Remembering to ride for fun is really important imo. I've now gone full circle from crappy bike to nice road bike to wanting a cheap bike that I can ride places and lock with 0 fears of it getting stolen
@@MitchBoyer Yup I have 5 bikes. Quit my car for about 400 days now though. Rented a few times but way less than I expected. I haven't really missed it tbh, even though most of my life is in a circle as large as 130 km (diameter).
Been living car free in Los Angeles for over a decade. My e-bike (vanmoof s3) is key, as well as my rear rack/basket. I've transported tons of huge loads all over the county, even as far as Orange and Ventura counties. For anyone considering ditching their car, don't let the car-brained doubters deter you! It's absolutely doable, even awesome at times. Zooming past all the schmucks stuck in traffic during rush hour every day gives me enormous pleasure.
Yeah. While I much prefer riding a regular bike on the flat, the hill I live on is just too much. I've been riding an old Raleigh steel frame bike lately that probably weighs 20kg (44lbs), if not more. Pushing it up the hill has me sweating like crazy and I'm tired of having to shower and change my clothes every time I get home from doing my weekly grocery shopping, so I'm going to be bringing my Engwe EP-2 Pro out of retirement soon. Got some big canvas pannier bags coming for it too, so I'll be able to carry more than I can with the cargo box thing I currently have on top of the rear rack.
@@djkenny1202 Yeah. I've been using my dad's 18 speed hybrid bike for grocery getting recently and it's alright. Still gonna bring my e-bike back out in winter though.
This video is my sign. My name is also Mitch, I live in LA and I've been thinking about giving up my car for a while. I live in Downtown and pay an exorbitant amount of money to keep a car in a parking garage two blocks away 99.99% of the time. I work from home now and only really need my car to get to my parent's house once or twice a month out in the I.E.-everything I need is less than a mile away. I think It'll be cheaper in the long run if I just rented a car for those trips and did everything else via bicycle or public transit… but the idea of NOT having a car in LA feels somehow scary… Why is that?
As a fellow LA area resident who loves road cycling and also yearns to live a less car dependent lifestyle, I feel like this video was made for me. You’d channel is a great one!
My car has been having issues, expensive ones, so I've been riding my bike for the last 2 months or so. I ride to work, grocery, laundry, cafes, pretty much everywhere. Kansas City is not flat, not at all, and I am so grateful I have a good ebike (Juiced CCX ST) it has made the experience totally doable. I've ridden through rain and hail, below freezing temps, and insane traffic. My most noticeable change is my mental health, I find myself feeling alive and wanting to do more every day, and do it happily.
Nice production Mitch. I cannot believe the % of ppl in the "spandex" crowd avoid using a bike for everyday life. Have a guy in our apt bldg who rides 6 hours every Sat/Sun,, very early morning, but won't ride a city bike 20min to his job in midtown Manhattan, bc in his words, it's "too scary."
Haha yeah I hear ya! Honestly it’s the best way to get around a city. I used to ride from Brooklyn to Soho for work and it was so much better than taking the subway.
I agree, but to be completely fair lots of them from "spandex" crowd actually commute and go to other social stuff by bike. Sure some of them are only weekend riders but I know plenty that also do utility cycling.
Mitch, I just wanted to tell you how much I have been enjoying your channel since discovering it a week ago. Like the teaming millions, I started cycling during the pandemic to lose weight and I have enjoyed your "common man" approach to improving your skills on the bike. And seeing you ride the hills of Los Angeles takes me back: I was the staff photographer for the Griffith Observatory for a few years in the early 1990s. More rides up the Hollywood Hills, please!
Great content Mitch. Your bike is sick. I've been doing bike-as-car up here in Canada for about 7 years now and I've learned that it really is about getting that commuter bike to work well as a system. Having a way to carry all of the things you'd normally carry, in the weather you'd normally go out in, without having to worry about forgetting your lights, bell, tools and lock is a whole learning experience, and figuring out how to get your lifestyle to fit that new system takes a bit of adjustment but once you've got it everything seems to just fall into place, and then you get to say goodbye to traffic jams.
I lived in LA for about 8 months, I had a car but mostly due to lack of money, I wound up biking (fixed gear) and taking the bus almost everywhere. I loved that the busses (unlike in NYC where I grew up and currently live) have bike racks on them. I was living in Culver City and would mostly bike or bus it to Westwood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Studio City. It was kind of insane when I think back about it, but I still don't believe people when they say you NEED a car there. You can totally get around if you budget the time for it. And now with E-bikes I feel like there's not a lot of excuses to not be using these alternative options. It really just kind of reduces the stress of the highway traffic. That being said driving in LA can be amazing!
As a Scandinavian I think its funny how in the US you have to customize an old bicycle to make it into a commuter bike. Here you just buy one. Couple of summers ago I got a vintage bike(1978) for $20, put $50 in tyres and tubes, milk crate on the rear rack(factory) and it has been working like a dream. Bullet proof coaster brake and in hub 3 speed gearing. No need to buy $XXX in parts, everything was perfect from the factory. All bikes come with fenders, racks, bells, lights, etc.
I "dutched" my 30 year old MTB last year. I ride it everyday, and I went to the store today to get bread and bananas. You should get another pannier to go with the one you have to balance out the load. I have two to keep the weight even. I need to look into a front rake too. I just changed out the rear hub for a Eviolo 380 hub. Works great on hills and flats with a 24/17 combo.
I just recently moved to a bigger town where I can cycle to work, do errands and such without really needing my car. I took rediscovered that bikes are just fun, and not just 'type 2' fun as you say 😂. Congrats on giving it a proper go.
I'm so happy for you Mitch, I don't know you personally but been following your channel for about a year, and seeing you grow and get opportunities to travel doing the thing you love is wonderful. Thank you for sharing your experiences in cycling! As a cyclist myself, I really incorporated it within my busy life as much as I can too, most recently doing daycare pickup after work. It's a great way for me to bond with my daughter and keep my cardio in shape while not on my road bike. Cheers from Vancouver BC, come visit sometime and I'll show you the wonderful biking we have here.
The bike doesn’t really need to replace your car, if it stops you from buying a second car and it reduces your use of your car it is beneficial. You will get more life out of your car and it will cost less to operate and you’ll have more fun.
I don't even like to ride my car. I ride my bike everyday even in the winter. I've been doing it for like years. I save a lot of money. I enjoy riding my old vintage road bikes on my mountain bikes wherever. The most I travel is about 14 miles. A mile and a half is not that far on a bike. You could add racks on your bike and you can also add backpack that's good storage cuz you could carry it on your back when you ride your bike.
I've found that doing laundry and using the cool cave pannier that you have is easy. I fold shirts in half and shove it in, no wrinkles. I also put laundry detergent in a small bottle so I don't have to take the whole jug. Super cool to watch your mini adventure!
I love that you tried this out. The type of bike, you made, is very common in Denmark. We call them city bikes or hybrid bikes. As a 43 yo Dane who has never owned a car, I am giggling though: "Oh, 30 days, so impressive, well done" 🤭 On the other hand: 30 days in a country as car-centric as USA is probably impressive.
My car had a wildly odd issue and had to bike around for all of May. Taking my kids to school, grocery shopping, post office, etc. thankfully the PNW held out.
Great work. I built a commuter bike from a 90's 26er MTB with Dutch bars. It's the best of all worlds and serves me well to tackle the few hills in Melbourne, Aus
Combining a bike with the bus bike rack here in in Seattle king county is amazing. Bus for inter city commute, and bike for inner city commute. Even as a student with a job I don’t feel the need to own a car, or even want, there way to expensive.
Kudos for trying Mitch. I have been living without a car, commuting by bike ever since moving out of my parents house here in Berlin, Germany. Visited LA recently, it's just a very different beast of a city. If I had to live there, I had a car, it's that simple :D
Hey, did you have a look at all the different types of Dutch bicycles? Because i would recommend a cargo E bike. With a big cargo rack in the front to put a crate on, so its easy to put bags in without strapping!
