BHOFM

In a way, if I paid $1700 for a bike and had to replace the chain
and tires at 1000 miles, I would be looking at Wally Wally's!
That would keep you in bikes for twenty years. And you could
get a tax deduct when you gave the well used ones to Good Will.
There fore,, "0" $ cost of commute! And the walk home from time to
time would be good for you as well.

MikeyBoyAz

tax deduction != tax credit
I think the walk home would be harder on your knees that the ride... thats what I ride a bike for cardio rather than run.

BattleRabbit

Bike: I already had a vintage road bike that I started using for commuting
Rack: Free
Trunk bag/fold down panniers: $35
Helmet: Already owned
Headlight/tail light: Not the best, but already owned some Sigmas. I think they were like $40 together
Spare tube(x2): $10 (had to get some extra spares, just in case)
Frame mount pump: $35 (owned one)
Patch kit: $10 (already had a kit with my bike)
Fenders: $35 @ LL Bean for Cascadias (I had a $5 off discount coupon I got in the mail because my step-mom shops there a lot).

So my new commuting specific outlay was... wait for it... $80. At current prices that is less than the price of filling up my 13 year old VW with 87 octane twice.

*Note, I am not buying any fancy clothes. My spring/summer commute is like 7 miles each way, and I'll be wearing old t-shirts and gym shorts. My school year commute is 18 miles, and I generally have about 30 minutes to do it, so I HAVE to drive.

TuckamoreDew

This kind of of argument is only true if you would have ACTUALLY used the extra time saved to work and earn money.

BattleRabbit

Um, wouldn't your time be more valuable if you made LESS? If you make minimum wage then it is more important that you work and are productive for the maximum number of minutes. If you make $150/hour then proportional to your COL each minute is actually worth less than it is at $7.50(unless you spend in the same proportion as someone making minimum wage, but considering people in high income brackets put MUCH more in savings on average this is unlikely).

dynodonn 

During the winter months I can, at times, wear out a chain in a 1000 miles, and I've had one brand of tire have the tread separate from it's casing at around 1200 to 1500 miles like clock work. I since changed tire brands, but the chain life is all up to the severity of the winter. The glow on saving a few bucks quickly goes out when stranded with or have to walk home pushing a cheap bike during a dark stormy winter night.

InTheRain

LIke I said, I'm diabetic. Recommending beans, rice, potatoes, legumes, and flour (a processed carbohydrate) to a diabetic is akin to recommending a bike commuter cross a 10 lane freeway with a blindfold. Carbohydrates are exactly what a diabetic is supposed to avoid. Diabetes is a carbohydrate metabolism disorder. A diabetic that wants to be in control will learn to fuel his exercise activities with fats and proteins. There are plenty of studies that indicate a carbohydrate rich diet is not healthy... even for non diabetics.

Anyway, that was not very related to the cost of commuting, other than I'll confirm that carbohydrates are the cheapest thing you can buy in a grocery store... and in most cases the most worthless thing you can buy in a grocery store with the exception of some fruits and nuts (which generally are more fat and protein than soluble carbohydrate) - which in themselves are not "cheap."

guitarplayerone

First post :wave:

:
400 for diamondback insight with 28c armadillos
160 for maintenance over three years
60ish for sks full fenders
30 for rear rack
37 for a bike pump
35 in tubes
260 for a chrome berlin with all the fixins (and totally worth it, as a student who needs to make sure the graphing calculator, textbooks, notes, hw, etc are all and always totally dry)

having a good reason to finally quit smoking (and succeeding) (again):
priceless

FWIW My car broke down in January. I used to commute to and from school. Get there in the same time as I do via car (3 miles of relatively steep urban potholey gradient). I was going to buy a new car from my summer earnings but **** it, why? I'll spend 10k on paying off most of my student loans, 1.5k to splurge on some really nice fairweather commuter/touring bike, and save the rest for taking my girlfriend out to thai food whenever I want without needing to really budget.

Interesting factor, our relationship has become much closer now that we both commute everywhere via bike.

guitarplayerone

Indeed. When I used to lift, I was simultaneously running a ketogenic diet to increase insulin sensitivity. At the same time I was commuting a mere 60 miles a week, granted at maximum intensity, and lifting, and swimming. My food costs were at least 100 a week to make up 3000+kcals in fats and protein, if not twice that. I still continued to lose weight (and gain strength) until bottoming out at 155 at 5'11.

