Originally Posted by
acidfast7
Why don't you do a poll and determine how much money the average person spends on BF per year cycling? Or the average cost of all of their commuting bikes, I would wager that 300 USD is really low for a used bike, tune-up, new tires, helmet, clothes, lights and water bottles (all the stuff that would be needed versus the bus.)
I put some figures out there already but let's flesh it out a bit more:
Monthly season ticket to central London = £167.50
Bike £345
Upgrade tyres £70
Lights £25
Helmet £60
Locks £80 (could be cheaper for a cheaper bike, that's what I spent on locks for my MTB)
Rack & panniers £90
Total £670, meaning the bike pays for itself within four months.
In addition, cycling to work every day (800kcals/day), requires greater food consumption (probably 2-3USD/day) ... so 20 days commuting = 40+ extra USD/month, while sitting on the bus requires 0 extra dollars in food. I've done this calculation on the forum multiple times.
OK, so add £40/month to the bike costs to see what that does:
After six months:
Season ticket = £167.5 x 6 = £1,005
Bike = £670 + £40x6 = £910 (£95 saving)
After 12 months:
Season ticket = £167.5 x 12 = £2,010
Annual ticket = £1,744
Bike = £670 + £40x12 = £1,150 (£860 saving / £594 against annual ticket)
Even if you want to throw in the cost of replacement components, when you're saving £127/month compared to public transport you can replace your chain and cassette every single month and still be better off. At 100 miles/week you'd only actually need to replace them maybe every 5-6 months. If you've got the means to buy a £1700 ticket it works out cheaper but then if you've got £1700 sitting around idle you can just as easily spend £700 on a bike plus accessories, put the surplus grand in the bank and use it towards your savings.