It seems not a day goes by without hearing which cars on the market have the best mileage, and how efficient electric and hybrid vehicles of the future will be. But what about the world’s most efficient vehicle, the humble bicycle? Some like to joke that bicyclists run on burritos or other quick eats instead of gasoline– but is it possible to calculate some sort of miles per gallon (MPG) equivalent for the bipedal bunch powered by food?
How many miles per gallon is she getting? Photo credit: Richard Masoner
Do the Math recently tackled the task and arrived at a surprising figure– apparently a person riding a bicycle gets the equivalent of 290miles per gallon riding around town, and 190 miles per gallon on the open road. Not bad for a vehicle over a hundred years old, right? And if humans were as aerodynamic as trout, that MPG would be even higher!
If you have the time, or consider yourself a math whiz, the full article is well worth a read.
