I was cycling in this morning (yes, another cycling story) listening to a podcast that was dicusssing fuel efficiency in cars. It got me thinking about the bikes I use. I have a crappy Schwinn that was my only bike for a few years here, and is now used for wet weather commuting and towing kids.

My main bike, by contrast, is a decent road bike, only a notch up from the lowest model, but still much better than a $99 Wal-Mart special. I have it in part because it’s nice to go fast, and perhaps just a little bit because it’s cool (especially now that I have a carbon fork and seat post; carbon fiber is a well-known aphrodisiac). But the main reason I bought it, and why I still enjoy it, is because it’s fuel efficient. I cycle for fun, but most of the time I’m cycling to get somewhere (work, home or rowing, primarily). While the act of cycling is fun, so is getting home as soon as I can, and that’s what my Giant lets me do.

And so to my current obsession, a recumbent trike (see here for a review). Part of my interest is my natural inclination to find something interesting and learn as much as I can about it (something that has come in surprisingly useful over the years). Part is down to it being a bit cool and interesting. Much of my interest is as a way to motivate my better half to get out more (“It’s like a comfy chair with an ultra-widescreen nature program showing”). But mainly, I think, it’s about travelling more efficiently, and more comfortably (which often amount to the same thing).

We’ll see if I can get over this obsession of course; my natural tightwadness is a pretty powerful force in the battle against frivolous expenditure (though Claire will hotly deny that I’m sure).