2manybikes

Short term costs...

My car gets a little over 30 MPG around town. If gas is three dollars a gallon the immediate cost is about $3 for 30 miles.

If I ride 30 miles in the heat and do not start with drinks from the house I will drink three or four bottles of fruit drinks mixed with water. That can be over $3 for 30 miles depending on what route I take and where I get the drinks. It could easily be $4. Hmmm. I usually start with drinks from the house, that would make it about $2.oo for the ride just for drinks.

Overall it probably cost over $.50 a mile for the car. Realistically that might be $15 or more for the car for 30 miles.

Edit post: AAA says $.56 per mile (in 2004) X 30 miles = $16.80

Has anyone added up all the bike parts that wear over the years and come up with a cost per mile?

markhr

in the UK you can claim business expenses on travel - the official goverment rates are

Kind of vehicle Business miles 2002/03 onwards
Car or van first 10,000 - 40p after that - 25p
Motor cycle all - 24p
Cycle all - 20p

supposedly this allows for wear and tear, devaluation and the kitchen sink

ItsJustMe

Here is the consumables list I've burned through in 8000 miles:

Brake pads: 5@$3.50 (Nashbar replacable pads, on sale)
Tires: 2@30 (Race Lites) + 2@50 (Nokians)
Chains: 5@$4.50 (Nashbar KMC)
Freewheel: 1@$16
Tubes: 4@$4

That's $232 for 8000 miles, or 2.9 cents per mile. That should be about right, because I JUST put on both a new chain and new brake pads, and the Nokians probably have at least 3 more winters left in them. The tires are a replacement for the Kenda cheapos that came on the bike, so they'll last at least that many miles again.

There are other things on the bike that are wearing out but even if I count the whole bike as a loss right now:
Bike: $350

That's $582/8000=7.2 cents per mile. But in reality I don't see any reason this bike can't go a lot more miles. Also if I were to write off the bike price, I'd have to subtract one set of brake pads and a chain from the first list.

2manybikes

Do you drink sports drinks or eat more than you would if you were not riding ? Do you use batteries for lights? I know it's not going to make a huge difference, just wondering if you kept track.

SingingSabre 

Do you pay registration on your car and change it's oil regularly?

There's lots of silly overlooked expenses all over the place.

I get by on $15 of gas per week. It used to be $30. Would have been $45 during the $3/gallon phase. Plus, riding is enjoyable and keeps me in shape -- which is really priceless to me.

I think I just went off on a tangent, but I'm not certain. Ha!

nukemm

So far my bike is not any more cost effective than my car, mainly because I just got everything.

Bike: $400
Fenders: $40
Rack: $25
Rack Trunk: $30
Rear Blinkies: $8x2 = $16
Toe Clips: $5.00
Headlight: $25
Mini-Pump: $25
Spare Tube: $5
Patch Kit/Multi-tool: $10
New Tires: $15x2 = $30
Bell: $5
Cyclometer: $30
Wool Socks: $5x3 = $15
Water Bottle Cage: $5
U-Lock: $30
Chain cleaner, brush, lube: $15
Track Pants: $10
Shorts: $10
Jersey: $10

Total: ~$716
Total Miles: 439.6
Cost/Mile: $1.63/mile, $.72/mile if you subtract the initial bike purchase.

I drink water primarily, and I have a Brita tank that I use, so I don't buy bottled water/drinks, and I don't eat enough more to make a difference, usually a banana when I get to work, so I maybe spend $2/week extra on food, certainly much less than I would spend on gas.

mlh122

perhaps someone should try to calculate the costs of commuting vs. recreational riding. like the cost difference if you've been a long time weekend warrior rider and just wanted to convert the old rigid mtb into a valid commuter. your mileage might go from 1000 per year to 8000 per year, and costs of maintenance might go up by 4x (since you were doing some maintenance already), and you'd need some extra accessories: blinkies, rack, packs, clothing? as far as food though i try to not eat much more than i would have if i drove. my commute is only 6 miles. and as far as water i usually take a bottled water from home whether i drive or not, and we have free unlimited distilled drinking water at work so i can refill as much as i want.

banerjek

I've thought about this. Depending on how it is calculated, it's probably around 15 cents/mile if periodic bike purchases and cycling related gifts as well as expenses traveling to rides are counted. However, that includes a health club membership so I can shower, and I have decent (but not insanely expensive) equipment.

