Time versus energy

Recently there was a lively discussion over on the Rootsradicals mailing list about energy usage and electric bikes. There was debate about whether it takes more energy to run a bike by electric power or leg power. While the debate was all well and good, it sidesteps the bigger picture. Biking in any form, whether by leg power, electric power, or both, is a far more energy efficient endeavor than driving a car. Depending on how it is calculated, riding a bike is equal to getting anywhere from 200 miles per gallon up to over 1,000 MPG. Even the greenest of electric cars aren't going to approach those numbers anytime soon.

But there is a tradeoff using a bike: time versus energy. The reason bikes take so little energy is because they move slowly. They don't suffer big losses to friction (plus, they are lightweight). But riding a bike takes more time - at least to go long distances (for short intra-city trips, biking can actually be faster).

I started thinking about this tradeoff by monitoring the energy usage on my electric bike. I noticed that when I was in a hurry, I would consume almost twice as much power than when I was taking it easy and going more slowly. Now I've made it into kind of a game, to try to keep my energy usage down, I am also forcing myself to slow down and enjoy the ride more.

But this tradeoff is not just present in biking. It is present in nearly everything we do in "modern" society. Here are some examples:

1. The energy usage of various forms of transportation is directly proportional to speed, i.e.:
Planes > cars > trains > bikes.

2. Washing clothes and dishes - it is both faster and more energy intensive to use the washer/dryer than to do it by hand.

3. Food - it is more energy intensive to buy cheap but fast food, than to grow and cook one's own

US society is one of extremes. On the one end we have people who jetset around in a constant aggravated rush of business. On the other extreme there are the Amish, who exemplify slow and low energy lifestyles.

And then there are all the rest of us in the middle. The question is, how much should we trade down our energy use, at the cost of spending more time on our daily activities?

I think the key is reframing that question. I linked to this article before, but I'll link to it again because it is great - it is all about a mom who formerly led the go-go rushed life, and then due to high gas prices, was forced to slow down while becoming a bit less energy intense.

She discovered that there is increased joy in slowing down. Joy in walking the kids to school, or biking to the grocery store. Many people enjoy gardening, but think it takes "too much time".

Maybe many of us have been convinced that we need to keep moving faster and faster to "keep up with the Joneses". But maybe the higher cost of energy will force us all to slow down (except the super rich). And maybe, seeing our neighbors, friends, and co-workers slow down, we won't feel so guilty about it. About taking time for ourselves, for our families, for some hobbies. Some people have already done this. I have no statistics to back this up, but I believe there is a strong grassroots movement of people doing exactly this. People who are fed up with the go-go buy-buy pace of modern life, who have slowed down, dropped out, semi-retired. Those people did it by choice. Maybe the rest of us will be forced to follow, whether we like it or not, by high energy prices.

But I don't want to make it sound like slowing down is just drudgery. I look forward to my daily bike ride to and from work. It is a time of great enjoyment for me (except on the rare occasion I encounter an intentionally obnoxious driver). I get to look around, see the world, breath the air, hear the birds. I get exercise. I listen to music (not earphones - I have a small stereo on my handlebars). Nowadays, when I get in the car for trips around town, I actually get stressed out, whereas the bike is relaxing, just getting into the rythm of the pedals.

It is hard, though, straddling between wanting to conserve energy and wanting to keep up with all the self-imposed time pressures. Recently, after being aghast at our electric bills (definitely NOT from charging the bikes, that is only $0.03-$0.05 per charge), we realized that the dishwasher was consuming a lot of energy. So we started washing dishes by hand (with water heated by solar). This greatly reduces energy consumption. But it also takes more time. Sometimes it is actually enjoyable - just zoning out, focusing on the present moment, and even listening to music. But other times it is just stressful - because it seems like there are many other things that need to get done.

So how to find the balance? Until it is forced on us by high gas costs, I think the key is one step at a time, avoiding extremes. To me, it is all about doing the little things that are both doable and enjoyable. I'm not about to quit working just so I can farm all my own food. But at the same time, riding the bike every day, hanging the clothes out to dry, and little things like that take some time, but also save a lot of energy.

If everyone did it, there would be a huge impact on energy use and carbon dioxide production.

It is a starting point.

