I have a 20 year old car. This January I had to replace the control arms (bushings were shot), CV axels, and steering knuckle assembly. I did this all myself, to save a few thousand in labor (not joking, thats what one of my friends is paying a shop right now for just the brakes.) Still the price of those parts added up to just under 600. For that budget I could go out and buy a veritable fleet of used bikes from garage sales. Tune them up with tools on hand and a few spray cans of Degreasers and Teflon lubricants they wont even sell you in Europe, and never run out of bikes to ride again in my life. The thing is, I still own a damned car. I resent that I own a car. I won’t try to argue that a bike has more utility than a car because it would be impossible. However, I will argue to the end of a time that a bike is more utilitarian. We all just don’t live the kind of lives that are compatible with the slower speeds, more difficult travel that a bike requires outside of inner city travel.
I have a 20 year old car. This January I had to replace the control arms (bushings were shot), CV axels, and steering knuckle assembly. I did this all myself, to save a few thousand in labor (not joking, thats what one of my friends is paying a shop right now for just the brakes.) Still the price of those parts added up to just under 600. For that budget I could go out and buy a veritable fleet of used bikes from garage sales. Tune them up with tools on hand and a few spray cans of Degreasers and Teflon lubricants they wont even sell you in Europe, and never run out of bikes to ride again in my life. The thing is, I still own a damned car. I resent that I own a car. I won’t try to argue that a bike has more utility than a car because it would be impossible. However, I will argue to the end of a time that a bike is more utilitarian. We all just don’t live the kind of lives that are compatible with the slower speeds, more difficult travel that a bike requires outside of inner city travel.