bike2math

Well the local news station did their obligatory once a week "OMFG the sky is falling, gas prices are to high" story. This time the reporter (standing in front of a BP station, like they need free advertising ) opened the story with, "The best way to save gas is to walk or ride a bicycle, but if that is IMPOSSIBLE here are some ways to stretch your 3.09 a gallon."

I was somewhat gratified because I've been sending them letters after every story complaining that they don't mention the best way to avoid high prices, not to buy the product, this time they mentioned it but immediately worte it off.

The story went on to outline the dos and don'ts that make sense, don't top off, do check your tires and air filter etc.
But then for reasons I still never understand, they started asking the idiots driving suburbans and F-series trucks at the BP station what they were doing to save. I thought the answer was clear

I think oil companies have figured out that whatever they charge people will still pay. I have zero sympathy for anyone that doesn't understand capitalism enough to know that if a product is priced higher than they like then they should stop buying it.

ahh well. Just had to vent. I guess.

jyossarian

According to John Stewart, Americans won't ride bikes because Americans, "don't chafe." I think he nailed it on the head.

fender1

I actually got a call from a local news station here in philly as they wanted to do a story about my commute, "human interest" the message said. When I finally got in touch w/ the person who made the call (they were out of the office for a few days) I was told they (the news station)decided that "people are not really interested in bicycle stories" Bicycle stories? ??? WTF! You called me you knucklehead! They originally called me because my 90 yr. old grandmother called them and said they should do a story about something positive not just ****,fire,murder and treating the weather as news. ("Oh its going to be a hot one today, better stay inside eat chips and not turn off the "news".) When pressed as to her ideas about a story, my daily commuting was the first thing she could think of! Maybe my grandmother has a future as a television news editor, we could do worse!!!

JohnBrooking

It's always amusing (as well as aggravating) to get those chain emails that advocate not buying gas for a day to prove something to the oil companies, where the only thing it proves is that some people can hold off buying gas for a day as long as they can fill it up the next. (I've always wondered if sales show a noticeable spike the next day!) The thing is, they have the right idea, it's just that a day is not nearly a long enough time period. If they could only sustain their boycott over a longer time period, as we do, well then "the magic hand" of the marketplace would theoretically (!) do its work and help to give them the lower prices they want (for a while, mediated of course by inflation, supply, other demand, and all sorts of other factors). But then they'd actually have to do get off their butts and do something different!

unkchunk

$3.09 a gallon... is that high? I don't know. The last time I bought gas was back in April. Or was it March?

timmhaan

i think it got up to, like, 3.40 around here. for the price of two gallons you can buy yourself a nice lunch.

maximusvt

For the price of all the gas I haven't bought this summer, I have bought myself some really nice gear for my bike
We'll see who's laughing ten or twenty years from now when every road is a bike lane.

legot73

+1

I keep an eye on all the gas prices I pass and mentally calculate what new winter goodie to add to my Nashbar cart. @ $3.19/gallon, I figure the 20% two-day sale coupled with a 10% coupon raised gas prices (for my purposes) to about 4.22/gallon yesterday. 3 weeks worth of gas bought me a whole bunch of stay-warm in Wisconsin stuff and a good chain cleaner.

Market timing, baby!

pinkrobe

We're paying $1.15/L here, which is... <conversion> about $3.95/gal, and about as cheap as it gets in Canada, period. We only buy gas to go to soccer practice and bike rides, so we fill up maybe every three weeks or so.

newbojeff

I thought what he said is that Americans will always win the TDF because "these colors don't chafe." Thus, no chafing, one would think more bike commuting. Guess there's a lot of chafers out there.

seeker333

Here's a little gas shopping tool for all you fuel hog commuters. This thing is dead-on accurate in my area.

Just enter your zip code for local prices.

https://autos.msn.com/everyday/GasSta...90210&x=16&y=5