05 March 2008

Two-Wheeled Wonder

Some bike luv for you this morning... short essay called "Two Wheeled Wonder" about bikes and biking from the Sierra Club here

My two favorite points:
  • A human on a bicycle is more efficient (in calories expended per pound and per mile) than a train, truck, airplane, boat, automobile, motorcycle, skateboard, canoe, or jet pack. Cycling is more efficient than walking, which takes three times as many calories per mile. Pound for pound, a person riding a bike can go farther on a calorie of food than a gazelle can running, a salmon swimming, or an eagle flying.
  • British author H. G. Wells summed up cycling's promise best more than a half century ago: "When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race."
You can also take a quiz on biking: How Green is My Bike Ride?
The quiz was tricky for me because I commute and road ride. With questions like "My favorite cycling outfits are..." I could easily answer "Whatever I happened to be wearing that day." about commuting and then, of course, "Made from aerodynamic miracle fibers." for road biking.

For bike commuting, my score ->

American Flyer (80-100 points): Your score: 92. You're truly using your bicycle to save the planet. Keep pedaling!


For road biking, my score ->
Three-Speed (60-79 points): Your score: 73. You're on the right track, but maybe your wheels are just a little wobbly. Perhaps a tune-up's in order.

1 comment:

Kris said...

Great article. And the quiz is interesting. You can add your scores since you bike for both everyday transportation AND recreation. You get 165 out of 100 possible points - nicely done!

I got 97 points - except I've hardly ridden at all since December due to cold (a lame excuse for driving), and lots of snow and ice. Non-existent rides aren't very green. Bike commuting started again this week, though - it feels good to be back on two wheels.