wgaynor

I save $40 a week in gasoline.

SouthFLpix

I estimate $15-$20 a week in gas savings.

Foofy

Not completely true, one can still save money by using a bike to commute to work and do small grocery runs. However, that's only if the bike, components, and accessories are of the cheap yet reliable variety. If someone commutes on a pricey bike of any kind, and only buys components and accessories which are expensive (like a lot of the stuff sold exclusively at cycling shops), then they might not be saving much, if anything at all. One could easily end up spending even more money in the long run. But not all of us bike commuters are into such pricey equipment.

One good, recent example I can provide is my cycling gloves I just bought. Several days ago I was browsing the LBS, and gloves were one of the things I was looking to buy. All the gloves available there cost at least $20. Most were in the $30 range. I decided not to buy gloves from there at the time. When I went grocery shopping at Meijers I stopped in the tools and hardware section and found a pair of gloves for $7.99 that were listed as being good for biking and a few other sport/utility purposes. If those gloves end up lasting as long as the more expensive pairs would and working good enough for my liking, then economically I've benefited. One of the problems with cycling for someone who's looking to commute to save money is that much of the stuff sold at bike shops is very expensive, and it isn't always necessarily better than the cheaper options available.

I'm actually making my own fenders, a la Kent Peterson style. Hoping they work well, so I can avoid spending $40 or more for decent fenders.

uke

Great points. These gloves cost $9, and have served me well. I've bought all my accessories online, and have saved a lot from doing so. The selection is much better, and there are often impossibly nice deals simply unavailable in physical stores--like P7 flashlights, which are stronger than any bike-specific lights you can buy for under $400, yet cost less than $50.

Foofy

Admittedly however I missed the finer points of what I-Like-To-Bike was saying. The really significant savings only comes into play when one is able to accomplish all the tasks they've used a car for with their bike, while owning NO cars at all. That's pretty difficult, if not impossible for most people, because of the nature of an automobile vs. a bicycle. A city's infrastructure is going to have a huge influence aswell.

Foofy

For my lights I bought stuff from the bike shop. On the front is some trek light that I think cost me roughly $25. It's okay, and works decent. If it dies I'll try something cheap from meijers or wherever, and probably attach it to my handlebars with good old duct tape or zip ties.

djkenny

I always spent more conservatively automobile wise than many Americans seem to get into the mode of doing. I have kept my cars...a 92 GTI since 2000 and a 1987 Chevy Sprint since 1992. I know people that buy new cars every 6 to 7 years. I consider that very wasteful.

I rarely drive...maybe 30 miles a month now. My average about 4 years ago was closer to 300 miles a month.


I figure the gas saved would be apprx $100 a month. But my bus passes quickly use up $30 of this amount...there are times when I need to combine biking and bussing it.

I still pay auto insurance as if I DO drive more...essentially the lowest I have found is $800 a year at 2500-6500 miles a year. I think the insurance industry is a total scam. They do not even offer 1000-2500 miles a year options, or $25 a month rates for folks like myself. Lame.

We should get much better breaks for barely driving. Not just $40 discounts over 6 months compared to some chap driving 15k a year!!

My cars need about $4-500 a year average repair, or tune ups, oil changes etc.

I chose to drive my GTI today. The car conked out about 3 months ago. Last night I put a new high quality battery in it at the tune of $100. Then, the same problem came about...lurching and stalling. Was not just a weakening battery.

Just found out the alternator was weak.

Tomorrow I owe $350 for a new Bosch alternator.

Wish I just biked to work today!! Cars so suck.

I felt so much more at peace the last 4 months of barely ever driving.

djkenny

To sum it all up:

IF I went car free - I would save...

$500 a year on gas
$800+ a year on auto insurance
$500 a year on maintenance, repair, tires as needed misc (some years less, some a little more)
$25 a year registration
$22 a year DEQ

$2000 would pay for the paint and boards on our home this year. The new Dutch bike I would love to have. Or, our honeymoon to Hawaii.

I spent about $300 on my bike this year. $220 on nice panniers, $25 on a new PB front light, $40 on a double kick stand, and $60 on 2 new marathon slick tires.

I am very confused on how people did not save at least "something" by bike commuting?? Besides the obvious health benefits. Is it due to tax breaks on gas or ????

Subtracting the bike costs above...I spend around 2 grand a year having 2 older cars around I drive under 2500 miles per year. It is not the 5 and 6 grand people seem to dictate all the time, but it aint chump change either!

stevage

>commuting by bicycle greatly reduces a person's temptation to impulse-buy

It does? I have never ever stopped en route to or from work to impulse buy, while driving. I can't say the same for cycling.

I find I spend the same, but it's on more enjoyable things: food rather than petrol, bike repairs rather than car repairs...

Steve

stevage

I probably speak for a lot of people when I say that if we focussed on riding as a way to save money, we probably wouldn't enjoy it as much. It would just become a chore.

Maybe you save a bit. If so, it's a bonus, but it's not the main reason. Probably better to look at it as a free hobby.

Steve

bjoerges

Going with a 35c/mile estimate (fuel+maintenance), I would estimate that I save about $2.50/day, $75/mo, by cycling as opposed to driving. However, when I made the decision to cycle daily, my wife and I gave her Jeep to her mom. The payment and insurance combo was $185/month. So, all told, $260/month.

bragi

I save about $6000.00/year, but that's mostly because I don't own a car at all any more. Even with really expensive gas prices, the bulk of the cost of driving comes from the costs of actually buying a car: financing (which is crazy with a depreciating asset like a car), insurance, licensing, etc.

That said, the main advantages of commuting by bike are not financial; the advantages mainly come in the form of time saved making your commute your aerobic workout, more calm during the commute, way easier parking, and feeling more connected to your surroundings.

mjwarner

Very short commute for me. ~1 mile 1 way, but I do three round trips a day, five days a week.

Assuming 17MPG for my truck (family's only vehicle) and my yearly work schedule (in academia) I save about $300/year in gas and maintenance on my vehicle. And ride a $35 yard sale find.

But the money is negligible. I just can't justify driving a vehicle 1 mile each trip every day.

PaulH

The salt that they dump on the roads in the winter can rust a car out very quickly. If I had been driving to work for the past 22 years, I might have had to buy several cars instead of just one.

Paul

JugglerDave

I'm at an overall SAVINGS = $1121.71 after 200 round trips, including all expenses and savings (and the original folding bike purchase). 8.5 miles r/t commute plus 20 minute each way Amtrak ride versus 53 miles r/t driving.

So that's about $5.60 per day savings.