The Chainlink

What does your family think of your life as a cyclist?

I'm mostly a city commuter and I know my dad is nervous that I am going to get hit by a car while I'm biking. I explain to him that more people my age are killed in car accidents than bike accidents.

My 7 year old suburban nephew thinks I'm cool cause I don't use my car often. He is quickly becoming a bike fanatic too!

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They thought I was nuts before so biking just falls into that folder for them. They worry A TON about car crashes and such so I always tell them everything is fine even when it might not be.
Yeah I'm the nutty one in the fam too...

Gabe said:
They thought I was nuts before so biking just falls into that folder for them. They worry A TON about car crashes and such so I always tell them everything is fine even when it might not be.
My mom just asks me if I need more warm clothes for the winter months, my dad just wants me to be careful, and my sister drives a Suburban. I'd say that I'm pretty stereotypical in the atomic family value system.
My family is mostly in Mississippi. The fattest state in the union. Gas there is now below three bucks a gallon. Most of them think I'm weird anyway. The bike thing is just more proof. They wonder how I can live in a place that has so few "all can eat joints".
Everyone in my family is fine with it except my Grandma. She thinks I only ride around the park, it works out well as I get nagged less. She knows about Critical Mass too, and is always afraid I will get arrested or run over. She made me promise to never cork...hehe my Gram knows about corking!
mom likes that her baby boy prefers bikes to cars and thinks critical mass is the coolest thing in the world.
dad and sister just want me to be safe - they are both slaves to cars.
brother-in-law just wants me to be safe too - he's a slave to my sister.

they're all in taiwan where many many many bikes are made.
My dad thinks I am crazy. I know he isn't really for it (despite the health benefits). I think he is very concerned about my getting into an accident. Since I got hurt from my accident in august.
My dad didn't give me much grief about riding because he also rode for most of his life (although the majority of his riding was in Evanston). That changed a bit after he had to pick me up from the ER after a nasty crash several years ago (thanks to a suburban pothole in early morning shadows). He expressed concern, especially about commuting into the Loop, but never nagged. I always appreciated that.
My mom isn't all too happy with it, and my dad insists that I'm going to get abducted if I ride at night.

Meh...I still ride anyhow, and they appreciate that I'm not putting the miles on my car. And that I don't mooch gas money like my sister. Ha!
My parents are really supportive, and in fact I've inspired them to dust off their old bikes (well, my mom's was past saving so she bought a new one) and ride around. Now they go on leisure rides on the weekends and my mom even got panniers and rides to the grocery store!
The family that I have (wife and son) are both car-free and ride bikes most of the time, otherwise it is public transit. They think that cars are awful and bikes are great!

The family that I am from likes bikes, but drive cars mostly. They do realize that one of the main reasons my wife and I moved to Chicago, was to avoid having a car.
My parents are very supportive, but then again, they're flat-out hippies.

My brother came to visit and I lent him my spare bike for a week, and he had a blast. My sister (who lives in Suburbia and drives all the time) is skeptical, but generally considers me the nutty one in the family.

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