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How to Hitchhike on a Bike Tour
Plus, island hopping in Japan, NYC bike messengers, and Stats for the Nerds
Sam Westby
April 10, 2025
Welcome to the Bike Bulletin, guaranteed to keep your chain lubed and your spirits high.
—Sam Westby @samcwestby
This is a weekly newsletter about bike trips, urban cycling, and a love for two-wheeled transit. The more time you spend on a bike, the better. I share new editions every Thursday, gearing you up for the ride ahead.
Here’s what we have today.
🌍 RIDE: Island hopping in Japan
❓ RESEARCH: How much CO2 does bike commuting save?
💡 TIP: How to Hitchhike
🎥 WATCH: Documentary about NYC bike messengers (2002)
🚲 ARCHIVES: Tubeless Cycling Wheels (1998)
📰 NEWS: New funding, new bike lanes, and more
Giveaway Update!
Congrats to the 14 winners of the first Bike Bulletin Giveaway!!! I contacted each winner today by email.
Thank again to ORTLIEB for providing the panniers and handlebar pack.
If you didn’t win, don’t worry, this won’t be the last giveaway.
RIDE ON MY RADAR
Shimanami Kaido Cycling Route
Thanks Joe for sending me this crazy path!
Here’s what you’d be getting yourself into.
60 kilometers (37 miles) hopping across islands
Expect a few large climbs on each island
150 cyclist-friendly Oases along the route
Cycling facilities along the whole route
Watch Abroad in Japan’s experience on YouTube
FROM THE IVORY TOWER
How Much CO2 Does Bike Commuting Save?
This week I read a paper published in 2021 by a large team of researchers let by a professor at the University of Oxford.
Their question: what is the most sustainable form of transportation? They compared walking, cycling, e-bikes, public transport, and motor vehicle across seven major European cities and nearly 1000 people.
What did they find?
The average person emitted 3.2 kg of CO2 per day in transportation-related emissions.
Cycling accounts for 1% of those emissions. Walking is 0%. Public Transit is 29%. Car is 70%.
People who bike commute average 84% lower emissions than non-cyclists.
10% of people are responsible for 59% of CO2 emissions.
What does this mean? Cycling and walking to work blow anything with a motor out of the water. They hardly even register on the scale.
*Electric bikes, cars, and buses were all added into their respective categories.
You can find the article published in Transportation Research.
BIKE TRIP TIP
How to Hitchhike
A very tired Sam hitching across the Mackinaw Bridge in 2021
In 2021, my dad and I rode 1000 miles around Lake Michigan. To cross into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, we needed to get across the 5 mile long Mackinac Bridge. There was one problem, no bikes allowed.
The solution: hitchhike.
We went to a gas station, got some cardboard, borrowed a sharpie, and wrote “NEED RIDE ACROSS, WILL PAY TOLL”. It’s a $4 toll to cross.
It was pretty obvious we were travelling by bike. We still had our helmets on and our bikes were loaded with gear.
After 15 minutes, a giant truck pulled off and yelled, “hop in!”
He was a great guy — he worked as a mason and crossed the bridge every day for work. His take-home quote was, “feeling good helping others is all the payment I need.”
WHAT I’M WATCHING
Red Light Go (2002)
Follow the wild world of NYC bike messengers over two years.
Honest, raw, and intimate. This documentary is a 56-minute insight into the urban chaos of their world.
Watch for free on YouTube.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Tubeless Cycling Wheels (1998)
Tubeless bicycle tires have not be around for long. They were first patented in 1998 by Mavic and Hutchinson (here’s a link to the original patent).
Only in the last 5 years, did most professional road cyclists switch to tubeless.
Cultural shifts, improvements in the technology, and high-profile race wins all popularized the technology.
Transparent. Strava now lets you share your stats with a transparent background. It becomes a sticker you can overlay on other photos. (Bike Radar)
$1 Billion. A new U.S. DOT grant program called Safe Streets and Roads for All. It looks like safety projects for families and children fit with this administration’s goals. (bikeleague.org)
50 miles (81 kilometers). The length of new bike lane plans announced by Cleaveland, Ohio’s mayor. Construction will happen over the next 3 years. (Axios)
Tariffs. While Trump has gone back and forth with tariffs, high tariffs remain on China. Bike takeaways: expect price hikes for new carbon and e-bike products.
Bills 1140 and 1144. Two Idaho laws passed last week that make it challenging to narrow any streets (e.g. for bike lanes) under 50 feet wide. (Idaho Statesman)
A Note From Sam
On Monday, I successfully defended my dissertation! You can call me Dr. Sam now. I had some trouble with the YouTube livestream, but you can watch the whole defense on YouTube.
I’ll talk more about it over the next few weeks.
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