I was just researching car alternatives. In the place where I hope to get a house in the next few months car-like conveniences would be, well, convenient. While there's a grocery store and other small shops within about a mile, I'm wondering about how to make those special trips to go visit friends and family who all live between 5 and 25 miles away.
I'd hate to keep a car just for that occasional purpose.
In the summer time a bicycle works. I suppose in the winter time it works as well, but I was trying to see if there's an alternative that might be more comfortable. That's when I discovered bluevelo. It's basically a recumbent bike surrounded by a plastic shell. Unfortunately they want around $10k for one.
I was thinking it would be fun to build one. Maybe even put a small motor in the back to make it a moped. With some knobby tires it could make a 1/2-way decent winter vehicle once the roads are plowed. And it could cover some long distances in the summer. You'd have to pick your route carefully so as to not get run over, but I prefer the scenic route anyway.
I built a canoe out of fiberglass several years ago, so I was thinking I could build a fiberglass shell, a custom recumbent frame and some standard bicycle hardware to finish it off. - Or maybe some kind of stretched fabric over a frame.
Another option might be to just drive an old car around like I do now or convert one to be electric or run off homemade alcohol. But then I have to pay insurance each month and the parts and maintenance get expensive. Plus I like the idea of only having as much as I need and no more.
Anyone else have unique solutions for covering those 5-50 mile occasional trips where mass transit isn't an option?
Winter Bicycling
If you're living in a place that needs to get plowed, and stores are a mile away, I would still keep the car. You can do the mile toboggan with a 50lb load, but the $1 of gas to cover the same distance in a fraction of the time will be worthwhile at least some of the time.
Separately if you like building stuff and you like biking, totally build the recumbent bike. Maybe try before you build though, to see if you like it.
Separately if you like building stuff and you like biking, totally build the recumbent bike. Maybe try before you build though, to see if you like it.
How's traffic? How wide are the streets? How much snow and how well is the plowing?
5m in winter no problem. I commuted 10m in MT winters for 3 years... But the streets are fairly wide, simple (not city), well plowed and traffic is low.
25m is doable if you can occasionally sleep there... But it will probably get tiresome fast.
I often offer to rent my cars from my buddies. Most are happy to part with them for a day for $20 and some gas.
Is there a car rental around? I often rent cars for under $30/day... If you have an AMEX you can waive the damage waiver (counts as primary insurance if you have no other primary insurance)... Using Discover card rewards vouchers I have rented cars for as cheap as $17 a day.
5m in winter no problem. I commuted 10m in MT winters for 3 years... But the streets are fairly wide, simple (not city), well plowed and traffic is low.
25m is doable if you can occasionally sleep there... But it will probably get tiresome fast.
I often offer to rent my cars from my buddies. Most are happy to part with them for a day for $20 and some gas.
Is there a car rental around? I often rent cars for under $30/day... If you have an AMEX you can waive the damage waiver (counts as primary insurance if you have no other primary insurance)... Using Discover card rewards vouchers I have rented cars for as cheap as $17 a day.
Nice idea about an encapsulated recumbent. If you build it, make it light. I could not easily find a weight on the bluevelo. Must be heavy with suspension etc. and if they are offering electric assist.
I assume you know that home brewed fuel is basically e-85 and you can puts some bigger jets in your carb or increase injector size to use it in almost any vehicle.
My solution would be a 50cc or less scooter. No need to license or insure in my area and +/- 100MPG. Battery powered warm gloves and socks and a full face helmet will get you a long way!
I assume you know that home brewed fuel is basically e-85 and you can puts some bigger jets in your carb or increase injector size to use it in almost any vehicle.
My solution would be a 50cc or less scooter. No need to license or insure in my area and +/- 100MPG. Battery powered warm gloves and socks and a full face helmet will get you a long way!
That bluevelo looks OK for roads like the bottom picture on their homepage, but I don't know too many roads around my town that I'd ride it on. I'd feel more comfortable on a bike with some good warm clothes. I've been to Europe and India, and could see it as an option there where driving is very different than in the US.
If the road is snowy or icy and you can't ride your bike, I'd suggest walking/running, public transit, or challenging whether your transportation is critical at that time.
Given the cost of insurance, if your travel is rare in the harsh conditions then you could consider paid charter (a cab), or borrowing a friends car and filling their tank as payment for the convenience. That's a heck of a lot less than a year of liability insurance.
