Question:
What can you do to absolutely minimize your fuel use?

Answer:
Not drive a car.
(You peaked at the picture header, didn’t you!?)

As much time and effort as we all put into making our cars and trucks more efficient, its easy to forget that even at their absolute best, a motor vehicle is still a pretty inefficient way to get from point A to point B.
Even with a 100% efficient engine, which would of course violate the laws of thermodynamics, the machine is still using more energy to move itself around than to move you.   In most modern gas powered cars, only about 1% of the energy in the fuel is actually being used to transport you from place to place.  With extreme hypermiling, we might raise that to 2%, or even 5%, but the best-case-scenario is pretty awful.

There is only one machine which is actually more energy efficient than the mode of transportation God gave us and that is the bicycle.
By combining human legs with the power of the wheel and the leverage of gears, it is possible to easily travel over 6 times further in a given time span (or the same distance 6 times faster) than you could with just a pair of shoes.
In contrast to the 6x multiplier effect a bicycle has over walking, driving a car only nets about a 4x multiplier in speed/distance compared to a bike.

Given that this is ecomodder, chances are that many readers probably fall into one of two categories:

1) People who already bicycle to work everyday, and as much as possible for errands
(perhaps for all trips below 5 miles?)

2) People who want to bike to work everyday, but have a good reason why they can’t (but still ride for short trips whenever possible!)

The reasons for not doing it are usually distance, weather, traffic, and/or needing to carry a large amount of people or stuff.  (UPDATE – Or, “I don’t own a bike” – in which case please read this article)
And I get that.  I own 2 motor vehicles myself.  There would be no reason to be on ecomodder if we had no motor vehicle to mod.

But May is National Bike Month, and for just one day this month, one day out of the entire year, I challenge everyone from the second category to try cycling to work, no matter how good your excuse is the other 364 days a year.

If that means you have to bring a change of clothes and wash off with a cloth in the bathroom because there are no showers, transport stuff to the workplace (laptop, work tools, whatever) the day before, get up an hour and a half earlier, invest in a super bright headlight and taillight to stay safe, or even if it means buying studded tires so you can ride through the snow, do it.

If it is still an insurmountable challenge, you could try taking public transit part of the way and biking the rest, or if there is no transit, you could even drive halfway with your bike in the trunk, park, and bike the rest of the way.  You would still be cutting your fuel use in half for that commute, reducing your impact on air quality, saving money, and getting some exercise.  (You should spend at least 30 minutes exercising everyday anyway, so when you look at it that way, you could actually be saving time.)

One way or another, no matter how inconvenient it is, just this one day, give it a try.

And even though it is called “Bike to WORK Day”, it doesn’t really have to be to work.  You can bike to school, the supermarket for groceries, or where ever you have to go that day.  If you don’t need to go anywhere that day, it can be another day the same week.  Or at least in the month of May.
At some point in the month of May, use a bicycle as a means of transportation to somewhere you needed to go anyway.

Bike To Work Day, originally created by The League of American Bicyclists, is a tradition going back 56 years.
In the majority of the country it falls on Friday, May 18th, so you have a little time to get ready.  (EDIT: this was posted a week later than intended, for administrative reasons.  So you don’t have much time after all.  And everything in the next paragraph is now past tense)

In a few areas it is celebrated on a different date; in the San Fransisco Bay Area (including Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose, and the rest of the 9 county metropolitan area) it is coming up fast: Thursday, May 10th!

As usual we, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, will be providing energizer stations all morning with free goodie bags for everyone on a bicycle, as well as a free pancake breakfast at Oakland City Hall, where we will also be providing free valet bike parking all day for anyone who works in the area or wants to catch the train from the 12th St Station.  After work there will be a bicycle block party from 5:00pm to 8:30pm at Ninth and Washington Streets in Oakland.
(Sure, you may have to get up 2 hours earlier to bike to work, but I’ll need to get up by 4am to get to Oakland city hall by 5:30am, and then I’m working until at least 8:30pm.  So no complaining.  Its only one day a year…)

For a list of whats going on in your own neck of the woods, contact your local Bicycle Coalition, or check in at any local bike shop.  Or just Google “bike to work day” plus your own city or county name.  You can also find many events on the League’s website. In the even that there are none, you can create one for your local area yourself, and then post info about it on their website.

It will take some time until we get there, but hopefully someday our future will look just like this:

and ecomodding will become an even more strange and esoteric hobby than it is today.

Image: richardmasoner

Bicycle commuters rejoice! Those 448 pages tacked on to the original bailout plan didn’t leave us completely in the dark. By now, you’ve probably heard about tax cuts for everthing from wooden arrows to race tracks and plug-in hybrids, but nothing for cyclists. However, thanks to Treehugger, I have learned that there will indeed be very minor tax cuts for us bicycle commuters.

These cuts are not as straightforward as writing down a number of miles on your taxes and getting money back, but they will allow your employer to offer commuting benefits to you, which could make up to $20 a month of commuting-related expenses tax free. It’s not going to cover the cost of a decent bike, but at least it’s something, and hopefully some employer programs wil be able to reach out to more potential commuters.

Here’s the full text:

“(a) In General- Paragraph (1) of section 132(f) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(D) Any qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement.’.