Hi Mitch, I really love your videos, you are fun to watch, my girlfriend loved seeing your wife when choosing the bell for the bikes and seeing your dog. I quit my car over 15 years ago and have relied on bikes as my main transport ever since-across Canada, The Netherlands, Mexico, and the U.S. (last owned a car when I lived in Berkeley, CA). Your bike is fantastic-I absolutely love the idea of using mountain bike parts! The cassette, pedals, steel frame, quill stem, and anti angle grinder lock are all excellent choices. That said, here are a few suggestions to make a future build even better as a car replacement: 1. Quick Release = Quick Theft - Quick-release skewers and seat clamps are easy targets. Bolt-ons or locking skewers (like Pitlock or Hexlox) are much more secure. 2. Dynamo Hub and Lights - Dynamo hubs are super reliable, especially in bad weather. They’re low-maintenance and always ready and make you visible. 3. Mudguards - Full-coverage fenders keep you dry and protect your bike in wet weather. They’re a must for commuting. 4. Front Rack Design - The front rack moves with the steering, so it’s not ideal for heavy loads. A frame made with slightly thicker steel tubes, with a fixed front rack design (or cargo options) could let you carry groceries, a dog, a child, or even an adult comfortably. Adding a sturdy rear rack would also boost versatility. 5. Tires - Billy Bonkers are fun, but tires like Schwalbe Marathon Plus or Continental Contact Urban are better for puncture protection and durability. 6. Brakes - Rim brakes might work for light loads, but if you’re carrying groceries, a dog, or a beloved passenger, you’ll want something way more reliable in the rain. Yes, theoretically you could replace the brake shoes with somehting better, such as the Kool-Stop Salmon Pads. However, you may also want a much stronger rim, as you know if your rim twists a bit, the rim will be rubbing against those brake pads. So instead, for reliable stopping power consider roller brakes.Yes they are inneficient, but they are low-maintenance and weatherproof and you are not competing with anyone to get to the laundromat. And if you are going to do that, then maybe you could try stronger rims, like the DT Swiss FR560. Different bikes meet different needs-sometimes you need a cargo bike, sometimes a folding bike, and sometimes a beater bike you can lock for days near public transport. Get the right bikes for each situation, and you’ll never need a car again! It's fun to watch your videos. I hope these comments are useful. You can carry almost anyting with a bike. You can find me on X at @presuntoc.
This video is so relevant to me. I'm currently fixing up my Dads 1989 Specialized Hardrock, I also plan on putting a bike rack on mine so I can take my doxie on rides!
Mitch "Hey I can ride my bike to the shop for a month, so much more environmentally friendly...". Also Mitch "Hey I'm just back from a trip where I flew to Australia, New Zealand, Bolivia...".
Been looking forward to this one Mitch! Love the restomod bike. I am fortunate to live with AMAZING bike infrastructure here in Portland, OR - and last July we ditched the car for a whole month (me AND the spouse) we also quit amazon for the month just to force us to try and shop and buy local some. Amazon is back (try to do one order a month, and only things we cannot get easily) and the car... well, its now only for heavy or long or extreme weather conditions. Bummed to hear the atmospheric river impacted your 30 days, but in LA, I am guessing "get the gear" is a foolish expenditure. I have rain pants, shoe covers, waterproof socks, a visio 360 raincoat and a shakedry hat under my helmet. I wore most of that this morning for the kid's school drop off on the ebike (kids are heavier than laundry so we totally went ebike) Also - I am SHOCKED to hear you do as much road riding as you do without a bell. Highly recommend installing that incredibell (I have one, its great) on the BMC. I have mine mounted on the left hand side on the inside of the drops, so I can easily flick in on the hoods or drops. Especially as fast as you probably approach peds and other bikers! It won't kill that many watts nor aero.
I purchased the same bell as you did. Much too expensive (abount ten times than the cheap ones) and very delicate. Once my bike fell over it was broken and there was no way to repair it. I prefer bells that ring and are more robust. Most of the cheaper ones do a good job.
I converted my MTB to a practically a dutch bike. Put Gravel Bars on it, Rear carriers, and two big panniers. Now I can take it to work everyday, do groceries, laundries, and travel to different coffee shops in my area. Its a great change for me. been doing it for 7 months now.
Haha, it's actually funny there's a video like this. It's very normal way of living in the Netherlands.. doing commute, groceries etc with a bike usually under 20km/12miles. Only the biggest difference is that dutch normal road bikes usually have a coaster brakes and no gears. I do have 3 gears and a coaster brake but its more luxery than a neccesity. Most of us also have a bit larger transport rack on the front, but what you have is also common. Fun to see this in an American context, you would do very well in the Netherlands! Only you wont see Jack Black at the traffic lights here. ;)
I’ll keep an eye out as a fellow east LA bike commuter. That extending rack is amazing, and that pannier bucket seems like an amazing set it and forget it option! Really nice build. See you on sunset!
I live without a car in Albuquerque, NM. I ride my brakeless fixed gear bike as a daily commuter. I chose to work at a grocery store to save me an extra trip to the store. It's not easy but boy does it feel SO good. And the bragging rights are an added bonus, LMAO!
Great vid! Enjoy your channel. Nice to see you discover that riding a bike doesn't need to always be about performance. It's a joy that existed long before power meters, strava, or di2 (though they all have a place) :)
dutch bike (in my opinion): - costs about as much as the lock it's tied down with - enclosed chain - coaster brake - lamps cheap enough to be left on the bike at all times - some cargo capacity - mudguards it's not about the handlebar you should look into european postman's bicycles, they look fugly but are a pretty sweet deal for what they are (short gears, enclosed chain, 1-200 pounds of cargo capacity all for 3-400 dollars perhaps although shipping might be a bit pricy)
In England today anything that isn't screwed down and locked with a £150 lock will be stolen. I don't even have a bicycle lock as I never let my bicycle out of my sight or that of a trusted friend when I'm out riding. Even trash bicycles are stolen
@@Honkawsuzyamal bike should cost less than the lock and you should be prepared to change parts for vandalism. if you lock the wheels and the frame, it's not your bike that's going to be the one stolen, but the one next to it that's easier to steal. i lived in fulham although i know it's not the worst neighbourhood, this was my experience. cheap mountain bike, u lock and a cable for the front wheel, price of the bike about 50 pound, price of locks about 150. locking wheel skewers were still discouraging at the time.
@@Honkawsuzyamal now with little folding electric scooters, last mile transport is much more elegant i think. no need for the bike. i haven't tried these, but they look good to me.
Great content Mitch. Riding in LA was a great experience when I was living there. I lived in Marina Del Rey and had access to a lot of great rides. I even once rode 96 miles to Disneyland and back from the beach.
2:58 for dog, its better to tie a milk crate to front handlebar using zip ties, and carry your dog in front. you can put a blanket inside the milk crate so be comfortable for dog. very easy
Awesome video! I have a Trek Allant S7 Plus, and I live vehicle-free during the warmer months here in Southeast Idaho. I also have a Burley CoHo XC trailer for my bigger loads and when I want to go camping. For obvious reasons, I do drive in the winter because the ice is just too dangerous to pedal on. Thanks for the inspiration.
