How many miles per gallon in a bike?



L

landotter

Guest
I was asked that as a joke as I was running to the store for mower
fuel:

http://static.flickr.com/19/121425588_069dd4cf64_o.jpg

Then I thought about it. When it comes to cost, it's not cheap, but
most of us have some fat to sacrifice, so no biggie. My guesstimate was
50 calories per mile. Let's say a nice bowl of homemade spaghetti and
meatballs costs $3 to make, the same as a gallon of gas around here.
That's 10 miles per cost of a gallon of gas to power me on my bike.
Worse than a Ford Expedition! For shame. :p

An American gallon of gas has 31,000 calories, too bad we can't drink
it, as we'd get between 600 and a 1000 miles per gallon. Yowsah. :-D

I ride errands as it makes more sense than half-warming up the car
driving three miles, but all that crazy math got me laughin'.
 
Well, the human body has never struck me as efficient. But remember,
you need to eat anyway, so subtract the 1500-2000 caleries you need for
baseline living.

And the car is much less efficient than you might think. Most of the
energy generated is waste heat (of course, the same could be said for
the human body as well).
 
Eric wrote:
> Well, the human body has never struck me as efficient. But remember,
> you need to eat anyway, so subtract the 1500-2000 caleries you need for
> baseline living.
>
> And the car is much less efficient than you might think. Most of the
> energy generated is waste heat (of course, the same could be said for
> the human body as well).


Both your typical car engine and bicycle engine are about 25%
efficient. But as the OP pointed out, generally bicycle fuel is much
more expensive per calorie than gasoline.
 
peter wrote:
> Eric wrote:
> > Well, the human body has never struck me as efficient. But remember,
> > you need to eat anyway, so subtract the 1500-2000 caleries you need for
> > baseline living.
> >
> > And the car is much less efficient than you might think. Most of the
> > energy generated is waste heat (of course, the same could be said for
> > the human body as well).

>
> Both your typical car engine and bicycle engine are about 25%
> efficient. But as the OP pointed out, generally bicycle fuel is much
> more expensive per calorie than gasoline.


If you're just eating cheap ramen or rice, it's not that bad--but I'd
rather have a creme brule over a gallon of petrol. Fueling a human is
much more satisfying, LOL.

I do remember having to spend obscene amounts of money on food when I
was a messenger. I think I ate 5K calories more than normal. Eating as
a chore--that was wierd. :-S
 
peter wrote:
> Eric wrote:
>
>>Well, the human body has never struck me as efficient. But remember,
>>you need to eat anyway, so subtract the 1500-2000 caleries you need for
>>baseline living.
>>
>>And the car is much less efficient than you might think. Most of the
>>energy generated is waste heat (of course, the same could be said for
>>the human body as well).

>
>
> Both your typical car engine and bicycle engine are about 25%
> efficient. But as the OP pointed out, generally bicycle fuel is much
> more expensive per calorie than gasoline.
>

I didn't notice that much difference since I usually buy a gallon or
Orange juice and put it in my back pack for long days. A gallon of
Orange juice is about $3.00 and it gets me about 70 miles due to the
sugar content. If I ate power bars at a buck a pop and only drank water
then it would be different.

Just to make it interesting, isn't a pound of fat about 3,500 calories
or so? How far would burning that fat get a car?
Bill
 
"Bill Baka" wrote: (clip) Just to make it interesting, isn't a pound of fat
about 3,500 calories or so? How far would burning that fat get a car?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
With a proper preheater, it could be run in a diesel. A pound would be a
little more than a pint, so lets say, 1/6 gallon. A diesel car could be
expected to get about 30 MPG, you would be good for about 5 miles.
 
Leo Lichtman wrote:
> "Bill Baka" wrote: (clip) Just to make it interesting, isn't a pound of fat
> about 3,500 calories or so? How far would burning that fat get a car?
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> With a proper preheater, it could be run in a diesel. A pound would be a
> little more than a pint, so lets say, 1/6 gallon. A diesel car could be
> expected to get about 30 MPG, you would be good for about 5 miles.


Great, you've set a nasty idea into the wild. Diesel VW driving hippies
are now going to be robbing liposuction clinics. Ewwwwww.

:p
 
>Well, the human body has never struck me as efficient. But remember,
>you need to eat anyway, so subtract the 1500-2000 caleries you need for
>baseline living.


Also, keep in mind that many non-cyclists drive to the gym where they
burn as many, if not more calories than you do on stationary bikes and
treadmills.
Jim
http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/
 
oilfreeandhappy wrote:
>>Well, the human body has never struck me as efficient. But remember,
>>you need to eat anyway, so subtract the 1500-2000 caleries you need for
>>baseline living.

