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| Bicycling is the most energy-efficient means of transport generally available. Bicycling at low to medium speeds (10-15 mph, 16-24 km/h), uses only the energy required to walk.
| | {{cat header| Optimized-Bicycle_1.jpg |Cycling| Please insert a brief topic summary here (take from the summary on the the topic page). }} |
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| In both biological and mechanical terms, the bicycle is extraordinarily efficient. In terms of the amount of energy a person must expend to travel a given distance, investigators have calculated it to be the most efficient self-powered means of transportation.<ref>"Bicycle Technology", S.S. Wilson, Scientific American, March 1973</ref> From a mechanical viewpoint, up to 99% of the energy delivered by the rider into the pedals is transmitted to the wheels, although the use of gearing mechanisms may reduce this by 10-15%.
| | [[Category:Pedal power]] |
| <ref>
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| [http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/1999/aug3099/30pedal.html "Johns Hopkins Gazette"], 30 August, 1999</ref> | |
| <ref>"Bicycling Science", Frank R. Whitt, David G. Wilson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1982, ISBN 0-262-23111-5</ref>
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| In terms of the ratio of cargo weight a bicycle can carry to total weight, it is also a most efficient means of cargo transportation.
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| An added bonus is that a bicycle can utilize gravity to go faster down hill and even partialy any counterpart hills.
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| ==Bamboo bicyle==
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| A bike has been produced mainly from bamboo - however, at $2500 to $3000, it is definitely not an [[appropriate technology]]. See [http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/environment/bamboo-bikes Bamboo Bikes].
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| ''Speculation follows:''
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| The likely difficulties include:
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| *Getting consistent size and shape of bamboo.
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| *Consistent mechanical problems.
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| *Avoiding splitting by use of special fittings and glue (mentioned in the article) - yet it must still be strong enough to safely carry a rider.
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| *Does the bamboo potentially create large splinters in the event of a serious accident? If so, these splinters could cause very serious injuries, even death.
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| ==Footnotes and references==
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| <references/>
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| == See also ==
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| *[[:Category:Pedal power|Pedal power]]
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| * http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4057 Some statistics
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| [[Category:Human power]]
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| [[Category:Transport]] | | [[Category:Transport]] |
| | [[Category:Green living]] |
| | [[Category:Sustainable cities]] |
