Cycling Fun Facts

Thinking about finally investing in a bike? Or perhaps you already own a bike, but want to ride more often? These fun facts may help tip the scales in favor of finally getting back in the saddle!

• Biking is 20 times cheaper than driving. AAA estimated the average annual cost of car ownership in 2016 was $8,558. Transportation economist Todd Litman has estimated the annual cost of bike ownership to be $100-300.
• The bicycle is the most efficient vehicle ever devised. A Worldwatch Institute study found that a bicycle needs only 35 calories per passenger mile, whereas a car expended 1,860 calories per passenger mile (one gallon of gas contains 31,000 calories). They also found that walking took over 100 calories for the same distance. Ducks, however, are more efficient, but we can’t travel like ducks.
• Bicycles save space. Approximately 15 bicycles can park in the same space that one car takes.
• Bicycle safety comes in numbers. A 2003 study by P.L. Jacobsen concluded that when more people walk or bicycle, the less likely any of them are to be injured by motorists. In fact, research has shown that tripling the number of bike riders on the street cuts motorist-cyclist crashes in half.
• Bikes don't actually need riders. Amazingly, a bicycle can stay upright and self-correct its trajectory without a rider as long as it’s moving at 8mph or faster.
•  Cyclists are cool – it’s a fact. A recent psychological study conducted by Mindlab found that people perceive cyclists as possessing a unique blend of intelligent generosity and the "cool" factor. Now there's a good reason to get on your bike!