Commuting - Bikes are, "too expensive"

I often watch people in shock after I tell them how much I spent for my bike (which was very little, actually, only about $600.) Convincing a non-cyclist to spend even $300 on a bike is almost like trying to talk a child into eating spinach.

My question is, if bikes are "too expensive," what do you call a new set of tires for your car? Alignment? Brakes? Almost any routine car maintenance?

If the world was round, and everyone believed it was flat...

Originally posted by Pete Clark
My question is, if bikes are "too expensive," what do you call a new set of tires for your car? Alignment? Brakes? Almost any routine car maintenance?


Yeah, I get the same thing all the time. Of course, a lot of the people I know are always complaining about it, but trying to convince them that it is their choice is like trying to tell television networks to stop producing crap.

Chris

I would say that most people view their car as a neccessity. Alignment, tires, maintenance, etc... all come with the territory and are accepted for that reason. A bicycle may be considered just a toy to a non cyclist. It's something you buy for your child as a gift, not a means of transportation.

$600.00 is expensive for someone who may only ride the bike a couple of times and then let it collect dust like so many other things we buy (exercise equipment comes to mind :p). $300.00 bucks is hard to part with as well especially if you are trying to convince someone who really doesn't want to be convinced, i.e. not really interested in the first place.

And yes, it is a choice. How much we spend is directly related to how passionate we are about riding. If you want the best, you're gonna blow a ton of money and you won't need a whole lot of convincing because you enjoy what you are doing. I've invested over $4k in the last 3 years and I don't regret spending a penny! I've had a great time hand picking every part on my bike and trying new stuff when something doesn't feel quite right. It's a hobby and a means of staying fit and I plan to keep on riding for as long as my body permits :D

My .02 cents for whatever the heck this topic was supposed to be about... :p

You could always suggest they try the more gentle (on the wallet) approach of buying second-hand. I just got a reasonable Rayleigh for £50 from my old LBS. (Ummm... approx. $70.) Slight case of rust on the gear cables, little bit on some spokes. 27 inch aluminium rims.

Of course, I pulled my last bike out of a skip, so I am starting from a fairly low base! I did up most of it (bottom bracket, paint job, etc), but the forks weren't entirely true, and when I went to get them replaced the guy in the shop pointed out that this other bike wasn't much more expensive. <sigh> I'm just a sucker, I guess.... :)

If you set aside the unemployed and students, and only consider people in paid employment, these people have to spend money on their travelling. Cycling will save them money even if they spend $600 on a bike. Trying to convinve them that $600 is not a lot of money is quite difficult, dispite the arithmetic.
My local bus company charge £5 /week for their cheapest rate. That is £600 in 120 weeks. A $600 bike should last longer than that.

These same people who balk at spending on a real bike will spend big money on fixed excercise bikes and gym fees. Even swimming will cost you the price of a decent bike every year.

By getting the bike, they save money on their transport, save money on their fitness, save time by combining fitness and travel.

People like to signal their wealth with expensive things, yet expensive bikes just dont seem to say "I have money"*. I think people are afraid that they will spend the money, but the signal to others will be "I'm so poor I have to ride a bike" .

* except to other cyclists, who dont count.

Passionate and true words.

Pete, I assume $600 was your initial purchase. Fess up, you've spent a bit more since, havent you?

Originally posted by *WildHare*

$600.00 is expensive for someone who may only ride the bike a couple of times and then let it collect dust

And after a few years when they are tired of looking at it, bike vulture that I am, I swoop down and buy it out of the classifieds for $50-100, and with the addition of new tires and tube, have a brand new bike, as happened with my beloved Bianchi.

Hey, Greg, I don't know if Pete will, but I will admit to buying a bike for $400 then turning around and spending another $600 over the course of 6 months upgrading to 105 components and a road bar. May sound silly, but I am very happy with the outcome. I learned a lot about components and mechanics while researching what I wanted. I was able to put together exactly what I want. The result is a very sturdy and comfortable commuter/tourer with smooth, quiet components. It's my SUV, suburban utility velocipede. :D

During the same time period, I figure I have saved at least $1500 (strictly parking and gas) versus driving and I sold my second vehicle, an old Asto, for $800, so I figure I am something like $1300 to the good. We don't have to count shoes, pedals, lights, saddles, panniers, shorts, jerseys, socks, etc., etc., do we?

