10 Reasons to Buy a Bicycle

When's the last time you were on a bicycle?  For most people it's probably been years but there are several very good reasons to get a bicycle, either from the local thrift shop, off of Craigslist, or by purchasing one on sale from a bicycle store.

1. Bicycling is good exercise and it's fun for the whole family (I prefer to bicycle on lightly traveled roads and bicycle paths instead of major roads for safety reasons).
2. If roads are damaged and overpasses/underpasses have given way during an earthquake, off-road travel by bicycle may be your only option for travel aside from walking.
3. Bicycling is faster than walking.  You can do errands, ride your bike to work if it isn't too far, and in many cases you can bicycle to the closest bus/subway stop and load your bike on public transit for longer commutes.
4. In a long-term crisis, using this mode of transit will not require any fuel which could be limited or impossible to find.
5. For those concerned about pollution and green house gasses and the like, bicycling won't add to these problems.
6. Bicycling can take you to places a car can't go (trails, pathways, islands that ban cars, etc).
7. If you live in a bikeable area, you can save a lot of money over owning a vehicle (in fuel, repair costs, and purchase cost).  Between a bike and an occasional Uber you could save up to $1000 a month in some cases.
8. Repairing a bicycle is simple and something you can do yourself (when is the last time anyone said that about a car?).
9. You can carry quite a bit on a bicycle.  Bike-packing is gaining in popularity, long distance bicycling (like from the North Pole to Ushuia as some friends of mine did a few years back) is easily possible, and adding baskets can help you transport everything from groceries to children.
10. For those who need a little more "oomph" for distances or hills, bicycles are easily converted into electric or motorized bicycles with a conversion kit.

Don't forget to wear a helmet!