Harrison
Jun 20th, 2008
Jun 20th, 2008
Can Cycling Save The World?
It’s interesting to think about the position we are all in with the current state of the economy, gas prices, etc. and the fact that most of us ride bikes every day. There have been many articles written about cycling and how it could “save the world” and I just came across another one on the Dwell blog about this issue. I thought it could be cool to get a conversation going here about riding bikes for transportation and was interested to see how many people are riding their bikes more to get around these days? I grew up with the idea you would drive to a spot or the park and then ride your bike, but I definitely feel like that’s changing and people are using BMX more for transportation. Let me know your thoughts!
20’s are good for rollin around, but sometimes can be a pain the ass for commuting to places.
I haven’t owned a car in 10 years—more than that, actually. I ride a bike everywhere, whether it’s a BMX or a fixed. I live in New York City, so obviously it’s easier for me that it would be for someone in an area where everything’s more spread out, but no matter where I wind up, I plan on using a bike as my primary form of transportation.
It bugs me that countries like China had it right—bicycles were long the best way to get around—but now, thanks to us and our exported misguided dreams of affluence, car ownership (and all the problems that come with it) is on the rise. We should aspire to bicycling, not get away from it.
i hate using my bmx bike to get around. they are one of the least efficient bikes out there. even with my tires at 110, i dominate it with a 12 speed huffy road bike from the late 70s.
i’ve gotten way more into riding around said huffy and its great. i can make it to places within a few miles of my house way faster than i can in my vehicle. hopefully the united states becomes more bike friendly in the future. people need to realize how much more efficient bicycles can be than cars.
cruising to spots is the best part. Good excersize.
i came up riding twenties but was fortunate enough to have been exposed to a wider range of bicycles than otherwise (i worked at a bike shop). ten years ago i would have made fun of myself for saying this but i rely on the 700c for day to day transport now.
i have been without a car since march of 2005 and love it. even now (i just moved…what used to be a four mile roundtrip to work is now 18 miles) i have no intentions of getting back into the car game. i am contemplating getting some form of powered dual wheel device for winter purposes only, but that’s months away…and will cost a very minimal amount if and when it happens. the best thing in life is when you tell someone that you don’t drive and they assume that it’s because you are DUI’d out…and then you hear them bitching about gas prices, etc.
for contemplative (and informative) purposes: imagine your monthly savings if you didn’t have an auto insurance bill, outrageous petrol fees, etc. for deeper contemplative purposes, imagine this: suppose that $+5/gallon fuel prices were all that you ever knew? ask your non-american friends about their youth and you’ll quickly see. it’s easier to adapt to such a significant lifestyle change when you realize that your whole way of life was bullshit from the start…
Yeah, the car thing in China is crazy… It was up 35% in 07 that that is a serious amount of people if you consider their population of 1,321,851,888 (thanks google) and I read that the 32% increase has put 15 million extra cars on the road… so nuts!
I sold my car months ago and ride my track bike everywhere I go. I personally don’t like to ride a bmx for transportation, but to each his own. fuck-a-car.
Living in London, I can’t really use a car to get around (Congestion charges, massive likelihood of it being stolen/damaged, no parking, etc.), so I rely exclusively on my BMX. I’ve ridden round trips of up to 40 miles to go ride skateparks in London before, and it didn’t take as long as you might expect. It seems like if I’m riding in Central London, I can reasonably expect an average speed of about 10mph, which is still above the average speed for car drivers in London. It’s also a pretty fun way of getting around, in that you can hit up curb cuts and stuff on the way. I have a cheap, haggard fixie I use to get around from time to time too, but it’s not as much fun to cruise on as my BMX, unless it’s quiet, so the BMX usually wins.
I think once people realise that they can easily get around on bikes, and fuel prices keep rising, people will naturally gravitate more towards bikes for transport. They’re obviously not ideal if you need to carry a lot of shopping/food/whatever around with you, but for the majority of trips people take in towns/cities, a bike is pretty much perfect.
