I have written several other posts about my change to commuting to work on my bicycle. Here are some details, both in the gear that makes it possible and the conditions that make it feasible for me.
I am a gear head. Always have been, always will be. Some of the first gears I fiddled with were on a bike; first a 1-speed, then my older sisters’ 3-speed, then a 10-speed which I bought with my own money from my paper route. You don’t hear things like that much these days — what kid has a paper route anymore?
So it was a natural for me to take my road bike that I had bought probably 15 years ago and trick that puppy out as a “commuter bike” with the gear, gadgets, tools and gizmos “needed” for my daily commute. Here’s my list, neatly organized into Safety, Warmth, and Fun. Then, some comments that make my bike commute safe and possible. (more…)
My bike commute to work is a lovely ride. My path takes me along the Charles River. I have seen the beauty of the New England autumn unfold, the crews one their morning rows, the Boston city skyline, the hustle and bustle of Harvard Square. Oh, and yes, Boston drivers really do suck. But when my head is down, I have noticed a few other things, too. Tire pressure, for example. (more…)
The distance from my home to work is about 7 miles. Every day I do ride my bike to work, I do not drive my car there or back.
So, I do not use 1/50th of a gallon of gas every time I do not drive a mile.
Over the last few months since we moved our office to Cambridge, MA (a city openly hostile to cars) I have not driven about 50 times.
So I calculate that I have not used 7 * 2 * 1/50th * 50 = 14 gallons of gas. My only regret is that I was not driving my Prius, since if I were not driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD, I would have not used 5 times as much gasoline, or 70 gallons!
Conclusion, I should be not driving a Grand Cherokee!
Well, last year I rationalized, er, justified my laptop purchase because it saved energy. And it did. No, really. Now, I have installed my new TiVo Series 3 and have a similarly self-serving justification for its purchase: no more stupid cable box! Oh, and the TiVo is pretty cool, too. And this time, I have facts to back it up. Bottom line: I am using 50 Watts less, 24 hours per day now. (more…)
