noglider 

Here's another way to look at the cost question. I lived in the NJ suburbs for 26 years. Not many people get around by bike there, though it is increasing. A large fraction of people who get around by bike there are men who appear to be Mexican and probably have low income jobs. I bet they do so out of financial necessity and don't have the money to own or run cars. Isn't that a good indicator that a bike can be a much cheaper way to get around than a car?

alan s 

I saved a lot of time by not reading this thread. As they say, time is money, so just think about the savings. Really, 8 pages about spending or saving money by bike commuting?

noglider 

I-Like-To-Bike

It maybe OK if the employer becomes aware that the employee is claiming vehicle mileage for a bicycle, as long as the employer won't think the employee is pulling a fast one or being some sort of Sneaky Pete scamming it for a few bucks by being cute with company money.

That would probably work as long as the extra six hours were on the employee's own unpaid time, rather than during regular paid work wours.

I-Like-To-Bike

Just more confirmation of the serious cost savings when a bike replaces ownership of a car. I doubt that many people you see bicycling to work to low paid jobs are doing so they can put off trading in their $40,000 SUV at the end of 5 years.

noglider 

Well I did sell my car after moving back into the city, so I could say bike commuting is saving me a lot. But that would be lying. The subway is saving me a lot.

Allack

No.It actually saves money by bike commuting.

PatrickGSR94

A $40K-$50K SUV or truck can easily be well over $1K for the first year's registration in MS. Mine and my wife's cars are both 20 years old or older, and our license plates are only $35 a year, plus $50 for our special collegiate plates.

cyccommute 

It varies a lot from state to state but when I bought my truck 15 years ago, my registration was somewhere around $450 for the first 3 years. It has dropped steadily since then and is now costing me around $30 per year for both license and registration. More money that is not spent and thus saved. But I sure that I-Like-To-Bike would not consider that money I've saved. I'm not sure what his definition of "saving money" is.

HydroG33r 

$3k is not a trivial amount to spend, but cars are expensive. My wife and I consciously decided a few years ago to become a one-car family; I used to take transit to work until I started bike commuting ~3 years ago. Point is, I've done the math a few times and even if I spend a few thousand bucks on my bike every year, it's still cheaper than driving. Consider the following example:

A fuel-efficient car may cost about $0.10/km ($0.0625/mile) to run. Assuming you commute to work a return distance of 20km/day (~12.5 miles) x 20 days/month x 10 months/year on average (factoring in vacation, stat holidays, etc), that's $400/year.

Insurance: Assume conservatively $100/month = $1200/year.

Oil changes: Assume $25 x 4 times a years = $100.

Car payment or depreciation: Conservatively assume $100/month = $1200/year. That's equivalent to $5,000 every 5 years.

That works out to about $2,900 for the year already, not factoring in other maintenance (which is likely needed if you have a $5,000 car. probably need snow tires, new wiper blades, etc).

If you're paying for parking (at home or work): Assume $100/month = $1,200/year, bringing the total to $4,100.

And maybe for good measure add on a gym membership or something so you can get your exercise.

Point is, driving isn't cheap. I bike commute most days, but figure that if I have to take a taxi, car share, or rent a car now and again, even if it's less than $150/month on average we're probably still in good shape and cheaper than having an extra car full time. That's us though; I have a longer commute (about 50km/day = 31 miles), and insurance/oil changes would definitely be more expensive. We also wouldn't be driving a $5,000 car.

HydroG33r 

Depends; can you drive up a mountain, park for free, and ride your mountain bike down to work?

InTheRain

If I get the mountain bike, I don't foresee that it would be used very often as a commuter. The e-bike is the main commuter and the road bike is the preferred commuter on warm and dry days.

loky1179

Yeah, consumer reports - and AAA for that matter - just don't understand Minnesota RUST.

Because of bike commuting, I was able to avoid having to replace the rusted exhaust system on my 16 year old Saturn - because I adopted my wife's 15 year old Sunfire - WIN! I saved money! But then six months later the engine mount on the Sunfire rusted out - LOSE! Car is totaled .

But because I bike commute, I only had to spend 3K on a NEW 13 year old Saturn - WIN!

After reading more on this thread, I realize I was being a chump. Instead of "saving" money by not buying a a new car every 15 years, I could have been saving money by not buying a new car every five years. I figure I saved $21,000 by not buying a new Prius. But if I had not bought a new Prius five years ago, I'd have saved $42,000 by now.

And it was stupid to not buy a Prius - I should have not bought an Escalade! Four wheel drive and roomy. Early retirement, here I come!

tjspiel

Next year I plan on not buying a Tesla... but I would really like a Tesla.

harshbarj

If bicycle commuting is costing you money, you are doing it wrong. I spent big on my commuter, and will still save over riding the bus for one year. My ride set me back $1600 (~$1800 with the parts I bought for it) and I'll still save about $100 this year. Next year I should save about $1000, even taking in replacing a few parts.

asmac

Have you factored in the exercise that bike commuting provides thus eliminating the need for gym memberships, running shoes, squash racquets, etc?

noglider 

How about the cost to my health of using bicycle as my only means of exercise? I am recovering from frozen shoulder which I believe I developed from disuse and neglect. I went to PT and now exercise regularly off the bike for the first time in my 55-year-long life. I work at a college, so I can use the gym for free, though I haven't done so yet. I might soon.

RubeRad

I can't wait for like 10 years when there will be a good supply of used Teslas on the market at good prices -- or the rest of the market will have caught up with comparable (but perhaps less sporty) electric cars.

asmac

Damn! There's always a downside!

Nachoman

My commute is only 6 miles, so with my hybrid vehicle, the gas savings, commuting by bicycle, is fairly nominal.
Where I could see it making a difference is the amount I pay to park in my building. I pay $200.00 a month, just to park my stupid vehicle.
But I still drive to work enough that the amount I could potentially save by paying the daily rate, would still be relatively nominal.

I-Like-To-Bike

Be careful of what you wish for!

If the price of Teslas and comparable electric cars drops significantly, presumably your "savings" allegedly accumulated from not buying the more expensive versions every five years will also significantly drop.

RubeRad

Dammit, Tesla's are too expensive right now, I can't afford to not buy it unless I wait a few years

I-Like-To-Bike

I saved a lot of money today on my birthday by doing my normal bicycling routine, rather than gathering a bunch of pals and flying to Las Vegas on a private jet to party with high priced hookers and gamble away until my bank account was tapped. Maybe in a few years wifey will be OK with that birthday party to go with the hundreds of thousands I will save by showing restraint on the next few birthdays.

noglider 

I think you have to compare two actions that are roughly equal in likelihood. You weren't really likely to go to Las Vegas. Happy birthday anyway.