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If you're not using or somewhat into bicycles, why do you think that is? (hexbear.net)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I'm curious. I know where my life diverged and where I would've been a car guy otherwise, would be interested to see what the dealio with other people is or whether they even ever thought about it

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The older I got the farther I wound up living from places that I needed to go.

When I need to go to places (beyond work) I need to be able to carry about 100 pounds of stuff (minimum) and 700 pounds (maximum). Pretty much the only time I leave the house is to go to work or get groceries/farm supplies where the closest we can get some stuff is around 25 miles away (50 mile round trip).

I actually live really close to where I work now, I think the shortest route is about 10 miles. Which should be totally doable by bike, distance wise. But its almost all on a dirt road and past several CAFO style chicken farms. And that makes it dangerous to bike as lots of semi's and overly large pickup trucks like to fly along the road, the road is in terrible condition often made worse when limestone gravel is spread on it, and during the 1/3 of the year that is now "Summer" the smell from the chicken houses can be overwhelming (and can cling to clothes), and the heat index will regularly be close to 100 degrees F so I'd get to work looking like I walk in from a rainstorm.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

ebike with a trailer or cargo bike could almost make that base commute tolerable, but yeahhhh it'd be a sacrifice for sure. Especially the chicken barns, god poultry farming is foul. And 50 mile round trip to get groceries is also pretty non-feasible unless you really commit to some craziness lol