However, this figure does not account for the fact that I'd probably spend as much or possibly more on another hobby, nor does it include the savings I incur from keeping around 9,000 commuting miles off the car. It also does not include any allowance for benefits to my health or the fact that I crave whole foods (cheaper even though I eat significantly more) and go lighter on expensive stuff like booze and fancy meats because of my riding. It also does not count the fact that I may be choosing to do some physically difficult jobs myself (as opposed to hiring them out) because of strength/endurance I would not have if I didn't ride so much.

If I had to, I could probably cut my cycling costs by 2/3 or more by selling all but one reliable steel bike, using cheaper components, and only riding locally. However, money should be spent according to priorities. Cycling is consistently the #1 discretionary household expense, but I wouldn't have it any other way, and my wife is OK with that.

nukemm

banerjek makes a good point. I have saved enough by moving closer to work (well, work moved, so I had to move also, though only for the next few months), that by purchasing my bike & accessories I have spent less than I would have spent on gas, had my work location and my home not moved. I, too would be spending quite a bit on another hobby, if I weren't cycling, usually $200-$300/mo on R/C cars, but the nearest decent track is 1.5 hours out of the way... .

mastershake916

Oil changes, wind-shiled wipers, filters, tires, brakes, tune-ups, repairs, insurance.
Count those with the car.

2manybikes

Or course I do and I pay insurance too. All that is included in the AAA estimate. So are typical car repairs. Of course it's only an estimate.

I have been overlooking how much I was paying for drinks on the bike. It's not going to change anything I do or care about, but I was wondering what people were coming up with. It could be a couple of dollars a day for a long commute in the summer if you pay convenience store prices. That's about $60 a month.
I never included tailight batteries either.

nukemm

Does the AAA estimate include the average car payment?

Driving my car right now costs a good bit of $$$, too, far more than my bike.

Payment: $500/mo
Insurance: $100/mo
Gas, Oil, etc.: $50/mo (assuming current use of less than 300 miles/mo)
Total Cost: $650/mo
Cost/mile (at assumed 300 miles/mo): $2.17/mile

Seat heaters when completely frozen & soaking wet: Priceless...

Alawo

That sounds so correct considering total bike costs and car costs. My evaluation showed that bike and car costs can be fairly close depending on the length of the commute. It's all a matter of personal desire for fitness, convenience and well-being.

bmclaughlin807

My light batteries are all rechargeables, so I don't replace them, just charge them up.

I very rarely buy a drink at a convenience store anymore on my commute, in fact I hardly ever drink anything while on my commute at all. (It's 14 miles, I can do that without carrying a drink with me.)

Let's see if I can itemize costs:


Bike 1: $50
Bike 2: $50
Fenders: $30
Rack: $30
panniers: $35
rear light: $20
Front light: $50
pump: $50
seatbag: $10
tires: $25
tubes: $25 (5 @ $5 ea)
bar tape: $10
Freewheel tool: $7
Chain tool: $10
Chain: $20
patch kits: $5
multitool: $12
pedals: $35
shoes: $40
computer: $25

Warm weather clothes: $30
Cold weather clothes: $45

Total: $614
Miles: 3,200

= 19.1 cents per mile

My truck gets 7.7 mpg, so if I was driving it, it would cost me 26.2 cents per mile right now, just for gas.

And yes, my bicycling is one of my main hobbies, right now. I enjoy working on my bike and tweaking it.

ItsJustMe

No sports drinks. I drink water when I get to work. I did eat more before I got into shape, but now that I'm in shape I eat the same or less than I did before. I noticed the same thing when I was in college; when I started playing racquetball 6 hours a week, within a few months I was eating LESS than I had been, and was able to be happy with less sleep than before.

Rechargable batteries. I have no idea how long they'll last so I can't really count them. My HID will die some year too.

