ajames15

I want a new bike... really bad. But I've been terrible with the number of miles I've been putting on my current one for months now, so I really cannot justify one to myself (let alone my wife). So I finally came up with a plan today to motivate me to get more time on the road. I get to have a budget of somewhere between $0.50 and $1 for every mile I put on for the trailing twelve months (the amount is still being taken under consideration).

I think this is my best plan so far on how to get me on the road more, and to justify what would be a very large purchase in my house.

aggiegrads

Go with the IRS mileage rate for 2011 - $0.51 per mile. This methodology requires no rationalization or justification.

BlankTim

I'm doing exactly the same, and for the same reasons.
So far I have $12.00 in my new bike savings account, at $1.00 per mile.

Scrockern8r

Commute to work on it, or run errands and stuff, and pay yourself the equivalent cost in driving. I pay myself $.13/mile (27mpg at $3.80gal. for fuel.) into a bike fund for each time I ride to work.
You could pad that number a little bit...

Edit: aggiegrad is on the mark.

hubcap

I ride 8K to 10K miles a year since I sold my car and my household went to only one auto. I am pretty free to spend what I feel is necessary for my cycling. However, I don't ever imagine that means I have a $5K-10K budget every year.

I have had good results with buying nice used bikes and spending a fair amount to make/keep them running like new. My wife is not completely adverse to me spending alot on a bike, it is just that I have a number of them now so she is not sure how a new bike would fit in.

I am thinking about building a nice bike around the Soma Mixte frame for her so she has something other than her Trek hybrid to ride around and can experience the fun of having a couple different bikes.

HardyWeinberg

You can measure the value of a bike by how much you ride it, if you won't ride it its worthless.

monsterpile

Reward yourself can really be good. I had a job I really disliked for various reasons and I started giving myself a dollar for every client visit I did. I could spend that money however I wanted and spent it on bikes and some stuff for my car. The money added up pretty fast (although it wasn't a ton of cash enough to be excited about) and over a couple months I got some stuff that was useful and I kept doing the job and got into a good habit of working. After a while I didnt need the reward and kinda forgot about it.

ajames15

I'm really hoping to average 25 miles a week (I work 3 miles from home), so I'd have about $1,300 in a year. That'll really help me move into a better bike, and I think after riding consistently through the winter, I'd be sufficiently committed enough to upgrade.

Igo

If I can survive commuting this summer in 108 degree heat and still love bicycles come October, I'm buying a Surly Cross Roads Trucker to keep my Giant Defy company. I'll just eat more beans.

acidfast7

I have 900€ in the bike/helmet/lock.

I pay 26€/month for a subway pass that I use 10 times/week (at 10km each trip), so I pay 26€ for 400km of transport or 0.065€/km.

I have to ride the current bike set-up at least 13000 km before I get a new bike. I'm only at roughly 500km right now ... so I have a ways to go.

If I ride every day both ways, it's roughly 100km/week and I usually squeeze in 1-2 50km weekend rides per month ... for a total of 500km/month. So, I need to ride everyday for at least 26 months.

Seems reasonable.

Aeneas

I'm less concerned about the finances, not that I am free to spend much money, but my concept of earning a new bike has more to do with health and weight goals than anything else. I figure if I can get back down to a BMI (yes, I know it is imperfect, and highly so) of 35 (still a well-endowed clyde, but smaller than I've been in 20 years) I deserve a new bike. I have my eyes on a Rivendell.

I need to commute and utility ride for another year or so to pay off the bikes and accessories I own now. After that, I can worry about a new bike.

waynesworld

Good news. It looks like the IRS rate is going up to $0.555 per mile come July 1.

asromzek

I never thought of doing something like this. My fiance has made a few comments about the amount I put into my bike vs. the actual miles I've put on it. I'll have to ride a lot of miles to pay off my "debt".

KonAaron Snake 

That is absolutely brilliant! Motivation to ride, a new bike...it's the perfect plan! Put down some HEAVY miles and get something really, really nice.

100 miles a week, which isn't too crazy, would be between $225-$450 a month. In 12 months you have enough for a dream machine!

tsl

Money, heath, weight, and new bike are all good motivators. For some, competitive peer pressure helps too.

Over on BikeJournal, I maintain the standings table for the Commuter Cycling Century Challenge, where the goal is to ride to and from work 100 days in the year.

Many of us don't let that stop us. As of last week, 17 (including me) have already beaten the 100 days goal for the year. We have three other members from PA, FWIW.

MNBikeguy

I like the logic!
Why stop at arbitrary IRS rulings or chintzy miliage rates?
For each hour I commute, I pay myself the equivilant of a limo ride.
$86 per hour goes into my new bike fund. Thanks guys!

PS.. And being slow REALLY pays off!

shadoman

lol

jdswitters

+1, I keep track of my commutes over there also, although I don't get them updated on the century commute thread, I made that my goal this year. 53 on the year so far and that is with several days of travel a month. The goal setting for me really helped get me in the habit of making excuses not to drive instead of not to ride.

Set a goal and then celebrate the halfway goal with a little something, like a new saddle.

Igo

I have a 13 mile commute. My goal is to commute a minimal of 4 days a week.

harry2110

I would love to do this if it wouldnt bankrupt me as I ride 100-200 miles a week easily all year. Of course I kinda already do this anyways as I end up with a new to me high end bike every 6 months anyways. Ive had DH rigs, AM bikes, carbon fiber road bikes, HTs, Xc race full suspensions and now im on my steel cross bike which unless I split the frame Im keeping as it fits my style. So you can kinda say that I do earn my new bikes.

kralizec

I think you mean PRICELESS!

mikepwagner

My general theory about exercise and fitness equip pretty much follows this theory. You (almost) can't spend enough on exercise equipment that you actually use, and you can't spend too little on exercise equipment you don't use.

I wouldn't accrue debt to buy a nicer bike, but as I approach 60 and look at the people who are 10-15 years older than me and in good physical shape versus those who can barely get up off of the couch, I see a lot of benefits to riding regularly beside saving gas money.

I have lost 85 lbs in the last 10 months or so, and started biking. Part of the motivation for making those changes is looking at the quality of life for retired folks who don't exercise regularly versus those who do. My completely amateur opinion is that an awful lot of "old age" issues are caused by obesity and lack of exercise.

When you start to look at back operations and knee operations and medications for cholesteral and high blood pressure (and the medications to counter-act the side effects of the medications for cholesteral and high blood pressure, and medications to counter-act the side effects of the medications to counter-act the side effects of the medications for cholesteral and high blood pressure, ...) even a pretty expensive bike looks pretty cheap.

If bike helps keep your back strong enough and limber enough to avoid one back operation when you are in your 60s, what is that worth?

I have gone from an "obese" BMI to the bottom end of the "normal" range. My doctor said my cholesterol numbers and blood pressure were "stellar" - I didn't hear that before I lost that weight. I started riding partly to maintain that weigh loss. If a bike helps me maintain that weight loss, it's worth its weight in gold (at least a pre-gold bubble prices ).

I wouldn't go hog wild, and a bike you do not use isn't with $1. But it would be hard to spend too much on a bike that really prevented those medical conditions.

My own theory is that if I keep riding several days a week through the fall, and I can save the money to buy a nicer bike, I am pretty likely to do so.