ellieellie@social.lol
Jul 5, 2026, 8:10 PMbicycles are insane. you just take a mammal that’s very good at long distance running and put a wheel adapter on it
Replies
Talya (she/her) 🏳️⚧️✡️Yuvalne@433.worldJul 5, 2026, 8:32 PM@ellie tbh i never thought of it like that but that explains why bicycles (and variations like a velomobile) are by far the most efficient form of transportation, period.
Jul 5, 2026, 8:35 PM@ellie I've read that when the modern bicycle came out, one of its attractions was that a rider could travel farther faster in a day than a horse.
- ellieellie@social.lolJul 5, 2026, 8:35 PM
@fgbjr that’s so hot
Khleedrilkhleedril@cyberplace.socialJul 6, 2026, 6:54 AM
ein kleines zkleines_z@queer.groupJul 6, 2026, 10:02 AM
Frédéric Grosshansfgrosshans@mathstodon.xyzJul 7, 2026, 5:19 AM@kleines_z @fgbjr @ellie I always love it when what we take now for a joke was actually seriously considered and built by engineers from the 19th century. You might be interested by these three Wikipedia pages:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycloped
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Dutchman_(horse-powered_locomotive)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impulsoria
Jul 5, 2026, 9:14 PM@ellie If you've ever seen the graph of vehicle efficiency, you get all the way down to electrified-track trains and think to yourself "surely this is the /ne plus ultra/ of vehicle efficiency" but then you hear bicycles calling over from all the way at "efficient as fuck" yelling, "Not even close, dipshits! I'm half a rickshaw away from taking all your moms home tonight." And all you can do is nod and think, "Yep. Bikes got game."
Ryanfullywoolly@mastodon.socialJul 5, 2026, 9:20 PM- Ryanfullywoolly@mastodon.socialJul 5, 2026, 9:46 PM
@log @ellie this forbes article has a plot that does show efficiency or bicycles being top, but was from 1973 so doesn't have EVs. There have also been a lot of advancements in fuel efficiency and increases to weight. Many plots on image searches showed escooter/ebike being better than bicycles but the sources were not noteworthy.
- Jul 5, 2026, 10:07 PM
@fullywoolly @ellie That's definitely one of the graphs that bicycle has on a big poster on the wall of its shed, but I also recall seeing one with only human vehicles on it. Bicycle is still ahead of electric-motor bicycle. Because lithium-ion to electric motor still has more conversion losses than glycogen to slow-twitch muscle fiber.
- Ryanfullywoolly@mastodon.socialJul 5, 2026, 11:00 PM
@log @ellie oh very cool. If you remember I'd love to see it. This was the best I found https://www.bikeradar.com/features/long-reads/cycling-environmental-impact
> That’s 30 per cent lower than the figure from cycling a conventional bike.
>
> Because ebikes require less food production per kilometre travelled, they have lower greenhouse gas emissions over their lifetime than conventional bikes, despite the added emissions from electricity production and battery manufacturing. 
SnoopJSnoopJ@hachyderm.ioJul 6, 2026, 3:25 AM@fullywoolly @log @ellie original figure is from "Bicycle Technology" by S.S. Wilson which reviews the technological marvel that is the bicycle, including also cross-sections of a Sturmey-Archer Hub. It's quite good reading for any #Cycling enthusiast.
https://notfine.com/bikes/articles/Scientific_American-Mar1973-Bicycle_Science.pdf
- SnoopJSnoopJ@hachyderm.ioJul 6, 2026, 3:27 AM
@fullywoolly @log @ellie there was an "updated" version of the figure in 2025 that was basically just copying this article's work and added in a bunch of distracting animation to the figure which conveys no information. I prefer the original but in the interests of completeness, I'll link the more modern one here:
- Ryanfullywoolly@mastodon.socialJul 6, 2026, 3:41 AM
Space Hobospacehobo@teh.entar.netJul 6, 2026, 7:39 AM@fullywoolly @SnoopJ @log @ellie Speaking of finding the original article, the 1970 article by Tucker cited in the Scientific American article doesn't plot the bicycle rider! The data aren't in the table either, which only lists:
Cherokee airplane
Volkswagen automobile
Cadillac automobile
Sikorsky S62 helicopter
Grand Commander
F105F jet fighter
DC 9-10 jet transport
DC 8 jet transport- Ryanfullywoolly@mastodon.socialJul 6, 2026, 7:57 AM
@spacehobo @SnoopJ @log @ellie I like that it has conversion factors for fat, glycogen, and gasoline.
