Cycling is the most sustainable form of transportation, but the bicycle is becoming increasingly damaging to the environment. The energy and material used for its production go up while its life expectancy decreases.

A great read+great magazine.

TL;DR: Old bikes last way longer than new bikes. From a production standpoint, steel bikes have a smaller carbon footprint than aluminum or carbon frame bikes. Conventional bikes use fewer consumables over their usable life than electric bikes. Among electric bikes, cargo bikes use the most resources to run and maintain.

  •  MeowKittyWow   ( @MeowKittyWow@beehaw.org ) English
    3•1 year ago

    This was a good read!

    +1, love steel bikes. My touring bike from 15 years ago is still in good shape, and it’s made of steel. Certainly not from the 80s but a good steel bike will last.

    One comment on the shared bikes… I live downtown in a major city. Bike theft is pretty common. A private bike probably is better than a shared bike, but I wonder if that still holds true if the private bike has to be replaced far too soon because it got up and walked away on you 🫠