car. Then you could bike to work and get a lift home.