WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I BELIEVED, PERHAPS NAÏVELY, that bicycles would save the world. But as I dove into racing, I moved further and further away from riding bikes as transportation and became heavily invested in cycling as a sport, exercise, and social activity. I bought my first car because I wanted to travel to races and events. With a car, I spent a decade road-tripping to events on the East Coast and in the Midwest to chase podiums and prize money. And I loved it. I don't regret those years of living the bike racer's dream. But the truth is, while cycling often gets viewed as an environmentally friendly pursuit, racing bikes or driving to trailheads is not all that green.
If bicycles are to have a substantial environmental impact, riding needs to replace car trips. Commuting to work by bike instead of in a car is what many folks will think of first. But what about everything else we need to do? Groceries, errands, or kid pickups and drop-offs? Last year, more than 52 percent of all car trips in the United States were less than three miles. These are the constant neighborhood car trips that can most easily be influenced by cycling-not as a sport or recreation but as transportation.
While the Netherlands, Denmark, and other European nations embraced cargo bikes decades ago, in the United States, these bikes often were reserved for city-based courier companies or were enjoyed primarily by the cyclists most passionate about utility cycling. The rise of the e-bike in the last decade, and the electrification of the cargo bike in particular, has opened up a practical and appealing way for more people to go car-lite.
Denne historien er fra Spring 2023-utgaven av Bicycling US.
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Denne historien er fra Spring 2023-utgaven av Bicycling US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats
Indoor cycling and virtual racing are booming, and so are the ranks of digital dopers abusing the platforms.
WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE
A lifelong roadie tries singletrack for the first time. It did not go as planned.
THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY
It was a sunny day in the summer of 2022. There were some things I had to move into the house, so I left the garage door open. I was gone less than 15 minutes.
YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST
I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR SPORTS, starting with the usual team ones such as football and baseball. But that faded in favor of more individual pursuits. Watching my dad roll down the driveway to go for a ride, I wanted to do the same. The bike was my first taste of freedom, a freedom to do it my way.
THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
UP UNTIL RECENTLY, I WAS, AT BEST, A TWICEa-month cyclist.
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE
CYCLISTS OF ALL LEVELS GO THROUGH various phases or eras over the years they spend in the saddle. For the vast majority of riders (myself included), these things happen privately, without fanfare.
BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE
LIFE'S A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT COMES in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?
I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF INVOLVING myself in a few populous and dramatically different cycling communities.
CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E
EVEN THOUGH I TEST LOADS OF CYCLING gear for a living, sometimes I get locked in on particular items and find it difficult to enjoy competing products, even if those products have obvious advantages.
WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE
Custom. The word evokes passionate opinions about what constitutes a custom-made bike and who gets to ride one. There's this idea that they're wildly expensive pieces of functional art meant only for the fittest, fastest riders.
