1100 miles per gallon!

Looking for a more fuel efficient vehicle? How about one that costs less than $500, can fill up at the supermarket, and gets 1100 miles to the gallon? While some of the figures could probably use an update, the chapter from this report - Kilowatt Counter, 1975 - on "Testing Your Energy Awareness" (pdf) reveals that your bicycle is the best way to get good mileage.

From the report:

A non-athletic person of about 150 pounds can manage to leisurely maintain a speed of 11 mph on a 30-pound, 10-speed bicycle for an extended period of time. This person will need to add about 1500 Calories to his diet for each five hours he cycles, or about 300 Calories per hour. One gallon of gasoline equals about 30,000 Calories. Therefore, a bicyclist can travel 100 hours (30,000/300) on one "gallon". [100hrs/gal x 11 mph = 1,100 miles per gallon]

I should consult my bike-shop-working friend SPH or bicycling enthusiast EKM, but I doubt most bikes these days weigh 30 pounds. Of course, most Americans don't weigh 150, either.