HardyWeinberg

I'm scared to look at my cost/mile 'cause I keep swapping parts out and tinkering, figuring that most anything I spend on the bikes is << than a trip to the dealer for the other car, I don't want to find out that it's not...

knobster

I think the only people that can look at something like this are people that only commute. Most people spend way too much on their cycling hobby for a bike to car comparison to make sense. For me, commuting isn't to save money as much as it is just another way to ride a bike. I do it more for fun than I do for anything else. I'd hate to figure out how much per mile it costs me.. Ouch! Spent $200 at REI tonight on biking stuff. Need it to save money? No, just wanted it.

bmclaughlin807

A lot of people have seperate bikes for commuting and general riding, though, so they probably could figure it out.

I use the same bike for both, but I don't have a lot of money to spend on bike stuff, so I keep it reasonable. I could easily spend a lot more money if I had it.

tokolosh

never been able to figure it out, me. but the intangible 'lifestyle' things interest me as much as the straight-up car-vs-bike analysis. here's some of my observations:

- most people who bike to work seem like they also use their cars less in general - not just on the route between work and home. things like trips to the grocery store or the bank or a movie suddenly become 'eh, i can get there by bike'. so there's more gas/parking/wear/tear you're not paying for.

- could be just me. but when i'm biking to work, i tend to wear work clothes only at work, and the general level of laundry-doing seems to drop off.

- general shopping patterns cut both ways, i find. but basically, if i don't buy anything i can't bring home on a bike for a whole year, i'm probably spending less on trivial things that i used to.

someone's probably pointed this one out already. driving to work is just getting to work. but biking to work is getting to work AND getting the exercise most adult north americans know, somewhere in their minds, that they should have. so strictly speaking, if you're comparing the costs you should rack yourself up alongside the costs of someone who's driving to work and also doing whatever it takes him or her to get/be in roughly the same shape as you. gym membership or six-easy-payments-of 39.95 to suzanne somers or what have you. comparing yourself to a burger who just works, sleeps, watches tv and goes to vegas every few years is kind of a false analysis, it seems to me.

Roody

Let's see. The same $120 bike for commuting, recreation and exercise. Probably about $50 a year on parts, $60 on tires and tubes, and $40 on chain lube. I mostly drink water at $0. So that's about $270, even if I bought a "new" bike every year (which I probably do).

Or....$2000 for a car, plus lots for oil and gas, and even more for insurance. Plus gym membership. Plus movies, golf fees, bowling fees, etc., etc.

bmclaughlin807

I haven't driven my truck in 8 months. :-p I actually fixed it today... not that I think I'll put much more use in it. I can haul groceries just fine on my bike, and I ENJOY riding my bike places.

CigTech

Ok if I count the Bike cost of $158.77 over the last 496.1 miles (I got the bike 22 days ago). Then My cost per mile would be $.32 a mile. My car cost $2500.00 (it's a older car 1994) and the cost of the gas $41.47 (gas is $2.09 right now, here) for the same milage. Then the cost of driving my car (at 25 MPG) per mile would be $5.12 a mile. So for the same milage I have saved $4.80 a mile.

Now as far as this year milage goes. Well I have 6137.4 miles this year on the bike. So this would make it:
4 bikes cost $252.77 total.
1 bike outfit at $35.48.
Head light at $19.95
2 computer at $16.99 ea (1 got stolen)
1 chain at $14.95 one
3 sets of tires at $ 50.00 a set

Total $527.03
Cost per mile 8.6 cents for the bike per mile.

For the car $2500.00
Insure 1100.00
tax & title $157.00
Gas $613.74

Total $4370.74
Cost per mile 71.2 cents per mile.

Now the year is not over and I will have about 9,000 miles by the end of the year so the csot by the end of the year will be around:

Bike
1 more tire set $50.00
total 577.03
Cast per mile 6.4 cents a mile

Car
More on gas $286.26
Total $4657.00
Cast per mile 51.7 cents.

nukemm

Is the Cast per mile a typed Boston accent, or is it referring to the arm & a leg cost of gasoline?

CigTech

dwainedibbly

Don't forget to include the value of your improved health because you ride instead of sitting in a cage.