Honestly fascinating to see you learn stuff like 'oh hey maybe a bell is useful' haha. I'm Dutch so to me that's like saying 'oh hey turn signals on cars are pretty useful!' I don't know if it's even legal to not have a bell on your bike here. I've lived my entire life (28 years) only using bikes and public transport (and sitting in my dads car a couple of times a year), so to me doing groceries on a bike is the most normal thing in the world, but those roads honestly look terrifying and I don't think I'd cycle there, so props for doing this. About the bike itself... I see you don't have 'spatborden', I don't know what they're called in English, but they're those metal parts installed over the top of your tires so that if you ride through a puddle you don't splash up a ton of water or mud onto yourself. Would recommend. That 'panier' thing that you have... I would absolutely 100% not use that. Someone on a scooter can just ride past you and grab your backpack and it's gone, along with whatever you have in there. I know several people who got their stuff stolen that way. Generally it also makes you panic-grab at the scooter, and then you fall over and really hurt yourself. And what if it rains? Don't you get a puddle in your 'panier'? Why is just kinda like a plastic bucket? Why would you use that instead of the Dutch version, which is a lot more spacious, more flexible, and you can close them with those plastic buckle thingies. And don't you want to distribute the weight evenly among the left and right side of your bike? I do groceries for 5 adults for a week and stuff it all in my bike bags, sometimes hanging another grocery bag or two on the steer. That sh!t is seriously heavy, and I absolutely could not manage if the weight wasn't at least balanced evenly. So yeah the decision to get a plastic bucket attached to the side of your bike instead of getting actual bike bags is pretty baffling to me. Also your bike looks very uncomfortable to ride (at least to me). Why is the saddle up so high compared to the steer? Or I guess why is the steer down so low? Aren't you constantly hunched over? I've had a bike like yours and absolutely hated that. Or maybe it's actually fine if you're either A, not going far, or B, doing mountainbiking. I did 15 km a day (about 10 miles, to school and back, that's pretty average for Dutch teenagers) in Amsterdam on one of those hunching bikes, and that really wasn't great for me, so now when I see a bike like that I'm like 'oh no... why would you do that to yourself?' I mean, doesn't hunching like that impede your ability to look backwards over your shoulder to look for traffic? In my experience, sitting upright makes that a lot quicker and less strenuous, and you can turn further and see more. Your bike just really doesn't look like a city bike. IMO omafiets all the way, they rock :)
As a fellow Dutchman I agree with all of this. Except for his posture, which I think is fine. I got used to the hunched way of sitting on my bike because of my racing bike. I do prefer a tad straighter handlebars on my daily bike rather than the typical oldschool Dutch style. But yeah, I think a bell is actually obligatory here in NL, and because of the rain, wet leaves and other junk on the road it’s necessary to have mudguards on the bike. I can imagine with LA being a lot more dry it’s not as important to have mudguards, but still better than getting splashed from all sides if it does rain or snow.
Bicycles should always be the first choice of transport before getting in your car. You don’t get stuck in traffic or need to worry about where you will park or pay for it. You can usually lock up right outside your destination so that can take minutes off your journey if you’re unable to park close by. Even for longer journeys it can be surprising that there’s not a lot of difference in journey times and if there’s traffic in a town or city then a bicycle will usually be faster, check it on Google maps and set the time of your journey!
it is interesting seeing people doing these challenges. I have never owed a car and doing this is absolutely normal eveyrday thing for me. But I am lucky enough to live in UK or in the past in Sweden where this can be easily done. yay to nice infrastructure.
Dude I’m so jealous of your infrastructure. I lived in NYC for 8 years and it’s hard to deal with how spread out LA is sometimes. The bike makes it a little better.
I went car-free 6 years ago and it took about 30 days to adjust. I mostly bicycle, but there's also decent transit where I live, so I have more options than most people living in the US. It was a bit of a leap of faith, but adjusting was mostly a matter of being willing to learn new things. Where are the good bike lanes? Where can I get a good rack and panniers? When/where does the bus go? It's a world that is pretty invisible if you're car-dependent, and it takes a month or so to let go of the "I'll just drive" habit. Like Mitch, I've found that doing errands by bike is a great excuse to get out of the house, and I almost always feel better after riding than I did before.
You can do laundry pretty easily at home with a large heavy duty plastic basin, a clothes washing plunger, and a spin dryer. I completed full loads quickly and easily with the basins set in my bathtub. And once spin dried I laid them out around my apartment to dry for a few hours. Did it for 11 years before I moved to a place with in unit washer and dryer.
Great to catch up on your videos Mitch! I loved this video as it reminded me of my own journey of making my old road bike into a workhorse (groceries, hauling the kid, etc.). You're absolutely right about the enjoyment when it's more of a relaxed ride. Curious to know what system you have in place to 'hang' the bikes in the closet...
Hey Nik! Awesome to hear you had a similar journey with your old road bike. I’m using the Teal Triangle stand for my bikes. You can see it in action in my “Beginner Tries To Build A Bike Workshop” video
Beautiful bike for the city! I love it. And beautiful weather! :) I commute to work by bike as much as possible, but we have 4 months of winter here (Prague, Czech Republic) and especially darkness from around 4 in the afternoon, that's too much for me :(
Yes, winters are long, dark and cold in CZ. Maybe you should buy an Azub recumbent trike? When there is black ice on the road, you will not fall on the street. Azub is Czech brand, so feel proud.
I never understood the "I work to afford a car that I need to take me to work" attitude. I live in Germany (ironically in the city that Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach invented the combustion engine in) and never owned a car. For almost 10 years now I use the bike for almost everything. I don't even use public transport. For the occasional trips to IKEA I use Carsharing. Works pretty well for me. I will never understand my colleagues that arrive stressed at work because they were part of a traffic jam. I look foreward to riding my bike every morning and start my working day relaxed. Oh, and I'm faster as with car or public transport. So, keep on riding!
same here bro. The thought of leaving my bike out while I grocery shop gives my heart SO much pain and panic-attack. Very inspiring. Subscribed. Question, would you use your bike now for everything going forward (like u did for 30 days)? We are bike commuters and love it.
Hi Mitch! Been following your channel since your printing days and now cycling. Learned a lot then, learning a lot now. Always enjoyed your videos, past and present. Keep it up!
Those old 90's steel mountain bikes make great touring bikes. I like the handlebars you put on. You might want to look into a porteur rack on the front. Then you will have the next best thing to a cargo bike.
As a mediocre bicycle rider slash mom who has no car and at some moment had the only coin-op laundy about 20min biking from home _uphill_, I give you a round of applause :) Honestly, at these rough times we used the kids' trailer to fit in all our laundry (for the family of 4), and the kindergartener who had to be dropped off at school along the way. Yes, having a café or something close to the laundry is a win-win :)
Love your content! You inspired me to buy my first gravel bike, a 2021 Giant Revolt 2. I still have it and love it so far. Maybe I’ll end up back in L.A. soon (I work in healthcare). Cheers!
Try out the earth breeze laundry detergent sheets. You won’t have to lug those big jugs of heavy liquid detergent with you. Plus they mail them at whatever interval you choose and eliminates those big plastic jugs going to the landfill.
This video is honestly really sad. After living car free for 2 years outside of the us, it is baffling to see what is considered "normal." That bike you had made is super sick, though.
It is still cool though. But yes. Here in Berlin for example almost everyone is using the bike or the puplic transportations. To see him „going to do groceries on a bike“ as an experiment is pretty weird to me 🤓
Really enjoyed your videos Mitch especially all these little twist at the middle of your content.😊 Looking forward to more. From this Filipino guy living in Wales, UK. Btw Hills in Wales are steep you should visit them.
Nice. I'd definitely want a sprung beach cruiser saddle on it though. That's the first thing I put on all of my bikes. Maybe I'm just turning into an old man, but comfort comes first for me.
I got lost in power data focused riding for the longest time, then got a track frame, built that up, loved biking again, then went to the local velodrome and killed the fun side of fixed riding. Now I've got a 90's mountain bike for getting groceries and I just love riding that thing.
Biking is super fun. I only use my car to get to work, about 12 miles away with ONLY a highway in between. On my days off, I use my ebike for grocery shopping, visiting family/friends, going out to restaurants. It's not bad really.
Hi Mitch! I'm from Indonesia. I am very happy and inspired by your videos. It turns out that by cycling we can do many things such as delivering goods, carrying laundry clothes and others. How about the wheel size and the size of your Dutch bike tires, what size are they ?
Fourteen years ago I didn't have the money to fix my car, so instead I bought a new Diamondback Hybrid bicycle from Amazon. It took me some time to figure out how to have dry clothes when I got to work. Moving to a different job much further away I used city bus bicycle racks for most of the miles. I didn't miss my car except during cold wet windy days. Now I am retired and got me a shiny new Biktrix dual battery E-Bike. No more whining about hills and wind. Cold and rain is still with me, though being in Florida, cold doesn't last too long. My only transportation is my E-Bike and my old bicycle for back up. Florida has some beautiful multi-use paved trails, but most of the streets could be more bike friendly and safer. I mostly shop stores that care enough to have secure bike racks. Hopefully, cargo bikes will become more popular and prompt more people to to leave their gas hogs at home. That's my 2 cents.
Mitch, just found your channel and that video. I am German and we maybe have a different approach to traffic here :D ... My wife is riding her bike all the time. We have about 25 to 35 °F right now and she keeps commuting. Anyway she is riding a Riese and Müller Load 4 which is - in my terms - the bike equivalent to a F150 or Dodge RAM. So to point that our we traded an entire car for a cargo bike and in a city it is just dope. However I just love your 2nd life retro mountaincargobike.
