Today, I was on what has become my winter bike, even though the temperature was oscillating around -23 °C. (I dunno how much is that in Farenheit and, frankly, I don't care. The only worthy scales to measure temperature scientifically are Celsius' scale, which has the boiling and freezing point of water as basic references: utterly simple and accessible to everyone, and Lord Kelvin's scale, which has absolute zero as the lowest point, where nothing happens, and is useful in measuring every phenomena in nature. People sometime point out that it's not fair for Farenheit to forget that scale, and I point out that it's not fair for Rhéaumur Delisle, or Rankine either).

Anyhoo. I was biking today at what is close to my lower limit of temperature for cycling. I had the whole kit for cold snap protection, except for adequate goggles (usually ski goggles). As usual I helped a few car drivers who were stuck in the snow. I find it mind-boggling the level of insanity North American car drivers can tolerate just to drive their stupid car. Most of the people who drive cars in Montreal don't know how to get un-stuck from a snowstorm. I have never owned a car but for me it is quite simple to get out of a snow-in.

So people see me riding on my bike and some of them ask me "How can you bike at that temperature?" to which I reply "How can you walk at that temperature?". Being able to move around on a bike is quite empowering. I move faster than cars, even at this time of the year. If I get stuck, it is not hard to get un-stuck. Since I have two bikes, one winter bike and a summer bike, I do not fear ice patches, which are less dangerous than most North American -- especially French-Canadian -- drivers.
Having two bikes is also a no-brainer : if one bike has trouble, you can always use the other one in emergency while someone repairs it or you find the time to repair it yourself.

These two bikes are one of the best investments I have made in my life : 800 and 500 bucks, and they have lasted me 15 and 4 years respectively. The repairs and maintenance on each amounts to about 1200 dollars. Not a single car can beat the Energy input/Distance covered ratio with that kind of price tag.

So that's why I have two bikes. And you, why do you still have two cars?