Car Free Chronicles

[Boomer Cycles]

Congrats @Judd on going car-free. And welcome to the club! I went care-free in 2016, but could’ve done it much sooner, as I hardly used my car after my son got his licence in 2012 …and when I did, it was mostly to go to bike rides where I could’ve car pooled in most cases.

Like many others have said, I don’t miss the car. That’s in large part because my buddy @BeachFelipe lends me his whenever I need to do a long haul trip to see family because he rarely uses his car (but I could easily rent one, too).

I signed up for a car-share plan the first year, but then found I never needed to use it, so I dropped it.

I have experimented with 3 trailers, and find that I get the most utility out of the single-wheel tagalong. It tracks and maneuvers much better in the urban environment than the 2 wheeler. I upgraded my tagalong to one with spring loaded suspension that smoothed out the bumps dramatically over the hardtail version. I found it on the internet for $70.

I used my 2 wheeler ($60 on eBay.com) to move apartments across town over the course of a weekend (albeit I rented furnished on both ends).

If I were to buy a cargo bike, I would buy a Bullet…and race it during Crystal City Wednesday Night Spins!!
https://www.splendidcycles.com/products/bullitt-cargo-bikes/

The cost of car ownership when you factor in depreciation meant that I could easily buy trailers, panniers…and more bicycles by trailer!

Zoom, zoom was fun while it lasted!

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

[AFHokie]

@Judd 177033 wrote:

The Giant in Bailey’s Crossroads is going to be the nearest grocery store, but from an ease of getting there standpoint, it looks like going to the Harris Teeter in Shirlington is probably a better option.

Im just up CP from your new place and while the Bailey’s Crossroads Giant is closer, the Harris Teeter in Shirlington is much easier and safer to get to & from by bike with groceries. If you must go to a Giant, I’d recommend the Giant across Glebe from 4MRT instead.

The Shirlington HT also has covered bike parking. I don’t recall any bike racks at either Giant.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930AZ using Tapatalk

[Starduster]

@AFHokie 177063 wrote:

Im just up CP from your new place and while the Bailey’s Crossroads Giant is closer, the Harris Teeter in Shirlington is much easier and safer to get to & from by bike with groceries. If you must go to a Giant, I’d recommend the Giant across Glebe from 4MRT instead.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930AZ using Tapatalk

I concur. While there *will* be a new Harris Teeter at the Pike & George Mason, that section of Columbia Pike between George Mason and the W & OD crossing is even *less* appetizing to ride. All these years living here, I have never attempted it. (Do I get credit for good sense?)

[ginacico]

Not a done deal yet, but it’s possible a farmers market will open at the Arlington Mill community center on Saturdays this spring.

Keep an eye out for your hyper-local news sources — neighborhood bulletin board, Next Door, and/or community association if there is one.

[wheelswings]

I buy our groceries by bike and carry them in my knapsack. But it’s only for me and two girls and my mom … I think boys eat more. My rule is to never use a cart in the store – only a basket – so I don’t buy more than I can carry.
I often ride to the Giant at the top of S. Jefferson St. near Leesburg Pike. It’s true that there’s no bike rack, but there’s an excellent railing on which to lock, and it’s never taken because y’all seem to avoid that Giant. I also frequent the Trader Joe’s in Bailey’s Crossroads Center on the south side of Leesburg Pike. It’s not the most scenic ride (via Columbia Pike) but it’s convenient. I would not rule out either of these places.

[musclys]

@rcannon100 177019 wrote:

We have one car – and its usually doing dog rescue work.

You forgot the puppy pics.

[rcannon100]

@musclys 177069 wrote:

You forgot the puppy pics.

They all got adopted this weekend! Sunday was a foster free day – and I got to steal the car and go to Rosaryville!! WSGFABR!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]17732[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]17733[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]17734[/ATTACH]

[accordioneur]

@wheels&wings 177068 wrote:

I buy our groceries by bike and carry them in my knapsack. But it’s only for me and two girls and my mom … I think boys eat more.

A recent photo on Strava shows the petite W&W towering over the other members of the family – so yeah, I’m guessing they’re not going through a ton of food.

[DCAKen]

When I went car-free, I had to adjust my shopping schedule, as one person described it, to a more European version. Two or three days a week, I’ll stop at the Giant across the street from where I work as I head home, filling up my two panniers. One reason I use Giant is they have the handheld UPC scanners, so I can scan items and fit them into my panniers as I shop. I don’t have to worry about getting to the checkout and finding that I can’t quite fit everything I bought into my bags.

[drevil]

@DCAKen 177078 wrote:

When I went car-free, I had to adjust my shopping schedule, as one person described it, to a more European version. Two or three days a week, I’ll stop at the Giant across the street from where I work as I head home, filling up my two panniers. One reason I use Giant is they have the handheld UPC scanners, so I can scan items and fit them into my panniers as I shop. I don’t have to worry about getting to the checkout and finding that I can’t quite fit everything I bought into my bags.

One neato torpedo thing I discovered last week is that the Ortlieb pannier hooks clip easily onto the top of the sides of the shopping cart. I was filling them up while shopping and knew exactly when it was full. However, I didn’t have the hand scanner, so I had to pull everything back out, scan, then repack. Thanks for the tip!

[CBGanimal]

@DCAKen 177078 wrote:

When I went car-free, I had to adjust my shopping schedule, as one person described it, to a more European version. Two or three days a week, I’ll stop at the Giant across the street from where I work as I head home, filling up my two panniers. One reason I use Giant is they have the handheld UPC scanners, so I can scan items and fit them into my panniers as I shop. I don’t have to worry about getting to the checkout and finding that I can’t quite fit everything I bought into my bags.

YES! I use the UPC and bring my bike into the store filling my panniers and rolling back out! Very cool!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Steve O]

@wheels&wings 177068 wrote:

My rule is to never use a cart in the store – only a basket – so I don’t buy more than I can carry.

Over time I like to believe I can eyeball my cart and tell exactly how much I can fit. But once in a while…..

[ATTACH=CONFIG]17736[/ATTACH]
@accordioneur 177075 wrote:

A recent photo on Strava shows the petite W&W towering over the other members of the family – so yeah, I’m guessing they’re not going through a ton of food.

Cause or effect?

[Steve O]

@wheels&wings 177028 wrote:

I’m curious, however, how it is to be car-free as a man in American society. It seems like there are still stereotypes and expectations that make it harder for men to be car-free. But maybe that is not-so-much the case in the DC area…

I am sure that there is a geographic component to this. However, I also believe there is a pretty big generational one, too. We old people are often surprised to learn that more than half of American 17-year-olds do not have their driver’s license. That is correct: if you are 17 and do not have your license, you are in the majority, you are normal. That includes the entire country: urban, suburban, rural. Both of my kids got theirs after they were 18 and did not seem much bothered along the way.
Those of us who grew up with the 16th-birthday-rite-of-passage have an out of date understanding. So I would not be surprised by young people having a different attitude.

If you read DateLab in the Washington Post, it seems almost all the dates end with the guinea pigs either catching an Uber or getting on the Metro.

[n18]

Here is the path I use to get to Giant, mostly through Seminary RD, which is the flattest option I could find to Giant. I use the sidewalk sometimes, and sometimes the road, which is lightly trafficked at that segment. There is a Safeway in the area too, which has a wave rack to the south(StreetView link).

[Judd]

It sounds like my best plan for groceries is to hire Wheels&Wings to do all of my shopping.

[Author]

Posts