Commuting - what are real running costs?

ever since i got my bike, ive been having recurring problems with the derailleurs and stuff, and my lbs has been good about trying to fix 'em for free(but not so good on getting a permanent fix going...)

but, i've realised that all this commuting might be tuff on my bike. how often will i be breaking stuff? how often are ppl who commute frequently replacing major stuff? i've got a fairly cheep bike,so i would assume its components would be semi-cheep to replace. what are some realistic running costs int erms of repairs?

(some basic info: i'm a hamfisted moron with a specialized hardrock<shimano acera> and in the 3 weeks since ive put my 'puter on, i've ridden 110miles. so, i dont ride all that much compared to many of you, but i'm ery curious...)

-rob

Running costs are very small for bikes. The only thing I have ever had to replace is an Ultegra bottom bracket $80 with installation by the shop, a new chain $23, new cassette $72, brake pads $32, a couple sets of tyres and a few tubes.

I have now bought all the tools I need to do all my own repairs including bottom brackets & cassettes etc, so apart from the cost of the parts the labour is free.:)

My last car service ended up costing over a $1000 because it needed a new head gasket.:mad:

Bikes are very cheap, virtually free after the initial purchase price.

CHEERS.

Mark

Your adjustment are very very very normal. In fact, I'd be worried if you didn't need adjustments. Brake and derailleur cables are a bunch of thin gage wires twisted together. As new cables get used, the force pulls the wires tighter and the overall length of the cable increases. This is very normal. Once your cables have set, the "cable stretch" stops (or slows considerably) and adjustments only need to be made every once in a great while!

This is the reason most bike shops offer a free 30 day tune-up or maintanence period for a year or whatever. Once the bikes get used for about 100 miles, they need to be readjusted and the slack removed from the cables.

If you're not riding hard, you maintanence cost should be mimimal. Like stated tubes or tires will probably be the first things you'll replace. Check your drivetrain wear every 6 months. Most bike shops have a chain checker that measures how much a chain is stretched (lengthened due to the rollers wearing out). It's better to replace a chain often. If you wait too long, you'll have to replace the rear cassette (gear cluster thingy in the back wheel hub) as well. I usually get 3 chains for every cassette. I check my chain often!

A new chain is about $15 and a new cassette is like $30 to $40. So it pays to replace a cheaper part more often then the whole schabang at once!

My suggestion, is to upgrade components as the old stuff wears out or gets broken!

I ride about 10,000km a year. I replace the chain and cluster slightly less than once a year, and my tyres about once a year. I go through a few tubes a year, about a hundred patches, or it seems like it some weeks (hopefully no more with my new tyre liners), a couple of bottles of lube and about 60 bags of Doritos.

This is if I don't crash. I have had occasion in the past to replace rims, hubs, freewheels, and after one interaction, my headshock fork. I had two frame rewelds on my previous bike, I've busted a couple of seatposts, ripped saddles, destroyed rear racks, snapped brake cables and chains, and most recently, ripped my rear derailluer and hanger off by catching a stick in it.

It's all worth it though, because I know I'm using my bike to the fullest. It's all money well spent.

Gotta seperate "I want" from "I need"

Basically, I end up going through one chain/bike/season and if I'm stoopid, I end up changing a freewheel or two as well. Tires get changed as well. If you don't, you'll end up patching tubes as well.

Don't forget clothing...more spendy than bike parts (often). Gotta have sufficient shorts to commute, as well as raingear. The occasional break pad will also get replaced.

All told, under 200.- (Swiss Francs) for a year of cycling. As a ex-mechanic, I tend to do my own work, but I'd love to find a nice shop to do it for me...sigh.

cheers,
Tom

P.S. don't forget lube costs...White Lightning is great stuff! A little bottle has lasted over a season!

In the last 10,000km or so, all I have replaced is one cable and one tube (it was totally destroyed after hitting a nail about four weeks ago). Having said that, I don't care how much I wear stuff out now because I'm planning to get a new bike in a couple of weeks.

Even allowing for that, however, the 10,000km since October has come much cheaper than what it would have cost in a car, and it's been much more fun! :p

I can't believe the mileage you're getting on your tyres.

I wear out about 5 rear tyres and 1 front tyre, and replace about that many tubes (slightly less).

I bust about 9-12 spokes on the rear wheel in a year.

Crank bearings - 1 set a year.
Rear axle bearings - 1 set a year.

The sprockets and chain are worn after a year as well.

Putting an old tube as a liner will enable you to run the tyre all the way through, you will get fewer flats, and buy fewer tubes.

John, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but how much do you weigh?

If it's not that, something strange is going on if you're going through more tyres than tubes, unless you're running low pressure knobbies on pavement, but even that doesn't really explain it.

When you bust a spoke, do you replace the single spoke, or get the wheel rebuilt? You can get away with the single repair if it only happens very occasionally, but busting that many spokes is a sign of something awry. It might be worth getting all the old spokes cut out, and have the wheel rebuilt professionally.

