I do my laundry, and I have to say that Tide is not cheaper than All. Here's why:

...oh, never mind.

I love these threads...

According to the IRS... the cost of operating a motor vehicle is $0.55 per mile. This number goes up and down with fuel prices. Add tolls and parking to this. For me, this equates to $17.60 per day for my 32 mile round trip commute. But... the 0.55 per mile includes the cost of insurance, so you would have to "sell / get rid of the car" for a closer apples-to-apples comparison... So, I use $15.00 per day as my break even number for cash flow purposes, and based on everything that I have ever spent on the bike, I had to ride it 133 days to work. I killed that in my first year of commuting, am on my third year now, so I have been "banking" the savings, a portion of which I will put into a replacement bike some day. This assessment does not take into account that I've gone from 218 pounds to 182 pounds during the period, so I assume that I am healthier, but at a minimum, the weight loss has dramatically cut the number of spokes that I have broken!

Perhaps for you it doesn't save money, but I would think it would save the average person money.

For what it's worth, I just sold my car, and my cost per mile was about $0.25. I drove a used (7 years old when purchased) reliable (honda) compact (civic) car, and put a decent amount of miles on it per year (20k). My bike is in the same range when I count only my commuting miles (so all my recreational miles are "free"), but again I ride an older Mt bike. Driving a new, high performance car (or bike) will cost more than average, and vice-versa.

Of course, my cost analysis doesn't account for the health benefits many people mentioned. Ultimately, for me it is about quality of life instead of quantity of life (though biking will likely increase both).

My alternative to bike commuting is mass transit, which only costs me $3.50 round trip. That mass transit money is untaxed, so it's really more like $2.50 out of my pocket.

Gym next to work for locker/shower is $55/month, so if I commute by bike full time, I just about pay for that each month (22 times at 2.50 each). So basically any bike related expense (tubes, tires, maintenance, capital cost) is out of pocket and costs me more.

However, still worth it to me because of the time saved. My commute takes the same amount of time whether it is by bike or mass transit. So I figure it saves me about an hour each night because I don't need to go out and get any other exercise. Plus bike commuting is much more pleasant than being sardined together with a few thousand other people on the train.

Wait, what? Over the past year OR two? Is it one year, or two? This is important information.
3 hours? 3? I can't wrap my head around this statement at all. I could tune my entire bike, and give my car a tune up, oil change, and brake job in 3 hours.

Mile-for-mile a car is always more expensive. This data has been crunched for decades. Comparing car tires to bike tires is ridiculous. If they made bike tires like car tires, you'd have 25 pounds of steel-belted crap hanging off your ride. This is like comparing a diesel engine to a solid-fuel rocket. And how many miles a year do you put on your bike? Even if you rode 4k a year, that's only $80 (according to your math) for bike tires. For my car, that's roughly 2 tanks of gasoline, and with today's gas price (2.54), I'd only get 592 miles out of it. If I only drove my car 592 miles a month, at that same price, that's 7104 miles a year, at a total cost of $960

How is this "obvious"? What is this "more freedom" you are referring to? Freedom is based on perception, nothing more. What is more mobile than a bike?

Ensured? So, if I get hit by a semi-truck while driving my car, "safety regs" will ensure that I'll be OK? Interesting.

BTW: I was the victim of a hit-and-run while riding my bike in Atlanta and had 22 stitches put in my leg, a cracked helmet, etc. Bell replaced my helmet for free, the LBS fixed my bike for free, and I paid a minimal hospital bill. On the other hand, at one time I had a truck that someone (no insurance) backed into. $1600 later, the bumper was fixed. The lawyer and court costs were too high for me, so I ate the money.

More people are killed in vehicle-related deaths (USA) than bicycle deaths every year. What's so bad about it taking longer? Practicing patience tends to make people more even-keeled, especially when exercising. I'm not touching the "toxic fume" topic. There are enough studies to prove this statement wrong.

I think you should wash some of these statements. This doesn't promote bicycle commuting, or alternative transportation by telling people it will cost them more. I may be the only ***hole here, but you are dead wrong in your cost comparisons. I've spent the better part of the last year riding my bike and using public transportation ($64 a month),
and can state AS FACT that it's more cost-effective than driving -> period. I'll post my personal yearly car costs if you'd like.

Personally, I'm healthier and happier because of riding. That's cheaper than doctor visits, gym memberships, & therapy.

And yes, I had nothing else to do this morning than respond to this post.:love:

Many cars now come with cabin air filters which would change things up a bit.

As for me, I feel like I smell pollution more often, but that doesn't mean I get more pollution.

If a bike makes you car free, it's a no brainer, commuting saves you lots of money, even if you roll on a big $$$$$ CF rig.

If it just means your car gets less miles put on it and you spend a lot on an expensive bike and lots of expensive fredly gear and you pay to have someone wrench on your bike, then yes, I would say that bike commuting costs you some, maybe even a lot. And it's worth every penny!!!

