Despite the blueprint for the bike being pretty much sorted back in 1885 by John Kemp Starley and his safety bicycle, the bicycle remains, even in our technological age, the most efficient form or transport available to man.

Around twice as efficient as walking and many times more efficient than the car, bus or train, the bike takes the power of the human heart, lungs and legs and with a few gears, bearings and levers, makes us superhuman. Suddenly we can lope along at 10mph instead of around two and a half, using half of the energy.

10 mph is achievable by pretty much anyone from the get-go. 10 mph will get you to your workplace 2.5 miles away in 15 minutes. It will do this consistently and reliably every day. There are no traffic jams. No CO2 emissions. No cancellations. No industrial action. The only thing to stop you is the odd flat tyre.

"When you're cruising along steadily at 10mph you're burning fuel at an equivalent rate of 879 miles per gallon."

Just one reason to commute by bike

When you're cruising along steadily at 10mph you're burning fuel at an equivalent rate of 879 miles per gallon. Or to put it another way, for your five mile round trip, you’ll burn around 250 calories per day. That's 1250 calories per week, without going to the gym. Win, win.

Keep it up and you'll not only simplify your life, you'll elongate it. Studies show that cycling gives you the health of someone around 10 years younger and can add years to your life expectancy. It also has been shown to have positive effects on mental health, lowering stress and anxiety, two of modern life's sad attendants.

The simple bicycle. Time machine. Planet saver. Gym coach, shrink.

Why you go by bike

Take a look at our commuter profiles - glowing tesitimonials on the joys of bike commuting, full of inspiration, anecdotes, tips and advice from real bike commuters. You can even submit your own!