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How is biking better than walking?

New EV vs used ICE will depend on how much you drive and in what conditions. I would guess what I do (in the UK) is uncommon in the US but it must be possible but working from home plus living in a town rather than a city means I only do low single digit thousands of miles a year and that almost entirely on clear roads.

People in much of the UK commute by public transport and use their cars lightly (e.g. for shopping on the weekend, trips, etc).





> How is biking better than walking?

Glad you asked.

Biking has an energy efficiency of around 99%. Very little of the effort you put into biking ends up as waste heat. Walking, on the other hand, has a much lower energy efficiency. You are putting much more effort overcoming and generating friction as you move your legs. You are also doing it for a longer period of time since you are going slower.

It's one of my favorite counterintuitive facts.

> I would guess what I do (in the UK) is uncommon in the US

And that's for sure. In almost every US city if you want to do anything, you are driving. Where I'm at, everything is at least 10mi from my home. That racks up the miles pretty quickly.


Bike is the most efficient form of transportation, even walking doesn’t compare.

I want to get more exercise. Therefore I should walk rather than bike.

This is about transportation. Walking doesn't get you far. A bike uses similear energy but you get farther.

Walking covers most of my journeys for which a bike would work. I am not going to bike a hundred mile, or even 15 and back. Nor is it practical to bike to the supermarket. On the other hand its easy to walk a few minutes to the local shops and pubs.

Transportation and exercise are linked. Walking kills two birds with one stone.




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