Originally Posted by
pepox369
In my opinion, commuting by bike can be much much cheaper than by car or motorcycle. Why? bc the cost can really be kept at a minimum and there is no gas to pay for.. HOWEVER, most bike commuters are also enthusiasts, and that creates the opposite effect when it comes to savings, bc an enthusiast will upgrade parts of the bike that could be just left alone until they broke. In general when you are an enthusiast of something you will spend more money than you would if you weren't
Quite true. I've recently gotten into biking, and ended up spending about $10,000 in total on bikes, servicing, and accessories. Oops. However, biking has helped me lose 20 lbs - and I was pretty active to begin with - and I'm rarely stuck for alternate transportation these days. During the summer when it was easier to commute the benefit to the gas bill was definitely appreciated. My wife and I have managed one car for almost 17 years now, both before and after we got married, and I'd like to keep it that way if possible. The insurance for the bikes is covered under our general insurance, and for the vast majority of us, I doubt that no matter what we spend on N+1 bikes, it will pale in comparison to the upfront cost of a car, plus gas, plus insurance!