Tipping Point

If you have read Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, or have studied epidemiology, then you are well acquainted with the term, "Tipping Point."

According to Gladwell,

"It's the name given to that moment in an epidemic when a virus reaches critical mass. It's the boiling point. It's the moment on the graph when the line starts to shoot straight upwards."

In his book, Gladwell examines if "tipping points" exists in business, in social policy, in advertising and in any number of other nonmedical areas.

With the price of gasoline continuing to shoot straight upwards across the United States, I wondered what the "tipping point" would be to convert America into a cycling culture. $5.00/gallon, maybe $6.00? Given that the average gas tank holds 15-18 gallons of gas, it would take $100.00 to fill an 18 gallon tank if the price ever reached $5.55/gallon.


Though Bicycling's editor-in-chief, Bill Strickland, didn't see the value of participating in Bike-To-Work Week this year because he participates everyday, he may have seen far more people at his local coffee shop than in years past because for some families, and in some areas they may have already reached their "tipping point."

If you have already gone the way of the commuter, here are some tips for locking up/keeping your bike.