On selling my car and commuting by bicycle

Several months ago, I sold my car. Not only did I sell it; I resolved not to buy a new one. My new means of transportation would be a bicycle and the city buses. This decision was inspired by a coworker of mine (Sam) who once did the same thing. I carefully weighed the pros and cons of this:

Pros

• It's cheaper (even if I spent 18 USD/mo on a bus pass, and 100 USD in occasional taxi rides, not paying for car insurance, parking, and gas easily tipped the scale)
• I'd get more excersize.
• I'd have a significantly lower negative impact on the environment.

Cons

• Limited dating potential. Taking a date someplace special gets tricky. Additionally, surveyed female sample groups are generally less attracted to men who don't own cars.
• Can't make spontaneous travel decisions. Going anywhere more than a few miles away requires planning and time to get there
• Rainy days are going to be that much worse. Waiting for a bus in the rain isn't fun, and less so is riding a bike in it.
• Longer commute to work means having to wake up earlier.

There were a lot of cons, but in the end, the pros won out. Espcially the money issue. Not only would I be saving myself about 200 USD a month, I would have a large chunk of change from the car sale to invest in a really comfortable bicycle and my savings activities.

It's almost been a year, and I love it. Getting into work after a 7-mile hilly morning ride feels great. On the dating front, while my options have been constrained, I've grown comfortable with the "love me, love my bike" attitude... and if worse comes to worse, you can rent a car. Admittedly, I'm lucky to be doing this in a city with many biking communities and at least some level of biking culture. This calibre of lifestyle change will be different for different people in different cities and different work situations.

I'll close with some tips for anyone wanting to do something like this:

• Don't be afraid to spend a lot of money on a bike. Comfortability is key. You will be riding this bike a lot.
• You may be a commuter, but one of those single-speed "commuter" bikes may not be appropriate for you if you live in a hilly area.
• If you're under 25, renting a car is expensive. Cabs are often cheaper for one-off roundtrips.
• Cancel your car insurance the day you sell your car. Remember that you should grab that additional liability insurance option whenever you rent a car now because you're no longer covered.
• Store your favourite local taxi service's # in your mobile phone.
• Buy fenders for your bike if you don't already have them. This makes rain-biking less annoying.
• Equip your bike with forward and rear LED lighting for dark mornings or nights.
• Recumbent and crank-forward bikes make for a really comfortable commute or trek, but don't consider them if you plan on occasionally mounting your bike on a city bus; they won't fit.
• Consider a health insurance plan if you aren't already subscribed to one. Your risk of personal injury significantly increases once you become a bike commuter. A dental plan wouldn't be a stretch either.