Well I’m entering my third month of tracking and I’m having to deal with some serious winter weather. I’m using a car far more than during the better weather this fall, but I’m still using 1/3 the gas compared to the goal I set for myself. So still feel pretty good about where things stand.
Regarding bike gear… winter in Portland means lots of darkness… the sun isn’t up until after 8am and it is down again by 4:30pm, then there is the constant overcast… so dark, dark, dark on almost any ride. This makes your lights a very important part of your equipment.
For my headlight I use a Night Rider MiNewt… producing a daylight visible light. Normally I use it in flashing mode (which turns heads because the light is powerful enough to make a clear flashing pattern on any street sign with any reflective material). On very dark, low traffic streets I’ll switch the light to a constant beam both to provide good illumination for riding, but also because the flashing mode turns into a strobe light that drives me crazy if it is the only light source around. Comes with rechargeable batteries and charger. This light is expensive, but definitely worth every penny… however, it does mean that I don’t leave it on my bike when I have it parked.
For my taillight I use a pair of Planet Bike Superflash LED lights. This is the most noticeable tail light I have found. I use it in flash mode, where every fourth flash is super bright. The light is small & cheap; plus batteries seem to last a long time.
Updated Carbon Footprint Meter:
Goal: 0.43 gallons of gas/day. (3 gallons/week)
Average actual usage: 0.12 gallons of gas/day
Number of days tracked: 59 days
Number of trips made: 104 (covering 1,175 miles)
MPG: 173