05-13-2023, 01:35 AM
(05-13-2023, 12:06 AM)danbrotherston Wrote:(05-12-2023, 06:53 PM)tomh009 Wrote: Interesting. But pulling CO2 numbers from different studies (with different methodologies) does not provide a valid comparison.
In addition, he is focused on high-end road bikes (carbon fibre etc) rather than the commuter/hybrid variety that is by far the most common in the world.
Proprietary components? Yes, increasingly so. But the same thing has happened with cars, with phones, sound systems and so on. I don't think one can prevent that from happening.
I remember reading this article, I think it was posted in the NJBs subreddit, it seemed to be pretty weak...bicycles as remarkably efficient. Even the most wasteful bike (carbon fiber ebike) is going to be vastly better than a car, and as you say, those bikes aren't car replacements, they're toys, bicycles which replace cars are generally sturdy aluminum or steel bikes.
As for proprietary parts, yes and no...they don't have the best standardization, but there is no vendor locks (outside of ebikes from Bosch) and replacement parts are readily available. The idea that bicycles have a repair-ability issue also seemed very silly.
Honestly, it seemed like the author was being...a bit...reactionary...probably cycling is now a bit too mainstream for some counter culture folks (and a server powered by solar with no grid connection just screams counter culture)
The author advocates buying old, uncomfortable road bikes from the 60s and 70s. I bought a bike like that when I was 19 and rode it for around 20 years. I switched to a recumbent in '92 and have continued to own a recumbent, except for a 4-year period when my second one got stolen. 3 years ago, I switched to an e-bike and just bought a new one with a bigger battery. I basically stopped riding my recumbent because the e-bike is so much faster than the recumbent, especially going uphill, even though I love riding a recumbent. I turn 70 next month, and there is no way I would go back to the kind of bike that the author thinks people should ride. I don't want to compete in the Tour de France. I don't want to be hunched over perched on a narrow ball crushing seat. I want to sit upright on a bike that is easy to get on and off. I use my bike for practical reasons, for transportation, for shopping and for recreation, not for racing. While there may be some merit in the author's discussion of the sustainability of bicycle manufacturing, the technology of bicycles has considerably advanced since the 1960s. Buying a bicycle today is not like buying one 40 years ago.