It always surprises me that so few American bikes have mudguards (fenders). Here in England, we hardy band of bicycle-commuters and regular urban-cyclists think that a bicycle is incomplete without them because you never know when the weather is going to change. My regular go-anywhere-do-anything-bike (Ridgeback Urban) has mudguards, Schwalbe Marathon tyres, rear rack, and lights fitted all year round. It's solid and reliable and can cope with pretty much anything you are likely to find out there, either off-road or on tarmac. 🚴♂️
Great video! I built up a Surly Straggler last year with a mish mash of used and high-end parts to get me around everyday (no car) and to have as an occasional gravel spinner. BIG difference to my Specialized S Works Tarmac that sits underneath a blanket in my room not getting ridden due to having a new born though. All of this to say, I am actively trying to sell the Tarmac as the fun level is genuinely through the roof with the steel tank. I get fatigued less as I am not trying to sprint everything, I have more fun exploring and of course riding to work. I don't think I'll be going back to a carbon machine but I understand the performance and speed factors are for real (I do miss sprinting at 40kph/h around Paris haha!). I hope you find more fun in your everyday biking needs! Cheers 😁
Hi! I recently got into commuting with a bicycle in Singapore(not very cycle friendly but it kinda works out) and I really like your rack that has expandable wings for large cargo. Can you share a purchase link where i can buy it? Thanks!! 5:29
I've never been able to drive, due to bad vision. So,I ride a bike to do things every day. That's a nice bike you have, but you should install a basket on the front. Wald, makes some good ones.
It's PAN-nee-er. No need to worry about the French accent in this case. Back in the day the railways in the UK churned out thousands of pannier tank locomotives for yard switching and light rail use, without the slightest hint of French pronunciation. Awesome video, thoroughly enjoyed it. Good insight on LA as well. Chicago has lost almost all its neighborhood laundromats because laundry rooms in apartment buildings or even in the units have become so ubiquitous. And we don't even have the excuse of hills -- place is as flat as a pancake.
I turned my old Hardrock into a communter bike and it works fairly well. It is also so old I doublt anyone would steal it. I have limited safe bike routes but I can do grocery shopping and several other tasks without driving.
So what you have here is deemed an “xbike”, a bike with something eXtra. This would be the perfect build for it not for the V brakes, I hate them. I’m a diehard Canti fan, or discs Thanks for making this video, it’s empowering to see others do what I’ve committed to doing myself. In 2022 I sold my only car (SUV) and commute completely by bike and on occasion, my scooter. Initially this was difficult, but it gets easier once you figure out the logistics. I have a large chromebag when I go grocery shopping, I use a JackTheBikeRack when I switch between bikes, I also have a 90s MTB turned fun bike/xbike/commuter, it’s such a sweet ride. There are moments when it sucks and I think it’s worth pointing out those aspects. When it rains, when it gets windy, too cold (I live in the Midwest), and of course too hot. It is as you touched on, fun, and the fun never ends as I’ve doing it for about a year. I don’t miss the cost of registration, gasoline, insurance, & repairs. If I need a vehicle to haul something I rent a pickup truck at a local hardware store, or we take my wife’s car for smaller hauling. My commute is about 4 miles, I realize not everyone can do this, but if you’re within 5 miles, I highly recommend you give it a go for an month, you’ll notice an improving your attitude if nothing else. Subscribed
Watched the Bike Sauce build video first last week, so was looking forward to your one, which didn’t disappoint. 👌🏻 Also, don’t fret over the new video upload timing. Life happens, especially when you’re trying to make and edit new content. We’ll all still be here when you do upload next. 👍🏻
I know LA where you shot this video pretty damn well...nice to see my old home area represented. You're a better cyclist than me to pedal the LA River path. LOL Thanks for sharing 🍺
I moved from the car-dependent rural areas of North Mississippi to downtown Minneapolis for the express reason of living a car-free lifestyle. A year in through a rough Minnesota winter and I don't regret my decision one bit. The folks back home can't imagine life without an SUV or over-sized truck, but I think my general mood and especially my health have gotten so much better over the past year from this one change. I encourage anyone considering it to start out slow. Maybe try normal commutes 1-3 days per week and work up to an ultimate goal.
Stumbled across this fun video and glad I did. I'm going to get my poor, neglected, upright hybrid out and ride it! Instead of my titanium gravel or carbon road. Just for fun! It's the one I'd cry for least if it was stolen (I'm in a village in the UK and that stuff happens here, too). Question: is it usual in LA to have a huge workshop at home, but no laundry facilities?! By the way, here we say "pannier" to rhyme (sort of) with, um, manlier (as in...I am 'manlier' than him...)
11-51 cassettes are the best for commuting. Plenty of range to get up decent hills, and also room to run a big enough chain ring so you can cruise fast on the flats.
@@onedelacruz3660 I'm on 700C wheels with 35mm tires, and I run a 38T chain ring in a 1-by set up. I live in Hong Kong and we have a lot of hills, so I find I am very often riding in the biggest 2-3 cogs on the cassette. I think that is 39, 45 and 51. They'll get me up anything I need to climb, and I can carry quite a lot of gear. Cheers
good deal. I recently dug out my 1996 Performance mtb (yes, the shop bike brand of PerformanceBikes way back then) and ride it to the train station (to go to work) rather than using my car and paying for parking. *Your saddle height looks a bit low though (?)
I love this bike build. Those grips look great but don’t look like the ones in your parts list. Any chance you could share a link to the grips you ended up with?
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Remembering to ride for fun is really important imo. I've now gone full circle from crappy bike to nice road bike to wanting a cheap bike that I can ride places and lock with 0 fears of it getting stolen
The only solution is to get all the bikes 😜
@@MitchBoyer Yup I have 5 bikes. Quit my car for about 400 days now though. Rented a few times but way less than I expected. I haven't really missed it tbh, even though most of my life is in a circle as large as 130 km (diameter).
Even crappy bikes get stolen . That is the one downside of bikes. Bike thefts
@@Sirissssssright, people think that beater bikes are less likely to get stolen but nah, thieves would still steal a bike even if it had rust all over
@sonymicronin it's not less likely, it's less devastating.
Been living car free in Los Angeles for over a decade. My e-bike (vanmoof s3) is key, as well as my rear rack/basket. I've transported tons of huge loads all over the county, even as far as Orange and Ventura counties. For anyone considering ditching their car, don't let the car-brained doubters deter you! It's absolutely doable, even awesome at times. Zooming past all the schmucks stuck in traffic during rush hour every day gives me enormous pleasure.
💯
Upvoted for “schmucks” lol
Yeah. While I much prefer riding a regular bike on the flat, the hill I live on is just too much. I've been riding an old Raleigh steel frame bike lately that probably weighs 20kg (44lbs), if not more. Pushing it up the hill has me sweating like crazy and I'm tired of having to shower and change my clothes every time I get home from doing my weekly grocery shopping, so I'm going to be bringing my Engwe EP-2 Pro out of retirement soon. Got some big canvas pannier bags coming for it too, so I'll be able to carry more than I can with the cargo box thing I currently have on top of the rear rack.
@@EcchiVwV a nice modern city bike is great.
@@djkenny1202 Yeah. I've been using my dad's 18 speed hybrid bike for grocery getting recently and it's alright. Still gonna bring my e-bike back out in winter though.
This video is my sign. My name is also Mitch, I live in LA and I've been thinking about giving up my car for a while. I live in Downtown and pay an exorbitant amount of money to keep a car in a parking garage two blocks away 99.99% of the time. I work from home now and only really need my car to get to my parent's house once or twice a month out in the I.E.-everything I need is less than a mile away. I think It'll be cheaper in the long run if I just rented a car for those trips and did everything else via bicycle or public transit… but the idea of NOT having a car in LA feels somehow scary… Why is that?
Good luck Mitch! It’s hard to break up with a car in LA, but it’s possible. Let me know how it goes.
Don't be scared. La has weather you can ride in all the time. Only thing scary on a bike are motorists. Have to be incredibly alert to ride a bije
As a fellow LA area resident who loves road cycling and also yearns to live a less car dependent lifestyle, I feel like this video was made for me. You’d channel is a great one!