I just got a statement of how much I made this summer and how much tax was taken out and all that good stuff. I made about 1700, but I only have 700 in the bank....I wonder where all that money went???:D

OK Fubar, time to fess up. Which bike did you buy? ;)

When somebody buys a new car everyone admires the car and congratulates the owner never giving a thought to the depreciation the new owner will suffer during the years they are making payments on the car.I wonder what the depreciation is on a new $20k car? $2k or 3k the first year?

A brand new car loses 50% of its value the second it roles off the car lot. Harley-Davidsons are the only vehicles that a consumer can turn around and sell close to the MSRP or whatever he payed for it. I dunno about you guys, but I am not to wild about Harley's.

Originally posted by RainmanP

We don't have to count shoes, pedals, lights, saddles, panniers, shorts, jerseys, socks, etc., etc., do we?

NO! :D

These are accessories! Although they are bolted on or used to cycling they ae not the bike itself. Therefore they do not count! :p

Ladies and gentlemen, this can be settled very, very simply. I can afford a bike and to ride it every day, even if I go through a run of breaking heaps of stuff like I did a couple of weeks ago. I could only dream of having enough money to waste on a car.

Argument settled.

Chris

I am a working person. I spent enough to buy a decent, fast and reliable good bike ($750). If compared to a the cost of running a car, it is nothing! Actually I checked and I would pay at least that much only for the insurance premium (6 months) for any car. A good bike lasts pretty much forever. I have seen bikes over 25 years old in great shape. People don't need to buy bikes at credit (usually).

As for running cost and accessories. Not that much really. I use about 1 new tube a month (I am too lazy to fix them) which is about $3-4, new tape on my handlebar every 3 months ($15) and generally I do the rest myself although even bike shop maintenance every so often would not break the bank. I ride about 100 miles per week (some people here do a lot more I know) so the cost per mile is neglectable. Cheaper than anything.

Of course a lot of stupid people consider a man without a car as less than a man, not owning a vehicle consuming fossil fuel a sin and life without debt as suspicous. Who cares

Originally posted by PapeteeBooh
Of course a lot of stupid people consider a man without a car as less than a man, not owning a vehicle consuming fossil fuel a sin and life without debt as suspicous. Who cares

Man, I enjoyed reading that! ;)

Chris

One thing more!

You can't buy the utter joy that you get from riding. And that part is almost free. :)

Also, think of all the "joy fixes" people spend even more money on because of the void they feel..."fixes" like, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mall Shopping, excessive television, and whatever else.

I just love knowing that I can finally have a total blast in life, it costs almost nothing, and it's actually good for me!

(To those of you who love Fried Chicken, Mall Shopping, and television, it's just an illustration. Not being judgemental: there are a million things people might use. Heck, I'm human too! I use a few myself. I'm just saying, "Riding is so...like, wow!")

Originally posted by RainmanP
We don't have to count shoes, pedals, lights, saddles, panniers, shorts, jerseys, socks, etc.,
etc., do we?

If people bought cars the way that they bought bikes, they would buy the car, then within the course of the next few weeks, they would buy new headlights, seats, seat belts, dashboard, and door locks.

Originally posted by ViciousCycle


If people bought cars the way that they bought bikes, they would buy the car, then within the course of the next few weeks, they would buy new headlights, seats, seat belts, dashboard, and door locks.

They don't?

:confused:

While I was camping I found out that my bike cost more than one of the guys car. Huh, they all thought I was crazy to spend that much money. They were just scratching the surface....:)

Originally posted by RainmanP
We don't have to count shoes, pedals, lights, saddles, panniers, shorts, jerseys, socks, etc., etc., do we?

No! Definitely that's ESSENTIAL, as I tell my son! :D

Originally posted by fubar5
While I was camping I found out that my bike cost more than one of the guys car. Huh, they all thought I was crazy to spend that much money. They were just scratching the surface....:)
Not only can a bike cost more than a car (accessories or no accessories), but a bike can be faster, too. :thumbup:

Yes but if you look at it, bikes should really cost more than cars anyway. Bikes are better. So much for getting what you pay for :D

Chris

Originally posted by Pete Clark

Not only can a bike cost more than a car (accessories or no accessories), but a bike can be faster, too. :thumbup:

Yeah, I can't wait until I can go 35 or so.

