Dropped $200 on a folding bike for the train and it sat in my closet for a full season
I bought a Dahon folding bike about three years back because the walk from Union Station to my office was eating 25 minutes each way. Cost me right around $200 and I figured I'd fold it up, hop on the train, ride the last mile and feel like a genius. Turned out the thing weighed 30 pounds, the fold took me almost two minutes every time, and the seats on the 7:15 out of Aurora were always packed so I'd stand there holding this awkward metal pretzel. After about six trips I gave up and went back to walking, and the bike collected dust in my closet until I sold it for $80 last spring. What really bugs me is I still see people doing the exact same thing on my line, wrestling with their fold while the doors are trying to close. Did I just buy the wrong bike, or is this whole setup only worth it if your ride is longer than a mile?
Sounds like you basically paid $120 to rent a closet decoration for a year, solid investment! But yeah a mile is right in that awful spot where walking feels dumb but hauling 30 pounds of metal through a packed train feels dumber. Those folks you see wrestling with their folds are just you three years ago, living the dream.