I think you jest. When bikes cost $100 they were for kids. Now that bikes cost $2000, they are for adults.
No, Iām not jesting
I refuse to believe that there are no bikes cheap enough for a child to ride
There are at least 2 cheap bikes at every yard sale i see.
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You donāt see adults with the spandex pants, helmet, and all the trimmings though riding a $100 bike. Often they have several with the fat bike tires for the winter, etc. Then there are the custom made ones cut and welded to fit with the accessories to order and clear coat paint jobs. I dunno, I guess its like when pick-up trucks went from $20,000 to $50,000 with all the accessories, leather, paint jobs, etc. What did the old 61 Chevy 6 cyl farm truck cost without a radio? $2000?
When I first got married we only had one car, so I rode my $100 bike to work. No helmet, no spandex but worked fine. Of course thats when I worked a few miles away. 50 mile commutes required a car.
Our son, now 48, has a state of the art Italian racer, worth $3000 or so. He also has the really good mountain bike since itās only a 3/4 hour drive to real mountains.
I see plenty of kids riding bikes, and even though Iām ignorant, I know that they were never $2000 bikes, not even when new
I found the bikes amazing in Amsterdam. Not just the huge number of them, and how they are driven, but the fact that well over 90% of them are clunky 3 speed models. I donāt remember seeing one 10 speed model, although I didnāt look that closely.
Possibly because a lot are stolen. They fish hundreds out of the canals yearly.
That part of Holland is totally flat! And nearly all streets are sheltered enough from the wind, so one speed is actually enough. Theyāre sturdy models I remember form the 50s, and they have not changed much.
If you go into the country where itās windy, youāll find all sorts of different models, including many electric bikes ridden by seniorsā¦
I know a dental tech in my home town there who leaves her car at home and cycles to work. The citizens are very much into health and fitness.
Rick, @VDCdriver is right. Iām glad you are in therapy and all. In my other life Iām a licensed social worker, so I know the struggle is real. But itās not an excuse to say whatever you want to say, even if youāre ājust quotingā what someone else says about some racial or ethnic or social group. Before you hit the Reply button, please take a moment to consider what someone else might think about what youāre about to say.
Also, could we get this back closer to cars somehow? Thanks.
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When I hear āourā roadways, national parks, etc. I interpret it as the commonly used term that means they belong to all of us. It does not offend me.
Amsterdam discourages driving cars in town. Parking opportunities are poor, and bicycles are about the only way to get around besides public transport. Also, the only hills in the city are the bridges over the canals.
Yeah in Amsterdam if the bikes donāt run you over, the trolley will. My rule is to always have a map and cab fare back to the hotel when you go a walking. Tried to find my way back for about two hours and finally just took an $8 cab ride back. I was close but no cigar.
The bike I bought for about $90 back in 72 was a 10 speed Shiano (sp) with center pull brakes. Actually it was a nice bike and the 10 speed mechanisms are a lot simpler and easier to repair than a 3 speed. I trashed the 3 speed I had as a kid and was the fastest bike in the neighborhood then. My $90 one is still hanging in my garage but would need new tires. Iām afraid now Iād get dizzy and fall over with the thing.
By roadways I meant āallā including the Amish.
Speeders on our roads, drunks on our roads, ectā¦
Today I went to Amish country which is not far from here with my mother and we bought some flowers they grow. What great people. Thereās nothing more to say, just nice folks.
Amish are common in our area so when I say our I include them. The Amish are our neighbors and friends here.
I was behind a buggy on a state highway today and I was cruising along at 15mph or so enjoying the ride and noticed a vehicle barreling down on me, I put my flashers on and they rode my bumper a bit until they turned on the road to the lake. They were likely going there to the lake ārelaxā.
This section of road is hilly and dangerous because people do not respect the speed limit. I ran behind the buggy with my flashers on until they turned off onto a county road. Some folks here do that. Let the impatient driver slam into my car instead of a buggy with a family in it.
The speed limit is 40 to 55mph. People run 70 and there are blind hills. Its too fast, no time to react.
On the way home around 4pm a big storm cam thru and people were leaving the lake with their brodozers and huge boats. Seen a few obvious drunks at 4pm. Drunk driving is allowed here, little chance of getting caught. If you do and you have the right last name, no punishment.
Bicycle like an old geriatric kid would ride. Broke a spoke over the winter, and the wheel was badly out of true. Thought I might need a new wheel, you thought car wheels were expensive some single wheels for a bicycle were over a grand. The shop fixed 2 spokes and trued the wheel, $22. I would not spend a grand on a car wheel, much less than a bicycle wheel. https://www.zioncyclery.com/product-list/wheels-1091/wheels-1093/