(b) Limitation on Exclusion- Paragraph (2) of section 132(f) is amended by striking `and’ at the end of subparagraph (A), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting `, and’, and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

`(C) the applicable annual limitation in the case of any qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement.’.

(c) Definitions- Paragraph (5) of section 132(f) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(F) DEFINITIONS RELATED TO BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT-

`(i) QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT- The term `qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement’ means, with respect to any calendar year, any employer reimbursement during the 15-month period beginning with the first day of such calendar year for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.

`(ii) APPLICABLE ANNUAL LIMITATION- The term `applicable annual limitation’ means, with respect to any employee for any calendar year, the product of $20 multiplied by the number of qualified bicycle commuting months during such year.

`(iii) QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING MONTH- The term `qualified bicycle commuting month’ means, with respect to any employee, any month during which such employee–
`(I) regularly uses the bicycle for a substantial portion of the travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment, and

`(II) does not receive any benefit described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1).’.

(d) Constructive Receipt of Benefit- Paragraph (4) of section 132(f) is amended by inserting `(other than a qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement)’ after `qualified transportation fringe’.

(e) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2008.”

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Image: simonvc

Okay, there are no more excuses to be like the guy in the photo. Wear your helmet! I have worn my helmet ever since I was a kid, and even though I made it 10 years without crashing or getting hit, it only took one afternoon’s ride to leave me sprawled out on the pavement, bleeding, cursing, and with a serious concussion. Good thing I was still wearing my helmet though, or I would have died.

If you think this is an isolated incident, check out this post from Treehugger. A recent study in Canada has shown that helmet laws (and therefore increased use of helmets) among children reduces bicycle related fatalities by 50%. Over the same period, the adult death rate due to bicycle crashes rose 5%. There is no similar law requiring that adults wear helmets.

And really, why should this surpise anyone? Lots of people have lame excuses like “helmets make me ride less safely” or “helmets aren’t going to save me anyway,” but let’s be serious, that’s just stupid. I have no problem with people risking their own life over keeping their hair nice and poofy, but we need to stop pretending that helmets don’t save lives every day.

Happy riding!

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Image: yoshimai

It may seem counterintuitive, but according to a recent report more cyclists on the road mean fewer accidents involving cyclists and motor vehicles. I was convinced of this after spending some time living and cycling in Japan, but it’s always nice to have some real research to back up one’s personal hearsay.

This happens because as more cyclists hit the road, drivers are more aware of their presence. Not only are drivers looking out for cyclists, but as interaction between cars and bikes increase, drivers learn how to drive safely and respectfully around cyclists.

According to the University of New South Wales, who did the research:

“It’s a virtuous cycle,” says Dr Julie Hatfield, an injury expert from UNSW who address the seminar on September 5. “The likelihood that an individual cyclist will be struck by a motorist falls with increasing rate of bicycling in a community. And the safer cycling is perceived to be, the more people are prepared to cycle.”

Also, even more encouragingly, it doesn’t seem that cycling infrastructure is responsible for the change:

Experts say the effect is independent of improvements in cycling-friendly laws such as lower speed limits and better infrastructure, such as bike paths. Research has revealed the safety-in-numbers impact for cyclists in Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, 14 European countries and 68 Californian cities.

So, if you’ve ever thought about getting out on a bicycle, consider this: you will be safest in communities with the most cyclists; your contribution will not only keep a car off the road, but will help make everyone safer.

Happy riding!

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If you haven’t heard yet, May is National Bike Month, and within the month there are a whole slew of specific “special days” and such. This week is one of those special bits, and it’s “Commute to Work Week.”

Luckily I’m still a student and don’t have any daily grind, commute to work type commute, but with the weather getting nicer and everything feeling more pleasant, I welcome with open arms the idea of being in the saddle for a few more hours every day. So, get out of the car and get a work out! It might be easier than you imagined.

Anyone new to commuting? Have any interesting stories?

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You should be happy!

You read correctly: alternative transportation can pollute more than the regular. That’s because, for me, I have made my bicycle my primary vehicle and my car a hated backup.

Now, how did I accomplish this? The main thing, for me, is that I got involved with my bike and learned to love it and cycling. Because, after all, if you love what you’re doing, you’re a lot more likely to do it. One of the majors roadblocks to cycling, trains, and buses as a form of transportation is that it’s just not as cool, easy, or beneficial as having your own car.

I counter this by saying that one the train I don’t have to pay attention or even stay awake. I can read a book, catch up on some homework, or play Nintendo DS. The same is true for the bus.

On my bike, the key is keep in mind that commuting is exercise and to be proud of both my fitness and the bling level of my bike. Sure, it’s vain, but vanity is a motivator, and a good one.

For example, if you see my the bike to the right in the lead picture, it’s got brand new, obscenely yellow tape. Eventually the frame will be yellow, and the wheelset already is. Beyond this, I’ve converted it to a fixed gear for added attractiveness and simplicity. Sure, I spent a few dollars on the thing, but now I’m proud to ride it – sometimes I even make excuses to take it somewhere when the car would be the better choice.

So, in our quest for a fossil fuel free lifestyle, let’s not forget that it should be a fun thing, and not a painful, never ending chore!