Carless and Carefree

The Last One

We took a big step towards the future last week - we sold the only motor vehicle we owned. And, we couldn't be happier.

Back in 2008, we drove our Mazda SUV to CARMAX, sold it, and rode our bicycles home. Last week we loaded our two SURLY Long Haul Truckers into our Ford F-150, drove it to CARMAX, and rode home with a check. For the first time since we were graduate students in college, we were carless again. And carefree.

It's interesting when you meet someone, and make small talk, and it comes out that you don't own a motor vehicle. Here in the Southeast, people look at you in disbelief. "How can you survive?" is what you get, either in conversation or in their body language and looks.

Yet, for some city dwellers in the USA, being carless is no big deal. Recent statistics show that over 60% of citizens of New York City don't own a car, and when looking at Manhattan, the figure rises to over 75%. While growing up in Boston in the 1960's, I knew of many families that didn't own a motor vehicle. My boyhood best friend's father was a real rocket scientist - British - and worked at Lincoln Laboratories just outside of the city. He rode a bicycle, nearly year long, or just walked the 3 miles to work when it snowed. No big deal - just life.

Yet, here we are in the 21st century, and we all find the idea of going carless - at least in Atlanta - as something  beyond comprehension. Really, it's sad, isn't it? How did we ever get this way? Yes, things are bad now, for many of us. The economy is thoroughly in the toilet, our so called "leaders" can't agree on a date for a speech by the president, and seem content with letting people starve to death to make a political point.

Watch any car ad on TV, and read the fine print on the prices. All of the current models cost more than our first house - even the so called "economy" models. You can buy buy 15 of our best touring bicycle builds for the price of the cheaper cars in the ads. Really - how did we ever get to the point where standard automobiles need computers, backup video cameras, DVD players, and satellite navigation systems?


So in light of all of this,  it's empowering  to sell your motor vehicle, drop a check in your savings account, and simplify your life. You take back control of your life in so may ways when you drop out of the automobile rat race.

For anyone considering this step, we recommend that you do it in degrees, as we did. Almost all US households have multiple motor vehicles, and could do without most of them. We had two vehicles for two people, sold one, and then opened our store with the money from the sale. We left the remaining vehicle behind our store.

 We simplified our lives wherever possible.All of our carbon bicycles we used for racing we sold, and built up steel touring frames for our personal transportation. We used our bicycles to commute, shop, and take trips On bad days,we used  public transportation. Every city has buses, and they have bicycle racks, thanks to those "nasty federal taxes". We learned to live locally, shopping at the stores in a two mile area for our regular needs.


The decision to sell the last vehicle we will ever own, was no big deal. And we really enjoy the reactions it gets from people we meet. It' a great icebreaker, and a chance to convert one more person to the idea of using bicycles for transportation.


More on this subject in the coming days.