On Tue, 25 May 2004 23:16:39 +0000, Patrick Herring wrote:


IMHO a major unacknowledged factor is wanting to prolong personal
space for as long as possible, particularly when commuting to work.
Houses and cars are personal space; bikes, pavements, buses, offices
are not.
I disagree. Bikes are pretty personal.
You adjust them to fit yourself, and people don't generally swap them
around. Ever had one stolen?
I counter you by proposing that its a misconception among
non-cyclists that its common for people to borrow bikes, and that they
are interchangeable. You certainly can borrow a bike, but would be
uncomfortable till it gets adjusted to suit you. And they come in
different sizes.