I think 10,000 km is pretty normal life for a tyre. I'd probably get a lot more if it wasn't for all the cuts they pick up from road debris. - it's an apparently little known fact that in Australia, it is legally required to sweep up any glass off the road after a crash. By rights car makers should be including a brush and spade with every car.

Originally posted by john999
I can't believe the mileage you're getting on your tyres.

I wear out about 5 rear tyres and 1 front tyre, and replace about that many tubes (slightly less).

I bust about 9-12 spokes on the rear wheel in a year.

Crank bearings - 1 set a year.
Rear axle bearings - 1 set a year.

The sprockets and chain are worn after a year as well.



I ride about 3,500 miles per year, and still have the slicks on my mtn bike I put on at 600 miles (6,000 miles ago). I have never worn out a tire on the mtn bike, and have worn out one on the road bike, although it was still serviceable, I changed it out. I replaced the crank bearings once and never the rear axle bearings.

I have busted no spokes in 12,000 miles, I replace the chain annually. I weigh 225 pounds.

I am very curious about where you ride and what is happening to break so many spokes and wear out so many tires???

Fill us in here?

.

I feel about like John. I wear out the back tire in about 3 or 4 months. I think it is because I tend to lock the back tire when braking in rain/wet roads. I also used to be a rear brake only rider. I am gradually learning to use the front brake since I learned that 80% of your stopping power is derived from your front brake!

As for chains/bearings/freewheels, I havn't commuted enough to wear them out. I'll probably end up replacing them by the middle or end of the summer.

Originally posted by Allister
...and about 60 bags of Doritos.

It's all worth it though, because I know I'm using my bike to the fullest. It's all money well spent.

Ain't it the truth! :beer:

The only things that have broken or worn out in 1700 miles are a front fender and the pannier rack (both cheap) and one tube (faulty valve) and a chain. No punctures yet.

As to what I've spent upgrading through desire... :)

Richard

Really cheap stuff wears out quickly, and really expensive stuff is never good value. If you spend enough to get into the mid-range your money will go further.

I renew annually , bearings, chain, cables
2-yearly: tyres, inners, freewheel, cable outers.
3 yearly: rechargeable battery, chainrings, rear mech.

I get new pedals and cranks when I damage the old ones with curb strikes, rather than wear them out.
Also factor in insurance.

Im pretty certain that I couldnt travel any cheaper way.
Too many people underspend on a bike, and buy rubbish, but never consider how much the alternative (eg bus fares) would cost them. I could easily spend £400 every year on local buses.

One artcle on fitness compares cycling and swimming, but judged cycling to be expensive. I used to spend about £500 a year on swimming regularly at my local pool.

The main item on my previous bike (a Specialized Crossroads on Nimbus tires) was punctures. Just about one flat per month. Brake pads got replaced once every three months or so, chains once a year, gears once a year, derailleurs every two years. Wheels every two years, due to rim abrasion.

The chain, gear, rim and derailleur wear was anlost entirely the result of road salt and sand, as was much of the brake pad wear. If I lived in a place in which the authorities did not dump tons of crap on the roads every winter, these parts would have lasted a long time. So, running costs can range from nearly nothing to fairly considerable, depending upon your equipment and riding environment.

This year, I switched to hub brakes and internal gears and I have had no mechanical wear problems. I'm using Vredestein Triggers and the flat tire rate is now at one per two months. I may have reached the point where the time between flats is more closely related to the daily number of empty liquor bottles tossed onto the street per hour than anything else.

I'd estimate running costs with the old bike at maybe $300/year. Given that my cost of driving to work is over $2,500, counting parking, this is not bad. The new bike will probably finish the year with well under $100 in running costs for about 2,500 miles.

Paul

This is an interesting discussion. The Federal Government (IRS) has determined that the average cost of owning and operating a motorcar in the U.S. is equivalent to $0.345 per mile, or about $0.20 / km. Other estimates, which have been quoted elsewhere in bikeforums, are higher. Without analyzing the issue carefully, I would wild-guess that cycling costs me about $0.08/mi = $0.05/km.

this *has* proven to be an interesting(and encouraging) discussion!

i'm not too worried about costs of maintaining the bike as far as lube, cleaning supplies, etc goes...nor am i trying to take clothing into account (if any of you saw what i rode while riding, you'd bite your own fists!)

i was mostly curious about what kinda stuff i can expect to break within, say, each year and what i can expect to spend. all of you have been very helpful in answering that, and i think i can certainly handle $.08/mile.=)

i'm curious to hear any/everyone else's experiences and thoughts on this type of thing. i liked the advice re: avoiding the top-of-the-line stuff and the bargain-basement stuff; i've found that this is good advice with most endeavors that require shopping. i'm just wondering if i bought a terribly cheeep bike......

-rob

Originally posted by surreal
i'm just wondering if i bought a terribly cheeep bike......

I'm sure someone on the forum could help you out, but you're gonna have to tell us which bike you bought... erm... 'scuse me for a second...

[Allister steps aside for a quick search of surreal's previous posts and... aha... discovers he has a Specialized Hardrock fs A1 - anyone know anything about this'n?]

