Beery

Thanks for the info. I had no idea that was the case.

I thought I was.

MacBruce, what exactly do you mean by not practical? Is the problem cost-related? Weight is not really an issue unless we're moving towards weights of over 100 lbs - a couple of my cheaper bikes weigh 30+ lbs and they work fine. I've ridden touring bikes that, fully loaded, weighed well over 70lbs, and I still achieved speeds of 20mph or more on them and with a granny gear I could get up quite steep hills. Only racing bikes need to be light and they no longer use metal frames. What I'm talking about is a modern commuter bike - just something you can ride to work or to a store to pick up groceries - that kind of thing. Regarding Steve's issue of electricity generation, the question is purely one of whether it 'could' be done - not whether it's possible to do it now using today's electricity infrastructure. The question is based on the premise that oil, gas and coal may not be available at some future time. Electricity 'can' be generated using solar, wind and wave power, so I expect in a future when fossil fuels are no longer economical, there will have to be renewable alternatives in use. As for the fact that so-called 'green' electric and hybrid vehicles are not really 'green', in that most of their electricity comes from coal, it's a good point that I think many environmentalists tend to miss.

Hi folks, First post here. Please bear in mind that I know nothing whatsoever about forging, so I apologise in advance if this question strikes anyone as incredibly ignorant or stupid. I've had many discussions with cyclists and motorists about this, and there seems to be a consensus that you cannot possibly manufacture a bicycle without fossil fuels. I tend to think that the technology of forging using non-fossil fuels has a long history, and I reckon that maybe people are so used to the idea that fossil fuels are necessary that they've forgotten that people were making alloys long before the modern age of coal, oil and gas. So I figured I'd ask this of people who had intimate knowledge of forging. I'm wondering how realistic it might be to manufacture a modern bicycle using only renewable fuels and techniques - i.e. charcoal-fired furnaces to make the steel, form the tubes and weld the frame. After the steel tubes are made and assembled, the rest is a piece of cake, but I'm just not sure about the forging. Can charcoal-fired furnaces reach the temperatures necessary and maintain those temperatures with enough consistency to make steel alloys that include chromium, molybdenum etc. and with very precise carbon contents? Can the steel be welded? If not, how about simple mild steel or iron tubing? Other options to stick the tubes together? Any Possibilities?