Most Efficient form of Transportation

That would be... the bicycle. Just how efficient is it? Well, Robert Hurst has a whole section describing how they come up with the following calculation, but for time's sake let's cut to the chase:

Comparing gasoline's kilocalories to the range consumed in exercise, we find that a bicyclist could easily achieve the equivalent of one thousand miles per gallon, even at a relatively brisk pace.

So there it is - 1,000 miles per gallon. That is pretty darn efficient. The nice thing is that most of us, with our super sized meal portions, already consume enough energy to transport us to our daily destinations. So you really don't have to plan on upping your grocery budget. Our grocery budget panned out quite nicely for the month of January according to our month end financials (not yet audited).

Even when the Prius evolves into a fully electric plug-in green machine, weaned from the petroleum teat, driving it will still be inordinately consumptive of energy and tremendously inefficient compared to riding a bicycle. Conversely, the bicycle-and rider amplifies the human engine's power with levers and gears and wheels, while adding very little extra weight. Human legs that pack only a tiny fraction of the Prius's punch still have more than enough to move the bicycle-and-rider at speed.

He goes on to write that biking is four times as efficient as walking. I don't know if he is taking hills and wind into consideration on that one. I can actually visualize an efficiency gauge on our handlebars (like the gauge in a hybrid) plummeting as we are riding into that north wind.

Nothing--not commuter rail, biofuel buses, Prii, or pedestrians--can approach the efficiency of the bicycle. Bicycling stands completely above other transportation modes in that regard.

So next time you see that goofy little smart car, just remember that the smug little driver is not as smart as he or she might think. There is a smug little cyclist out there somewhere who is way smarter in the end.

Day 15 - Half way there

We made it past two weeks. Yee haw. Nothin to it.

Week one summary:

We decided that the first week was the longest week of our lives. Something strange happened and we cant really put our finger on it. Something about the pace of our life slowed way down. After work we used to rush home and start the life portion of our work-to-life ratio. Now we meet each other on the trail and ride home slowly talking about things and just looking at the scenery. It was like our body needed to adjust to not being able to fly down the freeway and get wherever we needed to go within five minutes.

Kristin is waking up much earlier than she previously did so that might play into the change she was experiencing. She is having to adjust her sleep schedule in order to try for seven or eight hours of sleep a night. I had to adjust to working five day weeks. I previously worked four ten-hour days. But I switched so I could accompany Kristin to work and back every day. Who would ever want to work five days a week? That is all I have to say about that.

Plus, we were both physically tired. Extremely tired. This is more exercise than we've had in a long time. It felt good to be sore, but the physical exhaustion plays a toll.

Week two:

Feeling better. I think we adjusted to the pace of life. Everything seems more peaceful and enjoyable with this pace of life. I think about things a lot more, rather than just running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Now, if I could just get rid of this blog :)

Physically, we have noticed some positive changes like rock hard thighs. I almost busted the thighs out of my jeans when I flexed on accident. We didn't get tired until Friday this week. We are enjoying our Saturday off to hopefully be rejuvenated for the long ride to church in the morning.

I am getting used to working five days a week - not really - I hate it. And Kristin will never adjust to waking up before the sun wakes up.

Cycling requires skills

Frances Willard, leader of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and crusader against inebriation was speaking about herself learning to ride a bike as well as her injuries due to the learning process.

It let me out into a new world, greater, more mellow, more god-like, and it did me no harm at all.

Robert Hurst deals with the dangers of cycling in his book "The Bicyclist's Manifesto,"

The same feature that leads to a glorious sense of flight when everything is going well also causes the occasional topple when trouble arises… Those who really love to ride don’t like that fact about bicycling, but they won’t denounce the trade-off. They know there is no other way. Freedom, as they say, is not free… Bicycling demands coordination, fluidity of motion, and quickness of reflexes far beyond what is necessary for driving.

He goes on to list some of the things bicyclists must consider.

Bicyclists must contend with a large number of factors that drivers don’t need to consider, in particular many different types of road damage, debris, and surface anomalies. You can smack into a little pothole when you’re not ready for it and crash. Go around a corner too fast and wipe out on some sand. Wet railroad tracks become treacherous obstacles. Seemingly tiny cracks can displace the front wheel.

I would add to the list front wheels falling off randomly. When I was in college, I was riding down a bike trail and my front wheel just decided it didn't want to hang around anymore. My front fork dug into the asphalt and flipped me headfirst into the unforgiving pavement. I woke up in the ambulance some time later and spent some time in the hospital for trauma to the head. I broke my helmet in half and skinned myself pretty good. After a few weeks, I was fully recuperated and amazingly I still ride the same bike today with the same mutinous wheel (however, I do have a new front fork).

Lesson learned: Tighten the heck out of your quick releases for your wheels and check them often.

