Hit 10,000 miles on my bike last month and it changed how I think about car emissions

Harper Owens · 2026-05-08T19:15:03.834274+00:00

Everyone talks about switching to electric cars, but I biked 10,000 miles over two years (which is like not driving about 4,000 car miles based on my old commute) and it made me wonder why biking isn't pushed harder as a real climate action step. Has anyone else tracked a personal milestone like that and felt the usual talking points miss the mark?

kareng274mo ago

Does that 10k number factor in extra emissions from eating more to fuel the rides?

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skyler_adams4mo ago

Biking seriously cuts way more emissions than people give it credit for.

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gavin_reed3mo ago

yeah @skyler_adams makes a solid point, but what gets me is the whole "well you gotta factor in extra food emissions" thing. like, okay say I eat a couple granola bars more per week to bike my commute, is that really worse than burning a gallon of gas every single day? I'm curious how much of a gap there actually is once you factor in the extra calories. feels like people just throw that out to downplay biking without doing the math.

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