Thanks Jonah!
My car has been having issues, expensive ones, so I've been riding my bike for the last 2 months or so. I ride to work, grocery, laundry, cafes, pretty much everywhere. Kansas City is not flat, not at all, and I am so grateful I have a good ebike (Juiced CCX ST) it has made the experience totally doable. I've ridden through rain and hail, below freezing temps, and insane traffic. My most noticeable change is my mental health, I find myself feeling alive and wanting to do more every day, and do it happily.
Nice production Mitch. I cannot believe the % of ppl in the "spandex" crowd avoid using a bike for everyday life. Have a guy in our apt bldg who rides 6 hours every Sat/Sun,, very early morning, but won't ride a city bike 20min to his job in midtown Manhattan, bc in his words, it's "too scary."
Haha yeah I hear ya! Honestly it’s the best way to get around a city. I used to ride from Brooklyn to Soho for work and it was so much better than taking the subway.
@@MitchBoyer we live in SOHO, when you get back, do some NYC vids with your experience! good luck man
I agree, but to be completely fair lots of them from "spandex" crowd actually commute and go to other social stuff by bike. Sure some of them are only weekend riders but I know plenty that also do utility cycling.
Mitch, I just wanted to tell you how much I have been enjoying your channel since discovering it a week ago. Like the teaming millions, I started cycling during the pandemic to lose weight and I have enjoyed your "common man" approach to improving your skills on the bike. And seeing you ride the hills of Los Angeles takes me back: I was the staff photographer for the Griffith Observatory for a few years in the early 1990s. More rides up the Hollywood Hills, please!
Wow what a cool job! That must’ve been amazing. Thanks for watching Stephen!
Great content Mitch. Your bike is sick. I've been doing bike-as-car up here in Canada for about 7 years now and I've learned that it really is about getting that commuter bike to work well as a system. Having a way to carry all of the things you'd normally carry, in the weather you'd normally go out in, without having to worry about forgetting your lights, bell, tools and lock is a whole learning experience, and figuring out how to get your lifestyle to fit that new system takes a bit of adjustment but once you've got it everything seems to just fall into place, and then you get to say goodbye to traffic jams.
Totally agree. Just getting storage off your back and into a pannier or rack is a huge improvement in the quality of the commute.
I lived in LA for about 8 months, I had a car but mostly due to lack of money, I wound up biking (fixed gear) and taking the bus almost everywhere. I loved that the busses (unlike in NYC where I grew up and currently live) have bike racks on them. I was living in Culver City and would mostly bike or bus it to Westwood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Studio City. It was kind of insane when I think back about it, but I still don't believe people when they say you NEED a car there. You can totally get around if you budget the time for it. And now with E-bikes I feel like there's not a lot of excuses to not be using these alternative options. It really just kind of reduces the stress of the highway traffic. That being said driving in LA can be amazing!
As a Scandinavian I think its funny how in the US you have to customize an old bicycle to make it into a commuter bike. Here you just buy one.
Couple of summers ago I got a vintage bike(1978) for $20, put $50 in tyres and tubes, milk crate on the rear rack(factory) and it has been working like a dream.
Bullet proof coaster brake and in hub 3 speed gearing.
No need to buy $XXX in parts, everything was perfect from the factory. All bikes come with fenders, racks, bells, lights, etc.
I "dutched" my 30 year old MTB last year. I ride it everyday, and I went to the store today to get bread and bananas. You should get another pannier to go with the one you have to balance out the load. I have two to keep the weight even. I need to look into a front rake too. I just changed out the rear hub for a Eviolo 380 hub. Works great on hills and flats with a 24/17 combo.
I just recently moved to a bigger town where I can cycle to work, do errands and such without really needing my car. I took rediscovered that bikes are just fun, and not just 'type 2' fun as you say 😂. Congrats on giving it a proper go.
Been living car free in Chicago for over a year now. Whenever I need a car I’d just rent Zipcar. Less stress and expenses
I'm actually really digging the look of that bike as a commuter. I've been really attracted to classical looking bikes lately.
Thanks! I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Nolan did a great job 👏
i have a classic bicycle style.. with fenders and carrier
I'm so happy for you Mitch, I don't know you personally but been following your channel for about a year, and seeing you grow and get opportunities to travel doing the thing you love is wonderful. Thank you for sharing your experiences in cycling! As a cyclist myself, I really incorporated it within my busy life as much as I can too, most recently doing daycare pickup after work. It's a great way for me to bond with my daughter and keep my cardio in shape while not on my road bike.
Cheers from Vancouver BC, come visit sometime and I'll show you the wonderful biking we have here.
The bike doesn’t really need to replace your car, if it stops you from buying a second car and it reduces your use of your car it is beneficial. You will get more life out of your car and it will cost less to operate and you’ll have more fun.
I don't even like to ride my car. I ride my bike everyday even in the winter. I've been doing it for like years. I save a lot of money. I enjoy riding my old vintage road bikes on my mountain bikes wherever. The most I travel is about 14 miles. A mile and a half is not that far on a bike. You could add racks on your bike and you can also add backpack that's good storage cuz you could carry it on your back when you ride your bike.
I've found that doing laundry and using the cool cave pannier that you have is easy. I fold shirts in half and shove it in, no wrinkles. I also put laundry detergent in a small bottle so I don't have to take the whole jug. Super cool to watch your mini adventure!
Oh that’s a good tip, thanks!
I love that you tried this out. The type of bike, you made, is very common in Denmark. We call them city bikes or hybrid bikes.
As a 43 yo Dane who has never owned a car, I am giggling though: "Oh, 30 days, so impressive, well done" 🤭 On the other hand: 30 days in a country as car-centric as USA is probably impressive.
My car had a wildly odd issue and had to bike around for all of May. Taking my kids to school, grocery shopping, post office, etc. thankfully the PNW held out.
Now I just need to know if I should also quit my photo-related RUclips channel to start cycling more?
Great work. I built a commuter bike from a 90's 26er MTB with Dutch bars. It's the best of all worlds and serves me well to tackle the few hills in Melbourne, Aus
The retrobike community is amazing. Hope you bump into someone with a retrobike too!
Combining a bike with the bus bike rack here in in Seattle king county is amazing. Bus for inter city commute, and bike for inner city commute. Even as a student with a job I don’t feel the need to own a car, or even want, there way to expensive.
Kudos for trying Mitch. I have been living without a car, commuting by bike ever since moving out of my parents house here in Berlin, Germany. Visited LA recently, it's just a very different beast of a city. If I had to live there, I had a car, it's that simple :D
Haha yeah it’s a bummer the infrastructure isn’t better for biking here because the weather is (usually) perfect
Hey, did you have a look at all the different types of Dutch bicycles? Because i would recommend a cargo E bike. With a big cargo rack in the front to put a crate on, so its easy to put bags in without strapping!
Hi Mitch, I really love your videos, you are fun to watch, my girlfriend loved seeing your wife when choosing the bell for the bikes and seeing your dog. I quit my car over 15 years ago and have relied on bikes as my main transport ever since-across Canada, The Netherlands, Mexico, and the U.S. (last owned a car when I lived in Berkeley, CA). Your bike is fantastic-I absolutely love the idea of using mountain bike parts! The cassette, pedals, steel frame, quill stem, and anti angle grinder lock are all excellent choices.
That said, here are a few suggestions to make a future build even better as a car replacement:
1. Quick Release = Quick Theft - Quick-release skewers and seat clamps are easy targets. Bolt-ons or locking skewers (like Pitlock or Hexlox) are much more secure.
2. Dynamo Hub and Lights - Dynamo hubs are super reliable, especially in bad weather. They’re low-maintenance and always ready and make you visible.
3. Mudguards - Full-coverage fenders keep you dry and protect your bike in wet weather. They’re a must for commuting.
4. Front Rack Design - The front rack moves with the steering, so it’s not ideal for heavy loads. A frame made with slightly thicker steel tubes, with a fixed front rack design (or cargo options) could let you carry groceries, a dog, a child, or even an adult comfortably. Adding a sturdy rear rack would also boost versatility.
5. Tires - Billy Bonkers are fun, but tires like Schwalbe Marathon Plus or Continental Contact Urban are better for puncture protection and durability.