The truth of the matter is that there are dangers all throughout this life and if you put yourself in a bubble so you can feel safe, life isn't really worth living. Hurst says,

It is an undeniable truth that the bicyclist is more vulnerable to injury than the driver, but it is not reasonable to be paranoid about bicycling in traffic and then to climb into an auto without a second thought.

Truth.

Well, I would feel dishonest if I didn't share about my little fall last night.

If we are really trying to portray what life is like riding around on bikes, we should probably talk about both the ups and (literally) downs of this lifestyle. It's only fair. But there will be no pictures of my bruised limbs, rest assured.

We were riding just a few blocks down the street last night for dinner at a neighbor's house. If there is anything we have riden numerous times, it is this path to our friend's house. I'm sure I could practically ride there with my eyes closed- though clearly, with last night evidence, I should not be doing that.

I'll blame the recent cold weather and numeous freezes and refreezes as well as the relative lack of light along this particular block. I'm not really sure what exactly happened, though I remember identifying the pothole on my left. Then I looked straight in front of me and saw something large and black on the street. My last thought before I hit the object was "That mostly looks like a rock."

It actually was a 5 inch piece of asphalt that must have come from the pothole. I hit it straight on and my bike kind of teetered side to side before I fell straight over, hitting my right knee and then my left elbow, and narrowly avoiding scraping up my face. I also ended up with a large bruise on my right leg and I think that's where my handle bar must have hit.

Mom- don't worry, I'll never do that again.

Just a little bruised up today but otherwise pretty functional. I was a bit sore riding in to work today and we took it just a little bit slower.

We'll be getting a brighter light for our bikes today so next time I will be able to identify the rock a bit sooner and spare myself some bruises.

I know there are safety risks when bike riding, but there are also inherent risks with any mode of transportation. When I drive to work, I have to cross fours lanes on a highway within about seven seconds to make it to my exit. I merge four different times on three highways within about four minutes to go to work, while I'm passed by cars going 65 mph. Danger is everywhere, you know. Just be careful out there.

Aliens on Two Wheels

I am enjoying a section in "The Cyclist's Manifesto" titled The Bicyclist's Costume. Robert Hurst starts out by using a quote from an 1895 article about what bicyclists should not do:

Don't wear a clown's costume. It inspires facetious comment.

He goes on to prove that throughout the history of the bicycle, goofy costumes were never far behind. He calls the helmet an insect-head-like thing, biking an excuse for leg shavers everywhere. The spandex and lycra and crazy colors he says constitute an alien being.

Some go so far as to say they would never ride without their bike clothes... But a lot of the people making these claims have never really tried to ride in their normal clothes... How many folks want to dress up like a shiny superhero when they go about their daily business? The mistaken assumption that such a costume is necessary equipment remains one of the most persistent obstacles to wider adoption of the bicycle for everyday transportation purposes.

I think he makes a great point. One of the magazines I enjoyed subscribing to a couple years back was Momentum: The Magazine for Self-Propelled People. It does a good job of showing how bicycling is becoming the stylish form of transportation in many of the big cities in the world.

Kristin and I have travelled to several major American cities over the last five years including Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Austin, Portland, New Orleans (we also visited Dallas and Houston but they were horrible exceptions to this rule) and really were surprised to see this occurring first hand. The people riding bikes down the street weren't just the homeless folks, or the aliens, they were the young creative crowd that our city supposedly wants to attract. Here are a few of the photos I took along the way:

Chicago:



Above is a picture I took of a bike rack filled to overflowing next to an office building in downtown Chicago.


Random bicycle locked to young tree, or crazy bike wreck...



Taxi anyone?

Seattle:




Bicycle polo on Tennis court.


Tulsa:





Just over the last two years I have seen an increase in the young creatives on cycles in and around downtown Tulsa. All that to say I think what Robert Hurst is proposing is spot on. Until people see less of the aliens on two wheels and more of those who use it as a means of everyday transportation, the adoption rate is going to be slow.

Weather Conversations

You know those annoying conversation starters that center on the weather. Well, we seem to be having a lot of those, but they are not as annoying when they are really for a purpose. They are required for preservation of life and limb.

It goes something like this in the morning:

How cold is it out there?
18.
Ahhhh man...
How about the wind?
10 mph from the north.
Well at least we will be okay going south to work.

This morning the answer was 45 degrees. Woo hoo. Wind direction 4 mph from the southeast. That shouldn't hurt us too bad as long as it is just 4 mph.


It is amazing how much of our lives are climate controlled and we never really get to fully appreciate the changing of the seasons. In Tulsa the weather keeps you young because it can change in a moment and it never lets you get into a rut. As soon as you suspect another dry day a storm comes out of nowhere. Lesson to be learned: Always keep rain gear on your bike. And also, weathermen are never to be trusted.