Electric vehicles

Jonathan
Jonathan
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Of the distances get too

If the distances get too large I to take a car.

And Chris, would you please turn off your computer/phone etc.? They to consume electricity and thus are the devil. Lol.

So let's not use solar or wind energy, because the wind turbines and solar panels need to be produced. And fossil fuels are good because they are responsible for greenhouse gasses and those give me higher temperatures here!

Don't buy an electric bike because the 7 cents off electricity are far worse then the 200 cents off diesel I would have had consumed when driving a car the same distance.

Chris S
Chris S
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Amen!Amen to that amen !I

Amen!

Amen to that amen !

I think Jonathan, that living in Holland as you do, you have a certain mindset about bicycles which is quite understandable. But it can be seen as commenting from a minority position. It might work very well in your country but not so well in others. How many of your windmills contribute to power generation, or is it all for tourism?

Ok I'll turn my phone and my computer off. Then I'll write to you via snail mail. Oh dear! That means a ship over the North Sea, ooops nasty diesel engines emitting fumes. Ok no probs. by airmail then. Ooops again, jet engine powered aircraft emit on average 53 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per mile.

Aha!! I know, we'll have two tin cans and a length of string across the North Sea from UK to Holland. Yea! Cracked it :-) Sorry about no Christmas card though :-(

Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)

Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now

mikey
mikey
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Jonathan_76 wrote:If the

Jonathan_76 wrote:
If the distances get too large I to take a car.

And that's the problem with us here in America, they have jobs in many places, cities and towns, and people live in both places BUT because we also use cars, or public transportation such as buses or trains, to get to work we don't 'choose' to work near where we live. We 'choose' to work at the best job for us at the time we choose it. Obviously that choice can be based on any number of things, immediacy of income, what the jobs pays as compared to another job, etc, etc. BUT with us NOT using bicycles as our main mode of transportation we can choose to live almost anywhere and just commute in our vehicles, trans, buses even airplanes to get to and from work. That's WHY we then need to go to the gym to workout, it's about a choice made a LONG time ago that is being perpetuated down thru todays job hunters and people growing up in America and the UK in general as opposed to where you live Jonathan.

They have tried to create 'bike friendly' communities but they haven't stayed that way long, too many people still like the freedom to go long distances that the car gives them. America is roughly 3,000 miles wide and about 1,500 miles tall, not counting Alaska and Hawaii. That's alot of weekend adventures someone on a bike could never get too that someone in a car can with just a little bit of planning, and still get back to their jobs on Monday morning. For instance from my old house it was about a 3 hour drive at 65mph to get to the ski slopes, that's a LONG bike ride that could never be made in a day and still be there in time to get some day and night time skiing in. Yes you might have all that and much more right around the bend, but lots of places don't so cars are a better choice for them in the long run of juggling both work and 'fun'.

Jonathan
Jonathan
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Chris wrote:Ok I'll turn my

Chris wrote:

Ok I'll turn my phone and my computer off. Then I'll write to you via snail mail. Oh dear! That means a ship over the North Sea, ooops nasty diesel engines emitting fumes. Ok no probs. by airmail then. Ooops again, jet engine powered aircraft emit on average 53 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per mile.

Aha!! I know, we'll have two tin cans and a length of string across the North Sea from UK to Holland. Yea! Cracked it :-) Sorry about no Christmas card though :-(

that's why I have both. Short distance the (electric) bicycle is far friendlier to the environment then a car. So there is a reason to have devices/modes of transportation with a battery and also a reason to buy them. I am glad we agree after all. I thought for a moment you wanted to ban the generation of all electricity because there are some methods to generate it that are about equally polluting just like your so beloved car.

A while ago I had a job a little further away, so went by car every day. So I know what it's like.

And like your phone's consumed electricity does not compare to an aircraft flying to deliver 1000's of letters, so do the electricity to partially power my bicycle not compare to the diesel consumption of my car. And that would be my alternative.

RandyC
RandyC
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Just curious Jonathan, How

Just curious Jonathan, How does that bicycle handle in rain/snow storms?

Seti Classic Final Total: 11446 WU.

Winterknight
Winterknight
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I wouldn't use a cycle for

I wouldn't use a cycle for commuting, because this is what they use my road for;

Waddington Fell hill climb

N.B. not one electric car in sight.

If you must cycle then my local area can also be seen here, on a Sir Bradley Wiggins training course Trough of Bowland

Jonathan
Jonathan
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With rain or storms I don't

With rain or storms I don't really have any issues. With a heavy headwind and rain I end up pretty wet but other then that is fine.

And heavy headwind on the way to work with heavy rain happened only twice in 2 years cycling. It just means I need to bring some dry clothes with me. On the way home it matters less. 

Fresh snow is also not a big issue, partially crushed, partially molten and refrozen, that is bad, glazed frost is worse.

The last two are only an issue on a minor part of my trip though, where all but 200 meters can be avoided. So when it gets really really bad I walk up to 200 meters, but worst I have had, is taking it slow for about 3km and walking 50 meters. The rest of the 20km single trip I could ride normal speed or close to it.

Slow in my vocabulary would be 10 to 20 km per hour, while normal is around 40.

I don't really mind the cold at all, just for the hands, feet and face is annoying, but for the rest I then get to wear my summer jacket without sweating out of it! So I'll be cycling at minus 5 degrees Celsius with a summer jacket. In the past 2 years there have only been two days where it was colder then minus 10 when I actually used my winter jacket. But that was nasty, as it was actually still too warm, so I ended up switching to my summer jacket with a raincoat.

My wife declared me a lunatic for it though, I'll simply say if you get cold you're not going fast enough or making too much use of the electric power. Working out will get you warm, sadly that does not entirely work for my hands, feet and face. So I can arrive having thaw frozen to my face while being warm and sweaty at the same time.

Chris S
Chris S
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My wife declared me a lunatic

My wife declared me a lunatic for it though,

As a Gentleman I will always defer to a Lady's opinion :-))

Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)

Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now

Jonathan
Jonathan
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Then you might just be in

Then you might just be in trouble when there are two ladies with opposing opinions.

Chris S
Chris S
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Ok, but does your wife know

Ok, but does your wife know about the second lady?

 

Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)

Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now

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