Personally I choose to use a motorcycle as my transportation, which keeps the gas prices down and liability insurance is incredibly cheap ($75/year). That saves a lot of money you can spend on some extremely warm gear for winter riding. I wouldn't ride it in the winter, but I have the luxury of having a wife who still has a car.
If the road is snowy or icy and you can't ride your bike, I'd suggest walking/running, public transit, or challenging whether your transportation is critical at that time.
Given the cost of insurance, if your travel is rare in the harsh conditions then you could consider paid charter (a cab), or borrowing a friends car and filling their tank as payment for the convenience. That's a heck of a lot less than a year of liability insurance.
Personally I choose to use a motorcycle as my transportation, which keeps the gas prices down and liability insurance is incredibly cheap ($75/year). That saves a lot of money you can spend on some extremely warm gear for winter riding. I wouldn't ride it in the winter, but I have the luxury of having a wife who still has a car.
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George the original one
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I lived car-free in the Rockies this winter, so I had to learn how to get myself around in the snow. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to bike at all. I have a road bike without enough clearance for knobby tires or snow tires. I also found washing salt and mud off took way too long, but was necessary because I have a steel bike with some chips in the paint. I'd like to have an aluminum bike with clearance for some different tires before I attempted biking on the roads there (9,000 ft elevation with snow about 3x per week).
Here's what I did instead:
1) Walk. Walking up to 5 miles was my normal mode of transportation. Get well insulated boots.
2) Bus. There was a free bus that went everywhere in the county, which was handy for longer trips or carrying heavy things (like my ski equipment).
3) Rent a car. I did this a few times to make the 1 hour trip to the city.
4) Take a shuttle / greyhound. I had some friends take the shuttle to my town from the airport and Greyhound also had a stop. Might not be available everywhere.
Sounds like #2 and #4 aren't available for you and it's a bit far for #1. Are there rental cars around? A bike might work out great for you if you have one more suited to winter usage than mine is.
Here's what I did instead:
1) Walk. Walking up to 5 miles was my normal mode of transportation. Get well insulated boots.
2) Bus. There was a free bus that went everywhere in the county, which was handy for longer trips or carrying heavy things (like my ski equipment).
3) Rent a car. I did this a few times to make the 1 hour trip to the city.
4) Take a shuttle / greyhound. I had some friends take the shuttle to my town from the airport and Greyhound also had a stop. Might not be available everywhere.
Sounds like #2 and #4 aren't available for you and it's a bit far for #1. Are there rental cars around? A bike might work out great for you if you have one more suited to winter usage than mine is.
@S
I'd love to know more about how you dealt with the extremely cold weather on your bike in the Rockies. What gear you used or best practices you picked up. I'm about to move from Texas to Colorado Springs, and plan to have my bike as my primary mode of transport for commuting 3-5 miles to work (haven't chosen my house yet, but it should be about that distance).
I'd love to know more about how you dealt with the extremely cold weather on your bike in the Rockies. What gear you used or best practices you picked up. I'm about to move from Texas to Colorado Springs, and plan to have my bike as my primary mode of transport for commuting 3-5 miles to work (haven't chosen my house yet, but it should be about that distance).
I sure would love zipcar in my area...
Basically ski gear is what you'll be looking at for extreme cold. I use giant Himalayan ice mitts. Balaclava and ski goggles are musts for bitter cold... If you're under freezing, doesn't need to be waterproof, but wind-resistant and breathable is nice.
Gaiters are absolutely necessary for snow and rain...
Waterproof backpack, jacket (with hood) and pants are a must for wet days, or near freezing days.
Fenders are another must for winter and rain.
Riding at 30 F below (no windchill) is actually kinda fun, and it's nice because everything is "sticky" at that point... Heavy snow, or rained on snow is pure misery, takes an incredible amount of energy to move at all. Better off walking some of those days
Basically ski gear is what you'll be looking at for extreme cold. I use giant Himalayan ice mitts. Balaclava and ski goggles are musts for bitter cold... If you're under freezing, doesn't need to be waterproof, but wind-resistant and breathable is nice.
Gaiters are absolutely necessary for snow and rain...
Waterproof backpack, jacket (with hood) and pants are a must for wet days, or near freezing days.
Fenders are another must for winter and rain.
Riding at 30 F below (no windchill) is actually kinda fun, and it's nice because everything is "sticky" at that point... Heavy snow, or rained on snow is pure misery, takes an incredible amount of energy to move at all. Better off walking some of those days
I used zipcar when I lived in Boston and it was a perfect solution. But it's not available once you're 70 miles out in the boonies. There is a county bus that comes by twice a day which gets me into Boston and then from there to the rest of the world via public transit. But crossing state lines into NH's impossible in this area on public transit.
