Commuting - I feel like getting...

a jersey that has something like :

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-----NOT!
'addicted to oil'
---------------

In reference to Bush's statement of course. The thought entered my noodle after reading a CNN article that says most Americans fear vulnerability of oil supply?!?

I wonder if it would get me ran over?

How bout one that says

-----------------
Oil?
Is that like the Bag Balm I use?
-----------------

a jersey that has something like :

---------------
-----NOT!
'addicted to oil'
---------------

In reference to Bush's statement of course. The thought entered my noodle after reading a CNN article that says most Americans fear vulnerability of oil supply?!?

I wonder if it would get me ran over?

You might like these. They're close. I haven't gotten run over yet, but I don't live in Texas.
http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/

I would rather have something that says to the affect of : "If you can read this you are way too damn close. BACK OFF!" all in small letters. I need my comfort zone.

We bike commuters may use less oil as we cycle around purchasing things. But those things we purchase are still created and shipped using oil. I would be interested in the total amount of oil consumption personal tranportation accounts for relative to that of commerce.

Gee. I wonder what the main ingredient in plastic is?
Still, we use significantly less oil than any other vehicle. Stop driving and make me more plastic!

We bike commuters may use less oil as we cycle around purchasing things. But those things we purchase are still created and shipped using oil. I would be interested in the total amount of oil consumption personal tranportation accounts for relative to that of commerce.

No doubt, you are correct. We can only do what we can do. I found this site that has some statistics, and I've included the relevant paragraph.

https://www.cato.org/research/articles/reynolds-040627.html

>Transportation accounts for two-thirds of total U.S. petroleum use, or about 13 million barrels a day out of the 20 million barrels a day the U.S. used 2003. But household vehicles, such as cars and SUVs, account for only about half of the petroleum used in transportation, roughly 6.5 million barrels a day. Oil imports are much larger than that, about 10 million barrels a day. So, even if U.S. households had no cars, pickups or SUVs at all, we would still import about 3.5 million barrels a day — for other transportation and for industrial uses.

I would rather have something that says to the affect of : "If you can read this you are way too damn close. BACK OFF!" all in small letters. I need my comfort zone.

f I your car gets smacked, YOU'RE TOO CLOSE! 3 feet, it's the LAW
If I can reach your car, you're too close
3 Feet, It's the LAW. I have a 3 foot baseball bat to measure with. (too combative for me :) )

about the oil I'd opt for something like:
Reducing foreign dependancy on oil at 100 RPM
Reducing demand for oil at the speed of...[a bicycle,17MPH, ...]
In your car you're driving up gas prices...on my bike I'm riding it out.

Estimated EPA fuel economy: 35 miles per cheesburger

DUMP THE PUMP!

Seems to me the preachy-T's are just asking for problems. Polarizing peoples' opinions is part of the problem.

How 'bout "PRODUCER OF METHANE GAS" on the back and underneath, an arrow pointing down?

Getting them to laugh is a viable strategy.

Seems to me the preachy-T's are just asking for problems. Polarizing peoples' opinions is part of the problem.

After commuting for 20 years, and watching everybody mindlessly get in their cars for that long, I have to disagree with you. I especially dislike it, when I go out on a beautiful day, and I see even more cars on the road. Many people respond to a challenge, so I prefer something that provokes thought.

One successful publicity campaign was the anti-fur movement of the 90s. Fur sales went down to 1/5 of their 1980 levels.

Estimated EPA fuel economy: 35 miles per cheesburger

You are either 50 pounds heavy or your 35 miles are downhill.

Some ideas:
"No oil no fat"
"Very low emission vehicle. 1lb/day"
"Have you supported terrorists today?" - with pump sign. Though I fail to see that connection between oil and terror myself.

I saw a neon sign in a LBS " Burn Fat Not Oil", I have been looking for this slogan as a sticker, t-shirt, jersey etc. I think it makes a ok stement without being too confrontational. I have a sticker I have yet to put on for my Bianchi tube is too skinny, that says "Fight Terror, Ride a bike"

What about "Ride Bikes for Victory" or something like that, FDR era slogan.

