From the New York Times, 05.06.07:
JEFF BAUM has a breathtaking daily commute. He travels 10 miles each way from his home in Frisco, Colo., to his office in Breckenridge—-up and down winding roads that eventually climb to 9,800 feet in the Rockies--to his job as the executive director of the Breckenridge Music Festival.Sigh. How many of us wish we had a commute this scenic? How many of us would not use an electric bike? This rider misses most of the health benefits of bicycling, but otherwise I can't complain when someone drops the SUV for an electric bike.
For most of his 10 years with the festival, he had driven a standard gasoline-powered sport utility vehicle. Last September, though, he started leaving it at home for something cheaper, quieter and cleaner: an electric bicycle.
It takes him a little longer to get to work, but the bike is more dependable, more nimble, more invigorating and just more fun than the S.U.V., he said. (Read more.)
Image: New York Times
Visit: Bicycle Colorado
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips
4 comments:
I think if I get older in age (which I will, of course), I'll pick up something that helps me along on a bike ride if I can't make it myself. I agree, it's much better than the SUV.
Is that a completely electric bike or is it the kind that kicks in on an incline to help you along?
I disagree that he's missing out on the health benefits. It's making a steep climb feel like a flat grade, but he's still spinning his legs for 20 miles a day. Sure, he'd have stronger lungs and legs if he wasn't using an electric bicycle, but I doubt he'd be out there at all in that case.
I agree with h. There is evidence from an Australian university study that riding an electric bike keeps the rider in a zone of useful aerobic cardiac exercise for longer and more consistently than a conventional cyclist. Also, there is much evidence from a study at Leeds University that electric bikes are several times more likely to be used on a daily basis by most riders than a regular bike.
> electric bikes are several times more likely to be used on a daily basis by most riders than a regular bike
Amen. I now do my grocery shopping with my electric bike; previously I took the car.
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