Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,141
Likes: 6,366
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
[MENTION=571561]ScottCommutes[/MENTION] and [MENTION=397345]Classtime[/MENTION]: The difference in your climates can explain the difference in wear on your bikes. Riding a bike in the rain introduces a lot of abrasive grit. Last night, I cleaned my chain. Today, I bike-commuted to work and back, and I had the time to clean my bike. I got a lot of grit off, and I had to clean and lube my chain again.
I read that a gallon of gas has 31,000 calories. Given that it costs less than a loaf of bread, I can see all the subsidies going into that commodity. Being a fossil fuel, we are borrowing from our ancestors and our descendants to get such a low price. Of course, the car needs more calories per mile than a cyclist does, but it’s interesting how expensive it is to fuel us.
I recently heard the claim that an e-bike is more energy efficient than an “acoustic bike,” and now I might believe it. It’s not really more efficient, but it could be more cost-efficient when accounting for only fuel.