with higher gas prices and global warming not to mention brow clouds many people are trying to find more efficient vehicles. with traffic increasing and parking always a hassle and costly in the city many are trying to beat the system.

i think the best way to do that and get in your gym workout is to ride a bicycle. i ride to and from work everyday all year round. it’s fun and i really laugh when i pass hundreds of cars during rush hour in my open free bicycle lane. our city and the 6 or more that are all join in the great phoenix area all have bicycle lanes. a few cities like scottsdale az even have a greenway with bicycle trails away from the street and vehicles. they even have under passes so you never cross a street.

as an engineer i alway look at things and value them by their efficiency. a gas car with an internal combustion engine is less than 15% efficient. when you stop at a light or traffic light you idle and get negative miles per gallon. at least a hybrid improved on that. amory lovins at the rmi rocky mtn institute calculated that a car uses 99% of it energy just to move the car. only 1 % to move you. if you car pool with 2 it maybe 2%. the pollution is deadly, just read about people who die in a closed space from carbon monoxide. then look at the carbon dioxide. phew.

a diesel is not much better. it’s less than 35% efficient. the soot and pollution it makes kills us. literally. it also idles and gets negative mpg. braking just like a gas car causes lost energy and heat and friction in brakes causing pm10, particles 10 microns or smller in pollution. it’s still along way from efficient.

even a new super efficient electric vehicle like the new nissan leaf which has regenerative braking and a 90% efficient electric ac motor still takes energy to move. now were getting up to the 75-85% efficinet range but not as good as a bicycle.

for all vehicles also add how much energy it takes to make it, ship it, store it, maintaine it and fuel it. everytime i eat i’m refueling me for a bicycle ride. energy all adds up over and over, recycling adds more.

some bike magazines calculated a bicyles get over 2,000 mpge. miles per calories in a gallon of gas (60,000). that is very good but they forgot to remove the food you have to eat just to keep alive or sit and watch tv. when i ride my bicycle i actually eat less and waste less energy watching tv or typing on the pc for blogs. then i subtract what every nees to eat each day and i come up with perpetual motion. i bicycle 18 miles each way to work. it takes about 80-90 minutes. (i wait for lights) i have less time to use other energy and am much more awake and energetic than any of my co-workers who sit and eat and watch tv while sipping coffe to wake up.

i don’t have to join and pay to be in a health club, sit and bike on a stationary bike or waste energy driving to the gym. it adds up big time. just try it and see how you do.

so i think a bicycle wins hands down. what do you think ?

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