cost of owning a bike per year

[cabana 4 life]

does anybody have any stats on this? im working on something and need a number and cant find one.

thanx

[cabana 4 life]

sorry for the double post mods could you please deleat one? sorry

[mrbertfixy]

http://www.humantransport.org/bicycledriving/cyclinguse.htm
$400/year. $1.54/work day. i'm not sure exactly where he got that number. assuming you don't do your own repairs it's probably pretty accurate.

[kf5nd]

Now you got me thinking about my situation:

$ 499 bike, new, worst-case it lasts 5 years, or amortize it out to $ 100 per year
$ 200 absolute worst-case tubes, tires, parts (I do my own work)

$ 300 per year? I ride at the very least 3,000 per year, so $0.10 per mile, but probably more like $0.05 per mile?

Not cost-free, but like ten times cheaper than a car, per mile.

[cabana 4 life]

the AAA stat for a medium suv is 7,270 a year!!

[Wind 'N Snow]

Depends on the amount of riding, type of bike, road conditions (weather) and if you or LBS does work. Cleaning and maintenance, (lube etc.) is "free" if you do it, but there is still a labour cost that should be attributed to it. That could be up to 1-2 hours per week depending on conditions. Multiply that by the number of days cycled and the given hourly rate. Then you got wear and tear - chain, spokes, tires, seat, handlebar tape...all of that should be considered.

Don't forget specialized clothing. If you are commuting, not mtb or road biking, you still might have special shoes, shorts, of course a helmet, lights, waterbottle, fenders, paniers/backpack, etc. All that is part of the cost as is the cleaning and replacement cost of all these.

If you are really to be honest, you do have to count any special foods or drinks that relate directly to your ride. If you just rely on plain breakfast or a donut like a car driver, then don't include it, but if you have an energy drink or clif bar or something like that, that should be included as fuel.

You are the engine, after all.

I would say that it can come out to more than $300 per year as kf5nd suggests, but per mile the cost goes way down as you do more miles.

[AlanK]

In terms of material cost, for me it's probably no more than about $100/year. My yearly costs are as follows: lube ($10), new chain ($15), new tires and tubes ($60). This leaves about $15 for misc costs that might emerge.

There are times when it will cost more than $100. Last year I had my rear wheel rebuilt ($160), and sometimes you will need new parts (I've had my bike about 5 years and have replaced the rear derailleur and cassette). So overall, the average annual operating costs are for me are probably around $120 - some years slightly more, some slightly less. Still way cheaper than a car :)

[pedex]

I average about 15,000 miles/yr by bike:
3 sets tires........................................................................................$52
3 chains.............................................................................................$ 36
1 bottom bracket.............................................................................$15
lube................................................................................................ ....$5
2 tubes............................................................................................... $6
1 set gears-chainring and cog........................................................$45
1 saddle.............................................................................................$ 25
1 pair shoes......................................................................................$40
1/2 messenger bag(gets replaced once every 2 years).............$75
1/2 set of pedals(gets replaced every 2 years)...........................$14
total=$313 or about 2 cents per mile

Im a messenger and car free and ride fixed gear or singlespeed only, I use the most durable parts I can, if I was riding a race bike it would be another $400-$500 at least per year.Its taken some time to find out what works and what doesnt though too, there is a learning curve, initially its expensive.

I didnt add wheels or major bike parts cause thats variable, a car accident can kill a bike, and I get a few years out of wheels if Im careful, and you never know when a frame will break.I replace fixed rear hubs at 15k usually, they arent safe after that.I didnt inlcude brake pads for the singlespeed cause they cost like $1 for a bag of 12 and my fixie is brakeless.I do all my own maintenance.

[turtlendog]

2 tubes............................................................................................... $6


Two tubes!! I'd have guessed 20... Then again I'm in AZ, the land of thorny plants.

[pedex]

Patch kit :) I will patch a tube 20 times before I replace it, but so far(knock on virtual wood) Ive only had 2 flats so far this year.