If Cars Were Abolished, Would 60% of Us Drive Pugsleys to Work?

We spent the last several days fitting ourselves to live more without a car and this morning my DP biked to work for the first time. (One commuter retrofit and one new. More later, after I finish tinkering.) I rode with her to Wayzata and back, returning to find I had a meeting in St. Paul, so it was back on the bike.

Forty bike miles later, real life intruded on the bike commuter fantasy, and I spent the rest of the day motoring all around the Twin Cities, dealing with traffic that rarely touches me.

My sympathies.

The contrast was useful, though. Figuring out the details of daily human-powered family transport and testing a variety of bikes made me wonder: What if we chose our cars on the same basis? Would all SUV owners convert to Pugsleys or Xtracycles?

In some respects, the considerations are the same. Cars, like bikes, are largely single occupancy vehicles in America. We mull capacity vs. efficiency. Comfort vs. sportiness vs. safety. What the style says about me. Where will I park it? I imagine those who seek image enhancement, speed or funky utility in cars may lean in the same direction when selecting a bike.

There are other clear differences. On a bike, you pay for your mileage differently, and time spent commuting is more a function of you and your machine than of traffic and speed limits. As a cyclist, you have few illusions about your ride keeping you safe in a crash. The elements — usually meriting no more driver consideration than heated seats, all-wheel drive and maybe tires — become a major concern when you commit to riding in all weather. Ergonomics are huge; neck, shoulders, butts, knees, hands. None of that much comes into play in a car. Getting fat is not such an obvious consequence of our choices.

But the biggest difference is how bikes are made, assembled, sold and serviced. Buy a car and your main concern is over how the salesperson is likely to screw you. Select something that's not on the floor and you still have a limited number of options (packages). Then you wait weeks or months for delivery.

I like the people who sell me bikes and service them. I want to see them succeed. If someone doesn't want to respond to my whims, I can go down the street and find someone who will. I walk into a shop and customers try to sell me stuff!

I buy bikes like I bought my cars. A bunch of research. Test drives. But mostly it comes down to heart and aesthetics and relationship.

Comments

[Jim]

Give me a heads-up on your next visit, and I'll have a Pugsley and an Xtracycle you can ride.