Morgan


My daughter on the way home from dance recital on the Xtracycle:

Hub Motor kit supply

The eZee hub motor kits continue to be in high demand, so we're sold out again while we wait for resupply. We've got a few more coming by the end of August and then more on the next shipment, expected about a month later. Thanks everyone for your great patronage, and for those of you looking for eZee kits, we hope to supply you soon!
We now have one Bionx P250 in stock and expect a few more kits in the next 3 weeks. The manufacturer just opened a new facility which has higher capacity, so we hope to see less of a delay in getting Bionx kits in the future.
We also expect some more Crystalyte motors by the end of August, so if you are looking for those, stay tuned as well. The good news is that more people are electrifying their bikes, and we hope that means more people usnig their bikes more often!
If you would like, you can reserve any of our kits with a $100 deposit by

contacting

us.

What is the "New Blog"

The astute websurfer may notice that there are now two blogs on the Cycle 9 navigation menu, "New Blog!" and "Blog".

We created the "New Blog" because we wanted some features the old one could not support, like multiple authors. This will allow the shop employees of Cycle 9 to make contributions also, and we know Greg wants to start writing.

So, new blog posts will go to the "New Blog!". We'll also keep the

original Cycle 9 blog

around for anyone who is looking for an older article.

Peak oil, part II

This post has been much delayed because of all the work at the shop and for my day job. But it is perhaps more important than ever, given that gas prices have been dropping.

Gas prices dropping makes a lot of people think, phew, the crisis is over. Now things will go back to normal.

Hardly.

There are two issues here. As I mentioned before, we are not running out of oil. But what is happening, is that as more and more countries are competing for this resource, and as it becomes increasingly hard to make more of it, the perceived value of oil goes up.

Take this example. Let's say I have a commodity like dried corn, stored in some silos in my backyard. Let's say I have a lot of silos (and hence a lot of corn). It seems like I will never run out. I sell it to my neighbors for cheap, because it is easy to extract from the silos, and I don't think I'll run out anytime soon.

But then one day, I check on the corn, and realize it is half gone. This induces a sudden mental shift. Now I am moving from a mode of thinking abundance, to one of thinking scarcity. I need to make sure to ration the corn so I don't run out too soon. Plus more and more neighbors are knocking on my door looking for corn. What is my response, to sell as much and as cheaply as I can, only to run out soon? Of course not. The rational response is to start raising prices and rationing how much I sell, to maximize both the profit and the length of time I still have corn available to sell.

This analogy applies to oil. Half of the world's oil is still left (if not a bit more). But suddenly, it is not so easy to just turn the taps to make ever more of it. Producers are realizing that they will run out, someday. And there are ever more countries knocking at the door for that oil. The rational response to this from the producers' perspective is to raise prices and ration the oil. And so they are. Blaming oil prices on "speculators" just ignores this basic fact of human nature. If there is perceived scarcity of a desirable resource, people will pay more for it, and its producers can ask more for it.

Now, for the folks in the USA, this is a double whammy. That's because of what we offer in trade for that oil. We offer debt. To the tune of 800 billion USD per year. And we offer printed money. Money that can now be created out of thin air.

What is that competing with? Well, the Chinese offer goods, like computers, bikes, and all sorts of stuff, in trade for the oil they get.

The end result is this puts further downward pressure on the dollar, making oil go up in price relative to the dollar.

Now, we've had a brief respite in oil prices. Looking at the numbers, it appears that we've had a slight strengthening of dollar value. A source of mine in China hinted that this is due to the Chinese stabilizing the dollar value for the Olympics (by buying dollars). Perhaps.

In any case, it would be foolish to expect it to last, and think things will "just get back to normal" soon.

One more point about this. The concept that oil and energy will get more and more expensive has many scary ramifications. But it also has some positive ones. Here are two examples. The first is a little article in Newsweek about a mom who was recently

forced to rediscover walking and biking as an alternative to driving the car

everywhere. As a bonus, she discovered how pleasant it can be to spend more relaxed time walking or biking to a destination, rather than zooming around in a hurry all the time. This is a sentiment that those of us who have bike commuted for a long time know well. I get angst ridden these days if I have to drive around town. Riding the bike is so much more peaceful.

