I used to own a Toyota starlet and a peddle bike. I pulled everything from doublestacked beach cats to 5 landyachts in one go. I used the bike for the groceries and smaller stuff, like one to transport just myself, a jacket and sunglasses to visit my parents or whatever. Over the last 10 days I've averaged 50 km per day (31 miles) on my recumbent. And I've loaded up two large grocery bags into the side bags about 16 kg total.

The 1993 Toyota did 38 mpg and still did 150 km/h with a boat trailer and a Prindle 16 and Prindle 18 stacked on it. Even getting away at the traffic light was never an issue.

Investment taken up in both was 4000 + 450 Euro's (9 year old starlet and recumbent bike) = 4450 Euro's



Absolutely yes.


The only compromise that I take is that I won't be picking up 23 year old supermodel bimbo's. But then again I'm old enough to know the really hot ones require at least a Porsche or Ferrari (these gold diggers know their stuff about who has serious money and who is just prentending) and that there are other far more inexpensive ways to get the god stuff (which aren't necessarily 23 year old bimbo's with an attitude).

Of course a hummer will all this was more ease (except taking tight corners). And yes I'm lucky enough to life in a nation with such a good infrastructure for peddle bikes that I can win any race against a car through suburban area's (seriously, I can, even over 15 km/10 miles).

But the solutions are here and they are real. Several of us are actually doing it. I for one am riding my bike half the time to the place of daily toil which is 60 km one way. My record is 2 hours and 6 minutes to complete the trip and typically I take 2 hours and 20 minutes to do so. Mind you during that record I also carrier 18 kg of bagage in my (bulky) carrier bags. By car I typically used to cover this distance in just under 90 minutes during rush hour. The additional 55 minutes it takes by bike peddling through lush green nature parks is not too much of a hit when compared to the 60 km total one-way distance.

Of course, I too wou'dn't be doing it in a business suit but that is not the point. I enjoy doing this, have a shower at the place of arrival and have a time schedule that allows this. I'm actually doing it and therefor it is a reasonable solution for me and not some environmental treehugging fantasy.

Wouter