I figure my cost are about $0.12/mile. The break down is as follows: tires $45 every 5000 miles, tubes $15 every 3000 miles, chain $20 every 5000 miles, crank-chainrings-casette $100 every 7500 miles, bottom bracket $50 every 7500 miles, spokes bearings and other misc $40 every 5000 miles. This all comes to about $0.05/mile. Ruin a wheel set and its $0.06/mile. Add the cost of the bike - for me $800 and figure its good for 15,000 miles and that adds another $0.06/mile. I usually buy middle of the road stuff, not the cheapest or most expensive.

I've only been riding long distances for about 3 years, and in that time I've used lots of 'recovered' tyres and OEM tyres (which are so thin you can just about spit through them).
Also, the front tyre split the carcass (on two tyres) because the tropical sun is so fierce on tyres. I put them on the back, but they didn't last long because they had a high spot.

Even so, I don't think I'd be using less than 3 1/2 tyres in a year, even brand new ones. I buy the cheapest ones (cos' I'm cheap) usually Vee Rubber or Kenda whitewalls.
My motorcycling experience tells me that cheap rubber should be *harder* than more expensive.

The wheel I broke (it rubbed against the frame) was OEM, and I recovered it at home. I ride on footpaths at night, cos I couldn't be bothered buying a light - this causes shock to the wheel going up the pram ramps.

Since most of my miles are done commuting, and since most of my commuting is done on older bikes, bicycling as a form of transportation doesn't cost me anywhere near $0.5 or $0.1 per mile.

All of the service work I do myself and virtually all my parts are free from old bikes.

My guess is that the cost per mile could barely be noticed.

Of course, that doesn't mean I don't spend money on bike stuff - especially on stuff I could live without. Interestingly, most of my bicycle money goes into recreational biking which accounts for the least amount of my mileage.

Originally posted by mike

All of the service work I do myself and virtually all my parts are free from old bikes.

.


And, I take it, that your time has no value??

Come work for me and I will pay you the same wage as you value yourself!!:D

Originally posted by DnvrFox



And, I take it, that your time has no value??

Come work for me and I will pay you the same wage as you value yourself!!:D

That is a good point, DncrFox. Many people do not include their own time in cost calculations.

For me, working on bikes is a hobby - something I really enjoy doing, so I consider it recreation. Thus, I don't consider my time when doing the calculating.

Honestly, if I didn't enjoy working on bikes, I would leave the maintanance up to a professional, and of course my cost per mile would be a lot more significant.

I feel the same. However, I recently did a service on a friend of my wife's bike. I did the full works - strip down, clean, rebuild, tune, replace dud parts and so on and so forth. In exchange he's going to do some electrical work for us on an hour for hour basis. We're gonna get some much needed ceiling fans and light fittings installed/replaced.

Originally posted by Allister
In exchange he's going to do some electrical work for us on an hour for hour basis. We're gonna get some much needed ceiling fans and light fittings installed/replaced.

You worked this out on an hour for hour basis? You're not after my job are you?

Originally posted by Fatal Justice


You worked this out on an hour for hour basis? You're not after my job are you?

Actually it was their idea. Who am I to argue?

And no, I'm not.

The point is not, how much does cycling cost, but rather, how much does it save? ;)

Originally posted by LittleBigMan
The point is not, how much does cycling cost, but rather, how much does it save? ;)

Can you really put a value on sanity?

Originally posted by Fatal Justice


Can you really put a value on sanity?

$12.95 a kilo.

Originally posted by Allister

$12.95 a kilo.

That's a bit expensive for me. I think I'll have to go without sanity for the time being.

Originally posted by Allister


$12.95 a kilo.
Nerf?

kilometer or kilogram?

Originally posted by IowaParamedic
kilometer or kilogram?
If you're insane, it doesn't matter which.

Actually, kilo is short for kilogram. The lingua franca for kilometre is 'kay'.

Originally posted by Allister

If you're insane, it doesn't matter which.

Actually, kilo is short for kilogram. The lingua franca for kilometre is 'kay'.

Okay.

Then what is one "click?"

Originally posted by DnvrFox


Okay.

Then what is one "click?"

Press down on your mouse button once. That's one click.

Originally posted by Allister




Press down on your mouse button once. That's one click.

I think he means 'klick' (usually used by writers to differentiate between kilometers and the sound made by a loose bottom bracket).

Originally posted by Matadon


I think he means 'klick' (usually used by writers to differentiate between kilometers and the sound made by a loose bottom bracket).

Yes, that is what I meant - Klick!!

Frequently stated in space TV stories, but I have never seen it in print.

Originally posted by Matadon


I think he means 'klick' (usually used by writers to differentiate between kilometers and the sound made by a loose bottom bracket).

In that case, my ride to work is about 20 klicks, and about 3000 clicks, and I replace my chain every 150000 clicks, or one snap, whichever comes first [he said in a desperate attempt to drag the thread back on topic].

Actually, I've never heard 'klick' used colloquially. I've only ever seen it used by military types in books/films/tv. I did know what you meant Denver, I was just being facetious.