[CKcycle] WHY CYCLE?

http://www.bikeforall.net/content/biking_for_leisure.php WHY CYCLE? * ... because it's a brilliant form of exercise, it's green, clean and quiet...and 1001 other reasons...* Cycle, it's quick Cycling is not just a sport, not just a pastime, not just a means of transport. It's all these, and much more besides. Cycling is a way of life, a human-powered means of seeing the world. It knocks spots off the infernal combustion engine. Above all else, cycling is addictive. It has the power to convert doctors, MPs, house-wives, schoolteachers, judges, students - everybody - to get on their bikes. It's an activity endorsed by, amongst others, the British Medical Association, the Health Education Authority, Transport 2000, the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Forestry Commission and the national Society for Clean Air. Even the AA and the RAC see the bicycle as a viable option to the motorcar for short journeys. Cycling reduces pollution, congestion, danger and transport expenditure. Higher levels of use can improve transport choice, civilise cities, aid tourism and produce a healthier population. Cycling is clean, green and quiet. It's also a lot of fun. Bikes before cars * DEALING WITH TRAFFIC* Use cycle paths and quiet back roads until you gain the speed and confidence <http://www.bikeforall.net/linkcat.php?cid=180>to travel alongside traffic. When you begin to see the massive benefits cycling has for urban transportation, then you can start to campaign for greater cycle facilities. If European cities like Odense and Gronigen can have up to 40 percent of all journeys undertaken by cycle, why can't we? * WILL I GET WET?* Britain is not as damp as you'd expect. Heck, there are even hose-pipe bans in the SE of England! When you cycle a daily ten mile journey, statistics say you will only have rain once in every one hundred trips. That is three to four trips a year on a daily basis. Even on those rainy days let's not forget we all have waterproof skin. Anyway, with modern waterproof and breathable fabrics, and cycle-specific clothing, it's possible to arrive at your destination in comfort. * DO I HAVE TO BE SUPER-FIT? * You don't have to be super-fit to start cycling. Start slowly, progressively increase your exertion levels, and your fitness will grow along with your skills and expertise. Naturally, if you're starting from zero and have any existing health conditions, seek advice from your doctor about the levels of recommended initial exertion. * WILL I GET LOTS OF PUNCTURES? * Hardly ever. There are now many products available - puncture-proof tubes and tyres, and puncture sealants for inner tubes - that mean punctures are a thing of the past. And mountain bikes (which make up the bulk of cycles in the UK today) have very wide, tough tyres which do not puncture easily. *BUT I DON'T HAVE THE TIME * Cycling is truly door to door. No searching for a car park, an empty space or a parking meter. No getting stuck in traffic jams. Motorists tend to over-estimate the actual times car journeys take, door-to-door. On a bike you can estimate your journey time to the minute and can take short-cuts not available to motorists. Jon Snow cycles everywhere Cycling is, in fact, super fast in towns and cities. Test after test has shown that for short urban journeys, there is nothing but nothing to beat a cyclist. A four mile journey in the centre of London takes 22 minutes by bike, half an hour by tube, 40 minutes by car (even in a Ferrari...), 62 minutes on a bus, and an hour and a half on shanks' pony. Jon Snow, the Channel 4 newsreader, whizzes from TV interview to TV interview by bicycle, knowing that there's no fast way to travel in London. *BUT WHAT ABOUT CITY-TO-CITY JOURNEYS? BIKES CAN'T BEAT CARS THEN, CAN THEY? * Yes they can! Hire a folding bike, book a train ticket from Edinburgh to Newcastle, travel in speed and comfort, read a book, watch a DVD on your laptop, arrive in style. Now, do the same journey in your car. Which was fastest and most pleasurable? Factor in the convenience, too. You don't pay through the nose for parking a bike: it's free. And no congestion charges, either. * DO I NEED TO BUY A REALLY EXPENSIVE BIKE? * It's not necessary to buy top-notch machines straight away. This is because high-end bikes are designed for high-end users, people with the skills to ride bikes which may seem 'twitchy' and unstable to beginners. An entry-level mountain bike - £200 is a good starting price - will be strong, stable and safe to ride. Lose weight, gain speed Once you develop fitness and bike handling skills you can upgrade to more expensive machines. The more you spend the more you get. High specification bikes are a joy to ride and will last a long time in good order if treated with respect. To check out which bike, at whatever pricepoint, is suitable for you, go to your <http://www.bikeforall.net/linkcat.php?cid=84>local bike shop. Try some machines out and maybe even hire one for a few days. When you consider the enjoyment and the transport potential you'll get from your bike you'll soon understand why many people spend as much money on a new bicycle and all that goes with it, as on a quality used car, and a £3000 bicycle will give you a lot more pleasure than a £3000 car... Cycling is the most efficient means of land transportation known. In fact, the muscle-to-energy conversion rate of a cyclist is around 95 percent. If the bicycle was invented today it would be hailed as one of the greatest innovations of the 20th century because cycling is environmentally benign, it's health-giving and it enables people to travel great distances with a relatively low level of energy expenditure. A cyclist can travel 10,000kms on the energy equivalent of a litre of petrol.