Originally Posted by Null66

10x sounds like a good return, until you realize that is 55 years. T-Bills returned better.

This whole discussion will depends upon your accounting technique.
Car vs. Bike
There's avoided cost. Accepted cost per mile is $.58 per mile, that's what IRS uses for it's calculations.

Now obviously a mid 70's rabbit diesel will be cheaper then a new Range Rover...
The same principle applies to bikes. A CL 80's Schwinn Traveller purchased for couple hundred will be much less then an S-Works.

But if avoided miles, then only miles that would have gone on a car would count but didn't would count.

Now total costs, well total spend amortized over miles...

So my $4k bike at 2000 miles so far:
Avoided costs
$4k divided by my 8 50 mile commutes. Or $10/mile so far.
Costs per mile
$4k divided by 2000 actual miles or $.5 per mile. Again so far.