Gas prices

I've talked with people who *bike* to work at colder temperatures than that. It's absolutely possible, you just need to wear the right clothing.

Some people just CAN'T do that. And a lot of older people probably shouldn't do stuff like that.

Charles of Schaumburg Aged 50 years, but unlike Glenlivet, I'm not getting smoother.

I see them sometimes, too. They're called "idiots" when the roads have a 3 inch layer of hard packed snow on them.

I don't bike on public roads at all any more. When the law permits me to shoot bad motorists, I may reconsider. Until then, it's just bike paths for me.

For once, I agree with you, except I'm not so sure about that last thing. One thing that might help would be to make it illegal (with frightening jail sentences) for hobby speculators to be involved in the oil markets. There are those who don't think this is a significant factor, but they are wrong. It's not just people in the actual supply chain noodling around in these markets. It's anyone with enough money to play. Could be a mutual fund, or a trust managed on behalf of a rich individual. Or, you, if you've got the cash.

Candy-ass. With your skinny ankles I'd refrain from any walking too.

Oh, really?

Obviously a bicycle isn't the solution for people living 40+ miles from work. I never claimed it was, so I'm not sure why you're getting so worked up here. All I ever said was that, for some people, it's both possible and enjoyable to bike -- even if they live more than "a few miles" from work or school, up to a reasonable limit.

You seem to think I'm arguing for The End of the Automobile or something. I'm not arguing for anything. Why the heck else would I even be in here if I didn't love my car?

What about the road conditions? When it's that cold out, there's a good possibility that there's also snow & or ice on the roads. Not a good idea - for the biker, or for the other traffic on the roads.

Cathy

I'm with you on that. Here in Southern Calif the bike riders have become pretty aggressive about their rights on the road. I can see it when they are in large groups but recently I came up behind a woman riding right down the center of the right lane of a 4 lane highway. When I hit the horn ever so lightly she flipped me the bird. At the next light she pulled up next to me and screamed at me that she had "as much right to the highway as I did." I suggested that line would make an appropriate epitaph.

Hey, I agree w/you for once. ;-)

Cathy

I didn't bring bicycles up as a means to reduce fuel dependence, I brought them up as a counterpoint to the parallel assertion that nobody takes a scooter in cold weather. And if you carefully re-read my first post, you'll see that my clothing comment was with regard to the possibility of taking a scooter, not a bicycle.

You guessed wrong.

A quick trip to Google should satisfy you that long bike trips in the winter are common. And no, the authors don't mention groceries, but why would they in an article about snow tires? Baskets work just as well in the winter as they do in the summer.

Yes, I agree bicycle commuting not for most of us Americans. (I would argue that's more a result of urban planning than the weather, but that's a discussion for another newsgroup...) I'm not here to push bike commuting on anybody. All I ever said was that if fuel dependence has become a personal issue for you, scooters and bicycles are an option for many people -- even temperatures below 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

As a viable option for America? Probably not until we have friendlier infrastructure in place. (And we'll most likely have solved the oil crisis or have all gotten ourselves fancy hydrogen combustion cars before _that_ happens.) But as a viable option for the "vast majority of the human race"? Absolutely:

Actually, that wasn't me. I don't even own a scooter ;)

There are far more people who want to be flogged with a whip for sexual gratification than there are foo^H^H^H hardy souls who are stu^H^H^H adventurous enough to do such things.

I do, if the roads are clean and dry. Ice is evil on two wheels.

Ice and snow keep me off the roads, but I do have a mountain bike set up with studded tires for off-road fun.

Sure it's ass in bad weather. Eventually you might have to move somewhere else it really becomes too expensive to drive a heated car.

And yea it's not for everyone, but most people who drive big cars could easily use smaller ones or motorbikes/scooters. They just don't like the discomfort/fear/humiliation/etc.