What's so environmentally friendly about cyclists that strap their bikes to a car and then go cycling?

Answer 1

I'm 57 years young and cycling helps keep me that way!I cycle to stay reasonably fit, not for environmental reasons.

In the summer I use my road bike to and from work and in winter I change the tyres to a more suitable tread for wet and icy roads. I also mountain bike in the winter cos I love the mud! I live by the sea on the South Coast and there are no suitable mountain biking areas within 25 miles so the bike goes on a carrier and off we go. I like to ride in the New Forest or the Lake District, does anyone suggest that I cycle there? (60 miles to the Forest, 550 to the lakes).I prefer to use my own bike because I maintain it and it is set up perfectly for me ( I am 6'5" and have modified things like the seat stem and handlebars).

I agree that alot of people have flash mtb's that are fashion accessories. I know of one guy who spent £1500 on a bike, and god knows how much on padding, lycra, a camel back hydration system, and a rack to fit his 4x4 that never that's never been off-road. He proudly tells the local pub that he's just ridden 10 miles on a Sunday. His bike goes back in the garage to await the next sunny Sunday!

Answer 2

I take the wheels off and put mine in the trunk.

Does that mean I'm "friendlier" than the guys with bikes on top?

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No seriously, the above answers are right - the typical cyclist you see is more of an effete dilettante to whom cycling is just another fashion accessory, comparable to a cool car, a hot cellphone, the right clothes, eating at the right restaurant etc. I have actually seen expensive cars with expensive bikes on top that are BOLTED to the rack. I am not kidding.

Me, I'm old school - I pedal from my garage. Not out of any environmental concern, but just because time is limited and it's a hassle to load, unload, forget stuff, go back, hang round waiting for everybody at the ride start, etc.

Good question.

Answer 3

Driving a car with a bike strapped to it will have an adverse effect on the aerodynamics, thus using more fuel. When all the fuel reserves are used, everyone will have to ride bikes, so we'll have less pollution. Also, burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming, so polar caps will melt and the sea level will rise. Hills will become islands. Total distance of coastline will increase. We can then all ride our bikes, to the beach, through clean air, in the lovely warm weather. Now what could be more environmentally friendly than that?

Answer 4

Good question, thoughtful answers. It was a joy reading them.

Most road cyclists do ride from their house. Of the bikes you see on the roofs of cars, how many are road bikes? If it is a Sat/Sun morning, there is a good chance they are on the way to a race. That is their sport. Some racers travel hundreds of miles to get to the race start.

Now, most bikes on the roof are mountain bikes. Have you ever tried to ride a mountain bike 15 miles through the city, and then get on the trail and do another 30 or so? No, likely not. They transport the bike to the trail, then do their ride (because they like to ride mountain bikes) and then they go home (not much different than the racers).

In fact, I bet that there are very few bikers who commute to work purely out of environmental concern. A small percentage anyways. Have you ever biked in rush hour traffic? Yuck, and ouch, dangerous. Most commute by bike because they either love to bike, or they don't have a car, or they are trying to save money on gas. I bike a some, but I usually take mass transit to work to save money on gas, and yeah, for the environment. I rarely bike to work though...too dangerous, and the air is awful in the city.

Answer 5

You'll find that when they drive with their bikes strapped to the back of their cars or to the roofracks, they're actually going somewhere nice to cycle.

It's nothing to do with being environmentally friendly. It's about cycling as a hobby or a sport.

Cycling for environmental reasons would be cycling to the shops, cycling to work, etc. It's not to say that the same people would not strap their bikes to cars to go somewhere nice to cycle, but that's a heck of a lot better than people who drive round town with nowhere in particular to go and revving their noisy souped up Clios.

Answer 6

Those are recreative riders. Others, who use their bicycle as the alternative to a car do in fact contribute to a better environment. And that's not a recreative use - far from it. At the very least you can make a fair comparison.

Driving a bike somewhere, then having a ride.. It's much better than driving a SUV or sports car the same place and back, taking out a speedboat - or grabbing plane or ferry to Amsterdam for a weekend trip. On yer bike then.

Answer 7

Nothing at all. People cycle for different reasons...that's one of the cool things about cycling...it's exercise, it's transportation, it's a sport.

There are a couple of reasons why many people drive their bikes somewhere:

1) To get their bikes to a nicer place to ride. Many people don't live in a place where they feel that they can simply start biking from their house. Yes, for some it's a rather lame excuse, but in our car-centric landscape, you really need to live in a bike-friendly neighborhood or be a seasoned cyclist to start from home.

2) They need to get to a ride start. Yes, I struggle with this one because I race and I do the occasional century. I really don't like driving my bike to events, but heck, I'm not about to tire myself out riding to a race that's 60 miles from my house...

Ultimately, it's all a matter of reference point. Driving your bike somwhere and then cycling is likely a purely recreational activity and about as environmentally friendly as driving yourself over to the gym for a workout. But heck, you wouldn't go around ranting at all the people going to the gym to workout when they could be doing something more constructive with their time and energy instead of sweating it out on stationary resistance machines in an air-conditioned building?

All rides are good rides. Just get out there and ride.

Answer 8

Nothing. Its like the guy who drives 2 miles to the gym to run 4 miles on the treadmill. Could have just run there and back.


More likely they are driving to a place that they can bike or a place they like to bike. I've done that with my kids taken the bikes to a park to go biking a trail but the trail is way too far from the house and down dangerous roads.

Answer 9

Cyclists are more environmentally conscious than most people. Our bike club adopted a stretch of road to keep clean and pick up trash. We use eco-friendly degreasers, recycled tire tubes made into saddle bags, moved away from chrome plating in our bike frames, etc.

Answer 10

Well they're not really cyclists! They're drivers who cycle a bit, which is not the same thing at all. Still, maybe one day they'll wake up, get the right idea and dump that big metal monster in the canal, then ride off into a brave new world...