6. Brakes - Rim brakes might work for light loads, but if you’re carrying groceries, a dog, or a beloved passenger, you’ll want something way more reliable in the rain. Yes, theoretically you could replace the brake shoes with somehting better, such as the Kool-Stop Salmon Pads. However, you may also want a much stronger rim, as you know if your rim twists a bit, the rim will be rubbing against those brake pads. So instead, for reliable stopping power consider roller brakes.Yes they are inneficient, but they are low-maintenance and weatherproof and you are not competing with anyone to get to the laundromat. And if you are going to do that, then maybe you could try stronger rims, like the DT Swiss FR560.
Different bikes meet different needs-sometimes you need a cargo bike, sometimes a folding bike, and sometimes a beater bike you can lock for days near public transport. Get the right bikes for each situation, and you’ll never need a car again! It's fun to watch your videos. I hope these comments are useful. You can carry almost anyting with a bike. You can find me on X at @presuntoc.
This video is so relevant to me. I'm currently fixing up my Dads 1989 Specialized Hardrock, I also plan on putting a bike rack on mine so I can take my doxie on rides!
Mitch "Hey I can ride my bike to the shop for a month, so much more environmentally friendly...". Also Mitch "Hey I'm just back from a trip where I flew to Australia, New Zealand, Bolivia...".
Been looking forward to this one Mitch! Love the restomod bike. I am fortunate to live with AMAZING bike infrastructure here in Portland, OR - and last July we ditched the car for a whole month (me AND the spouse) we also quit amazon for the month just to force us to try and shop and buy local some. Amazon is back (try to do one order a month, and only things we cannot get easily) and the car... well, its now only for heavy or long or extreme weather conditions. Bummed to hear the atmospheric river impacted your 30 days, but in LA, I am guessing "get the gear" is a foolish expenditure. I have rain pants, shoe covers, waterproof socks, a visio 360 raincoat and a shakedry hat under my helmet. I wore most of that this morning for the kid's school drop off on the ebike (kids are heavier than laundry so we totally went ebike) Also - I am SHOCKED to hear you do as much road riding as you do without a bell. Highly recommend installing that incredibell (I have one, its great) on the BMC. I have mine mounted on the left hand side on the inside of the drops, so I can easily flick in on the hoods or drops. Especially as fast as you probably approach peds and other bikers! It won't kill that many watts nor aero.
That’s awesome to hear Chris! Sounds like a great life you’ve built up for yourself 🎉
what makes a dutch bike a dutch bike is dynamo lights, racks, and mudguards(and maybe a coaster hub)
I purchased the same bell as you did. Much too expensive (abount ten times than the cheap ones) and very delicate.
Once my bike fell over it was broken and there was no way to repair it. I prefer bells that ring and are more robust.
Most of the cheaper ones do a good job.
I converted my MTB to a practically a dutch bike. Put Gravel Bars on it, Rear carriers, and two big panniers. Now I can take it to work everyday, do groceries, laundries, and travel to different coffee shops in my area. Its a great change for me. been doing it for 7 months now.
Haha, it's actually funny there's a video like this. It's very normal way of living in the Netherlands.. doing commute, groceries etc with a bike usually under 20km/12miles. Only the biggest difference is that dutch normal road bikes usually have a coaster brakes and no gears. I do have 3 gears and a coaster brake but its more luxery than a neccesity. Most of us also have a bit larger transport rack on the front, but what you have is also common. Fun to see this in an American context, you would do very well in the Netherlands! Only you wont see Jack Black at the traffic lights here. ;)
I’ll keep an eye out as a fellow east LA bike commuter. That extending rack is amazing, and that pannier bucket seems like an amazing set it and forget it option! Really nice build.
See you on sunset!
I live without a car in Albuquerque, NM. I ride my brakeless fixed gear bike as a daily commuter. I chose to work at a grocery store to save me an extra trip to the store. It's not easy but boy does it feel SO good. And the bragging rights are an added bonus, LMAO!
Very good of you. Getting exercise everyday and saving a lot of money.
Great video. I can relate to being a level 99 hermit with WFH as well. Looks way chiller to get around than being stuck in LA traffic.
🤝
Great vid! Enjoy your channel.
Nice to see you discover that riding a bike doesn't need to always be about performance. It's a joy that existed long before power meters, strava, or di2 (though they all have a place) :)
dutch bike (in my opinion):
- costs about as much as the lock it's tied down with
- enclosed chain
- coaster brake
- lamps cheap enough to be left on the bike at all times
- some cargo capacity
- mudguards
it's not about the handlebar
you should look into european postman's bicycles, they look fugly but are a pretty sweet deal for what they are (short gears, enclosed chain, 1-200 pounds of cargo capacity all for 3-400 dollars perhaps although shipping might be a bit pricy)
Thanks for watching, Mark. I’d love to get one of those cargo bikes in the future!
In England today anything that isn't screwed down and locked with a £150 lock will be stolen. I don't even have a bicycle lock as I never let my bicycle out of my sight or that of a trusted friend when I'm out riding. Even trash bicycles are stolen
@@Honkawsuzyamal bike should cost less than the lock and you should be prepared to change parts for vandalism. if you lock the wheels and the frame, it's not your bike that's going to be the one stolen, but the one next to it that's easier to steal. i lived in fulham although i know it's not the worst neighbourhood, this was my experience. cheap mountain bike, u lock and a cable for the front wheel, price of the bike about 50 pound, price of locks about 150. locking wheel skewers were still discouraging at the time.
@@Honkawsuzyamal now with little folding electric scooters, last mile transport is much more elegant i think. no need for the bike. i haven't tried these, but they look good to me.
@@markifi Electric scooters are not allowed on trains in UK since last June. Electric bicycles are allowed at the moment
Great content Mitch. Riding in LA was a great experience when I was living there. I lived in Marina Del Rey and had access to a lot of great rides. I even once rode 96 miles to Disneyland and back from the beach.
That’s awesome! Lots of great bike pitches down by the beach. I wish the east side had more infrastructure like that
Not many people would know that
2:58 for dog, its better to tie a milk crate to front handlebar using zip ties, and carry your dog in front. you can put a blanket inside the milk crate so be comfortable for dog. very easy
Awesome video! I have a Trek Allant S7 Plus, and I live vehicle-free during the warmer months here in Southeast Idaho. I also have a Burley CoHo XC trailer for my bigger loads and when I want to go camping. For obvious reasons, I do drive in the winter because the ice is just too dangerous to pedal on. Thanks for the inspiration.
Honestly fascinating to see you learn stuff like 'oh hey maybe a bell is useful' haha. I'm Dutch so to me that's like saying 'oh hey turn signals on cars are pretty useful!' I don't know if it's even legal to not have a bell on your bike here.
I've lived my entire life (28 years) only using bikes and public transport (and sitting in my dads car a couple of times a year), so to me doing groceries on a bike is the most normal thing in the world, but those roads honestly look terrifying and I don't think I'd cycle there, so props for doing this.
About the bike itself...
I see you don't have 'spatborden', I don't know what they're called in English, but they're those metal parts installed over the top of your tires so that if you ride through a puddle you don't splash up a ton of water or mud onto yourself. Would recommend.
That 'panier' thing that you have... I would absolutely 100% not use that. Someone on a scooter can just ride past you and grab your backpack and it's gone, along with whatever you have in there. I know several people who got their stuff stolen that way. Generally it also makes you panic-grab at the scooter, and then you fall over and really hurt yourself.
And what if it rains? Don't you get a puddle in your 'panier'? Why is just kinda like a plastic bucket? Why would you use that instead of the Dutch version, which is a lot more spacious, more flexible, and you can close them with those plastic buckle thingies.
And don't you want to distribute the weight evenly among the left and right side of your bike? I do groceries for 5 adults for a week and stuff it all in my bike bags, sometimes hanging another grocery bag or two on the steer. That sh!t is seriously heavy, and I absolutely could not manage if the weight wasn't at least balanced evenly.
So yeah the decision to get a plastic bucket attached to the side of your bike instead of getting actual bike bags is pretty baffling to me.
Also your bike looks very uncomfortable to ride (at least to me). Why is the saddle up so high compared to the steer? Or I guess why is the steer down so low? Aren't you constantly hunched over? I've had a bike like yours and absolutely hated that.
