Forum Replies Created
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vonhelmet wrote:
Do you mean older as in older designs or older as in more worn ie less efficient? Either way, let’s do some back of an envelope maths. Googling suggests a Volvo 240 (very old) has co2 emissions of about 180g/km. Let’s assume we’d got a knackered one and it does, I dunno, 300. Googling suggests an electric car causes 9 tonnes of co2 emissions in its production. You could drive the 240 for another 30,000 miles before the electric car had even been built. I can’t be arsed doing the maths to work out when the electric car breaks even but I bet it’s moon miles and it may in fact be impossible if you have to replace the batteries at astronomical cost before you get there. If you mean other nasty emissions besides co2 then that’s a trickier one, yes.
Don’t forget about the extra air pollution that older vehicles produce.The most economical and ecological thing you can do car wise is run an old reliable car into the ground. The carbon footprint of manufacturing an old car is a sunk cost, so all you have to deal with is the marginal impact of repairs and miles. The impact of manufacturing new cars is vast. What’s the impact of mining all that lithium compared to running an old Volvo (other reliable cars are available) to 200,000 miles? It’s almost like the car industry is more concerned with selling new cars without regard to their actual lifetime environmental impact.I meant older designs and specifically the nasty emissions other than CO2 though I do agree with you about the reasons to keep an old car running. From a selfish point of view, I’d prefer the old cars to be off the road to improve air quality which I think is the more immediate problem. It seems that we’re only starting to understand the effects of air pollution – have a look at https://patrickcollison.com/pollution for a summary of some cognitive affects of air pollution.
My view is that EVs are a necessary evil but of course a lot of us cyclists realise that the best answer involves a healthy dose of active travel.
vonhelmet wrote:
The most economical and ecological thing you can do car wise is run an old reliable car into the ground. The carbon footprint of manufacturing an old car is a sunk cost, so all you have to deal with is the marginal impact of repairs and miles. The impact of manufacturing new cars is vast. What’s the impact of mining all that lithium compared to running an old Volvo (other reliable cars are available) to 200,000 miles?It’s almost like the car industry is more concerned with selling new cars without regard to their actual lifetime environmental impact.
Don’t forget about the extra air pollution that older vehicles produce.
Car companies and governments are just dragging this idea out like they dragged the diesel idea out. They’ll convince people to buy new cars then eventually you need a new gimmick to sell more cars so no doubt we’ll then get told that mining stuff like lithium and cobalt is bad (bad, naughty consumers, how dare you!). Hold on, we’ve got just the technology to buy you’re way out of environmental guilt.The future doesn’t look bright for private space. Shared cars and living in pods. Dystopia moves ever nearer.
I’ll have you know that I’m a fan of dystopian fiction – I grew up reading loads of John Wyndham scifi and often wonder why more of his stuff hasn’t been filmed (excepting Village of the Damned, Chocky, Day of the Triffids etc). I reckon it’s about time for a Netflix/Amazon series of The Kraken Wakes.
Alternatively, we could just turn the world into a dystopian nightmare as quick as we can.
I seem to remember a Guardian article that looked into the POLITE vests and that the conclusion was that they elicited even closer passes. The only vest that caused a significant increase in passing space was your actual POLICE vest.Apparently your average driver does not like to be taken for a mug and who can blame him/her.
Yep, it was research by Dr Ian Walker – there’ll be a link to it on this site somewhere.
The Polite gillets are popular with horse riders near me.
Given how rare it is to see a bobby I wonder what the risk would be of wearing one that actually said “Police”?
Road.cc article: https://road.cc/content/news/99660-high-vis-clothing-doesnt-make-cars-pass-you-more-safely-says-new-study
Guardian article also came up in my search: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2013/jan/10/cycling-high-visibility-safe-fluorescent
Thanks ktache – that’s a good
Thanks ktache – that’s a good summary of the points.
@CyclingInBeastMode – I didn’t know Labour were thinking of doing that. Seems like a poor idea to me unless they can ensure that the subsidies only go to people who would otherwise be driving ICE vehicles and would need the money. It seems to me that a lot of the EV promotion is aimed at people with a reasonable income and is almost a status symbol. As much as I would prefer each ICE vehicle to be replaced with an EV (if only for reduction in pollution), it perpetuates the road building/driving mindset and ignores the benefits of practical public transport and active travel.
