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Comment by tgsovlerkhgsel | Hacker News Reader

One of the reasons people use bikes during the pandemic is to avoid public transport. When the bike option doesn't become available, it will push a lot of people to cars.

And once you have a car, it's often a lot more convenient than a bike, because you don't end up all sweaty at the end of the day.

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driving a car through a packed European city is hell, they weren't made for cars, parking alone can be impossible to find. European cities don't have the same parking space allocations that US cities have (thank god). Smaller electric cars like the Zoe are gaining ground but the vehicle market in Europe is not going to grow overall, and hasn't grown in ages. Covid isn't even changing it right now, and won't be a permanent issue.

Also sweat never was an issue for me, when I bike to work I go at commute speed, not exercise levels.

I always see "being sweaty" being mentioned here when talking about commuting via bike, why? Is it the hills? I live in a flat area and this has never been a problem for me.

The American or British mental image of a cyclist commuter[1] is very different than the Dutch or Danish one[2]. In the Netherlands cycling is just a faster and less strenuous version of walking. In America many cyclists dress like they're training for a sport event.

[1] https://www.bicycling.com/rides/a20039883/9-ways-to-make-bik...

[2] https://www.bicycling.com/news/a23508352/netherlands-cellpho...

> In America many cyclists dress like they're training for a sport event.

I’m sure roadies dress that way in the Netherlands.

The difference is that US cyclists are mostly roadies because you need to really want to bike to do so, which in the Netherlands roadies are a minority of cyclists because it’s just the normal way to move around.

Sure, for every individual American cyclist that may be sensible and rational. But I'm afraid that collectively it could trap them in a bad equilibrium, where bike-infrastructure improvement are seen by the larger public as benefits for a narrow interest group.

The American climate is also different from the Dutch one. The Wisconsin city that I live in has temperatures that are both 15 F hotter and colder than typical northern European cities. And we commute roughly twice as far because our cities are more spread out.

I'm fortunate that I don't sweat very much, my commute is only 4 miles each way, and I can tailor my schedule around the weather. So I start out early before the sun has cleared the trees, and ride slowly. As a result I'm not particularly sweaty when I arrive at work. Also, I have a casual-dress job with no public interaction.

I live on a street that happens to be a preferred route for cyclists commuting to and from the downtown area. So I see a lot of people on bikes. Most of the commuters are in fact just wearing normal street clothes. I don't even own any cycling-specific clothing.

The american climate can mean dramatically different things depending on the city.

Riding a road bike flat out for 10-20 miles is strenuous.

Veteran cycle commuter here.

People in online cycle commuting discussions often have... ideas about speed that don't match mine.

I use "being sweaty" as shorthand for "I don't care if you claim a ??? mile commute should take 10-15 minutes, it takes me 40 minutes, and I'll thank you not to insult me by calling me inexperienced or lazy"

I think it's mostly the hills. It's not "completely drenched in sweat so I need a shower immediately" but "going to take a second shower before going to bed for sure" even on a relatively short trip.

And on anything longer (again, with hills), it's definitely a "damn, I hope I won't start smelling too bad until I get back home".

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