Originally Posted by
snowman40
Your thinking is flawed. Commuting by bike is far cheaper, when biking, I feed me which I do anyways. When I drive I feed me and my car (assuming you own your vehicle).
If I packed my lunch when driving, I'd spend $50 every 2 weeks or so on gasoline. So $1200 or so just in fuel not including maintenance a year is freed up in your budget. Depending on your insurance, your rates might go down (because of the drop in yearly mileage), tires/suspension/brakes will last longer as not being used.
Yes, there are some things that cost more in the long run (bike tires don't have the same longevity as car tires) but those are offset by items that last far longer (brake pads/rims, inner tubes). Yes, there will be an investing period as you build up items needed for your commute, but those will last until they wear out or fall apart.
Did you reply to the wrong post? I didn't say anything about feeding/lunch.
Anyway, yes obviously if you are disciplined enough to only buy the necessities and never upgrade them each season (wearing them until they fall apart) you will save more. Most cyclists like to enough their riding though and will get nicer stuff the more they ride, multiples bikes even, and bike stuff is notoriously expensive (imo) because MTB and road cycling are hobbies/sports. So the "fixed" expenses become "variable".
Gas $ is dependent on the length of commute. My commute is only 10 mi each way in a compact car so that's not a lot of gas. Less than a gallon/day.