The guys were talking smack about biking being easy. We just happened to be camping up on a hill....a good( to a cyclist) hill too, so I let one of them try going up....He admitted it was harder than he thought.

Originally posted by fubar5
The guys were talking smack about biking being easy.

They obviously haven't ridden some of the places I have ridden.

Bikes do not cost more than a car. There is the cost of ownership also. Cars are expensive to own (I would not want one of these things if somebody gave it to me for free.) bikes are not.

Listen Up People. . . :In A Friendly Tone:

I bought my 1968 VW Beetle for $1000. In the past 3 months of owning it I have paid:
$200 for Electrical Work
$50 Used Door Replacement
$85 Heater Boxes
$50 Exhaust
$50 Some Extra Work
$50 Tow
That is atleast $485 so far (That I dare to think About) That's about half the price of the car just to keep it running. . . . PLUS $65 per Month for Insurance . . . . $100 per Month on Gas. Not to mention $115 for the first registration.

Boy 'em I Happy I that I started Cycle Commuting . . . : )

Recently I felt that paying $260 for a "3700 Trek" and buying about $225 of extras for me and the bike was kinda expensive. But after thinking about the costs for the car . . . I now think I'm in the good : )

I can't wait until I sell my car : )

I bought a bike this year for $1800. The last bike I bought before that was in 1981 and cost $185. At this rate, the next one I buy will be in 2029 and will cost $18,000. Which is still cheaper than most cars today.

I look at it this way -- if I divide that $1800 into 24 years, it's only $75/year. That's cheap.

If I weren't about to go to grad school my parents would think I was more than a little slow. I am thinking about spending $700 on a road bike instead of a car. I already have three bikes, and they think I have too many.

Even if the purchase price is the same, the upkeep doesn't compare. I have never owned a car, so insurance alone would be pricey. Add gas, oil changes, things breaking, and why would I want to bother?

I dunno about you guys, but I am not to wild about Harley's.

Harley, the only company that can make a gas engine sound like a balky diesel. :p

Really, I think people will spend on whatever they like and think is important to them. Some will spent thousands on a collection of copies of music somebody else made. This is not that important to me. If I want to listen to music I turn on the radio. Even better, I'll sometimes break out the didgeridoo and electronic keyboard and call the kids. Even though I doubt anybody else would define the noise we make as music. :p :D

I can understand spending 5G's or more on a fast road bike, although, that would not be my prefered choice of bike, but I don't understand dropping 30, 40, 50G's on a new car. That one completely escapes me. :)

Cars can be cheap too. My biodiesel powered mercedes cost me 2000$, and since I bought it cost me 100ish for registration, about 50 cents a gallon for fuel, 30$ for oil, and 10$ for a glow plug. And I've had it for about 10,000 miles. Thats less than some spend on their bikes.

Of course, my bike cost 80$ used, so it still wins. :) Has a lot less steel in it, though.

Carrying the burden of debt is considered a right of passage by many. You aren't a real man until you have car payments to make.

I think the 'toy' comment is perfect. People don't consider bikes to be real transportation. 600$ is either a very expensive toy or a very cheap tool, depending on your perspective.

peace,
sam

One thing more!

You can't buy the utter joy that you get from riding. And that part is almost free. :)

Also, think of all the "joy fixes" people spend even more money on because of the void they feel..."fixes" like, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mall Shopping, excessive television, and whatever else.

I just love knowing that I can finally have a total blast in life, it costs almost nothing, and it's actually good for me!

(To those of you who love Fried Chicken, Mall Shopping, and television, it's just an illustration. Not being judgemental: there are a million things people might use. Heck, I'm human too! I use a few myself. I'm just saying, "Riding is so...like, wow!")


The more we ride, the more we can enjoy KFC guilt-free!! ;)

My question is, if bikes are "too expensive," what do you call a new set of tires for your car? Alignment? Brakes? Almost any routine car maintenance?