Boris Johnson is apparently laying down the £’s to implement a bike rental scheme like the one in Paris, and personally I can’t wait - assuming the bikes don’t all get stolen within the first week it should be an amazing change to how people get around London, and will hopefully set a trend for other cities to follow.
good for us, bad for china. we get more bikes, and China gets to make them, and pollute the air to make us emmision free transportation
Let’s hope chainless scootering doesn’t get any bigger, otherwise the world is screwed.
I think the ease of which we can be car free depends a lot upon city layouts, geography, climate and so on. I lived in Austin for the winter car-less and had no problems and a great time getting everywhere.. But now I’m back in Michigan where things are more spread out and drivers are not very conscious of bikes on the road, way more of a hassle. When I do ride places though I ride the BMX since winter potholes are plenty and jumping curbs on the way to work is more fun. It’s usually that or the bus. Had to buy a car recently though, which is working out fine for travel I have to do work-related (they reimburse gas luckily) and for roadtrips. My ideal state of transportation would be car-less though. It’s SO SIMPLE.
iam 17 and i dont even care to get my drivers license because i just ride my bike everywhere.gas i so damn expensive,why bother to buy a car if you cant afford to drive it. just ride your bike…to all the lazy bastards out there.
The revolution will not be motorized.
If the 20″ is tough on the long haul… move up to a bmx cruiser. Old School 26″ is like rollin’ a limo.
Im at the age where I should be getting my drivers licence but Im not going to get it. American media romanticises the idea of owning a car. I find it very hipocritical for America as a whole to say were donig the right thing for the enviorment when right after we say that we get in our 10 mi per gallon SUVs and trucks when we could easly ride bikes to the same destanation. I ride my bike to work, to spots, to friend’s houses, and anywhere else really. I have a mountian and road bike but I prefer to ride my BMX bike everywhere. Just check out that new Kevin Porter vid on Orchid for my reason, thats wat I do on my way to work. FUCK CARS!
I do most of my commuting to work on a bike, sometimes bike & train. I started doing this for financial reasons (had to sell motorbike) & have been doing this for over two years. it’s a 30km trip (about 20 miles) so a reasonable distance. I have a chioce of bikes, bmx, road & mtb, depending on my mood.
Now I can’t stand it if I have to drive. I’d rather spend money on food than petrol. In the last few weeks I’ve been riding a 24″ cruiser so I could have a quick ride at the skatepark before starting work, which I think is an awesome way to start the day.
We have a good train network here so you can get just about anywhere with bike & train.
I ride my bike everywhere,bmx or fixie,and its the best,the only problem is in england getting from city to city is so hard,because our rail service is awful,its really expensive rail staff are really bad towards bike riders.
but ill not have a car for a long time and not to be a hippy but it does make a difference and i love to see people riding bikes.
i just recently started to commute to new york city from connecticut everyday of the week. i spend so much time on the train, walking and working that i haven’t touched my car at all during the week. the only time i do drive now is when i go to visit my friends up north (about an hour away). i also just picked up a fixie for commuting around my local area during. i love riding it, its so much easier to ride then a bmx bike, faster, smoother, and most notably, easier on the joints. i plan on selling my car and borrowing my parents when need be. i also plan on moving to nyc after school, therefor negating the reasoning behind owning a car at all.
i do have to say however, gas prices really arn’t that bad. not compared to many countries around the globe. we (here in america) have been rather lucky for some time. and let’s face it, people are always going to buy gas, no matter what the cost. just be glad water doesn’t cost 4,5,6 dollars a gallon.
Being 15 and unable to afford much else, my bike and some public transportation (Miami’s a big place) is all I’ve got.
I use to keep an allen wrench in my pocket to raise my seat post up for long rides to work and school. Now I’ll ride my road bike for the long commutes. One of the most fun things you can do is ride your BMX to the bars. This is not the safest thing to do but it’s damn fun, and people look at you funny locking your bike up and then walking in to a bar. With gas the way it is how do you not save yourself some money and ride. I also heard that public transit use is up 10% in Portland, 20% in Seattle, and higher in some parts of the country. In then end it’s better for the environment, your health, and your wallet. Plus you never sit in traffic on a bike.
Save the world!!! ahahah ,with bikes we will only die more smoothly!
Without jokes we own a Bike shop here in Lyon France and a lot people are riding bikes, at this time there is something like 20 bikes to fix in the shop. The big problem still the lack of cycle tracks (cycle ways) but bikes still the fastest way to move in a city.
