Ok, I'll bite.
Originally Posted by
adlai
1. There's a fair bit of maintenance to do on the bicycle. Over the past two years I've had to replace an entire rear derailleur after it ate a spoke on my rear wheel, change out the chain, replace the tires, change at least a dozen flats, spend about 3 hrs adjusting the front derailleur (and no, the LBS people didn't do it right). I'd say that the costs of maintinence and various upgrades over the past year or two has amounted to about 500
I spent over ~$2000 on maintenance alone for my car last 18 months. That doesn't count the insurance or registration or emissions or gasoline. Timing Belt + Clutch + axles (FWD) + front wheel bearing + hub assembly + shocks + two tires + oil seals gets expensive.
I also spent ~$150 on registration and ~$2000 on insurance. Your insurance may be less.
Originally Posted by
adlai
3. With a bicycle, mile-for-mile, you're at a greatly increased risk of death compared to a car, in general it takes you longer to get to places, you're breathing in toxic fumes from the vehicles on the road.
I absolutely disagree. Mile for mile, cyclists get killed at a 1.5x greater rate than drivers. However, that statistic includes every drunk that got their license taken away that is riding (drunk) to the store on the wrong side of the road with no lights at 2am on a saturday morning. Besides, a lot of my commute is off of roads.
They also don't take into account the added health benefits from cycling. I have dropped my HDL 50 points from commuting alone.