I bought my bike used and turn my own wrenches. I also have a bad habit of blowing off getting out of bed at 4:30 and end up driving. So, I would say that I'm somewhere close to break even. If I rode more often, I'd be a little ahead of the game.

Ok, I'll bite.

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.

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.

I think it depends on the individual circumstances. For some it may not be cheaper. If you live close to work and park for free it would be hard to justify, although I'd still work the math.

In my case though, @ $65 a week in tolls, and $120 a month in parking not to mention the wear and tear on the car it's easy to justify. That said however, it would be cheaper if I would stop buying expensive bikes and accessories :)

I think I've spent more time this year changing car flats than bike flats. I've changed two car flats and probably about the same number on a bicycle. Although I suppose I've driven much further than I've ridden but still... It's a good thing that car flats are rare because they're a pita.

To keep it simple I'll stick with $$$ comparison for now.

Maintenance of a bike, if you have the resources (bike manual, internet, fellow cyclist, etc.) is VERY low cost especially if you don't run to the LBS for every little thing. Learning to be self-sufficient is quite rewarding.

Within the last month I've built up my new primary bike. The cost I pay for gas within 2 months would be the full cost my bike build + some. This includes commuting to the store, around town, and work. I like that trade off.

Monthly maintenance cost is so low it's almost negligible;

$5 bottle of lube that lasts me a couple months for several bikes.
$10 bottle of polish to keep several bikes shiny and clean.

And that's pretty much it. All minor adjustments can be done on your own and larger repairs that you don't feel you can handle can be done at the LBS. Obviously we can't predict the future and there may be unfortunate events that force you to replace components, but hey it's going to be a lot cheaper than replacing stuff on a car.

Let's see....used bike from goodwill $16
2 new chains (1 when I first bought the bike and the second after 2000+ miles on the other chain) $40
1 set of tires: $40

Total: $96

Car gets 30 mpg so 4000 = 133 gallons. At 2.00/ gallon = $266
One oil change = $30
So far, $296 for the car and I haven't taken into account wear and tear. So, yes, commuting on a bike is a lot cheaper.

Only about 30 million of the 250 million cars on the road have cabin air filters. Of those, I wonder how many have activated carbon filters and not just HEPA filters. And, of the ones that do have activated carbon, how often are they changed and what is their capacity? Add in the VOC from the car's interior and a little heat, a little NOX from outside, light and you can make your very own ozone in the car!

Buying monthly bus passes for the year would cost me about $500/year. I ditched the car and started bike/bus commuting two years ago--if I don't spend another penny on my bikes for three more years, I'll be back to break-even with taking the bus every day. Most of that money went for a new bike, tools, and clothing, and I'm pretty well stocked now, so from here on in I'll just be buying consumables and things I want, rather than need.

On the other hand, I've never taken the long way home on the bus just for fun. It's only money, after all. They print more every day.

My 2008 costs:

$30 for approx 3 tubes and two Michelin Dynamic tires per year. I ride with Mr Tuffies, which really cut down on flats.
$10 got a used 105 derailer. (I shop U-Pull-It for car parts, similar joints for bike parts)
$1 new shifter cable
----
$41

I have a tubular wheelset for pleasure cruises, so I don't count the approx $100 a year I spend on those tires.

Cars, in my experience, are far more costly to own and operate than a bicycle. Newer cars require far less maintenance, but they cost much more up front and have higher taxes and insurance. Cheaper, older cars cost less up front but (in my experience) require $1000-$2000 per year in major maintenance in addition to regular maintenance costs (oil changes, etc).

A good bicycle will outlast most cars, and the maintenance costs - even when using very good quality parts - cannot approach the costs of operating a car.

I have always turned my own wrenches on my bikes, which I find easy, enjoyable, and saves the majority of the cost and inconvenience of having a shop do it. I'd say on average I might spend a couple hours a month (max) on basic bike maintenance, and 5-6 hours once a year doing an overhaul (repacking bearings, cleaning and/or replacing cables, truing wheels, etc, etc, etc).

So, in my experience, the bike always wins.

First I save about $50-$60 a week in gas alone.
I spent about $20 on by commuting bike last year, tire tube and some chain oil.

Now your hi cost as I see it was mostly operator error from not maintaining your bike and keeping things adjusted. :)

I'm reminded of a few things.

The first image that comes to mind is me in the bike lane zipping past cars stuck in traffic crossing the bridge into or out of DC at rush hour. Are they more free or more mobile than me then? And the fact that my old commute, via Metro, took ohe hour door-to-door. By bike, 35 minutes in the saddle and 15 minutes to shower and change at work - that's faster than the train and I don't need the 15 minutes to shower when it's cooler (i.e., the six months of the year from November through April) which makes it even faster!!!

