apparently my city literally literally banned public rail funding, and people online love jerking off about how good biking is, so i figured might as well try. I have come up with:
pros:
- good for mental health / exercise / endorphins
- arguably quaint
- feel like an old timey guy taking his wares to market
- feel european
- can annoy others
- less of a police state around them vs cars
- more flexible parking, routes
- capacity to be peaceful
- nice in summer
cons:
- look like an annoying dork (esp w neon - which also hurts the quaint factor)
- have to wear a helmet (^)
- getting sweaty, potentially “unpresentable” for work
- still have to find safe parking
- still takes a while
- have to find new routes to places
- can’t listen to music or might die
- little meaningful protection against severe injury
- can only carry so many groceries/etc
- sucks in winter
wow. just wow. what an american hot take. tell me the cons of fresh vegetables please.
Tastes worse than junk food. Need to chew forever to get the number of calories required to survive. No dopamine hit for eating a bite of radish. More expensive than frozen/canned alternatives.
One con not mentioned: Exposure to the elements. Being able to ride a bike comfortably in the weather depends on where you live. Prolonged exposure to the sun even with sunscreen is not good. Also, air pollution.
Edit: Lol at the downvotes. I invite you all to bike in my state in the almost 5 months of sweltering heat in our summer. I’m not anti bike at all and I wish more people would do it. I just wanted to remind people that you also have to be equipped for the weather of the place you will be biking at. Also, I do not like melanoma.
Bad faith argument. The topic of discussion is reasonable in city trips, not cross country slogs. Op is frustrated his city banned public funding for trains, ergo his question is about getting around his city. Your statement, exposure to the elements, is made more eloquently elsewhere, due to things like rain and snow.
I’m sorry, but I’m not arguing in bad faith. City trips and (not country biking) doesn’t automatically mean you’re not exposed to the elements. I live within city limits and it’s a 10 mile bike ride to get to downtown. According to maps, it’s a 1 hour trip, which is manageable, but 95% of the time I would biking directly under the sun. I will only be able to avoid exposure in limited spurts as I get near downtown with all the overpasses. As of this comment it’s 95F and 70% humidity. Elements does not just mean rain and snow. A lot of people underestimate how bad prolonged sun exposure is.
Legit medical issue for men, doing it too often can negatively impact your performance in bed, IIRC especially if you ride on unpaved terrain a lot.
There have been studies debunking claims of bike-induced ED, buuuuut, if you are really worried, you can get a ventilated or slotted saddle and occasionally stand up on your bike at traffic stops and such. There are specialized saddles and a variety of bikes with different riding positions.
I love downhill mountain biking, singletrack, and city riding, and never had issues with getting it up either. When the shitty OEM saddle made my balls fall asleep, I swapped to a better saddle made by SQ Labs and changed the seat angle slightly.
Also… if ED were an issue, the Netherlands and Japan would be like…sterile, hahah
You can also get a more comfortable softer riding saddle instead of a hard racing one. It really depends on the bike.
little meaningful protection against severe injury
This is why I’m an advocate for seatbelts for bicycles.
Con: not suitable for elderly or hanicapped people.
Go to asian countries, plenty of elderly on bicycles. It is just the elderly in western countries are sedentary which leads to atrophied muscles.
With the handicapped you can make the same argument with operating a motor vehicle.
Side note: I like cars. I even have a sim rig at home to race around in. But car centric infrastructure brings more negatives than positives.
The major difference is depending on the city.
Absolutely in Tokyo and Saigon, bike riders of all ages were going about their lives. But I can’t imagine being a elderly bike rider in some US cities. Some drivers WANT to fuck with bikers. It’s disgusting.