>
>
> Also, keep in mind that many non-cyclists drive to the gym where they
> burn as many, if not more calories than you do on stationary bikes and
> treadmills.
> Jim
> http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/
>

At least I don't have to have a membership and drive somewhere
interesting. I gave up gyms when I was about 35 and there were a lot of
women there, not working out but checking out the men. Since I wasn't
wearing a shirt I got more looks than my wife would approve of. I am not
a ten but I am also not a 1.
Bill (not a gym rat) Baka
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Leo Lichtman ([email protected]) wrote:
>
> "Bill Baka" wrote: (clip) Just to make it interesting, isn't a pound of fat
> about 3,500 calories or so? How far would burning that fat get a car?
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> With a proper preheater, it could be run in a diesel. A pound would be a
> little more than a pint, so lets say, 1/6 gallon. A diesel car could be
> expected to get about 30 MPG, you would be good for about 5 miles.


If it's only getting 30 mpg, there something wrong with it... Mine does
50/(US) gallon on a long run.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
The entire population of Uxbridge has no idea that it actually doesn't
exist.
 
On 1 Apr 2006 12:51:46 -0800, "landotter" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I was asked that as a joke as I was running to the store for mower
>fuel:
>
>http://static.flickr.com/19/121425588_069dd4cf64_o.jpg
>
>Then I thought about it. When it comes to cost, it's not cheap, but
>most of us have some fat to sacrifice, so no biggie. My guesstimate was
>50 calories per mile. Let's say a nice bowl of homemade spaghetti and
>meatballs costs $3 to make, the same as a gallon of gas around here.
>That's 10 miles per cost of a gallon of gas to power me on my bike.
>Worse than a Ford Expedition! For shame. :p
>
>An American gallon of gas has 31,000 calories, too bad we can't drink
>it, as we'd get between 600 and a 1000 miles per gallon. Yowsah. :-D
>
>I ride errands as it makes more sense than half-warming up the car
>driving three miles, but all that crazy math got me laughin'.


You forgeot to add the energy consumption of the driver's metabolism
to the fuel consumtion of the Expedition, for one thing. And your
caluculation of cost has a number of errors. Human-powered transport
isn't as efficient as a gasoline-powered vehivle in terms of cost for
tonnage moved, but that's hardly the whole picture. In terms of total
environmental costs, for instance, the HPV makes a lot more sense when
it's just one person going from point A to point B with minimal gear
over a reasonable distance.

Have you considered getting a goat instead of that lawn mower?
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.
 
Werehatrack wrote:
> On 1 Apr 2006 12:51:46 -0800, "landotter" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>I was asked that as a joke as I was running to the store for mower
>>fuel:
>>
>>http://static.flickr.com/19/121425588_069dd4cf64_o.jpg
>>
>>Then I thought about it. When it comes to cost, it's not cheap, but
>>most of us have some fat to sacrifice, so no biggie. My guesstimate was
>>50 calories per mile. Let's say a nice bowl of homemade spaghetti and
>>meatballs costs $3 to make, the same as a gallon of gas around here.
>>That's 10 miles per cost of a gallon of gas to power me on my bike.
>>Worse than a Ford Expedition! For shame. :p
>>
>>An American gallon of gas has 31,000 calories, too bad we can't drink
>>it, as we'd get between 600 and a 1000 miles per gallon. Yowsah. :-D
>>
>>I ride errands as it makes more sense than half-warming up the car
>>driving three miles, but all that crazy math got me laughin'.

>
>
> You forgeot to add the energy consumption of the driver's metabolism
> to the fuel consumtion of the Expedition, for one thing. And your
> caluculation of cost has a number of errors. Human-powered transport
> isn't as efficient as a gasoline-powered vehivle in terms of cost for
> tonnage moved, but that's hardly the whole picture. In terms of total
> environmental costs, for instance, the HPV makes a lot more sense when
> it's just one person going from point A to point B with minimal gear
> over a reasonable distance.
>
> Have you considered getting a goat instead of that lawn mower?


That would give you 'Goat mines' to pick up. Another yuck factor.
Bill
 
"landotter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Leo Lichtman wrote:
> > "Bill Baka" wrote: (clip) Just to make it interesting, isn't a pound of

fat
> > about 3,500 calories or so? How far would burning that fat get a car?
> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > With a proper preheater, it could be run in a diesel. A pound would be

a
> > little more than a pint, so lets say, 1/6 gallon. A diesel car could be
> > expected to get about 30 MPG, you would be good for about 5 miles.

>
> Great, you've set a nasty idea into the wild. Diesel VW driving hippies
> are now going to be robbing liposuction clinics. Ewwwwww.
>
> :p
>

Didya see the movie "Fight Club"? The guys in the film robbed the bio-trash
at lipo clinics for another reason.

Max