Bike to Work, Bike to Play

周野

The bicycle has gone through one full circle of development already. It began as a toy for rich people. Then it was a means of transportation. Next it became a toy again. Now the bicycle is becoming popular as a means of transportation once more.

There are several reasons for the new popularity of bicycles. The cost of fuel for cars is one reason. Another is the need to keep the environment clean. The third reason is a desire for exercise. Americans are one group of people who are leaving their cars at home. In fact， for about thirty years bicycles have been outselling cars. There are more than a hundred million in the United States alone.

An institute called World Watch made a study about the future of the automobile. The researchers stated， “The automobile is much less convenient than the bicycle， and the bicycle saves more energy”.

Furthermore， it is nearly as fast as the automobile for short city trips. Many people， however， are still using their cars. Why？ Time is one reason. Moreover， it is still faster to drive a car than to ride a bicycle. Another reason people do not ride bikes is their lack of confidence. Some new bicycle riders do not trust themselves. If they are not completely certain that they can ride well enough， they decide to take their cars. New bicycle riders might be afraid of hurting themselves. At least in a car， there is steel around the driver.

A more important reason is lack of knowledge about the vehicle. For example， the average person does not know how to shift gears on a ten-speed bicycle. One startling bit of information indicates the cyclists ignorance. Bicycle manufacturers have looked at the statistics about bicycle use. They say that 80% of the ten-speed bikes in the United States have never been shifted. If bike riders knew how to ride their bikes correctly， they would probably make better use of them.