October 31, 2025
Bike vs Jet: Chart Wars
A Classic Graphic Reveals Nature's Most Efficient Traveler
Internet splits over wiggly chart crowning bikes king
TLDR: SciAm’s updated chart says bikes make humans ultra‑efficient travelers. Comments explode: critics slam the animated, poorly labeled visual and argue real‑world travel involves terrain, speed, and dogs; fans defend pedal power’s calorie‑to‑mile magic. It matters because design and data shape how we think about moving in everyday life.
Scientific American says a bicycle turns humans into one of nature’s most efficient travelers, updating a classic chart that pits walkers, swimmers, flyers—and now velomobiles—against each other. The community? Absolute chaos. One skeptic calls it “straight from how to lie with charts,” arguing a jet beats a bike for crossing the Earth in time and practicality, even if the bike wins on calories. Another crowd is hung up on the animation and missing labels: “Why is it moving? Why are there tiny dots? Where’s the legend?” Meanwhile, dog lovers bristle at the idea that pups are “inefficient,” calling the metric meaningless outside smooth roads and sunny days. The spiciest meme: accusations of Big Velomobile shilling, complete with wink emojis and tinfoil-hat energy. A thoughtful thread pushes back, saying yes, raw efficiency is narrow—try biking through a forest—and context like terrain, cargo, and speed matters. Nostalgia sneaks in as folks cite Steve Jobs’s “bicycle for the mind” speech, turning the comments into a showdown between romance of pedal power and real‑world messiness. Fans cheer that bikes turn human snacks into miles; critics want better labels, more swimmers, and less wiggle. It’s an infographic turned comment boxing match—no brakes, all drama. Read the graphic.
Key Points
- •Scientific American updated a classic 1973 graphic comparing locomotion efficiency across animals and human modes.
- •Humans are relatively inefficient walkers but become among the most energy-efficient land travelers when riding bicycles.
- •Travel energy costs are split between overcoming gravity and propelling forward.
- •Longer-legged terrestrial animals tend to be more efficient; smaller animals like mice are less efficient.
- •Flying and swimming animals can reduce energy costs through gliding and buoyancy, respectively.