I don't get peeved when people tell me how I'm being all "green," but I do make a habit of pointing out that green has nothing to do with it - my poor old 1992 car has 164,000 miles on it, and I figure every mile I put on the bike isn't going on the car. I'm too cheap/broke to buy another car, so I wanna make the one I have now last as long as possible. And if it has a finite amount of miles on it, then riding my bike at every opportunity is lengthening the amount of time until I hit that finite amount of miles.

So it's now become an odd challenge - some things I can't do by bike like I'd like to (doctor's appointments in town 40 miles away) and some things I haven't quite figured out how to do yet (like go to the freakin' laundromat), but I'm still hoping one day to be able to go without the car for, say, a whole month and not just a week like now.

I don't like people assuming I'm green. Some people think that because I rode a bike a few miles to get to work it means I'll be interested in their recycling drive or raising epa regualtions or some such nonsense. I ride a bike because it's fun and I'm fat, not because I'm part of some agenda.

I find that the best way of 'being green' is just to be cheap. Biking is part of that for me. I get where the OP is coming from, though.

hehe i had a good laugh at that thanks

They may think you're sacrificing, being noble for the environment--play it up brother! Play it up! Sometimes being green is fun, who knew?

So what would you say if somebody challenged you about biking and ask if you're trying to be green or something? And then proceeds to tell you that you need to move your tree-hugging, liberal ass to socialist Europe if love it so much...

Did you mean to say carbon fiber footprint?

I think that makes you green... sorry! :)

Moved to Berkeley Ca where you are expected to be a "Lean Mean Green Pedaling Machine!" :)

Problem solved.

I fully agree...my decision to live car free (although my fiancee drives, and I take advantage of that at times) has a lot less to do with the environment and a lot more to do with practical inner city commuting realities. I think the truth is that the green thing is largely a trendy marketing ploy, and one that will become less prevalent with time. As has already been mentioned, the green hybrid cars aren't really much greener than normal cars...it's trendy. I think that's true for a lot of these companies advertising green. Citibank is green? How? Exxon is green? Huh? Marketing.

To me decisions about legitimately going green are only going to happen by economic necessity. When it's cheaper to recycle, we'll recycle more. When gas is a fortune, we'll use it less. Etc. The only practical green initiatives are Government tax based policy decisions...like cutting back on road subsidies and spending it on public transit. My cycling isn't about saving the world...it's about enjoying it, feeling good, burning a few calories, skipping inner city traffic jams, easy and free parking and storing my transportation inside the house. I've had a love affair, off and on, with bikes ever since I was 10...which was long before I knew what ozone was.

Part of it is also that I can't afford a Ferrari (at least without making sacrifices I'd never make). I can't afford a Picasso. Bikes are one of the few things where I can afford the best of the best. I can get some of the finest machines ever produced with two wheels and appreciate their workmanship. Maybe I can't afford a ferrari, but I have a bike hand built in the Merckx factory out of Reynolds 753, one of the finest steels man has produced, for the captain of the Motorola team. That bike cost me 1/20th of what people pay for a mass produced compact car.

Around my home, the only people that ride bikes are recent immigrants that can't afford a truck yet. A neighbor asked me if I got a DUI since they'd "never seen a white guy ride a bike as much" as I do.

OP: i agree with you wholeheartedly. I do it because a) lycra makes my ass look good and b) it's a fun workout. OMG INFINITY MPG yeah not so much. i still enjoy driving my car as well

The only bike users I see are bums using mountain bikes too small for them or a stolen kid bike on sidewalks or wrong side of the road. Global warming always in the media is a lie by communists. Other planets are warming up too.

Oh yeah, the one you came from is warming up also? :p

I would point in the direction of Texas and explain why people over 60 shouldn't be allowed d to vote because all they seem to do is vote for poor republican candidates cough BUSH.. cough BUSH.. who have destroyed our countries relationships with other nations and screwed our economy into the ground.

Global warming.. No that can't be true. The weather is just rapidly changing all over the world for no reason at all. The ozone has been depleting for millions of years didn't you know...

So you're saying size matters?

When people say something about how green I am, I usually say something like, "yeah, _____ seemed a little off in the cafeteria today..." or invite them to go on a bike ride with me :)

One of them yep.

Global Warming on Mars, Pluto, Triton and Jupiter
http://seoblackhat.com/2007/03/04/gl...n-and-jupiter/

Triton and Pluto aren't planets. Which of the remaining two were you from again?

Comrades! The imperialist stooges are on to us!

Quick, you and Hasty into the escape pod and back to Juipter:

http://www.badmovies.org/movies/fles...hgordonii4.jpg

Mars. Men are from Mars, women are from Venus.

You could also say what I usually say to people that mention the "green" aspect of cycling.

Some studies have said that cycling is a moot point on the green front because whatever carbon footprint is removed by not driving is put back through all the machines used for manufacture and transport of food. Since cyclist tend to eat more, the footprint is just moved to some other point.

That is a sloppy example of what I say but it is because I am thinking about what I am going to eat. Im pretty hungry. Im thinking macaroni salad with tortilla chips or fruity pebbles.

Another thing I dont like hearing is, "I bet you save a lot on gas money." Being the bubble-burster I am, I usually reply, "Not really, the money I save on gas and oil goes to bike gear."

I highly doubt I eat enough food to offset the balance to increase my carbon footprint to equalize. I would say its pretty negligable to see it in that light because the increase in food is probably only a few hundred calories a day. It takes energy to manufacture a car, but after the car is made the damage has been done which isn't much. The car continues to add damage to the environment while the bike doesn't really other than fixes on the frame and such.

Where are those studies you speak of, or is this just word of mouth B.S.?

Wrong city. You need to go to Davis, which is about 50-60 miles north. :D

Hmm...I see the op's point point - I too ride and take public transportation not because I'm trying to be green, but because I don't have the money to take care of a car (or a license, just a permit) and because I can't find parking where I live. But frankly, whether or not global warming exists - I believe it's warming, yea, but it's natural - I see no reason why anyone would think it bad to conserve or to be "green."

HIghly depends on what you are eating. If you eat local unprocessed foods, then there is no way this is going to hold water. I think the studies were done comparing the caloric content of beef or something ridiculous like that.

"Green" is a side benefit. I do it because 1) I need the exercise and I hate going to gyms, 2) Saves money, and I'm a miser, 3) It's a fantastic stress reliever.

Pretty unlikely.

Pretty unlikely.

Riding a bike doesn't save gas. At best, increased bike ridership may reduce demand for fuel, which means somebody else (probably in India or China) can afford to drive or drive more. Unless you can convince the rest of the world to abandon the car, its a hopeless endeavor. I'm not under the illusion that I'm saving the earth, since someone else is going to burn the fuel that I don't burn.
I ride for myself. Enjoyment of cycling aside, when fuel prices skyrocket, I'll have an easier time adapting than most. I'm also learning how to grow my own food and live without summer air conditioning and a minimal amount of winter heat. I don't consider any of this to be "green" because I'm not under the delusion that I'm saving the earth. Someone else will burn what I save. "Green" is a marketing scam. The kind of people fooled by "green" marketing are the same who think they are saving the earth by driving hybrids around and using recycleable shopping bags.

I'll take any compliment I can get, so if they want to thank me for being "green", it's fine with me.

And, yes, I am a republican, leaning to the libertarian side of the party.

What does piss me off is my company spouting "green" BS, then doing absolutely nothing to support my bike commuting (see rant about bike being kicked out of building a few weeks ago).

Promoting bike commuting, IMO, is the smartest "green" thing a company can do, primarily because it costs them little and results in employees walking around all day on an endorphin buzz.