Tonight they would be playing the Eroica. They ride from house to house, down to the corner store, over to the little league game, and just for the joy of motion. But after we get our driver's licenses, few of us ride a bike for basic transportation. We take the bikes that have become our daily companions and park them in the garage, to be used only when a car is unavailable. Fewer than one percent of all American trips are by bicycle.
American adults use bicycles more for getting in shape than for getting places.
Its ecological design makes the bicycle one of the most practical machines ever invented, efficiently converting human effort to forward motion. One such motive is personal health. So a bike ride can reduce the risk of heart disease, because our inactivity is a larger factor in heart disease than even smoking or fatty foods. As it happens, bikes are good for me. Another motive is social health.