Terrible Cycling

[mgarl10024]

You are also missing, wilfully at a guess, that the bike does it's nastiness in its manufacture. Other than lubricating oils and consumables, that's about it. The car not only needs more lubricating oil and consumables, it also needs fuel.

For the 2nd time this week - "Spot on, Norm".

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Who said bicycles are 'green'?

There are multiples of bikes made every day compared with motorcars. The machines that are used to manufacture bikes are similar to assembling cars. Alum welders etc.
The metals used in bikes is 'specialist' and goes through many processes to make it correct. Each process creates pollution.

Most bikes these days are made in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or India. They are transported round the world by the most polluting mode of transport known to man, ie container ships.

Take my Dawes for instance. The frame and componentry is from Malaysia and Taiwan. These are shipped to UK. The bike is assembled in Birmingham and then taken by truck to Harrogate. I purchase it and it is brought by truck to my house which is 6 miles from Dawes Cycles in Castle Bromwich.

When I go on an Audax, I specially cook a substantial meal to 'carbo load' for the event. I drive to the store where the food has been transported round the world in the same manner as the bike. I drive home and switch on my cooker.
2 hours of electricity later, I eat my meal.
On the morning of the Audax, I put my bike in my car and drive off to the event.
At the event, the organiser's wife and her friends have especially baked some lovely cakes and pastries for the riders, which use gas and electricity to cook.

Walk into any bike shop. There are Energy bars, nutrition mixes and power bars. How are these made and how did they get there? Are they really necessary?

Cycling is not so 'Green'.

You raise some fair points, but the thing is....it can be applied to pretty much everything - so rather than "cycling" perhaps your surmising should insead be

Life is not so 'Green'.

 

[niggle]

Life is not so 'Green'.

And in particular rampant consumerism is extremely un-green. The whole system we live by is driving a massive oil and coal burning machine in the Far East, but its our constant demand for more and more new 'stuff' that keeps it going, we are like addicts. Of course the whole merry-go-round has to keep going so that there is enough work to go round, so that people have enough money to keep on buying more stuff, etc, etc. I am guilty of having more bicycles than I need, but at least I don't have a car and do cycle to work and for leisure at the weekend (I nearly always just cycle from home).

Right now the media are talking about the economy and how its essential that we have more 'growth' (why?) but they always avoid making the link between capitalism and the plundering of the planets resources and pollution of its atmosphere. They talk about generating green energy, but they never want to talk about the main issue of excessive consumption of just about every thing, or how we are all going to starve when the oil runs out because we need to use fossil fuels simply to feed the world's excessive population.

Meanwhile here is an example of a green bike: it is 27 years old, built of steel in the UK, even the raw materials may have come from the UK, but not so sure about that. It only gets new parts when it needs them and it has replaced a car for its owner's journey to work and as I said it is most definitely green:

 

[the_mikey]

What a dumbass thing to say - obviously the reason they travel around and work insane hours is because they get a kick out of it and absolutely love their work...oh no, wait it's because that's required to make money and support their family, especially when jobs are scarce - I'm guessing not a lot about life makes sense to you.

I'm just speaking from experience, it was a lifestyle I gladly left behind.

 

[jimboalee]

2 m cars sold in the UK in 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8445327.stm

Vs 1m bikes sold by Halfords
http://www.bikebiz.c...-million-a-year

Can I have my fiver please.

When you have stopped making up figures come back and discuss.

The truth is 400bhp, I just picked some numbers out of thin air. I couldn't be bothered to trawl the internet for the correct figures. I was cooking my evening meal.
I was hoping someone would do the donkey work and come back with the answers.

That's a good Management ploy to get the people to find the answers.

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

Something else to consider (others have touched on this tangentially) is the amount of energy required to deal with cars that are no longer required.


This is undoubtedly considerably higher than that required for processing discarded bicycles. The amount of material is a factor of 80-100 higher. Also there are far more plastics, et cetera, involved in a motor vehicle - materials that are harder to reuse.


And on top of that, I would imagine that cars have a far shorter 'shelf-life' than bicycles. You certainly don't see too many 10-20 year old cars on the road.

 

[jimboalee]

Something else to consider (others have touched on this tangentially) is the amount of energy required to deal with cars that are no longer required.


This is undoubtedly considerably higher than that required for processing discarded bicycles. The amount of material is a factor of 80-100 higher. Also there are far more plastics, et cetera, involved in a motor vehicle - materials that are harder to reuse.


And on top of that, I would imagine that cars have a far shorter 'shelf-life' than bicycles. You certainly don't see too many 10-20 year old cars on the road.

'Shelf life' in the motor trade is the time between 'gate release' and 'Date of sale'. Some cars hang around at the dealers for several months.
10 - 20 Yr old cars are 'In Service', ie being used by the owners.

Jag LR still get warranty claims from cars built and sold in the nineties.

There are TWO parts of some Jaguars that had a 'Lifetime Warranty'. Another fiver for the one who can tell me the correct answer..

 

[jimboalee]

'Shelf life' in the motor trade is the time between 'gate release' and 'Date of sale'. Some cars hang around at the dealers for several months.
10 - 20 Yr old cars are 'In Service', ie being used by the owners.

Jag LR still get warranty claims from cars built and sold in the nineties.

There are TWO parts of some Jaguars that had a 'Lifetime Warranty'. Another fiver for the one who can tell me the correct answer..

Norm might know it. He's clever like that.

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

That's why I put it in inverted commas, because I knew some pedant would pick me up on it!

 

[adds21]

Look at the Far East, China and India. Count the cars and then try to count the bikes. Good luck.

There are nine million bicycles in Beijing. That's a fact, It's a thing we can't deny.

(I'll get my coat now).

 

[jimboalee]

That's why I put it in inverted commas, because I knew some pedant would pick me up on it!

On a forum, if you are unsure about a bit of terminology or a statement, put a double ?? after it to signify you are in doubt over it legitimacy.

Cyclists fart more than motorists ??

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

My OED defines 'shelf life' as 'the length of time for which an item remains usable'.


So I thought I was ok!

 

[Fiona N]

My OED defines 'shelf life' as 'the length of time for which an item remains usable'.

So I thought I was ok!

I think car dealers use 'shelf life' in the sense of an unmarried, breeding-age woman being 'left on the shelf' rather than the grocer's sense of 'remaining edible'

 

[jimboalee]

In grocery, there's 'Sell by' and 'Use by'.

In automobiles, and bikes for that matter, there is 'shelf life'.
It is the amount of time components can remain inactive on a dealer lot or at a holding depot before they become dangerous to use.
For example, tyres. Tyres which stand inactive for several months 'flat spot' and are not saleable.

Jag LR spend £400 to fit a new tyre to a new car because this situation is KNOWN. If a dealer sells a car with a flatted tyre because it had been standing around for months on the forecourt, and the car crashes, the dealer and JLR are in deep do-dos.

 

[400bhp]

The truth is 400bhp, I just picked some numbers out of thin air. I couldn't be bothered to trawl the internet for the correct figures. I was cooking my evening meal.
I was hoping someone would do the donkey work and come back with the answers.

That's a good Management ploy to get the people to find the answers.

If you say so. Only took you a whole night to come back with that retort

"I'll bet you a fiver that more people bought gas cookers than bought microwaves from Comet last year"