The Oil Drum | How Can We Cut Our Energy Use for Commuting?

155 comments on How Can We Cut Our Energy Use for Commuting?

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GROK on October 2, 2008 - 11:22am

Hello RalphW,
I live in a college town where the enlightened University and town have FREE buses so as not to clog traffic and parking. The busline runs past midnight! I can walk, ride the bus or bike into town. I walk to the grocery store (6 minutes). I car share if I need a car. Haven't used it in nearly two months.

Have had 3 bikes stolen this last year, two were locked and one was stolen right off my porch during a rain storm and forgot to lock it when bringing in groceries. The Mayor had his moped stolen right out of his driveway this week(the robbers must have rolled up and put it in a truck or van).

When living in Holland a few years ago, I was acutely aware of theft of bikes there. They ride crappy single speed bikes (no hills)Americans would throw out. They have two locks on every bike. Theft is a major problem so they deal with it by using bikes that are low in value and difficult to steal. They also have an indoor bike "parking lot" where you are given a ticket that matches the one on your bike and you have to show it before you leave(good if you take the train somewhere and you want your bike to be there when you get back).

I am 54 and adjusting to bike riding took abit of time. When riding a bike you have to be very aware of your surroundings and it took a bit of time to become comfortable in traffic.

One of the things bikes are NOT good for is carrying loads. If the loads are bulky or imbalanced it made the bike dangerous to ride....

I am curious about the trike your wife uses. IMHO these vehicles could have an electric motor added, could carry cargo without balance and stability being thrown off and would be easier than riding a 2 wheeled bike for older and health challenged individuals.

What kind of trike does your wife use?

tracy

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RalphW on October 2, 2008 - 11:50am

Hi Tracy,

Yup I live in a university city as well. The university bans undergraduate students from bringing cars to the city, but our buses are expensive and limited service in the evenings/sundays.

Bike thefts are very widespread here. I don't leave a bike in the city centre or near a pub on a Friday/Saturday night, because it will be smashed in situ even if the drunk can't break the locks.

There are loads of bike designs for carrying loads. for example
http://www.cyclesmaximus.com/
http://www.xtracycle.com/

This is what my wife uses. OK for modest loads. (She is coy about her age...)
http://www.electricbikesales.co.uk/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId...

This is my favourite possession. 50 litre box to carry groceries. Unfortunately out of production and spares hard to find.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nShYV5nsi0Q
It also has the advantage of being unstealable because no-one else can ride it :)

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yellow on October 2, 2008 - 11:54am

Hi Tracy,

Cargo bikes are the up and coming bikes these days. For example, the Yuba, Bakfiets, and the Xtracycle. In my mind, these cargo bikes are car replacers.

I have an Xtracycle (which is a regular bicycle with an attachment on the back). With it, I can carry just about anything I would put in the trunk of a small car. For example, up to 6 bags of groceries (although I rarely buy that much at one time), the produce I buy weekly from the locally grown network in town (recently has included pumpkins and lots of winter squash), an office chair (taken apart), or purchases from a series of stores (just normal day-to-day stuff).

There's something very empowering about carrying so much stuff, especially if one is a woman. It looks like something really hard, but these bikes are designed to carry the weight in a way that keeps the bike steady. Then, you just need low gears, but not as low as you would expect. I enjoy seeing pickup pass me carrying less stuff than I am.

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rafe on October 2, 2008 - 5:44pm

One of the things bikes are NOT good for is carrying loads.

Here in Africa necessity is the mother of invention....

Malawi is one of the most bike-intensive societies I have seen. The energy situation is "interesting" and vastly different to that in the rich North: http://www.ecoafrica-travel.com/2008/09/08/malawi-energy/

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Mad_Man on October 3, 2008 - 5:51pm

One of the things bikes are NOT good for is carrying loads. If the loads are bulky or imbalanced it made the bike dangerous to ride....

I got a two child trailer by Schwin for $150 for my kid to ride in behind my bicycle. (I think those 'saddle seats' raise the center of gravity way to high) The trailer works great. He weighs about 35 lbs but it says it is good for two 50 lbs kids. I hardly know it is behind me when we ride. The biggest trouble is the trailer is a little wide and I tend to cut corners on the trails and the kid goes 'off roadin'.

I have seen other trailers or rear wheel extensions that seem to work pretty well too. I would strongly recommend a trailer if anyone wants to haul or carry stuff, like groceries.

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155 comments on How Can We Cut Our Energy Use for Commuting?

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“Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning, but give me the man who has pluck to fight when he's sure of losing. That's my way, sir; and there are many victories worse than a defeat.”

—George Eliot