Horse/Ostrich/Piggyback - riding?

Bicycle riding will definitely stall the worldwide catastophe we're
headed for.

However, bicycles are made from non-renewable resources. It might take
1000s of years to completely use up the resources that go into bike
production.

Because of this, I'm thinking of ditching my trike and hooking up with
an animal to ride.

What should it be: Horse? Ostrich? Suggestions?

On Jul 11, 1:01*pm, " wrote:
Bicycle riding will definitely stall the worldwide catastophe we're
headed for.

However, bicycles are made from non-renewable resources. It might take
1000s of years to completely use up the resources that go into bike
production.

Because of this, I'm thinking of ditching my trike and hooking up with
an animal to ride.

What should it be: Horse? Ostrich? Suggestions?

There is still some horse riding economy still around, but in a much
less capacity than pre-WW 1.
An all-wood bicycle?
http://gizmodo.com/tag/wooden-bicycle/

In article ,
" writes:
Bicycle riding will definitely stall the worldwide catastophe we're
headed for.

However, bicycles are made from non-renewable resources. It might take
1000s of years to completely use up the resources that go into bike
production.

Those Calfee bamboo-frame bikes are intriguing.

Anyways, bikes (at least the good ones) are
almost immortal. I've frankensteined together
a number of nice ones out of selected parts of
old discards.

Because of this, I'm thinking of ditching my trike and hooking up with
an animal to ride.

What should it be: Horse? Ostrich? Suggestions?

Dromedaries are versatile, and in an emergency
you can eat them. Of course a dromedary can turn
its neck around and nip ya while your riding it,
and they're known to spit upon people for whom
they've arbitrarily decided to hold contempt.

For general purpose, e.g: commuting, shopping, errands
around town &c, I rather favour the Icelandic pony.
If a rider isn't too heavy they can be ridden as saddle
horses; otherwise a matched team drawing a lightweight
surrey can fill one's around-town requirements.

Unlike dromedaries, they won't nip you unless you're in
front of them, and they won't kick you unless you're
behind them. Usually.

Something like the venerable U.S. Army mule of days
gone by might be the next best thing. Alas, mules
are about as non-renewable as animals can get. It
takes the equuine version of hooking up with the
totally wrong partner during a blurry weekend,
to make a mule.

If you're in the construction trade, a team of oxen
and a buckboard wagon might fill the bill.

I've heard of bullocks used in hand-logging, but
those critters are big and scary. Might as well
use a rhinoceros. So I'd recommend scratching
bullocks and rhinoceri off your list.

If you go the animal route -- get to know a whole
bunch of gardeners. And invest in a plentitude of
gigantic-sized reusable diapers, and enormous
safety pins ( Pampers[tm] and other such disposables
inflict an environmental impact.) Sell the loaded
diapers to your gardener acquaintances, price including
a refundable deposit when they bring the diapers back
freshly laundered for re-use.

All in all, bikes are easier. Unlike beasts of burden
or cars, we don't have to clean up behind our bikes.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Tom Keats wrote:
[...]
I've heard of bullocks used in hand-logging, but
those critters are big and scary. Might as well
use a rhinoceros. So I'd recommend scratching
bullocks and rhinoceri off your list.[...]

Elephants are used in logging and other cargo handling - sort of a hay
fed forklift.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
The right to arm bears does not make armed bears right.- Anon.

In article ,
Tom Sherman °_° writes:
Tom Keats wrote:
[...]
I've heard of bullocks used in hand-logging, but
those critters are big and scary. Might as well
use a rhinoceros. So I'd recommend scratching
bullocks and rhinoceri off your list.[...]

Elephants are used in logging and other cargo handling - sort of a hay
fed forklift.

Okay, I'd scratch all pachyderms off the list.

In fact, I think bikes should not be replaced by elephants,
rhinoceri, bullocks, triceratops, grizzly bears, Komodo
dragons, yeti, cape buffalo, or certain moose.

Nor should they be replaced by Mustangs, Cobras, Cougars,
Barracudas, Gremlins, Beetles, Impalas, Lynxes, or Jaguars.
Those critters are just too wild for civil streets.

Well, to be fair, the ol' Gremlins were relatively tame.

If it weren't for The Economic Meltdown, I wouldn't have been
surprised if GM tried to flog a vehicle dubbed "The Tachyderm."

Prob'ly would've been an Olds, with a downsized Buick
counterpart that decrepit people over age 70 would gravitate
to. Maybe with a V-6-and-a-half. It's not as bad as a V-8,
so it's "green" because you're not killing so many people with
it, but it still keeps those gas station pumps a-flowing.
I guess that would be what some folx refer to as
"a happy medium."

Anyways, thank Goodness We The People are wise to the
"green-ness" marketing thing.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca