Bikes
A bicycle converts human effort into forward motion more efficiently than any other machine. A fit rider covers 100 miles on 2,000 calories — the same energy a car burns idling for an hour.
The speed is useful. Faster than walking, slower than driving. You see where you’re going. You remember the route. You notice weather building.
Car speed blurs everything. Walking speed limits range. The bicycle sits in between.
Bikes expose you. Rain is wet, wind is resistance, cold is cold. You can’t ignore what you’re riding through.
I don’t always like this. But I notice more on a bike than I ever do in a car. Where the wind is coming from. How the terrain drains. Whether to turn around.
The machine scales. Add bags and the range extends from grocery runs to continental crossings. Same frame, different scope.
A bicycle’s systems are comprehensible. Wheels, bearings, chain, brakes. Failures can be diagnosed roadside. The machine teaches maintenance by making maintenance possible.
Related: bikepacking, bikepacking gear, movement