Here we see a lot of cutomized oldschool bikes (old Peugeot, Mercier…), sort of race bikes with flat bars but no fixed gear. We put some bikes outsides in front of the shop two days ago, people stop to watch them thinking to getting one.
Our city also offer bikes to rent that you can take on stations with your credit card (1euros for an our) it’s called V’Love but to get his own bikes is way better if you don’t want to be late to your rendez-vous.
I’m divided about BMX to travel in the city cause for example I look very childish on my 18,3 Quamen bike and I can let my bikes outside even with a lock, the good thing is that I can put it in my elevator.
Good post, thanks for the hard work.
it’s funny i live in a small town where all car drivers are idiots, i swear half of them are out there to trying to kill someone. everyday i ride 2 miles to the trails and 2 miles back, and it seems like nothing it keeps me healthy too and its free so i’m not complaining, i can’t drive, and i’ve never really been taken places so being in my home town is what i’m used to, sometimes i will buy a train ticket and hit up another place for a day. i live right near cambridge though, which is a bike infestation where bike outnumber cars like 4 to 1 all places shouild be like this.
jason-
according to the washington post, numbers are even higher than you thought:
“Commuter rail posted the second largest ridership increase at 5.7 percent. The six commuter rail systems with a double-digit ridership growth rate in the first three months of 2008 were in Seattle (27.9 percent), Harrisburg, Pa. (17 percent), Oakland, Calif. (15.8 percent), Stockton, Calif. (13.9 percent), Pompano Beach, Fla. (12.9 percent) and Philadelphia (10.4 percent).”
wild. trains and public transit needs to be more bike friendly through chicago-south bend indiana. if the South Shore train allowed bikes, i would be able to hit up my two favorite skateparks no problem, and visit all my friends with 10 minute drives and train rides after that. beats 45 minutes of driving all the way.
as gas prices skyrocket people will wise up and invest public money into public transit. it seems only logical that bikes will become the essential ingredient that will head off the integration of public transit in an effective manner. in essence the bike becomes the self determinant link between the commuter and their transit. it is great to see bike use on the rise, it is gratifying to build up bikes for people who used to chastise me for not having my license. hopefully the trend continues.
i love how the tables have turned and people are almost forced now to use bicycles atleast some of the time. its going to suck in the long run because it will get to the point where ‘the man’ will step in and try to regulate bicycles. mandatory helmets, registration, insurance and bullshit is on the horizon if bicycling becomes a predominant form of transportation.
I grew up in a real rural area and I would ride everywhere on my bike, it was my only mode of transportation. I remember easily riding tweny + miles a day for good amount of summers. And that was of course before I got a car, but now in this day and age I find myself doing the same thing, gas prices are ridiculious, I actually love it though! If you think about it there is no bad that comes out of riding your bike for transportation - only good. Thats not to say that there’s no use for a car, they will always be beneficial, but for most things a bike is perfect.
i ride my fixie around most places its just alot easyer than ridin a 20′in but i live in phoenix az and its almost suicide to ride you bike even a couple of miles in the mid day 120+ heat and i recently killed my hand riding so i cant ride for a few weeks so its all about long boarding for awhile
well, it really all depends on the distance. my seatpost isn’t slammed so i usually don’t have much trouble with riding some miles on my bmx. but unless i plan on doing some stunts at point B, i’ll use my roadbike, mainly because it’s much faster. and it’s fun to go fast.
I disagree with the suggestion that bmx bikes are pains to commute in. I find it more than enjoyable to just pedal around on my bike sometimes. When riding bmx, it feels as though you put pressure on yourself to perfrom well, and I find it relaxing to just enjoy the ride sometimes. Sure, they can be more difficult to pedal around, but when did obesity stop being a problem in America anyways?
I 33 years old and just got my permit to drive a few days ago! The only reason I got it. Is because most jobs want you to have it! I have ridden my bmx bike around forever. There is no place to far to pedal on my bmx. I think it is way to let out stress. Rock on riders! ECD WILL NEVER DIE
cyclocross bikes are the most versatile bikes out there. i plan on getting one soon an using that as my daily commuter. despite having a road bike, i still opt to commute on my bmx bike with the hope of riding after work. here in state college, there has been an increase in people commuting via pedaling. it seems that there has also been an increase in scooters and such. it would be great if the car traffic decreased and gave way to the two wheel counterparts on the road. i’m not about to hold my breath though.