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like all our politicians are just fiddling while Rome (the world) burns?
Clever idea.
Clever idea.
I’m trying to think of which uniform would work best in the UK, but I think our angry motorists hate everyone equally.
Thanks for sharing that.
Thanks for sharing that.
What strikes me the most is the different culture involved that allows the Dutch to produce a government initiative like this. I can just imagine the UK version – it’d be warning old people to not cycle anywhere due to the dangers and generally spreading FUD.
That was a similar thought
That was a similar thought process when I bought my bike with Di2. There was also the consideration that I was too curious about it to end up not buying it eventually.
Enjoy doing stuff while you still can as one day you might not be able to do it anymore.
pablo wrote:
I have last gen di2 and it is without doubt great compared to similar generation Ultegra purely for maintainance and the lack of chain rub because the front derailleur parks out the way when not needed. I now also have plain Ultegra (current gen) and the front derailleur is amazing and easy to setup and shift maintanances wise I have tightened the barrel adjusters once in 3000 miles. I had a similar conversation with my bro in law who realy wants di2 and I surprised myself by saying not to bother as they are very close now I don’t feel I’ve lost out. If I was you I’d spend the £400 on something that would make you faster (probably not relevent for your use) also the ownership cost can be high I’ve broken the front derailleur and now the rear derailleur all £100+ each. If it’s a scratch you want to itch and you don’t need the money I’d go for it but on road I’d have discs above it everydayDiscs are better than Di2, but even better is both.
If you’re Di2-curious then I
If you’re Di2-curious then I’d say just go for it as you’re unlikely to regret it, whereas if you save 400 euros you’ll always have that question at the back of your mind. Also, bear in mind that spares/replacements for any damage to the Di2 components will also be more expensive that non-Di2.
Depends on what else you’d
Depends on what else you’d rather spend 400 euros on. Di2 is an unnecessary luxury, so if you want to add bling to your bike (and cool Transformer-style noises) then go for it.
I’m not a fan of Uber as a
I’m not a fan of Uber as a company and this kind of P.R. doesn’t help: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/11/11/uber_ceo_murder_mistake/
Is Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi a psychopath? Well, let’s take a look at the main traits that the most respected psychopath test – the revised Psychopathic Personality Inventory – looks for:
- Machiavellian egocentricity – best described as a lack of empathy and sense of detachment from others
- Social Potency: The ability to charm and influence others
- Coldheartedness: A distinct lack of emotion, guilt, or regard for others’ feelings
- Carefree nonplanfulness: Difficulty in planning ahead and considering the consequences of one’s actions
- Fearlessness: An eagerness for risk-seeking behaviors, as well as a lack of the fear that normally goes with them
- Blame externalization: Inability to take responsibility for one’s actions, instead blaming others or rationalizing one’s behavior
- Impulsive nonconformity: A disregard for social norms and culturally acceptable behaviors
- Stress immunity: A lack of typical marked reactions to traumatic or otherwise stress-inducing events
So how does responding to a question about the gruesome murder of a journalist by calling it a mistake and then equating that mistake to another mistake in which your company killed someone because you have failed to consider an obvious component of driving on roads in your self-driving car program, and then insisting that you be forgiven, come in that listing?
Quick update – I think I’ve
Quick update – I think I’ve found out why Shimano go for flat-head screws as the hex head screws must have a larger head and won’t fit. I might just try filing them down or possibly forget about replacing the lost one.
My commute is around 22 miles
My commute is around 22 miles, but as we don’t have showers at work, I get the train in and cycle back when the weather is suitable. It takes a while to get used to cycling on consecutive days without a break, so maybe you should try getting the train in, cycle back and see how you get on.
Absolutely, though I daresay
Absolutely, though I daresay that being hit by a vehicle is far more likely and more dangerous.
I think the best way of combatting this is to have more and more cyclists using cameras and for police services to welcome and act on cam footage. If the perpetrators aren’t aware that the cyclist has a camera, then there’s a good chance that they could get caught.