Pros / cons of riding a bike?

_number8_@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 110 points –

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

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Only thing I'd say (as a cyclist) is that "skill issue" is not a great reply for all cases. My city swings from +40 to -40 and it's not uncommon to see wind chills down below -50. Winter cycling is not always viable, which is why a robust transit network needs to include a variety of options.

Otherwise, this is a good comment.

Yeah it's a bit poking fun, but you have some extreme temperature swings wherever you live :o

Looks like standard Midwest USA temp ranges to me, we get all the extreme temps + natural disasters like tornadoes, large hail, blizzards, living near major fault lines for eventual mega earthquake, and don’t forget the gun psychos!