Originally Posted by
Brian Sharpe
OK I realize I'm preaching to the choir but I did a little noodling to justify getting a better bike (it always helps to rationalize)
Based on the Gov't of Canada's mileage allowance rate (which is probably conservative - sorry, no pun intended) of $0.52 per km if your weekly commute totals 100km you're saving about $52 per week (includes depreciation, repairs etc). Here in our frozen tundra I figure I can reasonably commute 26 weeks a year on average - some hardy souls ride all year 'round - which translates into saving $1,352 per year plus the cost of parking.
The bonus is that you also save on having to buy a gym membership!
So, based on this logic my new bike really cost me nothing (my wife remains somewhat skeptical of my mathematical prowess
)
The CRA rate is a poor one to use, unless bike commuting has allowed you to go car free. The CRA rate is intended to compensate you not just for the marginal cost of driving for work purposes, but also cover a portion of your fixed costs, such as depreciation and regular maintenance. These costs are dominantly time-based, so if you have a car sitting in the garage, you're still paying them.
On the other side, the CRA rate also does not cover parking, road tolls or other ancillary expenses other than the direct operation of the vehicle.
Whether your bike is free or not depends a lot on what your alternative was. If your alternative was driving a small car that you own anyways to somewhere with free parking, your marginal savings are probably small, and the payoff on buying a nice bike is probably somewhere in the 2-4 year range. If bussing is the alternative, it's quite similar. If your alternative was buying another car, or driving to somewhere with $200 parking, a bike will be a net positive in a single summer of service.
For me, though, the alternative is usually walking. I save a bit because I'm less likely to cop out and take the bus, but the bike purchase as a net positive....it'll probably take a decade or more for it to save me money. It was still worth it.
(And seriously, it's never occured to me to join a gym. No doubt this is a real savings for some people, but what portion of people here have forgone a gym membership because they bike, but would buy one if they didn't. I'm guessing the portion is fairly small.)