I think a lot of people tend to forget the sole purpose of a bmx bike, it being just like any other bike. If you are going to complain about commuting somewhere on your bmx bike, than just find yourself a nice cheap road bike. No matter what type of bike you are on, it can always be fun, and saving that much money in gas by pedaling somewhere rather than driving is completely worth it.
my car was sent to the wreckers about two months ago, the gearbox shit itself after a long roadtrip. i’d been considering getting rid of it anyway and since it left i’ve had no regrets about not having a car at all. if anything i’ve found that riding to work/bar/friends places has been much more satisfying to the soul, caused less traffic congestion stresses, and i feel as though i’ve got to know my city/local community a whole lot more personally. a simple life is a good life.
i live in Greece a country whose residents own two cars each! its a fucking mess in downtown Athens SUV’s on the sidewalks etc. Apart from my bmx bike i ride a single speed road bike to do my everyday stuff like go to the grocery store, the bank, the super market or whatever, and trust me its not flat around here and there are no bicycle lanes, Mainly due to the gas prices and general anarchy in political opinions people have started riding bikes everywear and thats really nice.. in china apart from beijing (due to the olympics) people are getting rid of their bikes and buying cars and in the west its the exact opposite, we are trying to have what they are trying to get rid off…
what iam saying is if you can think for yourself and question why you are in such a hurry in your everyday life then you might realise why you would want to ride your bike everywhere and take it down a notch..
its not that iam not guilty, i own a car and use it almost everyday, but at least i know why and i know its bad for the environment, there are people who havent learned to consider such things as emotional options. they dont think they just drive..
im too fucking tall to pedal on a 20″ more then 5 miles these days. sure when i was 15 it wasn’t a problem..but fuck that, i dont want to have a fucked up back because i was too stupid to ride a proper sized bike. one thats designed for long distances and higher speeds.
What I have found the best and effiecient way is that I mounted a rear rack on my 700c touring bike and I can attach my 20inch to the back via front wheel or my Bigwheeled 26inch for Epic trail rides. Faster, more comfortable when I am traveling farther than 8 miles. Also helps having panniers to put in a helmet or some snackage.
City planning in its current state is the result of a school of thought that was very car-centric, starting in the post depression era. The idea was that vast expanses could be covered by cars, on single lane two direction road ways where the happy motorist (well healed suburban professional men) could tour. Roads lined with wooden light posts, low bridges, gentle curves and rolling hills would take you were you wanted to go in peace and comfort. The volume of traffic immediately surrounding cities caused the multi-lane mega-roads that destroyed countless neighborhoods and communities, and discourage foot traffic. As cities expanded they forgot the people and the neighborhoods and only focused on the cars. The result has been 70 years of urban planning that not only destroyed the possibility of small self sufficient communities but also segregates and zones socio-economic classes. The outcome has been callous, self absorbed commuters who don’t care about anyone or anything. Imagine only seeing the world from an air conditioned rolling couch. The myriad ways that distorts ones perspective can be seen throughout our culture.
its so good to pick up the chicago sun times every day now and see at least an article a day that is pro bicycle.
First I wanted to say this is the first time I’ve actually looked into this site and I want to say its awesome. I’m so sick of only reading comments from 14 year olds who don’t have a clue about anything going on in the world besides footjams. On the topic of cycling instead of driving….I moved to Chicago from the suburbs about a year ago and realized how unnessecary cars really are. Riding everywhere is amazing. If its within a ten mile ride I can get to places in about the same time as I could driving. And its free, healthy, good for the environment…why do we drive again? Also, I love riding my BMX rather than a fixie or mtn bike, just slap on a bigger gear (I have a 30-10) and you can haul ass around town. I usually pass up all the road bikers because I can bunnyhop on curbs and maneuver between cars easier. Nothin like riding to your office job in dress clothes on your 20″ and having all the suits look at you like your insane…