Post #36: Better than Walking

September 21, 2009

This is a big campus to walk around.  With no shuttle, and no cars for first or second-year students (half the student body), what will students do in the bleak midwinter?

Think of walking from Julie Hall to Donnarumma, or from Jogues to the School of Business.  Or Regis to the Library. And then back again.  With a heavy backpack.

You’ve got steep hills and frigid winds.  Once inside the buildings, you meet cold and flu viruses.

WHAT TO DO?

The Daily Green’s last post has a good suggestion:  An electric bike.

An electric bike gets you from Julie Hall to the School of Business before your feet get cold.  On the way back, its 750W electric motor takes the hills.

Electric bikes have racks and baskets for your books.

True, an electric bike does cost money.  Bike number 15 on The Daily Green’s slideshow Gallery of Electric Bikes costs $499.00.

But you can get an electric bike for less, or for more.  New, or used.  You can get an electric bike that folds up.  You can get a power kit to put on your old bike.

Compare electric bike costs with car costs.  Think insurance and gas.  When you charge your bike battery it’s good for 20 miles or more, these days.

Some sites on The Daily Green:

Will e-bikes finally take off in America?

Electrobike has a new Pi power-assisted bicycle

Want to break out of your car-addicted lifestyle without having to break out in a sweat?
Some other sites:

Clean Republic has an electric bike conversion kit that takes 3 minutes to install on your old bike, they say.    They’ve got a fairly good price if you and a pal each buy one, it seems. Their motto:  “Save gas money, save the world.”

Treehugger likes Schwinn’s new line of electric bikes.   They look slick and smooth, and they go for 40 miles per charge.   For a price.

What’s affordable?  How about checking out electric bike sites on the Internet?

It would beat walking from Jogues to the Library in 15 degrees.