We have launched the second volume in a new series of books opening up Low-tech Magazine’s archive by theme.
Cycling is the most sustainable form of transportation, but the bicycle is becoming increasingly damaging to the environment. The energy and material used for its production go up while its life expectancy decreases.
The bicycle and the bow are both highly efficient, human-powered technologies that could substitute for two very harmful alternatives: the car and the firearm. Why do we promote one but not the other?
Modular cargo cycles are cheap to build and easy to customize.
About a quarter of the existent wind turbines would suffice to power as many electric velomobiles as there are people.
A car with a top speed of 270 km/h can be driven anywhere on Earth, while an electric velomobile with an electric assistance of up to 50 km/h is illegal is most countries.
A cargo cycle is at least as fast as a delivery van in the city - and much cheaper to use.
The human power required to achieve a speed of 30 km/h in a velomobile is only 79 watts, compared to 271 watts on a normal bicycle.
We don’t need any new cycling infrastructure. What we need is to clear the current road infrastructure of inefficient vehicles and replace them with efficient ones.