A great read+great magazine.
TL;DR: Old bikes last way longer than new bikes. From a production standpoint, steel bikes have a smaller carbon footprint than aluminum or carbon frame bikes. Conventional bikes use fewer consumables over their usable life than electric bikes. Among electric bikes, cargo bikes use the most resources to run and maintain.
I saw this guy a few years ago that provided STLs for a 3D printed bike that anyone with the proper printer can print. It was the specialized parts that you printed, and everything else was standard parts from the hardware store. I thought that was super cool. No clue what ever happened to that project.
I really hope something like that can come back. The same can be done with cars, too. Why does every single model of the same friggin brand have different headlights or steering wheel shafts or whatever? You want to tell me that weβve come such a long way in 6 months that warranted a brand new proprietary design? No. Itβs capitalism for the loss. I, for one, am tired of it. Tired of the trash this creates. Tired of the extra money we all have to spend. Tired of the extra storage space required for it all. Tired of all of it.
A few decades ago, all headlights were the same.