The second note about this is from an intriguing blog post by Todd from

Clever Cycles

, about his family's recent bike/camping trip of 190 some odd miles. Here is a great quote

from the article

:

We parked our bikes at the door of our cabin, which led to quite a lot of curious loitering by other visitors to the springs. But we learned quickly to stop telling people that we had biked there with child from Portland because it stopped conversations cold, as either a greener-than-thou affront or just too freaky. “Who drove the support vehicle?” A Dutch family we met there on the last day found out as we were leaving. They were incredulous. I admit that made me proud: Dutch people think we’re hardcore. At the same time, I wish more people understood that biking needn’t be some kind of enviro-martyr stunt, sport, fundraising strategy either personal or institutional, etc.

This speaks about a culture in which cars are prevalent and cheap to operate, so that people think biking is crazy. But if when gas costs $10/gallon or more, people might reconsider that view. The reality is that biking that distance on a normal touring bike is limited to a few hardy folks who have the time and/or physical fitness for such a venture. But doing it on an electric bike is becoming increasingly feasible for a broad swath of people as the technology improves, particularly higher-capacity batteries. Todd and his family did this trip using Xtracycle-style longtail bikes, with their own Stokemonkey electric assist. With the right setup, nearly anyone, of any physical ability could do this. And if people want to be able to do leisure activities like this in the future, gas costs may cause many more folks to take this option seriously.

The second quote from his blog is more sobering:

Our mood took a big hit at Austin Hot Springs, which is right alongside the road. We thought we’d lunch there and maybe take a dip where the hot vents mingle with the cold river water. We rolled up to the river’s edge, between trucks, and beheld a sickening spectacle: trash, trash everywhere. Brawndo cans and Doritos bags, used tampons and condoms, excrement-smeared toilet paper, giant bean cans, inflatable water toys, cassette tape fluttering, cigarette butts and beer bottles, some broken. Green trees sawed down and dragged halfway into fire rings. And there in the clear water, some yahoos had submerged a large roll of carpet and weighted it down with rocks so bathers could avoid coming in contact with the riverbed. It was a crying Indian moment. Anger and shame drove us back to the road.

This is sad indeed. But it also speaks of a culture that does not value the gifts we've been given. The US has been the beneficiary of the biggest boost in wealth and prosperity for a broad swath of the populace in history. Part of this boost has been the result of cheap oil. This has allowed people to do things like joyride in their cars up to a hotspring, litter and pollute it, and joyride back home. Somehow I have a feeling that if getting there were a bit more difficult (like requiring a 4 hour bike ride), this wouldn't have happened. The people who would get there would be people who really appreciate the beauty and value of the place, and are willing to work to get to it. Drunken teens would be unlikely to make the trek, especially with a carpet in tow to throw in there. It is sad that our culture now takes for granted the great prosperity we have been lucky to have. Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on how you view it), this is changing. In the future, we as a society and country may be forced to start appreciating the gifts we have, since they're likely to not be so plentiful.

Now, in part I I promised to mention how Peak Oil led to a bike shop. That is coming, soon in Part III.

- Morgan

Why we are so far out

The title may have made it sound like we were going to talk about our groovy 70’s inspired psychedelic lava lamps... but no.

Actually, the title refers to the more concrete issue of our location. We are kind of “far out,” in terms of being out of town.

Why did we do that? Well, when we opened the shop, we weren’t sure how ready this area was for a bicycle shop like ours. We figured that it might be a while before walk-in traffic really pays for itself, and that in the meantime we’d continue doing the web business. So we looked for a location that had a relatively low rent, but was still close enough to Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and the NC Triangle that people who want to visit can visit us. We didn’t want to start out in the high-rent district, if we were going to have to pay the rent out of our own pockets. Fortunately, that hasn’t happened.

The good thing about being a small business is that we are flexible and can adapt quickly. We have had the store open for a few months now, and it is clear there is interest from the local community. It is also pretty clear that this kind of store is needed and wanted in this area. So we are looking strongly at a move that would bring the shop into town (probably Carrboro).

Besides, there are some other reasons we’d like to be in town:
- It is kind of ironic to have a transportation-focused bike shop, to which most people end up driving to get there!

- We like the idea of being part of a community, and community events. Being in town would make that a lot easier

- It can get a bit lonely out in the “middle of nowhere” as one customer put it

So, anyway, we’ll post more here as soon as we know more. We are looking for a suitable space with reasonable rent. If anyone has any great ideas on that,

please drop us a line

!