- Space Hobospacehobo@teh.entar.netJul 6, 2026, 8:36 AM
@fullywoolly @SnoopJ @log @ellie Oddly, Tucker cites his own work on the energy efficiency of various models of jet aeroplane.
FanghFangh@shelter.moeJul 6, 2026, 11:06 AM@SnoopJ @fullywoolly @log @ellie found this
- Ryanfullywoolly@mastodon.socialJul 6, 2026, 1:55 PM
@Fangh @SnoopJ @log @ellie I saw that too and another one from presumably Colorado State University that showed very small numbers for ebike and escooters. I'll admit that I'm pretty weary of infographics without knowing the context and data that lead to their creation. I feel myself seeing them and saying "oh that's pretty this must be right" and I feel my defenses going up.
ƧƿѦςɛ♏ѦਹѤʞspacemagick@mastodon.socialJul 7, 2026, 6:33 PM@Fangh @SnoopJ @fullywoolly @log @ellie
You could add a Saturn 5 going to the Moon to the end of that list at about 12,000 J/m/p.
I'd also like to see those numbers divided by each method's average speed as well.
- JamesAshburnerJamesAshburnerCBR@aus.socialJul 6, 2026, 4:57 AM
@ellie They also show how astonishing our ability to balance is.
Aleš Roubíčekalesroubicek@indieweb.socialJul 6, 2026, 4:36 PM@ellie @JamesAshburnerCBR bicycle is unreasonably stable.
Jul 6, 2026, 6:37 AM@ellie you know what this means we should do
WOLF BICYCLES!
(also very good at long distance running, but unlike humans, also fluffy and cute)
- Jul 6, 2026, 6:39 AM
@ellie Kinda hard to hold onto handlebars with paws though. Maybe like, _two_ sets of pedals (one on each wheel) with straps to keep your paws attached? Getting off at a stop so you don't just fall over sideways might be tricky though. Then again, humans already do it with their cycling shoes that attach to the pedals so it's probably not that bad.
Jeff GriggJeffGrigg@mastodon.socialJul 6, 2026, 4:11 PMCheetahs on bicycles!
.
Image on shirt:
https://missionthread.com/products/mens-cheetah-on-a-bike-t-shirt-american-apparel-gold-s-m-l-xl-xxl-worldwide-shipping- ƧƿѦςɛ♏ѦਹѤʞspacemagick@mastodon.socialJul 7, 2026, 6:00 PM
@JeffGrigg @IceWolf @ellie
Would definitely pay to see that.
#cats 
piegamespiegames@flausch.socialJul 6, 2026, 9:23 AM@ellie now that you frame it like this, I want a wheel adapter for horses
⌬-0x7a5ec6astreaprtcl@c-6.devJul 6, 2026, 9:47 AM@piegames@flausch.social
does one of these count :neobot_thinking:
or does the wheel adapter have to be powered by the mammal itself?
how do walking bikes factor into it?
what is with a horse drawn carriage?
this one is probably overthinking it
@ellie@social.lol
Jul 7, 2026, 10:51 AM@piegames @ellie 1850s to the rescue https://www.frrandp.com/2021/02/the-impulsoria.html
- ƧƿѦςɛ♏ѦਹѤʞspacemagick@mastodon.socialJul 7, 2026, 5:59 PM
Adrian Eggeradrian@mastodon.designJul 15, 2026, 12:24 PM@ellie Isn't it the fcking best
