What's your carbon tyreprint?

deptfordmarmoset
deptfordmarmoset Posts: 3,118
edited October 2009 in The bottom bracket
Does anybody know any good sources for comparing the energy expended in making (and importing) bicycles? I came across one site that suggested you'd have to ride a titanium frame for 4 1/2 years (continuously!) to rub out your carbon tyreprint. And an ''Aren't we the greenest! bamboo frame site (so give us £2000)''.... but I have to admit defeat - I don't have the slightest idea about the comparative environmental costs of manufacturing steel, aluminium, carbon, etc, frames, without even beginning to work out what's happening with tyres and wheels and lycra and what have you.

I've found it a surprisingly difficult subject to get clear information on. So, does anybody have any promising leads?

It may be impossible to work it out, but how would you start?
Looking for a cycling buddy?

Comments

  • nottscobb
    nottscobb Posts: 147
    How does riding the bike actually make up for the carbon emitted to make it in the first place?

    I can sort of understand that if you plant a gazillion trees they will eventually absorb the amount of carbon that was used to make the bike but riding a bike doesn't absorb carbon does it?
  • mostly harmless
    mostly harmless Posts: 162
    edited October 2009
    If a bike replaces a journey on which fossil fuels would have been burnt. Only applies to commuting really.
  • volvicspar
    volvicspar Posts: 208
    I found my (winter) bike in a skip so I think I should be ok until may or so :lol:
  • deptfordmarmoset
    deptfordmarmoset Posts: 3,118
    nottscobb wrote:
    How does riding the bike actually make up for the carbon emitted to make it in the first place?

    I can sort of understand that if you plant a gazillion trees they will eventually absorb the amount of carbon that was used to make the bike but riding a bike doesn't absorb carbon does it?

    No, I guess you're right unless, of course, you regularly plant trees along your cycle route. But I'm taking the notion of ''offset'' to imply a lower than the norm consumption. Making and importing a bike use energy but riding it instead of using alternative transport will presumably give you a lower carbon footprint over the subsequent period of time. There'll be a break-even point and subsequently a saving (compared to ''normal'' expenditure). But figuring out where that break-even point would come is very very slippery.
    Looking for a cycling buddy?
  • northernneil
    northernneil Posts: 1,549
    its very difficult to calculate but its a well known fact that a toyota prius is one of THE worst cars you could buy for being green as the nickel and lead acid batteries are terribly environmentally damaging including all the mining and shipping around the world - where as a land rover 4x4 is one of the best as over 60% of them ever made are still running.

    with this in mind the longer you own the bike the better .... but getting figures on that would impossible I would guess, how long do people own bikes on average ?

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