Switching to Zero Emissions

Cycling used to be the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation available, but with recent technological developments, this no longer is the case.
Even though the emissions of riding bikes are small, they are not insignificant. As we cyclists convert carbohydrates into energy to power our legs, we emit CO2. The faster we ride, the higher the emissions. One could think of a cyclist’s nostrils as an exhaust pipe. The mouth forms an auxiliary exhaust, which opens automatically when the emissions exceed the capacity of the primary exhaust.

New technology has brought us a better option. There now are cars with zero emissions (above).
At Bicycle Quarterly, we still promote riding for leisure and health, but for transportation, you should consider using a less-polluting vehicle. Although in some circles it was considered virtuous to ride your bike to the start of a ride or event, now you should strap your bike onto the roof of a “zero emissions” vehicle to reduce the environmental impact of your pastime.

Several companies are working on solutions to make cycling more environmentally friendly. One of the most promising is to create more distance between the emissions and the cyclist (above), following the model of “zero emission” cars, which run on power generated by polluting power sources – it’s just that they aren’t in close proximity to the car. Some cyclists already have adopted diving snorkels to reduce their emissions that way.
An even easier solution may be to redefine “bicycle” to encompass just the machine, without the power source. The bicycle’s emissions already are zero, it’s just the cyclist who pollutes. The bicycle industry has started an aggressive lobbying campaign to change the relevant regulations.
As you can see, even small steps can go a long way toward protecting our planet’s future! The bike industry is working on decreasing the emissions from their products. Hopefully, we can announce a “zero emissions” bicycle soon.