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* U.S. cyclists who bike frequently have a median income of almost $60,000. – SRDS, 2005, The Lifestyle Market Analyst
* The average North American bicycle commuter is a 39-year-old male professional with a household income in excess of $45,000 who rides 10.6 months per year. – Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results,
* In the Yukon Territory, twice as many people bike to work as in California, and three times as many as in Florida. – Pucher, J., and R. Buehler, 2006, Why Canadians cycle more than Americans: A comparative analysis of bicycling trends and policies, Transport Policy, 13, 265-79
* Europeans bicycle an average of 188 km per year; United States residents bike only 40 km a year. – Bassett, Jr., et al., 2008, Walking, cycling, and obesity rates in Europe, North America, and Australia, Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 5, 795-814
* 30% of bike commuters use a mountain bike, 28% a road bike, 18% a hybrid, and 17% a touring bike. 35% of bike commuters own a second, bad-weather bike. – Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101
* Bicyclists with more automobiles in their household are less likely to bicycle for any purpose; while the more bicycles a cyclist owns, the more likely they are to choose to bicycle. – Sener et al., 2008, An analysis of bicyclists and bicycling characteristics: Who, why, and how much are they bicycling?
* Bicycling for non-commuting purposes generally precedes bicycling for commuting. – Sener et al., 2008, An analysis of bicyclists and bicycling characteristics: Who, why, and how much are they bicycling?
* Work trips account for only 15% of all trips. – U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, 2001 National Household Travel Survey
* From 1977-1995, the number of bicycle trips taken in the U.S. doubled. – Pucher, J., et al., 1999, Bicycling renaissance in North America?: Recent trends and alternative policies to promote bicycling, Transportation Research Part A, 33, 625-54
* On the average day when an adult rides a bicycle, he or she rides for about 40 minutes. – Barnes, G., and K. Krizek, 2005, Estimating bicycling demand, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1939, 45-51
* 89% of bicycle trips begin at a residence. – Royal, D., and D. Miller-Steiger, 2008, National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* The average commuting bicycle costs $687. – Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101
* Paris’ automated bike-sharing system, Vélib’, includes 20,600 bikes distributed among 1,451 stations throughout the city. In the first six months, people took the bikes on 13.4 million trips—an average of 75,000 trips per day. – Vélib’ press release
* High school students are less likely to bike or walk to school if they are girls, in grade 12, smoke daily, are low-moderate in physical activity, or attend a rural school. – Robertson-Wilson, J., et al., 2008, Social-ecological correlates of active commuting to school among high school students, Journal of Adolescent Health, 42, 486-95
* A person is 7% more likely to bike or walk to nonwork activities for every 1,000 retail workers within a half mile of their home. – Chatman (2005) in Arrington, G., and R. Cervero, 2008, Effects of TOD on Housing, Parking, and Travel, Transit Cooperative Research Program Report 128
* The average bicycle commuter has been commuting by bike for 8.3 years. – Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101
Continue reading “Interesting facts”

By Linda Ellingsen – REI
In This Article
* 12 Cycling Myths, Exposed!
* Before You Ride
* Riding Tips
* Taking It to the Next Level
* Biking Q&A
* getting into biking
Welcome back to the saddle! By reading this, it means you already taking that first step towards getting back on a bike for fun or transportation. We think that’s awesome, and we’re here to help you go for it.
So what has you thinking about riding your bike? There are in fact lots of great reasons to dust off your bike (or even ride for the very first time) and start pedaling:
* High gas prices (ah, perhaps you’ve heard of this?).
* Paying all those other car-related expenses: parking, repairs, insurance.
* Getting some exercise.
* Doing your part to be more "green."
* Getting some fresh air.
* Reducing your stress level.
* Seeing your environs at a slower pace.
Sounds great, you say, but let’s get real for a minute, too. Most of us have found plenty of reasons NOT to go riding, so let’s take on those fears one by one.
12 Cycling Myths, Exposed!
Myth #1: Biking requires too much gear.
Myth #2: It’s costly to buy a bike and all the gear for cycling.
Myth #3: Only expensive bikes are any good.
Myth #4: Biking takes too much time.
Myth #5: Biking is too dangerous.
Myth #6: Bike seats are uncomfortable.
Myth #7: I’m clueless about how to maintain my bike.
Myth #8: I’m too out of shape to ride.
Myth #9: You can’t carry much stuff on a bike.
Myth #10: It’s too far for me to commute to work.
Myth #11: I’ll get sweaty.
Myth #12: My work clothes will get wrinkled.
Continue reading “Bike Your Drive”

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"Accommodating cyclists in your community is a solution not a problem," Peel told the group, which included Hernando Mayor Chip Johnson, Alderman Gary Higdon, Hernando’s bicycle police officers, several civil engineers and a handful of biking enthusiasts.
Peel presented several statistics to support his case including that 40 percent of trips made are 2 miles or less and 89 percent of those trips are made by car.
"Motorists think bicyclists are in the way, but really it’s one less motorist in a car in front of you at the stoplight," Peel said.
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Continue reading “Solution not a problem”