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In the words of Ivan Illich: > Man on a bicycle can go three or four times faster than the pedestrian, but uses five times less energy in the process. He carri

by kqr 5y ago

In the words of Ivan Illich: > Man on a bicycle can go three or four times faster than the pedestrian, but uses five times less energy in the process. He carries one gram of his weight over a kilometer of flat road at an expense of only 0.15 calories. The bicycle is the perfect transducer to match man’s metabolic energy to the impedance of locomotion. Equipped with this tool, man outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines but all other animals as well.

globular-toast 5y ago
In many ways the car is an absurd abuse of bicycle technology that never would have existed without fossil fuels. I imagine the thought process went something like this: CEO: This vehicle is great with its extremely low friction yet stiff mechanical couplings, impossibly lightweight yet stiff wheels and essentially zero operating cost. Let's build one with a cabin to protect the user from the elements. Engineer: But that would require four wheels which is much less efficient than two. CEO: OK. Engineer: And it would be so heavy that nobody could pedal it, we'd need a motor. CEO: OK. Engineer: But that motor itself would weigh more than the user! And that's without all the gearboxes, thicker axles and stronger chassis needed to support this thing. CEO: OK. Engineer: This would require an incredible amount of additional fuel to even move itself around! CEO: Who cares? This stuff comes out of the ground. Engineer: Oh yeah! Fast forward to today and that cabin is a climate controlled living room complete with armchairs, sofa, hi-fi and entertainment system. Oh and we can't get rid of them now because we have 100 years of town planning, infrastructure and culture built on top of them. So let's make them electric (and even heavier). Sigh...
- chongli 5y ago
  Bicycles are great but you’d never use one to pick up grandma from her house, a 20lb turkey from the butcher shop, and little Jenny from the school Christmas pageant rehearsal, all in one trip with below-freezing temperatures and near-total darkness at 5pm. The bicycle is a highly efficient machine for getting exercise, commuting to work, and letting lil Johnny out to explore with his friends on summer vacation. It’s never going to replace all transportation needs of a family.
  - globular-toast 5y ago
    No, you wouldn't. Quite right. In the same way you wouldn't use a car to cross the ocean to grandma's island or trawl for fish. Other solutions exist.
    - emteycz 5y ago
      But there's no ocean around most people's homes. Cold cities are very usual. Telling people living in them they should bike is just insensitive to them.
      - stephen_g 5y ago
        Of course, there are very cold places where much of the population happily bikes. See here for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU&t=800s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU&t=800s
        emteycz 5y ago
        Much of the population? I live in one such place with many bikepaths and bicycling tradition where some people bike even in winter despite it looks just like on the video, but I've never seen old people risking it - for good reasons, as falling down can be deadly for them. My own grandma wouldn't be able to get anywhere the public transport doesn't go (many many places even in an EU country) - and she's one of the more mobile, more motivated seniors there. The others would be fucked.
  - hawski 5y ago
    I agree that there are certainly legitimate uses for cars. But many countries in a cold climate manage by with more biking per capita. I would say it makes people mobile for longer and the grandma (up to some higher age) would just ride her own bicycle. The turkey will fit on your rear basket no problem. Jenny could also ride a bike home, because she has the school close. It is of course only applicable in an urbanized area (even small cities can and do work like that). Not all the time, but below-freezing does not by itself mean prohibitively cold. Urbanized area means it is never near-total darkness for good and for bad.

by kqr 5y ago

globular-toast 5y ago

In many ways the car is an absurd abuse of bicycle technology that never would have existed without fossil fuels. I imagine the thought process went something like this: CEO: This vehicle is great with its extremely low friction yet stiff mechanical couplings, impossibly lightweight yet stiff wheels and essentially zero operating cost. Let's build one with a cabin to protect the user from the elements. Engineer: But that would require four wheels which is much less efficient than two. CEO: OK. Engineer: And it would be so heavy that nobody could pedal it, we'd need a motor. CEO: OK. Engineer: But that motor itself would weigh more than the user! And that's without all the gearboxes, thicker axles and stronger chassis needed to support this thing. CEO: OK. Engineer: This would require an incredible amount of additional fuel to even move itself around! CEO: Who cares? This stuff comes out of the ground. Engineer: Oh yeah! Fast forward to today and that cabin is a climate controlled living room complete with armchairs, sofa, hi-fi and entertainment system. Oh and we can't get rid of them now because we have 100 years of town planning, infrastructure and culture built on top of them. So let's make them electric (and even heavier). Sigh...

chongli 5y ago
Bicycles are great but you’d never use one to pick up grandma from her house, a 20lb turkey from the butcher shop, and little Jenny from the school Christmas pageant rehearsal, all in one trip with below-freezing temperatures and near-total darkness at 5pm. The bicycle is a highly efficient machine for getting exercise, commuting to work, and letting lil Johnny out to explore with his friends on summer vacation. It’s never going to replace all transportation needs of a family.
- globular-toast 5y ago
  No, you wouldn't. Quite right. In the same way you wouldn't use a car to cross the ocean to grandma's island or trawl for fish. Other solutions exist.
  - emteycz 5y ago
    But there's no ocean around most people's homes. Cold cities are very usual. Telling people living in them they should bike is just insensitive to them.
    - stephen_g 5y ago
      Of course, there are very cold places where much of the population happily bikes. See here for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU&t=800s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU&t=800s
      - emteycz 5y ago
        Much of the population? I live in one such place with many bikepaths and bicycling tradition where some people bike even in winter despite it looks just like on the video, but I've never seen old people risking it - for good reasons, as falling down can be deadly for them. My own grandma wouldn't be able to get anywhere the public transport doesn't go (many many places even in an EU country) - and she's one of the more mobile, more motivated seniors there. The others would be fucked.
- hawski 5y ago
  I agree that there are certainly legitimate uses for cars. But many countries in a cold climate manage by with more biking per capita. I would say it makes people mobile for longer and the grandma (up to some higher age) would just ride her own bicycle. The turkey will fit on your rear basket no problem. Jenny could also ride a bike home, because she has the school close. It is of course only applicable in an urbanized area (even small cities can and do work like that). Not all the time, but below-freezing does not by itself mean prohibitively cold. Urbanized area means it is never near-total darkness for good and for bad.