Or maybe it's actually fine if you're either A, not going far, or B, doing mountainbiking. I did 15 km a day (about 10 miles, to school and back, that's pretty average for Dutch teenagers) in Amsterdam on one of those hunching bikes, and that really wasn't great for me, so now when I see a bike like that I'm like 'oh no... why would you do that to yourself?'
I mean, doesn't hunching like that impede your ability to look backwards over your shoulder to look for traffic? In my experience, sitting upright makes that a lot quicker and less strenuous, and you can turn further and see more. Your bike just really doesn't look like a city bike.
IMO omafiets all the way, they rock :)
As a fellow Dutchman I agree with all of this. Except for his posture, which I think is fine. I got used to the hunched way of sitting on my bike because of my racing bike. I do prefer a tad straighter handlebars on my daily bike rather than the typical oldschool Dutch style. But yeah, I think a bell is actually obligatory here in NL, and because of the rain, wet leaves and other junk on the road it’s necessary to have mudguards on the bike. I can imagine with LA being a lot more dry it’s not as important to have mudguards, but still better than getting splashed from all sides if it does rain or snow.
Yes Americans have a lot to learn about about properly using bicycles as everyday transport.
Definitely agree that it's important to ride just for the fun of it occasionally. No need to worry about power or heart rate, so freeing!
🙌🙌
Bicycles should always be the first choice of transport before getting in your car. You don’t get stuck in traffic or need to worry about where you will park or pay for it. You can usually lock up right outside your destination so that can take minutes off your journey if you’re unable to park close by. Even for longer journeys it can be surprising that there’s not a lot of difference in journey times and if there’s traffic in a town or city then a bicycle will usually be faster, check it on Google maps and set the time of your journey!
it is interesting seeing people doing these challenges. I have never owed a car and doing this is absolutely normal eveyrday thing for me. But I am lucky enough to live in UK or in the past in Sweden where this can be easily done. yay to nice infrastructure.
Dude I’m so jealous of your infrastructure. I lived in NYC for 8 years and it’s hard to deal with how spread out LA is sometimes. The bike makes it a little better.
@@MitchBoyer I was in Gothenburg, Sweden and it was cyclists dream! Cambridge now is good but not as good.
I went car-free 6 years ago and it took about 30 days to adjust. I mostly bicycle, but there's also decent transit where I live, so I have more options than most people living in the US. It was a bit of a leap of faith, but adjusting was mostly a matter of being willing to learn new things. Where are the good bike lanes? Where can I get a good rack and panniers? When/where does the bus go? It's a world that is pretty invisible if you're car-dependent, and it takes a month or so to let go of the "I'll just drive" habit.
Like Mitch, I've found that doing errands by bike is a great excuse to get out of the house, and I almost always feel better after riding than I did before.
You can do laundry pretty easily at home with a large heavy duty plastic basin, a clothes washing plunger, and a spin dryer. I completed full loads quickly and easily with the basins set in my bathtub. And once spin dried I laid them out around my apartment to dry for a few hours. Did it for 11 years before I moved to a place with in unit washer and dryer.
I'm so envious of a bike-oriented infrastructure. I hope the US can actually change
Yes! So good. Glad the bike is still holding up.
It’s holding strong! Thanks again dude 🙏
Great to catch up on your videos Mitch! I loved this video as it reminded me of my own journey of making my old road bike into a workhorse (groceries, hauling the kid, etc.). You're absolutely right about the enjoyment when it's more of a relaxed ride. Curious to know what system you have in place to 'hang' the bikes in the closet...
Hey Nik! Awesome to hear you had a similar journey with your old road bike. I’m using the Teal Triangle stand for my bikes. You can see it in action in my “Beginner Tries To Build A Bike Workshop” video
Beautiful bike for the city! I love it. And beautiful weather! :) I commute to work by bike as much as possible, but we have 4 months of winter here (Prague, Czech Republic) and especially darkness from around 4 in the afternoon, that's too much for me :(
Yes, winters are long, dark and cold in CZ. Maybe you should buy an Azub recumbent trike? When there is black ice on the road, you will not fall on the street. Azub is Czech brand, so feel proud.
I never understood the "I work to afford a car that I need to take me to work" attitude. I live in Germany (ironically in the city that Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach invented the combustion engine in) and never owned a car. For almost 10 years now I use the bike for almost everything. I don't even use public transport. For the occasional trips to IKEA I use Carsharing. Works pretty well for me. I will never understand my colleagues that arrive stressed at work because they were part of a traffic jam. I look foreward to riding my bike every morning and start my working day relaxed. Oh, and I'm faster as with car or public transport. So, keep on riding!
same here bro. The thought of leaving my bike out while I grocery shop gives my heart SO much pain and panic-attack. Very inspiring. Subscribed. Question, would you use your bike now for everything going forward (like u did for 30 days)? We are bike commuters and love it.
Hahahaha 5:20 “How deflating is that?” Brutal!
Gotta love New Zealanders’ humor 😂
Whoa! 5:23 Hillary Barry even! Congrats on your climb, hope you enjoyed NZ!
Oh you’re gonna love the full video haha. NZ was incredible!
Hi Mitch! Been following your channel since your printing days and now cycling. Learned a lot then, learning a lot now. Always enjoyed your videos, past and present. Keep it up!
Thanks dude!
Those old 90's steel mountain bikes make great touring bikes. I like the handlebars you put on. You might want to look into a porteur rack on the front. Then you will have the next best thing to a cargo bike.
As a mediocre bicycle rider slash mom who has no car and at some moment had the only coin-op laundy about 20min biking from home _uphill_, I give you a round of applause :)
Honestly, at these rough times we used the kids' trailer to fit in all our laundry (for the family of 4), and the kindergartener who had to be dropped off at school along the way. Yes, having a café or something close to the laundry is a win-win :)
Great video Mitch! Polished and well produced. Looking forward to when Queensland ‘gets ya’ 😂
😂😂 thanks Cam!
Just discovered your channel. Love what you did with that old Specialized. Utility and fun are important too.
Love your content! You inspired me to buy my first gravel bike, a 2021 Giant Revolt 2. I still have it and love it so far.
Maybe I’ll end up back in L.A. soon (I work in healthcare). Cheers!
Try out the earth breeze laundry detergent sheets. You won’t have to lug those big jugs of heavy liquid detergent with you. Plus they mail them at whatever interval you choose and eliminates those big plastic jugs going to the landfill.
This video is honestly really sad. After living car free for 2 years outside of the us, it is baffling to see what is considered "normal." That bike you had made is super sick, though.
It is still cool though. But yes. Here in Berlin for example almost everyone is using the bike or the puplic transportations. To see him „going to do groceries on a bike“ as an experiment is pretty weird to me 🤓
Really enjoyed your videos Mitch especially all these little twist at the middle of your content.😊 Looking forward to more. From this Filipino guy living in Wales, UK. Btw Hills in Wales are steep you should visit them.
Thanks Rami! I definitely want to go to Wales sometime soon
Nice. I'd definitely want a sprung beach cruiser saddle on it though. That's the first thing I put on all of my bikes. Maybe I'm just turning into an old man, but comfort comes first for me.
I got lost in power data focused riding for the longest time, then got a track frame, built that up, loved biking again, then went to the local velodrome and killed the fun side of fixed riding. Now I've got a 90's mountain bike for getting groceries and I just love riding that thing.
Biking is super fun. I only use my car to get to work, about 12 miles away with ONLY a highway in between. On my days off, I use my ebike for grocery shopping, visiting family/friends, going out to restaurants. It's not bad really.
Hi Mitch! I'm from Indonesia. I am very happy and inspired by your videos. It turns out that by cycling we can do many things such as delivering goods, carrying laundry clothes and others. How about the wheel size and the size of your Dutch bike tires, what size are they ?
Thanks Ben! The wheels are 26” wheels from Tokyo Bike and the tires are the Schwalbe Billy Bonkers. I believe they’re 2.1” if I remember correctly.
