Is it OK to bike on Shabbat?

I saw Tom Friedman talk last night; he talked about his book Hot, Flat and Crowded. He talked about a "green" revolution -- and how a revolution creates turmoil, not logos.

(A couple of thing bothered me. He used the Space Shuttle as a simile, and I found it jarring: the Space Shuttle does not reach "escape velocity" -- nor does it try, as it's work is entirely within Earth's gravity well. He also talked about how the world cannot support a large population of people living like Americans, with large cars, large houses, "Big Mac meals"; and that there are millions of people throughout the world who are now living this lifestyle -- Europe, Russia, China... and India. I just don't see a lot of people in India eating "American" Big Macs).

One of the things he made me think about was how my cycling has changed. When I lived in California, and used a bicycle as my primary means of transportation, my cycling contributed to a greener world, albeit in a very small way. It was enabled by Government decree, who insisted my company enable alternate transportation, and as a result, they provided secure lockers for the bikes, lockers for my clothes and showers for me. Mr Friedman thinks that the revolution won't happen without Government involvement.

The kind of cycling Don, Vic and I do is not at all "green". First we drive two minivans at least 100 miles each to the trail head and back. Second, we use recreational trails instead of roads, because we don't have an actual destination we need to reach, unless you can classify our habitual restaurants as "necessary destinations". Organized rides like the PALM sound green because 700 riders cross Michigan by bike. However, the SAG vehicles burn gas along enough miles to make up for it, and virtually everyone rides to or from the ride in a vehicle, easily burning more gas than a motorcycle race.

Raising small children may be the least green thing you can do. As our grandchildren transition out of diapers, the rolls of toilet paper distributed through the house make up for the landfill space that would otherwise be saved by not using diapers; and the number of flushes per day has grown exponentially. When Mr Friedman becomes a grandparent, I wonder how it will change his perspective.

Sue and I are planning a bike tour in September to New Orleans. We won't have a SAG vehicle, and we'll be returning by train -- at least to Chicago. It's probably "greener" than many other vacations we could take, but we're not taking this vacation to make a point, or to be green or anything like that. We're taking it because we need the escape, and this is what we want to do, and I don't really care what it does to the earth.

So is biking green? If you use a bike instead of a car for a trip, then biking is green. But not everyone on a bike is reducing their carbon footprint, and I bike because I like biking, not for any other reason. There is, perhaps, less justification for self righteousness on a bike than there is in a Prius.

And I know it's OK for me to bike on Shabbat, since I'm not Jewish; but for Shomer Shabbat , I am curious.

Grand Haven to Holland

It was the last day of March. The weather was cool, but not freezing -- at 43 degrees, I didn't need tights or toe covers. Later it would climb into the 50's, and as I'm writing this, we are experiencing record heat -- peaking in the 80's. This is my favorite ride; it's all street riding, although there's a side path most of the way. It's harder and prettier than most of our other rides: the rolling hills make this one of the more challenging rides, and we are next to the lake much of the way, so we get occasional glimpses through the homes that hug the shore.



Don remembered everything this time: last time we loaned him a coat, sweatshirt and cash. Unfortunately, due to his seemingly random arrhythmia, he had to abandon the ride about 1/4 of a mile into it. He got the car and drove to Holland. I rode with Vic to Holland, where we all had breakfast. Don and I drove home, while Vic biked back to Grand Haven.


Vic and I took the long way -- which involves some steep climbs and more severe terrain than usual. We also rode as hard as I could, averaging around 13 or so, and taking only a couple of water/coffee breaks. Vic led the way most of the way. My bike wasn't shifting well, so the hills were a little harder than they had to be. Vic had just lost 28 lbs and wasn't using his shifters because, well, he didn't notice the hills.

I wish Don didn't have to bail, and I hope he makes it on our next ride. I'm glad I got those 25 miles in.

Bike Notes: I finally took of my chain to clean it, and this turned into a disaster. First, I couldn't figure out how to use the "master links", so I just broke the chain with a chain tool. THEN the master link broke, but not cleanly. I soaked it in dish washing soap and then sprayed degreaser on it, blah blah. It was clean and dry by the time I put it back. I also cleaned off most of my bike, forgetting the shiny badge on the top tube. While I was doing this, my grandkids were using the rags and soapy water on their tricycles... then rocks, their hair, pretty much anything. When I got the chain reassembled and back in the right place, my derailleur was completely out of whack. I don't know how that happened but the cable was completely loose. I tightened the cable and adjusted it as well as I could, but it was "auto shifting" frequently on this ride, and it won't stay in my second smallest cog. I think I just need a new chain and professional help. After I got home I adjusted it again, as well as I could, and put a new chain in my cart in Amazon, for the next time I spend money there.