Shrinking life to bite size

by Jim Hagerman

I probably do not have to convince readers of this publication that global warming will impact the future of the planet. Most of us have seen Al’s movie, and everyone has read predictions of a grim future of mass extinctions, rising sea level, droughts, famines and floods.
We each contribute to global warming. The average American generates about 1,250 pounds per month of carbon dioxide from residential energy use and transportation. Automobile use is responsible for a substantial part of individual carbon emmisions. The average car travels about 12,000 miles per year and gets 25.4 miles per gallon, generating 770 pounds of CO2 per month.
A few compact fluorescent light bulbs do not compensate for this vast source of CO2. Vehicles powered by alternative fuels, efficient car, and driving less can decrease our CO2 production. Alternative fuels for cars are a partial solution at best; the energy in hydrogen fuels will have to come from somewhere, if the technology ever becomes practical. Improving gas mileage helps as long as we do not drive more and cancel out those gains. The best way to prevent the various disasters that global warming will inevitably cause is to simply stop driving so much.
Driving less is proving difficult. We all want to live in a cabin in the woods, but we usually settle for a house in the suburbs (or our house that used to be in the woods gets surrounded by suburbs). Jobs, school and shopping are far from home. New stores, centralized schools, offices and industrial “parks” consume farmland and forest, and getting to them means more driving. The distances we drive every day are just not practical for cycling or walking and seldom work for transit.
A first step toward driving less is to live closer to our daily destinations. Americans move every five years on the average, so a major shift in living and travel patterns could take place relatively quickly. Of course, our lives are complicated and the places we go are not always close together. Destinations change over time. Statistics say three quarters of our driving miles are not directly related to work, so we must make tradeoffs between daily commutes and access to retail services and entertainment.
As more people make housing choices based on living close to work, friends, entertainment and commercial destinations, the market will respond by making more such residences available. This is the impetus behind the rebirth of downtowns in our region, where previously empty buildings have been converted to lofts and condos. Downtown has again become a trendy and exciting place to live. The car-bound ennui of the suburbs has also encouraged the rediscovery and rehabilitation of older residential areas near downtown.
In order to make a real dent in the rate of carbon loading, this trend has to go way beyond a few downtown hipsters. Offices and industries have to be reconnected to the fabric of the city instead of being isolated in former countryside. Mixed-use, mixed-income, higher density and energy-efficient redevelopment within the city must take the place of low-density development on the periphery.
We need to stop subsidizing the problem we are trying to solve, and government policies could encourage us to stop digging ourselves deeper into the hole of car dependency. Some communities are encouraging quality urban redevelopment, which is a big step in the right direction. At the same time, suburban sprawl continues unabated. Impact fees on greenfield development would at least recoup part of the taxpayers’ costs.
Most of us do not realize it, but car use is heavily subsidized. If car users covered the costs of building and maintaining the infrastructure they use, gas taxes would be over $6 per gallon, and that does not include environmental costs. How much is our survival worth, a $6 carbon tax?
Bicycling instead of driving can help in the fight against climate change, but our land use and development patterns make bike transportation difficult. Roads are hostile to bikes because they are built to carry large volumes of motor vehicles at high speeds. For many of us, daily travel distances are too great for practical cycling; most of us think more than 10 miles a day is too much hassle. We can make cycling (or walking or transit) more practical for ourselves by choosing housing close to daily destinations. We can help make the city friendlier for these transportation choices by participating in the planning process and pushing for more compact, less car-oriented development.

Carrying your gear

By Jim Hagerman

Whether riding to work or across the country, you need to be able to carry the stuff that gets you through your day. The methods that work best depend on how your bike fits into your life.
First, a couple safety notes: Never carry objects in your hands, which are already occupied maintaining balance, operating gear and brake controls and signaling turns. Carrying things that dangle from your hands, like grocery bags or a purse, is especially dangerous, because they can easily get caught in the spokes of your front wheel and cause a serious spill. Also, take your bags or the contents of your baskets with you when you leave your bike in a public place, or they could get stolen.
I mention some brand names in this column. These are not intended as endorsements, only as examples you might use to start a discussion at your local bike shop or to begin research. A few products are only available on the Web, but you owe it to your local bike economy to make purchases at a local shop when you can. If your bike shop does not have what you need in stock, they should happily try to order it for you.

Packs and baskets
The easiest way to carry your gear is in a backpack, shoulder bag or fanny pack. Many people like the simplicity and convenience, but I avoid it because the load tends to move around as I ride. Waist straps can help alleviate that problem. Backpacks are not good for long distances or heavy loads. The weight is supported by your butt and arms, which are already stressed without the additional burden.
Baskets are convenient and offer more capacity. You can put your backpack or briefcase in a bike basket and secure it with a bungee with minimum fuss. Capacity varies from small front baskets to enormous twin rear baskets that will hold a lot of groceries. Odd items like an 18” by 24” sketch pad can be secured across the top of rear baskets. Standard American-style baskets (Wald) are made of wire. Baskets made from willow or wicker are also available (Cynthia’s Twigs in Asheville). Folding rear baskets do not have as much capacity but they make storing or parking your bike easier and have less tendency to sway with a heavy load.
Racks attach to the bike frame and provide a structure for supporting loads or attaching folding baskets or bags. A plethora of manufacturers offer different designs for different styles of bikes. Rear racks are most common, but front racks also have their uses.

Hanging bags
Panniers (fabric bags that hang on the sides of racks) are made in a range of sizes. The general-purpose pannier can transport gear groceries or school books and is at home carrying camping gear. Manufacturers of bags readily available in the US include Arkel, Bike Pro, Breezer, JANDD and Lone Peak. Most are made of heavy nylon fabric, but one brand (Ortlieb) is made of waterproof polyester. Traditional French (Berthoud) and British (Carradice) bags are cotton duck.
There are also specialized pannier designs, including open-top fabric baskets sized for grocery bags, briefcases, hard-shell cases, and garment bags. Some (Brule) convert to backpacks. Cobbworks uses substantial recycled-plastic bins, providing a semi-rigid, waterproof pannier.
Handlebar bags, seat bags, and rack-top bags are offered by most pannier manufacturers for smaller loads, day trips or to compliment the function of standard panniers. Handlebar bags are especially good for carrying things that require quick access, like a camera, bird identification guide or map. They can hold snacks to eat on the go, and many are big enough to carry extra clothing or water.
In the United States, seat bags are commonly very small and used only to carry repair tools, but the British use larger seat bags as their primary container. The largest (Carradice, Rivendell) are suitable for inn-to-inn touring.

Big loads
Rack-top bags are another option, some providing substantial capacity. Their function overlaps with handlebar and seat bags. They are less useful for loaded touring because they compete with your tent and sleeping bag for space.
For bulky loads, or if your bike is not suited for hauling, a trailer may work best. Single-wheel trailers take less space on the road and will carry a big cooler, a guitar or a car trunk worth of groceries. If you want to take your kids along, you will need a two-wheel trailer.
The Extracycle is in a class of its own. It is a bike frame extender that provides space and strength to carry just about anything a trailer will carry (except kids) without the complications of towing.