Lee-Mon's Epic Website

An epic rant on transportation

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When writing my story about The car, I got really carried away and ended up writing about public transport, why I think cars are a dumb purchase, and then I finished it by writing about my bicycle, alongside my opinion on mountain bikes for riding around the city. I decided to split it into two articles, so that each topic gets its own chance to shine.

Ignore that I'm photosensitive, and let's say I wanted a car now. How could it ever be worth it to significantly increase my monthly spending, in exchange for a bit of comfort that's never truly there? I would still have to do the driving myself! I'm sure that ordering a ride that puts me right outside my house, every single day, would be far cheaper in the long run, and it would still be a gross waste of money when I can just use the public transport system, or hell, ride a bike instead.

The problems don't end there either. What if some self-righteous government starts another unnecessary war in the middle east? Now my fuel prices have tripled. Come on, I was barely scraping by already! That's not all though, as the price of fuel also determines the price of everything else! Food, car maintenance, my clothing, even my bills! I don't own a car and I'm still getting shafted!

What if someone scratches my paint, or rear-ends me at a stop? What if someone breaks into my car and steals something? What if I just crash for whatever reason? Now I must send it off for repairs. Lots of paperwork to fill, insane amounts of money to pay, and now I must take a loan because I had to spend it all on that stupid car. Back to public transport!

Driving everywhere would condition me to a sedentary lifestyle, which comes with its own slew of problems. I don't really want to reach 50 years old being a complete wreck, but far too many people ignore this seemingly hidden cost.

What about the cost of parking, or the time spent washing the car? It doesn't seem worth it to me.

I still think owning a car is justified for some people, such as those hauling entire families, or those who use it for work, but if you're only using the car to commute to work or pick up groceries, I think it's a total waste of money, time, and life. I order some of my groceries online once a month for a small fee, and walk to the store for the rest, so why can't you?

I mourn for those of you who are forced to drive, where the alternative is to be completely isolated from society.

In my city, the quality of public transport has improved ridiculously since 2007. A new bus system was installed that year, complete with new machines, new bus routes, and the ability to pay with a card. However, all of a sudden, it became impossible to cross the entire city with one bus ride, so people rightfully complained, but the quality of each ride improved so much that the old buses seemed barbaric in comparison. In response to people's complaints, not long after the new bus system began functioning, they implemented the ability for people to take up to 3 buses, or two buses and one metro ride, while paying a single fare, all within two hours. New lines are still being introduced today in response to demand.

The old "yellow buses" that we used to have were convenient in the sense of the distance traveled, but they were absolutely horrible to ride. Rattly windows, uncomfortable and dangerous seats, obnoxiously high levels of noise and pollution. Careless drivers, races between buses of the same line, refusal to stop at determined bus stops, or even stopping at completely random places. Constant attacks on drivers to steal their earned money. Murders. Accidents of all kinds, even people falling off buses due to them driving with the doors open. If you were bound to a wheelchair, you were totally screwed. It was the jungle.

Nowadays, a large portion of the active fleet in Santiago has transitioned to modern electric buses, built to be convenient and accessible even to people on wheelchairs or moms with their strollers. Charging ports and Wi-Fi are available for those who need them. Air conditioning works most of the time, and it appears most buses have windows. Drivers range from true professionals, to wannabe racing pilots, to stupid boneheads who don't give a shit. Fares are high compared to the overall cost of life; it would be an absolutely fair price for the quality, but most people earn molasses for their hard work, so many resort to dodging the fare. The cost of two fares a day, multiplied up to a month's worth of traveling, is around 10-15% of minimum wage.

Unfortunately, my country is way too centralized, so these improvements aren't present elsewhere. In Viña del Mar, for example, the buses are very reminiscent of the terrible yellow buses we used to ride in Santiago 20 years ago. I unfortunately know nothing of other cities, but I don't expect much.

My experience has been largely positive as I've chosen to ride a bicycle again. I bought a mountain bike in December 2024, spent a month getting back in shape after almost 10 years of no riding, and then started commuting to work. I averaged 4 rides and 100 km a week, taking the bus the other days. The money I saved on transport fares was useful for improving my bike and making it nicer to commute with, though over time I started to realize that I had made the wrong choice of bicycle. More on that later.

