Originally Posted by
jeffpoulin
I had forgotten that a euro was once less than a dollar in its early years (1999-2002?). However, once it was in broad circulation (after 2002), it quickly shot up to between $1.20 and $1.60.
I confirm that Brooks saddles are typically cheaper in Germany too. I can generally find a B17 standard for around 50-60 euros ($70-$80). That's cheaper than in England (where they're made) or in the US (land of cheap stuff!). However, most bike components as well as complete bikes are about the same price in euros in the EU as they are in dollars in the US, and that's true for Germany too.
Acidfast7 mentioned the cost of driving in England and how long he would have to use his bike before it paid off. It's not only that gas is 2x to 3x higher, or that parking is astronomical (about $70/day in central London), but London also has a "congestion charge" of $16/day. That is, if you drive through London, you must pay this fee just for using the roads. So in London, at least, a £300 bicycle would quickly pay for itself.
I live in NE England, which is cheaper than London.
The bus is £4.70 round trip per day and still requires about 2km walking on one end (20mins). Plus the waiting time of about 5-15 mins on each end (this is not German/Switz when considering public transport) and the actual 22min bus ride (the bus has actually broken down twice!). So, with travel costs, plus time consumed walking, I'm thinking roughly £10/day is a reasonable cost recovery estimate.
If I take the cost of the £295 bike + £25 for metal pedals/toe clips + £20 bike computer + £40 lights + £20 lock, that I'm roughly at £400 and should recover my costs in 2 months of 20-day bike commuting.
Let's see how it pans out.
God that bus system is horrible, I'd suggest that it's more depressing than what I saw in the US, or Eastern Europe for that matter. I think I was the only paying customer (most had a retired/jobless/disabled/student pass).