eric sundin

Compared to the presumptuous car, the humble bicycle costs far less, does not bring on speeding tickets, provides exercise, may be parked free on sidewalks, bestows moral superiority, is efficiently simple, low on maintenance, can save time etc. These can be important, even crucial factors in deciding whether to ride a bike.

But what is the primary attraction, the very essence of bicycling? It is, of course, the mystical experience of actually riding a bike. This experience lies more in the area of verse than prose, more in art than in science, more with singing in the shower than with watching TV. It can be put in words but perhaps no more effectively than having beautiful music, a gorgeous sunset, or how your dog looks at you put in words. Riding a bike is play, pure fun, and a game. It holds true for someone who has not ridden a bike in a while, and miraculously remains the ever blooming experience of the daily rider.

Mount your bike, take a few leisurely pedal strokes, and you’ll marvel at how easily and far it rolls (unless, of course, you started uphill). Listen to the gentle whirring of whirling wheels, and the ever so lightly crunching sound of tires on pavement or gravel. Clang your bicycle bell. It does not startle, and does not threaten. It forever announces: “Look Ma, no hands!” Riding unfailingly brings us back emotionally to our early bicycling experience. We will always remember the excitement of mastering (be it after a few bruised knees and scraped elbows) the seeming impossibility of balancing on only two wheels. We will never forget our first new and shiny bicycle (whether in actuality shiny and new or not).

Our first bicycle endowed us with fantastic speed compared to running, allowed us to venture from the neighborhood, gave us our first taste of controlling a moving machine, granted invulnerability from the mean dog down the street, and the first seductive hint of leveraged human power. Bicycling will let us relive our amazement over the effortlessness of just quietly gliding along. When young we told ourselves, on some level: “This is how Life itself will unfold for me!”

Above all, we remember what it was like to be a kid. In the face of sometimes harsh conditions in our hearts we were carefree, adventurous, noble, indomitable, and always invincible. We possessed resilient and bouncy bodies, and it would never be otherwise. The air smelled fresh (even if we grew up in the inner city, or in a factory town), food tasted heavenly, sleep was deep and delicious, right would prevail, true love was always requited, and…we would never know greater buddies.

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While egalitarianism is out of favor in today’s society the bicycle can be a vehicle (pun intended) hereof. All cyclists need to pedal. The humble bicycle allows us to interact primarily as Humans, not as one Ford versus one Mercedes. Cyclists move about at a remarkably unimpeded pace on an uncovered contraption that amazingly weighs a mere fraction of the rider. Only the cyclist her or himself must take credit for or bemoan the actual progress of the ride, not some automotive engineer in Detroit or Stuttgart.

Rain falls on cyclists’ faces, pedestrians ignore their chiming bells, dogs chase them, mud splashes on to their shoes, drivers hurl invectives, and bicycle helmets flatten hairdos — without regard to individual protestation, merit, wealth, position or presumption.

Cyclists are mostly denied the reckless glamor of talking on cell phones and sipping coffee while under way, while some valiantly persist. Cyclists have to seek excitement elsewhere instead of chasing around the block for a parking spot. Cyclists have no primary business at gas stations but may always stop off for a newspaper. They may not impress drivers full of themselves behind an expensive wheel but if such drivers knew what they are missing out on cyclists would inspire envy and awe.

The bicycle is safer, seriously, than the car. If you have any doubts in this regard ask yourself whether you would rather be run over by a bicycle or by a car.

Cycling is quite benign to the environment. No fumes, no pollution and no engine roar. No fuel other than what the cyclist ingests. No overseas military entanglement is required to secure a steady supply of toast, orange juice, potatoes etc — although in the light of recent events we may no longer assume that such a campaign could not be propaganized.

Cyclists acknowledge each other as they pass. Are they cowering together oppressed by the Car Driving Class? No, cyclists often ride with a smile (albeit an inward one). They smile as they share a world of well being, peace of mind, quiet excitement, and happiness.

Anything else? Well, Einstein said that his Theory of Relativity occurred to him while out cycling.

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You may have noticed elsewhere on this web site references to “augmenting, not replacing human power”, “designed as if human power matters”, “hybrid electric bikes” and “blending human and electric power”? What are we talking about?

We begin by asking whether one actually wants and needs to take the step from 100 percent human power as in walking or pedalling a regular bicycle, to 0 percent as in driving a motor vehicle. We are not aware of any means of adding power to walking. If we were to add a human’s fractional HP to the 150 HP of a 3,000 lb car the effect would not be noticeable. On the other hand the efficient and light bicycle is ideally suited for hybrid propulsion as in human and machine together.

Only 80 Watt (746W=1HP) is required to pedal a bicycle at 14 mph on level ground, a task considered non-strenuous and agreeable by most cyclists. If when biking the course were always level, head winds never stirred, temperatures were pleasantly cool, and as riders we were forever young, fit, motivated and without ailments or injuries this whole discussion might be superfluous.

But as those ideal conditions are only fleeting enjoyed we realize quickly that we shall need to develop several times 80 W when riding up a moderate hill, and must still accept cresting at reduced speed. The pedalling effort that propels us with ease on level ground has thus become woefully inadequate riding up hill.

In no way, however, do we need to abandon the human power component. We may only need to add a modest amount of power (as far as motor power goes) for our pedalling again to turn perfectly agreeable. Consequently, the hybrid electric bike is designed around a modest-to-moderate rider input as a partnership component. It “abolishes head winds”, and “flattens hills”. We can now ride at that heart rate that our trainer or doctor recommends, or pedal no harder than our recalcitrant knee may allow. We have the option of arriving at our destination after a full work-out, or without a single bead of perspiration on our brow.

No words (at least not ours) can convey the feeling of ease and elation as we blend human and electric power. We are gently jolted under way, and quietly we surge down the road…