I'd probably only make the trip maybe once every 1 to 3 weeks. It would really only be social calls so if it snows or something I could just cancel and wait for a nice day to do it. Or sleep over on a friend's couch if a storm suddenly appears.
@shawn I used to have a 250cc that I modified to run on E100. That was a pretty good solution, but that's when I lived in New Mexico and it didn't get quite as cold quite as often. I've never tried heated clothing but it does sound like a good option.
The covered bike just seems like a slightly preferable option to the motorcycle with heated clothes because it seems like, even though the trip would take a bit longer because I couldn't legally exceed 30mph, I'd be in a more comfortable position. Plus I'd have 3 wheels instead of 2. Plus I could get away with wearing a sweater rather than a parka. And in the summertime the bike/motorcycle both definitely beat out the car in almost all respects.
In all likely-hood I'll probably end up having a tiny pickup truck converted to run off alcohol, for those occasional winter rides, plus it gives me the ability to haul stuff from time to time. And use a bike for the summer trips and on the warmer winter days. But if I need to trim the budget, I think 100% bike/moped could be pulled off.
I'd probably only make the trip maybe once every 1 to 3 weeks. It would really only be social calls so if it snows or something I could just cancel and wait for a nice day to do it. Or sleep over on a friend's couch if a storm suddenly appears.
@shawn I used to have a 250cc that I modified to run on E100. That was a pretty good solution, but that's when I lived in New Mexico and it didn't get quite as cold quite as often. I've never tried heated clothing but it does sound like a good option.
The covered bike just seems like a slightly preferable option to the motorcycle with heated clothes because it seems like, even though the trip would take a bit longer because I couldn't legally exceed 30mph, I'd be in a more comfortable position. Plus I'd have 3 wheels instead of 2. Plus I could get away with wearing a sweater rather than a parka. And in the summertime the bike/motorcycle both definitely beat out the car in almost all respects.
In all likely-hood I'll probably end up having a tiny pickup truck converted to run off alcohol, for those occasional winter rides, plus it gives me the ability to haul stuff from time to time. And use a bike for the summer trips and on the warmer winter days. But if I need to trim the budget, I think 100% bike/moped could be pulled off.
@tjt I wasn't able to bike because I didn't have the right kind. Road bike = too skinny smooth tires and chipped up steel frame = worried about rust from road salt. It is possible, but I'd need a different bike first. I saw some folks riding around on mountain bikes in ski gear.
Checkout this site: http://www.icebike.org/
Checkout this site: http://www.icebike.org/
While I like the idea of a shell, a recumbent is quite low to the ground. Even on good days you won't be as visible in car/pickup/Hummer traffic. If you have snow where you are riding, you'll be even less visible, since a good portion of drivers don't clean their entire windshield.
As you mention, the price of a bluevelo is about the same price as a small car, probably with lower resale value.
I kinda agree with the above posts about winter bicycling. Ski gear, or winter mountaineering gear works. Use layers. I just use pac boots, windproof pants, biking shorts, long heavy thermal underlayers, a light fleece jacket, a windproof hivis jacket, windproof mitts, and balaclava. No goggles or gaiters. This is mostly stuff you can find at your local outdoors store on sale during the spring.
People have differing opinions about bikes. I (naturally!) prefer a mountain bike with fat studded tires. And a good lighting system. Remember that a winter bike is going to get trashed.
Oh, and it's no fun changing a tire on the side of a busy road at -10F. You'll want to look into getting a kevlar tire.
It beats driving!
As you mention, the price of a bluevelo is about the same price as a small car, probably with lower resale value.
I kinda agree with the above posts about winter bicycling. Ski gear, or winter mountaineering gear works. Use layers. I just use pac boots, windproof pants, biking shorts, long heavy thermal underlayers, a light fleece jacket, a windproof hivis jacket, windproof mitts, and balaclava. No goggles or gaiters. This is mostly stuff you can find at your local outdoors store on sale during the spring.
People have differing opinions about bikes. I (naturally!) prefer a mountain bike with fat studded tires. And a good lighting system. Remember that a winter bike is going to get trashed.
Oh, and it's no fun changing a tire on the side of a busy road at -10F. You'll want to look into getting a kevlar tire.
It beats driving!
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dot_com_vet
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