The main improvements I experienced on myself were becoming much more fit, and having way better mood in general. I also had more time at night due to my commute back home being only half an hour long, instead of 1 hour. My eating habits improved and I became more conscious of what I was putting in my system. I would arrive to work in a great mood and with lots of energy, instead of completely drained after two long bus rides.

The freedom of a bicycle encouraged me to get out there and see new places that I wouldn't otherwise see. I managed to lose some weight as I kept sustaining my efforts, and over time, I noticed great improvement in my ability to cover long distances in less time.

Cycling also encouraged me to be more social, as a bike ride is a really good thing to do with a friend. I never actually went out with anyone, but the option was always there, and just talking about cycling in general was really nice. The different customizations one can do are also really fun.

Mountain bikes are all-rounders, they excel off-road but are not the best for the city. One of the largest disadvantages of them is all the extra bells and whistles in the form of suspension, geometry, and the range of gears, while also being fitted with knobby tires. All of these features are great for off-road riding but are totally unnecessary for the city, unless your roads are in terrible condition. Overall, you can't go wrong with one, but if you're not really planning on riding on the dirt, you're better off with a different type of bicycle. Fortunately, many models exist for all sorts of riding.

Suspension is useful for cushioning your landing after you take a jump, or after you ride into a pothole that you didn't see coming. For most city riding, it's not that necessary, and if your suspension fork doesn't have a lock mechanism, you'll end up losing a lot of your pedaling force, since the suspension will absorb it, particularly during climbs.

The geometry of a mountain bike is more relaxed in order to allow the rider more space to absorb a landing, which is especially enhanced by a dropper post (retractable saddle tube). For city riding, this geometry leaves you with less space for fitting a bag or other items in there, and perhaps it could change the way you ride the bike. I don't think it's that huge of a deal, as long as the bike fits you.

The gearing of a mountain bike is tailored to off-road riding, so it'll have a very large low end but not much of a high end. That means your top speed will suffer, and in my opinion, having too low gears available might discourage you from attempting higher efforts when riding around the city. A city bike with multiple gears will typically have a range suitable for both slow and fast riding on flat terrain, at the cost of increased maintenance.

As for slick tires, they perform better than knobby tires in the city, because they have lower rolling resistance and they grip the pavement much better. This translates into a more stable ride with less effort. Perhaps your typical random dude will tell you that slicks are slippery and a really bad idea, especially in the rain, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Knobby tires will roll slower and require a larger effort from the rider, and because they're unable to grip the pavement, they cannot offer better traction than slicks.

This great article by the late Sheldon Brown explains tires and their mechanics in detail. The section "Tread patterns" will explain why you don't want knobby tires for city riding.

I sold my mountain bike after the accident where I broke my knee, and I know for a fact that it's being put to great use. My current one is a simple, single-speed bicycle, which is really nice for city riding. I bought it in June this year, and it was supposed to arrive in August, but it came in 2 months earlier than expected. My knee isn't fully healed yet, but I can ride it with little issue.

I chose this bicycle because I want something that's low maintenance and everything-proof. I spent quite some time researching single-speed bikes and frame materials, and looking for alternatives. I settled with this one, as it offers the best balance of features for a great price, while also being beautiful and customizable. The frame is made of steel, which is heavier than aluminium but more repairable in case of a breakage. I was surprised to see that the grips are the same ones I chose for my previous bike (really nice ones), and the saddle seemingly being of good quality and chosen carefully for the model. I don't love the tires since I prefer slicks, but these are serviceable until I can swap them. I'm considering swapping the handlebar for a road bike one, so I have more positions to put my hands in.

I plan on turning this bike into a great commuter, fitting it with fenders and a rear rack, complete with panniers on either side. I want to install a rear brake so I have a fallback in case the front one fails, and also to pull off some sick skids. These improvements will cost as much as the bike itself, but they'll be absolutely worth it. Obviously, I'll fit it with a rubber chicken too, as soon as I remember to buy one.

It could be for any reason. Of course, some of it is pure conformism, but I don't think it's the biggest factor. As a cyclist myself, I think a big disincentive is the lack of infrastructure. We do have lots of bike lanes, but most of them are around the richer, less populous areas of the city. Elsewhere, people take to riding on the streets or the sidewalks, both posing danger. Drivers nowadays seem to be more respectful towards cyclists as a whole, but there's still the occasional idiot. I've been fortunate to only run into morons a few times. In fact, I consider it more common to find an idiot cyclist than an idiot car driver.

Even if we had bike lanes everywhere, the problem of parking also comes into play. Stealing a bicycle is trivial in most cases, and thieves aren't uncommon here. Without proper security and parking infrastructure, it's hard to justify taking your bike to places if you don't know it's gonna be there the next time you check.

The law imposes limits on where and how cyclists can ride. If a bike lane is available, you must go there. If there is not, you go into the street, rightmost lane, and cars must keep their distance when overtaking, though not all do. If there's a bus lane on the right, then I think you're supposed to stay between it and the second lane, which seems dangerous. If the street is deemed too dangerous to ride on, you can go on the sidewalk, but you must respect the priority of pedestrians, which most people don't. Everyone must ride with a helmet and lights on, but most people don't.

I think the limits mandated by the law are a disincentive to new cyclists. Sure, helmets are essential safety and everyone should wear them, but I don't think most cycling warrants the use of one, and even then, the increased cost of entry for new cyclists only serves as a deterrent to anyone wishing to pick up a bike. Imagine having to get all geared up just so you can take a leisurely stroll around the block, or to pick up some stuff at the store. A regular bicycle helmet doesn't protect you from everything anyway, particularly if you squeeze your brakes a bit too hard and end up faceplanting.

What about distance? I learned by biking to work that this is also an important factor. My commute is 13 km on a slight grade, so it's a sizable effort if you're not accustomed to it. My work provides showers, but what if it didn't? I'd be doomed to sitting in a pool of sweat for a while, and most likely stinking throughout most of the day. Nope, not happening. Tragically, there's still people who have to cross the whole city, or even commute from outside the metropolitan area to get to work. It's either public transport or car, and the public transport isn't always there, or it's not frequent enough to guarantee a timely, comfortable ride.

I recognize that this article sounds overly negative on some fronts, but I really do appreciate the evolution of my city as I've grown up. I don't like the prevalence of cars, but I think that's a symptom of a bigger problem. Still, I think that people should be free to choose the alternative that better suits their lifestyle, whether that's a car, a bicycle, a motorbike, an electric scooter, or just taking the bus.

On that note, nowadays we can enjoy a much larger variety of transportation methods, with electric mobility being my favorite. I considered an electric scooter at some point, but due to fateful events, I didn't end up acquiring one. I don't find them comfortable now, but lots of people do, and thanks to the improved cycling infrastructure and improvements in battery life, they have become a truly viable option for longer commutes.

Electric bicycles and electric motorbikes are also a really sweet option, and according to what I've seen on the market, you can buy some really nice foldable e-bikes for less than the cost of a gravel bike. In my opinion, an e-bike is the absolute best form of personal transportation, as it provides all the advantages of riding a bicycle, while compensating for longer rides with pedal assist, or even full throttle. They are particularly nice for people getting up there in age, as they also compensate for the natural reduction in fitness that we experience as we become older. They also enjoy nice perks such as integrated lighting, charging ports, and even speedometers. What is there to hate?

If you do end up choosing a car as your next vehicle, consider checking out an electric one. The cost of entry may be greater, and the infrastructure may not be so great right now, but your running costs may as well become lower over time, as electricity is far cheaper and cleaner than petrol. Moreover, as more and more people opt for electric, the infrastructure will inevitably become better, as development is driven by demand. An electric vehicle is much nicer to everyone around it, both because of not polluting the air, and because of their reduced noise, with tire rolling noise being the most of it. You can help move our society towards this change if you opt for an electric car.

If your best option is public transport, then I simply want to encourage you to care for it to the best of your ability, and pay your fare if you have the means. Be nice to the personnel, and push for more development if you can. It's the government's duty to ensure the public transport system remains useful and well maintained.

To close off this article, I want to encourage you to consider your alternatives, and to not let yourself be influenced by society's ill judgement when choosing your preferred form of transport. True freedom is in having multiple options.