Actually, per tire, my bike tires cost a bit more than my car tires, and the car tires last far longer. Only routine maintenance the car needs is one or two $25 oil/lube/filter jobs a year. (Mostly because the car only leaves the garage a couple days a month. :) )

I have a confession to make: I don't tell people how much my new bike cost, because I just don't want to deal with the reaction. I did spend more than I ever thought I would, but now I have a bike I believe I can use for years.

Carrying the burden of debt is considered a right of passage by many. You aren't a real man until you have car payments to make.


Only cash-on-the-barrel for me. I think your comment would be far more accurate about house payments, which isn't even on my serial temp worker horizon.

If you buy a new car and have, say, $350 a month payments, $100 a month insurance, and $20 a week in gas, that's a new bike every month.

When I was really poor, a bike was the best bargain around - a bus pass for the month was $25, but my bike cost me $100 if I remember correctly, needed a new tube or a tire once in a while, some new bar tape occasionally, etc., I think I eventually put a new seat on it, just general poor person bike supplies, and it was far, far cheaper. And I could hop on it anytime and get places, it was by far the best value. And bikes continue to be, the public transportation here is actually quite expensive compared to a bike. In fact public transportation is expensive compared to running a used scooter, if you know your way around small scooters and motorcycles, you can get around very cheaply.

Wow. Talk about raising the dead.

There's almost 4 years between post number 25 and number 26. Is that a record?

Good to see some older members names in the thread. :)

If you buy a new car and have, say, $350 a month payments, $100 a month insurance, and $20 a week in gas, that's a new bike every month.

Anybody who buys a new car must have so much money they don't really care whether it costs more than cycling.

If you have to ask it's probably is. The way I look at it is this you have the choice of riding whatever kind of bike you choose to ride, mines just happen to cost a bit.

I often watch people in shock after I tell them how much I spent for my bike (which was very little, actually, only about $600.) Convincing a non-cyclist to spend even $300 on a bike is almost like trying to talk a child into eating spinach.

My question is, if bikes are "too expensive," what do you call a new set of tires for your car? Alignment? Brakes? Almost any routine car maintenance?

If the world was round, and everyone believed it was flat...
I know what ya mean :( Honestly, even for 10 miles commute a day, that'll be 50 a week, which is maybe $4 worth of gas if you have a small, very efficient car, including routine maintenance and car depreciation let's call it $8 a week. At that rate you spend $400 a year commuting, enough to buy a great commuter bike!!!!
I'm ignoring parking fees too!!!

So even someone who uses a small car for a very short commute could save enough to buy a great commuter bike in one year. I think the basic problem is that cars are seen as "useful" whereas bikes are seen as "toys", so people balk at spending that kind of money since they don't realize what an incredibly effective and fun form of transporation a bike is.

Actually, per tire, my bike tires cost a bit more than my car tires, and the car tires last far longer. Only routine maintenance the car needs is one or two $25 oil/lube/filter jobs a year. (Mostly because the car only leaves the garage a couple days a month. :) )
Yeah, but how much a month do you pay for insurance? And it may not have happened yet, but I predict that you have multiple $500 repairs in your future (as do all car owners).

You forget the fitness angle. While Joe Sixpack is sitting in traffic slurping down his supersize soda and muching on supersize fries, I am burning off the calories. And even with all the socks/shoes/lube and whatever (not to mention a new bike this year), I am spending far, far less to get to work than Joe, with his insurance, depreciation, gas, parking, speeding tickets, car wash..... I could go on.

My husband and I just got new bikes last week, about $400 each. I ride nearly every day and he'll ride with me many weekends, if not more. I ride for exercise and recreation. After a great 12-mile ride yesterday (beautiful weather, wildflowers, scenery, and great workout!) that we would spend more on one long weekend of skiing in Colorado (airfare, condo or hotel, lift tickets, ski rentals, etc.) than we did on our bikes and our bikes are still here to be ridden and enjoyed for years before we have to spend much more money. And we usually only ski once a year, if that often, so I'm certainly not getting any better at it but I am getting better at riding and I've only been doing it a month.