Fourteen years ago I didn't have the money to fix my car, so instead I bought a new Diamondback Hybrid bicycle from Amazon. It took me some time to figure out how to have dry clothes when I got to work. Moving to a different job much further away I used city bus bicycle racks for most of the miles. I didn't miss my car except during cold wet windy days. Now I am retired and got me a shiny new Biktrix dual battery E-Bike. No more whining about hills and wind. Cold and rain is still with me, though being in Florida, cold doesn't last too long. My only transportation is my E-Bike and my old bicycle for back up. Florida has some beautiful multi-use paved trails, but most of the streets could be more bike friendly and safer. I mostly shop stores that care enough to have secure bike racks. Hopefully, cargo bikes will become more popular and prompt more people to to leave their gas hogs at home. That's my 2 cents.
nice video, spent a good minute confused trying to figure out if 0:34 was LA or brisbane
Haha good eye!
Mitch, just found your channel and that video. I am German and we maybe have a different approach to traffic here :D ... My wife is riding her bike all the time. We have about 25 to 35 °F right now and she keeps commuting. Anyway she is riding a Riese and Müller Load 4 which is - in my terms - the bike equivalent to a F150 or Dodge RAM. So to point that our we traded an entire car for a cargo bike and in a city it is just dope. However I just love your 2nd life retro mountaincargobike.
It always surprises me that so few American bikes have mudguards (fenders).
Here in England, we hardy band of bicycle-commuters and regular urban-cyclists think that a bicycle is incomplete without them because you never know when the weather is going to change.
My regular go-anywhere-do-anything-bike (Ridgeback Urban) has mudguards, Schwalbe Marathon tyres, rear rack, and lights fitted all year round. It's solid and reliable and can cope with pretty much anything you are likely to find out there, either off-road or on tarmac. 🚴♂️
Great video! I built up a Surly Straggler last year with a mish mash of used and high-end parts to get me around everyday (no car) and to have as an occasional gravel spinner. BIG difference to my Specialized S Works Tarmac that sits underneath a blanket in my room not getting ridden due to having a new born though. All of this to say, I am actively trying to sell the Tarmac as the fun level is genuinely through the roof with the steel tank. I get fatigued less as I am not trying to sprint everything, I have more fun exploring and of course riding to work. I don't think I'll be going back to a carbon machine but I understand the performance and speed factors are for real (I do miss sprinting at 40kph/h around Paris haha!). I hope you find more fun in your everyday biking needs! Cheers 😁
Sounds like a fun bike! Thanks Cameron!
Hi! I recently got into commuting with a bicycle in Singapore(not very cycle friendly but it kinda works out) and I really like your rack that has expandable wings for large cargo. Can you share a purchase link where i can buy it? Thanks!! 5:29
I've never been able to drive, due to bad vision. So,I ride a bike to do things every day. That's a nice bike you have, but you should install a basket on the front. Wald, makes some good ones.
It's PAN-nee-er. No need to worry about the French accent in this case. Back in the day the railways in the UK churned out thousands of pannier tank locomotives for yard switching and light rail use, without the slightest hint of French pronunciation. Awesome video, thoroughly enjoyed it. Good insight on LA as well. Chicago has lost almost all its neighborhood laundromats because laundry rooms in apartment buildings or even in the units have become so ubiquitous. And we don't even have the excuse of hills -- place is as flat as a pancake.
Thanks!
I turned my old Hardrock into a communter bike and it works fairly well. It is also so old I doublt anyone would steal it. I have limited safe bike routes but I can do grocery shopping and several other tasks without driving.
So what you have here is deemed an “xbike”, a bike with something eXtra.
This would be the perfect build for it not for the V brakes, I hate them. I’m a diehard Canti fan, or discs
Thanks for making this video, it’s empowering to see others do what I’ve committed to doing myself.
In 2022 I sold my only car (SUV) and commute completely by bike and on occasion, my scooter.
Initially this was difficult, but it gets easier once you figure out the logistics. I have a large chromebag when I go grocery shopping, I use a JackTheBikeRack when I switch between bikes, I also have a 90s MTB turned fun bike/xbike/commuter, it’s such a sweet ride.
There are moments when it sucks and I think it’s worth pointing out those aspects. When it rains, when it gets windy, too cold (I live in the Midwest), and of course too hot.
It is as you touched on, fun, and the fun never ends as I’ve doing it for about a year.
I don’t miss the cost of registration, gasoline, insurance, & repairs. If I need a vehicle to haul something I rent a pickup truck at a local hardware store, or we take my wife’s car for smaller hauling.
My commute is about 4 miles, I realize not everyone can do this, but if you’re within 5 miles, I highly recommend you give it a go for an month, you’ll notice an improving your attitude if nothing else.
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The ground you covered in Silverlake is commendable, either hills or major thoroughfares and you took on both.
Yes! Stay the end of every video! Great work. Love the videos, the stories, and my Bombas! ☺️
Watched the Bike Sauce build video first last week, so was looking forward to your one, which didn’t disappoint. 👌🏻
Also, don’t fret over the new video upload timing. Life happens, especially when you’re trying to make and edit new content. We’ll all still be here when you do upload next. 👍🏻
Thanks, Peter! Appreciate you, dude!
glad you (re)discover the 'riding a bike is fun' level 1! riding a bike SHOULD be fun 🥳
I know LA where you shot this video pretty damn well...nice to see my old home area represented.
You're a better cyclist than me to pedal the LA River path. LOL
Thanks for sharing 🍺
Hey what rear rack is that, I've been looking for one exactly like that, that can be "expandable"
I ride an ebike as my primary transport. Racks help a lot grocery shopping. I have a seat on the rear rack to carry my kids works great.
lol I did the same thing. Took my sisters bike from the 90s, tuned it up, and now Im riding around town. Granted Im near DC so its easier than LA.
I moved from the car-dependent rural areas of North Mississippi to downtown Minneapolis for the express reason of living a car-free lifestyle. A year in through a rough Minnesota winter and I don't regret my decision one bit. The folks back home can't imagine life without an SUV or over-sized truck, but I think my general mood and especially my health have gotten so much better over the past year from this one change. I encourage anyone considering it to start out slow. Maybe try normal commutes 1-3 days per week and work up to an ultimate goal.
G’Day from Toowoomba QLD. I look forward to going down under videos. 😎 bike btw I have a banana bike single speed 17/48t and it is my fav bike
Stumbled across this fun video and glad I did. I'm going to get my poor, neglected, upright hybrid out and ride it! Instead of my titanium gravel or carbon road. Just for fun! It's the one I'd cry for least if it was stolen (I'm in a village in the UK and that stuff happens here, too).
Question: is it usual in LA to have a huge workshop at home, but no laundry facilities?!
By the way, here we say "pannier" to rhyme (sort of) with, um, manlier (as in...I am 'manlier' than him...)
What racks are you using?
11-51 cassettes are the best for commuting.
Plenty of range to get up decent hills, and also room to run a big enough chain ring so you can cruise fast on the flats.
It’s been incredible! So glad Nolan recommended it.
And what crankset pls?
@@onedelacruz3660 Shimano Deore Cranks with a Wolf Tooth 38t chainring
@@MitchBoyer thanks man
@@onedelacruz3660 I'm on 700C wheels with 35mm tires, and I run a 38T chain ring in a 1-by set up.
I live in Hong Kong and we have a lot of hills, so I find I am very often riding in the biggest 2-3 cogs on the cassette. I think that is 39, 45 and 51. They'll get me up anything I need to climb, and I can carry quite a lot of gear.
Cheers
This is t first video of yours that I have watched I have thoroughly enjoyed it I was wondering which saddle do you have on that bike it looks lovely
Amazing, well done...👍 I have a Charge Plug setup in the same way. The car hardly moves these days 😁
good deal. I recently dug out my 1996 Performance mtb (yes, the shop bike brand of PerformanceBikes way back then) and ride it to the train station (to go to work) rather than using my car and paying for parking. *Your saddle height looks a bit low though (?)
Love the challenge - biking to the laundromat tip: get detergent pods 😊
@MitchBoyer, you should totally do the Taiwan KOM since you love to find challenge climb!
I love this bike build. Those grips look great but don’t look like the ones in your parts list. Any chance you could share a link to the grips you ended up with?
What kind of rear rack did you put on the bike. I am in the market.
It’s the sunlite fliptop rack ✌️
the tyres have interesting profiles
New Zealand :) look forward to seeing video