The Benefits of Cycling

by Richard Coburn
Why do you bike so much?" and "are you crazy?" are questions I get more often than not when talking about one of my passions: cycling. The answer is fairly easy for me as I do really love cycling and have many reasons why I "ride" so much. In what other endeavour can one travel economically, be environmentally beneficial, get in shape, feel the wind in your face, be energy efficient and have fun all at the same time?
"The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." -John Howard
Save your money:
Riding your bike when commuting to work or running errands is a great way to save money. I like to look at it as a derivative of the process of elimination. While you are riding your bike you are not using up expensive gas in your car (this is true now more than ever with today’s high gasoline costs). While you are riding you bike you are not causing wear and tear that leads to expensive repairs on your car. While you are riding your bike you are not spending money riding public transport or taking a cab ride. All this adds up and none of those other options are invigorating – are you starting to see the picture? The costs of cycling are low, all you need is a decent commuter bike and many are available second hand. Only a few accessories are required to get started, like a good helmet a backpack or saddlebags and some rain gear if you don’t already have some.
Let’s run some numbers. Say you live 10km from work and commute by car twice a day; and you have an economical car that only burns 10 litres of gas per 100 kilometres. So 2 (times a day) x 10 (litres per trip) x 5 (days a week) x 4 (average weeks per month) = 400 km per month or 40 litres of gas. So the monthly petrol bill in North America that would result is a cost of roughly $US30.00 and in Europe that would be more like $US50.00. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg, as you also have to factor in the cost of regular maintenance and repair payments on your vehicle. Every time you commute to work or run an errand on your bicycle you are saving yourself money. You can even go to the extreme and go without a car altogether, further eliminating the costs of ownership/lease payments and insurance premiums.
"The average cost of owning and operating an automobile in North America in 2002 was $US8017 per year according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics -- imagine what that could do to your retirement contributions!"
Get healthy:
Cycling is a great way to get in shape, improving your health and increasing your vigour. First and foremost it provides cardiovascular exercise, even if you travel at a leisurely pace. You don’t have to ride like a professional athlete to gain from taking up this activity.
According to the British Heart Foundation, cycling at least 20 miles per week reduces the risk of coronary heart disease to less than half that for non-cyclists. Cycling at a gentle 12 mph on a flat road uses 450 kcal per hour. Another more rigorous study of cardiac output during cycling was conducted by Dr. James Hagberg at the University of Maryland. He found that a 125-pound woman riding for an hour on a flat road and covering 18 miles burns 555 calories. Conversely running for and hour, at 8 minutes a mile, she would burn a little over 600 calories. But the hour of running was more taxing on the body compared with the low impact exercise of cycling.
These are great facts and figures but there are other medical reasons for cycling, it improves your general well being by reducing stress and improves your physiological outlook. Cycling to work is always a good start and finish to the day, especially when there are traffic jams that you can always scoot around watching the distressed faces of the drivers. Another thing to consider is that sometimes slower is better. In today’s fast paced society our travels seem to be more focused on the destination and not the act of traveling. You can buck this sad trend by taking up cycling. Cycling along a road that you normally drive on will take on a new perspective and you will notice things that you missed before: wildlife, flowers and smells - like fresh cut grass - can even be appreciated.
Here are some other facts:
Driving miss Piggy: A study of more than 10,500 Atlanta residents found that the odds of obesity increased by 3 percent for every 30 minutes spent driving each day.
Pink Ribbon Pedaling: scientists at the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg found that moderate pedaling for 3 hours a week might decrease a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 34 percent. Researchers questioned 400 women with breast cancer and 880 healthy women about exercise and determined cycling produced a "significant protective element" and found "decreasing risk with increasing cycling"
"Cycling is my stress detox, It leaves me strong and jubilant" Susan Lisovicz
Help save the Environment:
By cycling to work or running errands you are reducing the toxic emissions given out by your vehicle. Even by not taking the bus you are reducing ridership, and if enough people started doing the same (she told two friends, and then they told two friends…cue the shampoo commercial) then collectively you would end up reducing the number of busses on the road…OK that is a bit of a stretch, but it is theoretically possible!
Here are more stats:
Energy use: Each year, the United States produces about 10% of the world’s petroleum but consumes about 26% of the world’s total production. Cars and light trucks are the single largest users of petroleum, consuming about 43% of the total. Overall, cars and light trucks consume about 16% of the total energy used in the U.S. Source: The U.S. department of Energy.
Air Pollution: Although great strides have been made at reducing air pollution from automobile exhaust over the past 30 years, on-road motor vehicles still account for a significant proportion of air pollution. They contaminate the air with Oxides of Nitrogen, Volatile Organic Compounds, Carbon Monoxide, and Carbon Dioxide. Other factors include Water Pollution, Noise pollution, land use and solid waste. This is all a bit grim and it is not my intension to completely dismiss the automobile or mass transportation. I just want you to feel better about yourself when you choose to jump onto your bike instead of climbing into your car to get from A to B. There are we happy again?
Finding the right bike:
There are three main types of bikes: Mountain, road, and hybrid. The first two are fairly common; the hybrid has only been around for about a decade and is basically the love child of the first two types. Hybrids have a road frame with the more robust gearing and brakes of a mountain bike; some even have front and rear shock absorbers. Just be sure to get a bike that is in good mechanical shape, with good brakes. A tune up once a year from your local bike shop will keep you safe an on the road. New bikes are great, but some of the price tags are not very "Scroogish"! Luckily there are great buys to be found in a used machine. Try e-bay, auctions, your local paper, and some bike shops that have a trade in policy so you can benefit from a good bike that is perhaps only a year or two old.
Fun:
The best reason to ride for me is that it just plain makes me happy. Every time I get on my bike I am a kid again. I always get a sense of freedom; I can just pick a direction and go. I do most of my rides in pleasant weather, but I have braved the elements to get to work or just for the heck of it test my metal when Mother Nature is dishing it out.
On weekends I love to ride with family and friends. I pick a route, bring some snacks or even a picnic. You can talk and share the scenery. Plus riding in a group is a bit safer as a group of cyclists is easier seen by motorists than a lone rider. Joining a bike club is a great way to meet new friends and socialize.
So get out and ride, save money by commuting to work or to go shopping, be safe and most importantly have fun!
Links:
www.biketowork.com
www.bikesatwork.com
www.bicycling.com
www.cobr.co.uk/e-cobr_information/index.htm
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/index.htm