In fact, the bikes together cost less than our home gym and elliptical trainer that often gather dust (though I'm about to get back to using them to complement my cycling exercise.)

Yeah, but how much a month do you pay for insurance?

Well, that really doesn't have anything to do with anything. I have to have insurance to be able to have a car at all, regardless of how little I drive it. Its not optional, and due to the wonders of insurance logic it costs the same as it would if I drove 100 miles a day. :rolleyes:

I just heard on the radio show "Sound Money" today that going car-free can easily save a person $4,000-$5,000/year. Insurance, maintenance, wear and tear, fuel are all part of it, not just the cost of fuel.

I don't know about the rest of you, but since I put so few miles on my car every year, I get a break in insurance rates.

The same show today also had an expert who said that the cost of oil would rise to $100/barrel by 2008 (this expert had correctly predicted earlier how much oil would cost now).

What an absurd thread this has become. You can't compare the cost of a car or truck to the cost of a bike on just a dollar basis, they have totally different abilities and limitations. How many thousands of pounds of stuff can you haul on your bike? Can you make a 1,000 mile trip in a weekend on a bike? Can you take 3 or 4 or 6 people with you on your bike? Can you pack your skis and gear on the bike and head for the slopes in the winter?

Of course riding and maintaining a bike is less expensive than driving a car, it's also much more limited in many ways. That doesn't make it better, no matter what some drama queens want to believe.

Back to the original topic before the thread became a rant against cars (again). Are bikes to expensive? I don't think so. Even if you considered them as a toy/hobby look at their cost compared to many other hobbies and they're still not expensive. How many people spend thousands on model trains, model airplanes, remote control cars etc? Those are true toys with no utility at all, yet many spend as much or more on them as bike riders do.

I don't know about the rest of you, but since I put so few miles on my car every year, I get a break in insurance rates.


It's pathetic. I used to get a measly $50 or so discount per year for going less than 5000 miles, and I didn't even come close to that. Now I only get a measly $40 discount per year for living within 5 miles from work. It isn't even based on usage/mileage anymore. Frankly, the insurance company doesn't care - they fix the rates according to charts, not according to actual risk.

My coworkers liked my reply. I told them that I belonged to the local gym and paid $60 per month. After 3 years I had nothing to show for my $2000 plus. Now I still stay in shape and saved enough for three $500 bikes and pay less for gas.

They say they "wish" they could do what I do. They never questioned the price of the bike.

Now me, I think bikes are too expensive but I'm too dumb to let it stop me.

What an absurd thread this has become. You can't compare the cost of a car or truck to the cost of a bike on just a dollar basis, they have totally different abilities and limitations. How many thousands of pounds of stuff can you haul on your bike? Can you make a 1,000 mile trip in a weekend on a bike? Can you take 3 or 4 or 6 people with you on your bike? Can you pack your skis and gear on the bike and head for the slopes in the winter?

Of course riding and maintaining a bike is less expensive than driving a car, it's also much more limited in many ways. That doesn't make it better, no matter what some drama queens want to believe.


For daily/weekly purposes, do you haul thousands of stuff in your car? Do you drive thousands of miles a week? Do you take 3 or 4 or 6 people with you on your bike? Do you pack up your skis and gear and head for the slopes every week?

If yes, a car might be right for you. Most people don't do this and can rent a car or truck when it's in order, or can use a car-sharing service on an hourly basis for shopping, etc. By the way, it's possible to take 3 or 4 people with you on a bike if they're willing to help. And people even take tours on their bikes carrying tents and other camping gear and with trailers it should be possible to take your ski gear in the winter.

Which is better -- car, truck, or bike? The answer is, they're all good, if you use them correctly. Do you use a hammer to insert a screw? It's possible, but a screwdriver works much better. For someone living in a packed city going to work about 10 miles away a bike would probably work better in the long run than a car. It's all about how you use your tools.

I got 7.45 lbs of frozen chicken, 4 yogurt cups, and 24 double rolls of toilet tissue home in one trip, all with a bookbag and another bag hanging from the bookbag (wanted so bad to test my new clipless pedals I didn't take the bike with the rack).

I will own a car one day, just not right now. I will look back at this and think, "crap, I was really crazy then, but it sure was a lot of fun."