bikes | Velosophe

It Doesn’t Matter Who Pays for Roads

January 22, 2022 by Bernhard

In any discussion about making space for alternative transportation modes – whether buses, trams, or bikes – the likelihood of someone retorting, “but drivers pay for roads!” quickly approaches 100%. The implication here is that drivers have a special entitlement to road space on account of them being the primary (and some imagine, exclusive) financiers of roads. Those who don’t own cars – cyclists and public transit users – supposedly don’t pay for roads, and thus have little to no […]

Categories: Bicycles • Tags: bikes, cars, cycling, road infrastructure

Cycling is Still Bro

March 16, 2017 by Bernhard

Throughout high school, I played competitive basketball at the top level in Ontario. While basketball players are not at the very top of the jock-scale, there was still enough trash-talking, inflated egos, and shitty masculinity (which I regretfully participated in at times) to turn me off of the sport by the time I got to university, at which point I almost stopped playing altogether. In comparison, road cycling has to rank pretty close to the bottom of the jock-scale. This […]

Categories: Bicycles, Ethics • Tags: bikes, competition, cycling, gender, masculinity, sexism, sports

Do you Believe in Mechanical Doping?

March 6, 2017 by Bernhard

About a month ago, 60 Minutes ran a segment investigating the issue of so-called “mechanical doping” in cycling. The (admittedly silly) term refers to mechanical cheating, specifically, the surreptitious placement of motors in bicycles used in professional racing. I’ll get into the specifics in a moment, but will mention as a preface that the gist of the investigation is that hidden motors have allegedly been used in the highest levels of cycling. If comment-section discussions are an indicator, it appears […]

Categories: Bicycles, Philosophy • Tags: Bayesian probability, beliefs, bikes, epistemology, mechanical doping, Quine

“It’s Not Like Riding a Bike Will Change Anything”

April 7, 2016 by Bernhard

I suspect a recurring theme on this blog will be: what’s the point? My inaugural post starts by facing this existential question. In a world where free-will seems dubious, or at least impotent in the face of powers beyond one’s control, and where one’s actions appear so insignificant and futile, what of ethics? I’ve routinely encountered detractors who, while seemingly not in the midst of existential crises, have expressed doubt, if not disdain, of the personal ethical decisions of others […]

Categories: Bicycles, Environment, Ethics, Philosophy • Tags: bikes, ethics, moral philosophy

Velosophe

Thoughts on Bikes

Tag: bikes

It Doesn’t Matter Who Pays for Roads

Cycling is Still Bro

Do you Believe in Mechanical Doping?

“It’s Not Like Riding a Bike Will Change Anything”