apparently my city literally literally banned public rail funding, and people online love jerking off about how good biking is, so i figured might as well try. I have come up with:
pros:
- good for mental health / exercise / endorphins
- arguably quaint
- feel like an old timey guy taking his wares to market
- feel european
- can annoy others
- less of a police state around them vs cars
- more flexible parking, routes
- capacity to be peaceful
- nice in summer
cons:
- look like an annoying dork (esp w neon - which also hurts the quaint factor)
- have to wear a helmet (^)
- getting sweaty, potentially “unpresentable” for work
- still have to find safe parking
- still takes a while
- have to find new routes to places
- can’t listen to music or might die
- little meaningful protection against severe injury
- can only carry so many groceries/etc
- sucks in winter
Legit medical issue for men, doing it too often can negatively impact your performance in bed, IIRC especially if you ride on unpaved terrain a lot.
Conversely, I have a lot more stamina in the bedroom now that I’ve been regularly cycling
You can also get a more comfortable softer riding saddle instead of a hard racing one. It really depends on the bike.
I have a pretty comfy saddle, and if it’s too bumpy I prefer cycling standing up anyway. Don’t really get why people insist so much on sitting down all the time.
There have been studies debunking claims of bike-induced ED, buuuuut, if you are really worried, you can get a ventilated or slotted saddle and occasionally stand up on your bike at traffic stops and such. There are specialized saddles and a variety of bikes with different riding positions.
I love downhill mountain biking, singletrack, and city riding, and never had issues with getting it up either. When the shitty OEM saddle made my balls fall asleep, I swapped to a better saddle made by SQ Labs and changed the seat angle slightly.
Also… if ED were an issue, the Netherlands and Japan would be like…sterile, hahah
Aren’t the Netherlands and Japan both facing fertility crises?
I am dutch and I have never heard of this issue/myth. Even tour de grance cyclists manage to have kids just fine after 20 years of full time cycling, so I wouldn’t worry.