Second, a Top Gear episode years ago where they sat and actually counted how many cars had more than one passenger in them. Their experience? Almost no one had extra passengers at rush hour, and that was on a motorway in the UK where fuel costs a hell of a lot more than here. My own eyes have shown me that almost no one is ride-sharing in the cars I see on my commute, either. So who exactly is taking advantage of this "carrying capacity of people"?

As for cargo, I have yet to encounter an occasion when I had so much to carry home or to work that it would not fit comfortably in my backpack or in a good set of panniers (if I had them).

Interesting, too, that you should use the term carrying capacity, which in its truest form is an ecological term, of course, referring to the ability of an ecosystem to support a population of a certain species. Earth's carrying capacity for humans is most certainly affected more adversely by car commuting than by bike commuting, but I'll leave that one aside. The environmental benefits of cycle commuting seem to be in the same category for you as the health benefits. That is, something to be ignored because they shift the cost savings comparison even further in favor of bikes...

As for cold hard cash (time savings, health, environmental benefits aside):
Driving is hardly a commute option for me. I just refuse to spend that much money for parking, esepcially when I can bike commute nearly as fast as I can make it by car at the same time of day. I commuted by Metro before. Over $5 RT per day in fares. Purchase of bike, accessories, and some minor repairs will have paid for themselves by the end of the summer (i.e., within the first 6 months of bike commuting).



Even though I'm trying to get more exercise and have been bike commuting for months now, I'm still a couch potato at heart. Is that my inner tuber? :roflmao2:

lol I don't commute to save money, I commute because I love to ride my bike.

It is a great way for me to get in more exercise.

It takes me only about 15 longer to commute by bike then it does to drive, that includes my clean up time.

I don't really eat anymore then normal and tend to eat healthier choices when I exercise more. So more fruits and veggies.

Shop around online for good deals on things like tires and tubes. Auto parts store for your chain lube. I spent $60 total for a pair of schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, over 1500 miles on them and they still look like new.

Did anyone who ever started this type of thread stop to think, "maybe it isn't about the money for everyone who commutes."? Because it seems to be a common misconception that money is the only reason to commute.

Maybe some of us hate to drive and hate dealing with other drivers even worse.

Stretching for an argument? Because mobility has nothing to do with expense.

I commuted 90+ miles a day by car for along time and I've also commuted to and from Boston by train, I'm done with commuting long distances for work. I wouldn't work farther than 20 miles from where I live and that is an easy biking distance. So for me, it's not an issue.

Still stretching a thin argument, because carrying capacity has nothing to do with expense. If anything it has to do with convenience. If you're going to be car-free, you learn to adjust your needs and routines.


Oh boy.:rolleyes:

-My friends son had his upper lip detached from his face by an air bag. The air bag caused all of his injuries.

-People are killed daily in car accidents. Even people in Volvo's, widely considered the safest car on the road.

-Sub-compacts are death traps, their safety ratings are universally awful, you're safer on a bike.

-There are alot of cars that have been built that passed federal standards, but proved to be fatally flawed. The Ford Pinto for instance, had a problem of exploding when it was hit in the rear by another car.

You're still breathing when you're in a car, cars are not hermetically sealed, you're still being exposed to fumes, especially when you're stuck in traffic.

Look, it sounds like your trying to argue for bikes, but still - where the heck did you come up with this "statistic"? Sounds like it came out of the "stuff I made up on the spot" department. :innocent:

ok, I'll give this a go,
Spent
Old bike given to me $0.00
New rear derailleur $11.95
brack cable $2.50
Patch kit 2 ea. $7.98
new floor pump $8.99
new mini pump $10.99
New seat $0.00
Sold a old bike $45.00
Sold a MTB frame $15.00
Sold a road Frame $25.00
Sold road bars $10.00

Just today I found a MTB and old road frame being though out. So pick them up, one over each sholder, and take them home. I just got home with them. Oh and I was commuting back home from a $30.00 commputer jobe I had. I have a vommputer company. I bike to all the jobs I get around town.

See when I'm out riding I look for old bikes being through out. Fix them then resale them.

So for the year I have spent $42.41 and parts and tools. Made $115.00 and now I still have to frames to sell.

Lets see you do that in a car!

What's more mobile than a bike? A car.

A car can go 3 times faster, there's more routes for cars that are inaccessible by bike (freeways, interstates), a car still goes nearly as fast in the winter as it does in the summer, and does not require changing clothes for longer rides or taking a shower at either end (some days are so hot you'll sweat standing still - a car has an air conditioner) and allows you to carry stuff without pre-planning and at the same speed you go without carrying stuff.

Now you don't get any exercise in a car, a car is rather expensive, you have more of a headache with parking in the city, and you might just enjoy biking more. But in the context of looking for a job, there's no doubt (yeah, I'm sure there's some sort of special situation kind of exception, but in general) that a car let's you travel farther to find a job than you would be able to (reasonably) by bike, and thus it's more mobile.

Bikes are fun.
I always want to ride to work, especially if I move to a new city.