The Dream Lounge

An Experiment in Lifestyle Design- Selling My Car for a Think Bike Fun

Posted on 16. Jun, 2009 by Dream in Convention, Lifestyle Design

So…how do I begin?

If it isn’t obvious by now, I sold my Jeep Grand Cherokee and purchased a bicycle- but not just any bike, an electric hybrid “pedal assist” bicycle.

Sound crazy? It is, a little =). Let’s continue Q an A style.

Question “numero uno”- is this a short term or long term change?

Neither, it’s a choice I made for an undetermined duration. It’s unlikely I’ll ride a bicycle for the rest of my life… but there is no telling when I’ll get a car again.

Was this done by choice or necessity?

By choice. I’m sure a lot of people immediately thought of our current economy when they read the title (and saw the picture), but it has little to do with that (well, convention attendance seems to be unaffected by it, we’ll get to it in a second).

So if it was by choice, what was the reasoning? And no, it wasn’t “for the environment”.

Reason Number 1- Immediate Capital

I’m sure most of you know by now about the annual convention I host titled “The 21 Convention”. Long, long, long story short, it’s been quite an adventure founding the event, and continuing to run it year in and out.

It has been a- not so uncommon- “rocky” entrepreneurial road for me. First year, massive success. Second year, near disaster (financially speaking, the event rocked of course). Third year….is right around the corner. How are things looking?

Financially, well. It seems that after learning my lessons the hard way (only way?), I have finally figured out how to budget the event, organize attendance properly, gain press/interviews/popularity, and charge an appropriate amount to attend (one that doesn’t leave me sweating bullets at night or in credit card debt up to my neck).

The event is finally “clicking”. However, that’s in a perfect world. In reality, I’m not going to take any more chances, not after last year anyway.

*Chances can be defined as projected ticket sales over these last few weeks before the event.

So, I needed some capital. I no longer have the interest, or even ability, to take loans out. Debt is absolutely the last thing I want to mess around with.

What was I to do? I need a few thousand dollars, and I need it soon.

The idea struck me like a hammer over the head, sell my Jeep. It was worth more than enough to cover the remaining costs of the convention (and leave me sleeping easy at night, financially).

Now, to some this may sound like a reasonable option. To others, it may sound insane (probably most of you who live in Florida or any other part of the country where public transportation is NOT the norm).

Never the less, I wanted to test the assumption that you NEED a car in a city (state?) that does not have the best public transportation available.

Additionally, cars are easily replaceable- especially in a world with a haywire economy, and constant debate about energy sources and their prices.

The convention? Not so much. The 21 Convention is a one of a kind brain child of mine. If it flopped one year, that would be the end of it.

Wham bam thank you mam, I would lose all credibility in the seduction community.

Not to mention, violate my own personal standards. I love helping people, and The 21 Convention is one of the best avenues I know of to accomplish that on a grand scale (both the live event, community, and free footage for the world).

Reason Number 2- Untested Assumption: is a car worth the cost? Do people work simply to drive to work?

This is the second thought that came to my head when considering to sell my car, is the benefit worth the cost? What would I really miss out on without a typical car?

The answer I concluded upon? At this point in my life, the benefit does not warrant the monetary cost. Decreasing my monthly and yearly expenses has the same affect as increasing my monthly and year round income.

Not unlike hormone levels. Many people are focused specifically on foods/supplements/exercises to increase testosterone and growth hormone levels for the purpose of muscular hypertrophy, all the while ignoring the other side of the equation- the root of the problem. Did you know things like beer and soy (and other grains) raise estrogen levels, while foods like almonds/broccoli can lower it? Guess what, the same- or greater- effect of increasing your level of testosterone (illegal drugs and harmful substances aside) can be had by simply lowering your estrogen level.

My monetary costs driving my Jeep around, monthly and yearly.

Monthly- $110 for insurance

$300-400 for gas (depending on whether or not I traveled long distance to my hometown of Cape Coral, or visited friends in other college towns around Florida).

*Note, that is with current gas prices of less than $3 per gallon. If gas were to rise again, this cost would rise accordingly.

Yearly maintenance? Over the past year I’ve dropped nearly $1500 into my Jeep to keep it running and well maintained. This includes a new radiator, AC fan, front tires (back were old and needed to be replaced soon), oil changes, etc.

Also, Ive averaged about 1 speeding ticket per year, so that’s another $200 +, not to mention the time it takes to do the 4 hour traffic test.

In total, that’s over $6,620 per year to own and operate my Jeep. That’s more than the vehicle itself was worth.

An expensive habit (addiction?) to maintain eh?

Well, it’s a habit I decided to kick for at least some time. That much money seemed unnecessary to spend, especially when I need the immediate capital to ensure the convention runs smoothly.

And in case this isn’t glaringly obvious by now, I’m very determined to continue taking the convention to new heights, no matter the cost- I’m willing to pay it.

Reason Number 3- I enjoy challenging the norm

It’s true, I can’t get enough of it. Exchanging my car for a bicycle-sounds, but not is- pretty nuts. Or at least most everyone I’ve talked too seems to think (and voice) so.

But hey, again, replacing a car is easy. Replacing a convention 4 years in the making, not so much.

Reason Number 4- I needed something cool to blog about

Ok joking…lol. But hey, I’m sure someone has done something like it before. Speaking of blogging ideas, I have like 50 written up on my dry erase board. I can’t type fast enough!!!

So…what made you get an electric hybrid pedal assist bicycle over something more conventional, like a motorcycle or even a moped?

