https://maxmautner.com/2026/10/11/how-fast-is-a-car.html
The median American worker earns $23.80/hour, or ~$19 after taxes. A used car driven the US average of ~10,900 miles a year costs ~$8,200, counting $1,700 a year for a parking space at home. That is ~430 hours of work before the car moves. A new car takes ~700 hours. A $999 e-bike ridden 3,000 miles a year takes ~25 hours.
when i had the fortune of living somewhere it was practical and safe enough to bike for groceries i’d get a week or ten days’ of food into some panniers and hanging a couple relatively light grocery bags from the handle bars. throw in a backpack and you can probably do two weeks for two people if your life is like that.
if you shop with a basket rather than a cart the point where it gets uncomfortable to put more shit in the basket is decently short of what’s reasonable to bike with both by bulk and weight.