Do you cycle for or at least partly for Enviromental reasons ?

[KneesUp]

That's all very vague and smacks of the nonsense on BBC4 I heard this week.

"Commuting for four weeks" means nothing. How far is your commute? Commute by what?
"half the carbon footpring of a car is in its manufacture". More vague. If a car does 500 000kms before getting scrapped, it's carbon footprint from fuel is higher than one that crashed when it left the forecourt..

I suspect it's based on averages, and works when you look at the whole picture. Obviously individual cases may vary,.

(but it might correlate too - I'm poor/tight so I have an older, higher mileage car (10 years old, 125k miles) and an older bike (30 this year, mileage unknown) I suspect people who cycle and own a newer car that they change regularly are also statistically more likely to have a newer bike they change more often too - although I fully accept that following this post there will be lots of posts about driving a 4o year old Land Rover that's been in perpetual motion since the war, but owning a brand new bike, as well as posts about driving a brand new car and riding the bike their grandfather used for getting to work)

 

[classic33]

I suspect it's based on averages, and works when you look at the whole picture. Obviously individual cases may vary,.

(but it might correlate too - I'm poor/tight so I have an older, higher mileage car (10 years old, 125k miles) and an older bike (30 this year, mileage unknown) I suspect people who cycle and own a newer car that they change regularly are also statistically more likely to have a newer bike they change more often too - although I fully accept that following this post there will be lots of posts about driving a 4o year old Land Rover that's been in perpetual motion since the war, but owning a brand new bike, as well as posts about driving a brand new car and riding the bike their grandfather used for getting to work)

Mine was a farmer, with his place of work starting just beyond the yard.

 

[biggs682]

My daily commute is 1.5 miles and the car wouldn't even get warm so i have used a bike for 9+ years

 

[Ming the Merciless]

That's all very vague and smacks of the nonsense on BBC4 I heard this week.

"Commuting for four weeks" means nothing. How far is your commute? Commute by what?
"half the carbon footpring of a car is in its manufacture". More vague. If a car does 500 000kms before getting scrapped, it's carbon footprint from fuel is higher than one that crashed when it left the forecourt.

There are too many glib statements flying around. Cow methane is next on my radar. Sorry if you became collateral damage.

10 miles, 5 days a week, mondeo sized car. Based on a 300,000 mile life.

 

[mudsticks]

Mine was a farmer, with his place of work starting just beyond the yard.

This is my problem too.. The commute to the farm being only a short porch length from the front door.

I guess if I had greater resolve I would get up 40 mins earlier and go for a spin round the lanes, first, before work.

Might be another NY's resolution, to drop by the second week of January.

Sadly I have no knowledge of whether my grandfather owned a bicycle, and there is no one left to ask.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

10 miles, 5 days a week, mondeo sized car. Based on a 300,000 mile life.

Well then, its still crazy. What does it matter how many days a week and how many miles per trip if we only care about the 300k total.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Well then, its still crazy. What does it matter how many days a week and how many miles per trip if we only care about the 300k total.

The first bit relates to the four week figure or have you so quickly forgotten what you read?

 

[Yellow Saddle]

The first bit relates to the four week figure or have you so quickly forgotten what you read?

Yup, I had. Nevertheless, I have one more up my sleeve. What is a moderate sized car? When I started driving my moderate-sized car consumed 16l/100km. Today my moderate sized car consumes less than 6l/100km.

I'm actually not after an answer. I'm after scientist dumbing down things on TV and radio. Why do they have to explain, for instance, a certain volume of water as x number of olympic sized swimming pools? Or, Y distance as twice around the world.

Give us a figure and allow us to grapple with it, without having to do a sanity check.

As soon as a statistic is dumbed down, they've diluted the debate.

 

[pjd57]

I cycle for me.
I feel better physically
I feel better mentally
I am better off financially
I get to places on time, every time.

If it helps the environment as well , good.

 

[mjr]

I'm actually not after an answer. I'm after scientist dumbing down things on TV and radio. Why do they have to explain, for instance, a certain volume of water as x number of olympic sized swimming pools? Or, Y distance as twice around the world.

Generally, scientists don't, journalists do. (I've trained a little as both... now there's a conflict in writing styles to be endured!)

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Yup, I had. Nevertheless, I have one more up my sleeve. What is a moderate sized car? When I started driving my moderate-sized car consumed 16l/100km. Today my moderate sized car consumes less than 6l/100km.

I'm actually not after an answer. I'm after scientist dumbing down things on TV and radio. Why do they have to explain, for instance, a certain volume of water as x number of olympic sized swimming pools? Or, Y distance as twice around the world.

Give us a figure and allow us to grapple with it, without having to do a sanity check.

As soon as a statistic is dumbed down, they've diluted the debate.

Whichever figure you want to use for your car, we are talking orders of magnitude. The carbon footprint of making a bike is recovered in a matter of a few weeks commuting compared against a car.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

The carbon footprint of making a bike is recovered in a matter of a few weeks commuting compared against a car.

Now, wasn't that so much easier to say and comprehend than:

"I read somewhere that the carbon footprint of manufacturing a bike is approximately the carbon footprint of commuting by car for four weeks. I also read that approx half the carbon footprint of a car is in its manufacture." With the additional rider: "10 miles, 5 days a week, mondeo sized car. Based on a 300,000 mile life."

 

[MrPie]

Nope. Biking is fun, thoroughly enjoyable, keeps ya fit, and gets you to nice places. The planet is going to hell in a handbasket, irrespective of human activity.

 

[12boy]

When I was young I liked to take a lot of dope, drink a lot and smoke a lot. Marriage, kids and a job steered me away from those jolly times and I began riding a bike. 30 some years of bike commuting a couple of hours a day resulted in my realization I had traded those addictions for my bike, although that`s gotten out of hand, too. I have at least 4 bikes I ride frequently and a few more set up for seasonal ice/snow problems. I also have 4 cars and except for travelling interstate to see family, probably ride more than drive. Not just for environmental reasons but also to have exercise and time alone a built in part of life. Bicycling has been very good to me.

 

[Nebulous]

I stopped buying Petrol when it went over a quid a gallon, sold the motorbike and have only owned bikes since.

That's a long time ago! It turned a pound a gallon very close to when I passed my test - late 1979.