Originally Posted by
cyccommute
There are few chain lubes that aren't petroleum based. Personally, I don't have a problem using petroleum based products...I dare ya to
try to avoid them in every day life
But I don't use as much petroleum as the common American and probably less than the most people in the developed world on a yearly basis anyway. What little I use on my bicycle is a ppb in the grand scheme of things.
I actually use algae-based lubricants ... but I'm a dork.
Also, petroleum usage demographics are rapidly changing. Currently, I work in "metabolic engineering" or getting microbes to produce compounds that significantly reduce petroleum-based precursors for chemical synthesis. The field is just getting started.
I'm still interested in the net gain/loss in overall energy consumption of commuting by bike versus public transport.