After commuting for 20 years, and watching everybody mindlessly get in their cars for that long, I have to disagree with you. I especially dislike it, when I go out on a beautiful day, and I see even more cars on the road. Many people respond to a challenge, so I prefer something that provokes thought.

One successful publicity campaign was the anti-fur movement of the 90s. Fur sales went down to 1/5 of their 1980 levels.

Disagree all you wish. Case in point: I find a large number of your posts are on the anti-oil soapbox (indeed, your whole on-line persona). This in turn leaves me think your comments are generally of lower value because I have to dope out the angle you're using to push an agenda. It's nothing personal, it just turns me off. Imagine what it does to folks less 'enlightened'.

When I talk to people about the virtues of bike commuting, I tell them about how it benefits me and how not very different I am from them. It's amazing how it gets the wheels grinding. If I jump on the oil=bad bandwagon the eyes glaze over and they tune out. Simple honesty goes much farther.

I saw a neon sign in a LBS " Burn Fat Not Oil", I have been looking for this slogan as a sticker, t-shirt, jersey etc. I think it makes a ok stement without being too confrontational.



That's not bad at all...I really like that.

Personally I could give a crap that im saving oil.

I dont bike to remove a car from the road
I dont bike to promote a healthy earth, heck i barely recyle.
I'm not anti oil, im anti unhealthy

I bike so I dont keel over dead before I get a chance to go broke in retirement.
I do use the anti oil propaganda on occasion to piss off cagers cause...well cause it pisses them off :)

Disagree all you wish. Case in point: I find a large number of your posts are on the anti-oil soapbox (indeed, your whole on-line persona). This in turn leaves me think your comments are generally of lower value because I have to dope out the angle you're using to push an agenda. It's nothing personal, it just turns me off. Imagine what it does to folks less 'enlightened'.

When I talk to people about the virtues of bike commuting, I tell them about how it benefits me and how not very different I am from them. It's amazing how it gets the wheels grinding. If I jump on the oil=bad bandwagon the eyes glaze over and they tune out. Simple honesty goes much farther.

Mike,
I respect your opinion, and I'll take it at face value. It's an opinion, just as mine is an opinion. Obviously, there is no way to measure the effects of advocating our positions. And I am guilty as charged of being extremely "anti-oil". I believe our overconsumption of this resource is seriously weakening our nation. In any case, KEEP RIDING!

Fair enough. We agree, just not in our methods.

There's a whole bunch of cycling related stickers/shirts, etc here:

http://www.cafepress.com/buy/cycling/bicycle/-/rpp_18

People use cars way too often, I've ssen people do it to go 100 feet down the road. Yea, Im only 17 and I get a ride to work so im not technically a commuter, but i ride my bike anywhere else i want to go. Ive riden a 20" BMX bike with the seat down to frame for a distance 0f 35-38mi. If i had a place to put my bike at work i would ride it there. But how can you justify driving to go two houses down the road, it unnecissary. I think people should take a stand against using it, american is so dependent on oil that we are in the palms of the oil companies. If they stopped sending oil to us, we would be crippled. We shouldnt live like this leaving ourselves so vulnerable.

Unfortunatly those in power also have controlling shares in oil companies :)

on the back of my T shirt:

ZERO EMISSION
(the bike, not the rider)

Seems to me the preachy-T's are just asking for problems. Polarizing peoples' opinions is part of the problem.

Seems like people's opinions are already polarized. Yeah, a t-shirt slogan isn't going to do anything to change someone's mind, but disagreement does need to be clearly communicated, no? The worries about "polarizing" people are all about simply being afraid that stating a strong and meaningful opinion (e.g. about politics, not color preferences) to the point that we do nothing at all to try and convince people that maybe there's a better way to do things.

Of course, there's a more diplomatic way of doing it then a t-shirt that says "when you ride alone, you ride with Bin Laden" (this is a real campaign, I am not making this up). And like I said, your T-shirt isn't likely to change minds, especially if it's hostile. But hey, something like "Oil-Free and Loving It," or "There are no wars for wool," (on the back of your wool jersey) isn't harmful to anyone, and if anyone does feel polarized because of it, well, maybe they should try to control their knee-jerk reflex before they break their jaw ;).