On Bow St., still chained to a sign post, lie the twisted remains of one of the most revolutionary machines known to man. There, with its spokes broken and seat stolen lies one of the vehicles which helped North Viet Nam break the back of the American military might. Bicycles like that one daily transport the 800 million people of china and most of the rest of the people of the world. Americans with their taste for the automobile are a tiny minority. Bicycles represent the most efficient method of transportation known to man. They allow us to travel five times as far and three times as fast as we can walk. A bicycle is truly a revolutionary machine.

While the wheel has been used for 5000 years, the bicycle was not developed until the last century. Will Baron von Drais de Sauerbach ever go down in history with Henry Ford? God knows he deserves to. The Baron's 1816 bicycle was a little crude, but it developed quickly. By 1884 it had evolved into a 21.5 pound cruising machine a point beyond which little improvement has been possible (today most bikes still weigh over 30 pounds).

Bicycles are far and away the most popular vehicle in the modern world. The annual production of 35 to 40 million bicycles far outstrips the worlds output of automobiles. In most developing nations bicycles represent the only viable means of transportation, and even in the United States, more bicycles than cars are sold.

Where does this leave the bicyclist in Cambridge? If not with physical superiority to all the automobiles, at least with a distinct aesthetic superiority. While an automobile is a true pig among vehicles, a bicyclist can go farther with less energy than anything else, manmade or natural. What with the traffic in Cambridge a bicycle will probably also leave you where you want to be faster than anything else.

Bicycling in its century of existence has developed in diverse ways, and a cyclist can pursue his riding in many forms. Here are the three most common.

The Turkeys

The turkeys are the riders that you see everyday. They are the students who want to get down from the 'Cliffe in less than fifteen minutes, the Cambridge kids on their Banana Bikes--the bread and butter of bicycling in the area. Before you laugh at them, realize that bicycles really are the fastest transportation in the city. Cyclists have been known to pass police cars, even when the police have the aid of their siren.

Most turkey riders don't know how to fix their bicycles, which is a pity because bicycles are so easy to fix (but also not much of a problem because bikes don't break down that often).

The number of bicyclists has skyrocketted in the past few years and with it the number of bicyclists in traffic accidents. Bicycling in Cambridge is not the safest of all "sports". Unfortunately many of these accidents are the bicyclist's fault. Massachusetts law allows bicycles on all roads (except expressways and limited access highways), but it also requires that they obey all traffic regulations. Bicyclists have frequently disregarded one way and stop signs, occassionally with disastrous results.

Bicycling has expanded tremendously in the past few years, and with the price of gas expected to rise above 60 cents a gallon, Cambridge can look forward to still more bicyclists next summer. Turkey power here we come.

The Tourists

Bicycle touring is one of the fastest-growing areas of cycling, with good reason. A strong cyclist can cover 100 miles a day, carrying all of his equipment with him, and pay only a couple dollars a day for food.

Given a good bicycle, the investment needed to tour is small: $30 for a light-weight sleeping bag, $15 for cooking utensils and a stove, and $5 for miscellaneous supplies (the more exotic among us require a tent, but a sheet of polyethylene will do quite well). Obviously this is a bareminimum budget, and given the money, there are ample opportunities to spend it.

A good ten speed really is a necessity for touring both for the efficiency and reliability that it gives you. You may never break down with a three speed, but you will also never keep up. And while you may keep up with a cheap ten speed, you may also end up with a breakdown somewhere out in East Jesus.

For those interested in organized touring, the Charles River Wheelmen have rides almost every weekend and will provide a wealth of good advice. The Wheelmen encompass the full range of riders, from weekend daytrippers to international Tourists familiar with the most exotic of places.