Simple, I’m not interested in riding at high speeds, and sharing a road with giant blocks of equally fast moving metals, filled with idiots texting on their Crackberry’s (okay, that was a stab @ Peter Muprhy haha), listening to music, driving drunk, and so on.

It has always seemed like a death sentence to me, so I wanted to avoid the roads. A bicycle came to mind immediately.

Their use is hardly governed (and of course, no license or yearly fees to use them), and they can be ridden on sidewalks. And of course, the price is low.

BUT, I am not a fan of aerobic exercise. I think it’s a massive waste of time, and unhealthy in every respect- however that’s for the purpose of exercise. Riding a bike at a slow pace for recreation or relaxation, while not ideal IMO, is fine. You just have to understand it’s an absolutely miserable way to exercise.

So I needed something with an engine. My dads old gas engine powered bike came to mind from my childhood years, but upon research, I decided against them. An electric powered bicycle seemed to suit my needs better, at a lower cost, and with infinitely less noise.

I dove further into finding the right electric hybrid bike, and I decided upon this model (found at Wal-Mart for hundreds below the manufacturer’s price).

After reading a few dozen reviews around the net for it, it seemed like a no brainer. Not the perfect bike, but one that would work fine for me while I “got my feet wet” with them.

However, another option came to me- Craigslist. I did a search on the Orlando Craigslist and came up with exactly 1 electric hybrid bicycle, a Think Bike Fun located about 2 hours from Orlando by car.

From what I could tell, this bike was a superior model by leaps and bounds, despite being a 2001 make. The price was nearly identical, it was already assembled (obviously), and it was available immediately. My car seemed like it was going to sell any day (this warrants a separate post), and I did not want to have to wait 7 business days to get the bike from Wal-Mart, then assemble it, and break it in.

Without some mode of transportation, I would be in some shallow end deep shit.

So, I took the gamble and went with the Think Bike Fun seen “head to head” here with my Jeep the morning I sold it.

I traveled to the middle of nowhere to find the bike, took it for a test ride, and that was that. I told the lady my story about selling my car for the convention, and she actually handed me an extra $20 back (already 20 below the asking price).

The price I paid was $340. New this bike was over $1200 (confirmed this morning for another reason while calling their 1800 number).

Not bad.

Any specs that would be interesting to know about the bike?

Yep.

It’s built on an aluminum frame, so despite the engine and battery, it is relatively light. Without the battery, I believe it’s lighter than most bike’s you’ll find for sale of a similar price.

*The Wal-Mart bike is made from a steel frame, easily 20+ pounds heavier from what I’ve read.

The Think Bike is a pedal assist only bike. Meaning it can not go on it’s own without pedaling. However, this is the only mode worth using. New bike models that have an engine only mode only support about a 7-10 mile round trip, about a third of the pedal assist modes (newer and older models alike). That’s not very far, and didn’t seem like a feature I would have used much, if at all.

What’s your favorite aspect of the bike?

Simple enough, the bell I installed. It’s a classic bell, but loads of fun. I had a blast scaring people with it on the sidewalk yesterday. RING RING!!!

Total cost spent on the bike after everything was said and done?

$340 the bike

$40 for a decent helmet

$5 bell

$10 cable lock (key)

$15 headlight and taillight set

$6 for batteries

$10 portable air pump

$210 for a new charger

The charger was ordered this morning. I checked it out before buying it and it worked fine, but last night when I got home from class I needed to charge the battery. No go.

Upon calling the service center, I found out the thing is pretty sensitive to being tossed around. Obviously I didn’t play Frisbee with it, but it did hang out in the trunk of my Jeep for over a week while I drove it for over 700 miles before selling it. Apparently that’s enough to break it (speed and random bumps considered).

So, that sucks, but whatever. The battery was recently refurbished and should last 2-3 years (or, 400 charges), and costs about $100 to have rebuilt again.

What about when it rains?

Haven’t figured that one out yet =). If anything I’m keeping a book with me in my backpack, so if need be I can just pull off the side of the road, find cover, and practice being patient and letting “bad things” happen.

What about the ladies?

Obviously life is going to change a bit without a car, but so far I’ve only had good experiences with women and the bike. The woman I’m currently “seeing” doesn’t have a problem with it, nor did the girl I meet yesterday. In short, if you’re cool with it, the women that are attracted to you will be cool with it as well (probably).

Independence and traveling?

Friends, GreyHound, and taxi for anywhere the bike can’t get me in a reasonable amount of time- I’m also considering Craigslist instead of a taxi, but that’s another topic all together. Speaking of  “reasonable”, it only took me an extra 20 minutes to get to class. Usually takes about 35 by car, door to door. By bike it just under and hour at an easy to keep pace (not to mention there are plenty of short cuts I didn’t know about until the way back).

Also, freeing up over $6,000 a year grants the possibility of using that money for airfare and travel expenses. More to come on this subject, including past experiences.

Conclusion

This is an experiment in lifestyle design. Making an abrupt change in your life is easier than you think, but selling your car is something that should be considered carefully. It’s only been a short amount of time, and I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted, but at the moment this feels good. It could easily be a “new bike” enthusiasm, but logically speaking it’s looking good.

In about 7 weeks time I’ll also be moving to a much better location, one that puts me literally in the center of where I need to be concerning school, work, gym, recreation (dodgeball!), and more.

-Dream

ps- If there was ever an article I wrote worth Digging, this is it! But does anyone on here even use Digg a lot? Seems like Twitter is the new cool thing…

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