"My Bike Is Everything to Me"

Bicycle Efficiency and Energy Use

• Multiple comments unpack the claim that cycling uses ~0.15 kcal per kg per km.
• Some doubt it seems too low; others corroborate with personal ride data and rough back-of-envelope checks.
• Clarifications around “calorie” vs “kcal” resolve confusion; consensus: order-of-magnitude (≈15 kcal/km for a ~100 kg rider+bike) feels reasonable.
• People compare road, mountain, and trail conditions; off-road is less efficient, but bikes are still usually far more efficient than walking.
• Several contrast energy use of bikes, e‑bikes, EVs, and gas cars; broad agreement that bikes and e‑bikes are radically more efficient per passenger-km, with some noting even EVs are far better than gas cars.

Exercise, Weight Loss, and Health

• Debate over how effective cycling is for weight loss.
• One side emphasizes that modest exercise burns relatively few calories compared to easy overeating; “you can’t outrun a bad diet.”
• Others argue that with sufficient volume/intensity, especially on bikes, you can expend very large amounts of energy.
• Several stress that exercise has health benefits beyond weight and that mild, consistent activity improves mood, fitness, and appetite regulation.

Basketball, Injury, and Cycling

• Discussion of how high-level basketball careers can “ruin” bodies: repeated orthopedic injuries, surgeries, chronic pain.
• Some question why athletes don’t quit earlier; others point to passion and money as reasons to continue despite damage.
• A few note ex‑players who took up cycling; some cycling deaths/injuries are attributed more to motorists and road design than to the bike itself.

Emotional Meaning of Bikes

• Many describe bikes as central to their identity, freedom, and mental health.
• Stories include bikes helping through illness, grief, unemployment, addiction, and the pandemic.
• Theft of a well-tuned daily bike is described as more emotionally painful than losing expensive gadgets.
• Some treat specific bikes as living connections to loved ones; others see bikes more instrumentally and would replace them easily.

Infrastructure, Class, and Culture

• Strong divide over whether cycling in the US/Canada is a “leisure-class” activity.
• One view: cyclists skew affluent and infrastructure is a luxury compared to basic road repair.
• Counterpoint: commuting cyclists and low-income riders are undercounted or unnoticed; some US data and research are cited suggesting commuting by bike is not strictly a rich-person behavior and can even skew lower-income.
• Multiple examples from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Taiwan, China, Thailand, and specific US cities illustrate how good infrastructure and proximity make bikes viable for “real people” with everyday needs.
• Others argue weather, distance, and car culture make widespread cycling impractical in many regions; this is strongly contested with examples of year‑round riding in rainy or cold places.

Business Impact and Urban Form

• Some business owners in US cities claim new bike lanes harm revenue, citing parking loss.
• Other commenters note repeated cases where such fears proved wrong and more bike/transit access increased foot traffic.
• Broader argument that cars reduce urban density and favor big chains, while bikes and transit can benefit small businesses.

Safety and Risk

• Several highlight that many “bike accidents” are actually car-caused crashes; in well-designed multimodal environments, serious bike injuries are said to be much rarer.
• Others emphasize how road design (e.g., riding on car-dominated roads vs protected paths) is central to risk, especially for large or high‑profile riders.

Technology and E‑Bikes

• E‑bikes are praised for flattening hills, extending range, and letting riders choose exertion level while still getting home when tired.
• Some report they now do many shopping and kid‑transport trips by (cargo) e‑bike, rivaling or beating car travel times for urban distances.

Language and Miscellany

• A side thread unpacks “low-key” as slang meaning “subtly,” “underappreciated,” or “not in-your-face.”
• Another notes that a widely quoted efficiency passage in the article traces back to Ivan Illich.
• Several reiterate that while bikes are extraordinarily efficient and joyful, access, geography, culture, and labor conditions can limit who benefits, and the industry and cycling culture deserve critical scrutiny too.