Though not to be a d*** but wouldn't sweet potatoes in small portions help a lot with calorie/carb intake without raising the blood sugar too much (last I recall they were relatively low GI). Especially coupled to some fiber/ other sort of slowly digesting material?Also, buckwheat is pretty good, but then again I am not a diabetic

cyccommute 

I know a thing or two about diabetes. I've lived with an insulin dependent diabetic for 35 years. She's been insulin dependent for 40 years. She doesn't avoid carbohydrates, she just has to account for them and plan accordingly. She doesn't eat a high fat/high protein diet nor do I. She doesn't eat a lot of simple sugars which spike her blood sugars too quickly but does eat a lot of complex carbohydrates, like potatos, rice, beans legumes, etc. that release the carbohydrates to the body...the muscles in particular... slowly over time. That slow release is what keeps blood sugar from spiking. The only time she eats simple carbohydrates is when she overestimates her insulin demands and her blood glucose levels fall to low. She also tends to eat more simple carbohydrates when exercising (like bicycle riding) because they are used quickly.

I've also been riding bicycles regularly...3 to 5 times a week...for 30+ years while reading and researching my nutritional needs. Bodies don't need fat and protein for fuel. They need carbohydrates. In fact your body will convert protein and fat to carbohydrates in order to fuel the muscles. Convert too much fat and protein to fuel and you'll screw up your blood chemistry. Convert too much and your blood chemistry will go so far out of whack that it becomes life threatening. That's how my wife was found to be a Type I diabetic. She was hospitalized following a dramatic weight loss (25 lbs from a 90lb girl) and on the edge of a ketoacidosis coma.

Leebo

Blood pressure 108\78 pretty good, priceless. MY commute is abut 17 miles 1 way. 1 hour by car, 15 minutes more by bike. I like bike, better for my clarity of thinking and peace of mind.

slcbob

This thread has run amok from a fairly simple starting premise.

From food it is a slippery slope to saying I drove my car once to shop for bike stuff, and I buy stuff online, so my car, computer, and internet bills are costs of commuting. Damn, that bike is EXPENSIVE!!

OTOH, I use my bike to get home after I drop off my car for service, so I guess the bike is really an accessory to the car. Damn, that bike is FREE!!

Bottom line, it's fun to ride. I think I will right now. Hasta.....

buzzman

I am always astounded at these "How much it really costs to commute by bicycle" threads. Simply track as any nation with an extremely low average annual wage moves to higher average annual wages- ie. China, India, Vietnam etc. as they go from basic transport by bicycle to motorized transport and private automobiles. Anyone spending as much or more to commute by bike as they do by private auto has to be so materialistically addicted to buying unnecessary, overpriced crap and/or lacking basic, common economic sense that they deserve to be sucked dry of their financial resources.

john426

Dear Cyclist5:

I think your prices are very high. I commute every day all year with a BSO (bicycle shaped object). I bought the bike from Craigslist for $ 35.00. I bought the fenders from a garage sale for $ 10.00. I got cheap schwinn panniers for $22.00 from Wal mart. My local bike shop was having a sale so I got a topeak rear rack for $ 25.00. A lock was $20.00 and a neighbor sold me his wife's helmet becuase she said "it messed up her hair". My bike is ugly, but that makes it less attractive to thieves. I only wear regular clothing becuase I am too heavy to wear lycra or spandex. My commute is only 7 miles so you need to factor this into the mix.

For repair work I go to a bike co-op. I have to do the work myself, but someone is there ti help me do the job right. I only pay the wholsale costs for parts.

As far as I can tell commuting by bike is very very inexpensive.

John

InTheRain

Well, I'll just keep following the advice of my doctor who is a specialist in internal medicine who recommends that I stay away from carbohydrates as much as possible. As he says, "rice and potatoes for a diabetic are like cigarettes for a lung cancer patient... they'll kill you." When I am compliant with a low-carb or no-carb diet, my insulin requirements are between 10-20 percent of what they would be on a diet that is 50 percent carbohydrate. You're wife sounds like she was diagnosed as a child with type I diabetes... she will always be insulin dependent until there is a cure. However, people with Type II diabetes that are on insulin have been shown to become free of insulin use with low-carb diets and weight loss. However, I have not met a doctor that would recommend a diet that includes potatoes, flour, and rice for any diabetic.

And yes... those are an inexpensive food source, but not a very good source of nutrition. For me, keeping my commuting costs down by purchasing those foods would only increase my healthcare costs by a significant amount more than I could "save" by commuting by bicycle. Like I have mentioned earlier - I don't commute to save money. I'm sure there are a lot of folks like me that do it because it's fun and improves their health... you can pay more or less for your equipment, accessories, and fuel.

CptjohnC

A couple of factors come into play here: 1) most minimum wage workers are slaves to a schedule that is set for them -- perhaps they can work more hours or have a second (or third) job, or perhaps not. Few are self employed. Therefore, they might not have the option to be 'more productive' -- and they certainly can't really afford the alternative of a reliable private automobile in many cases.

High wage workers tend to be either a) professionals or b) self employed of one sort or another. Both generally want to work as much as possible either because each incremental hour is that much extra in their pocket or because that's what it takes to remain competitive in one's field -- and thereby keep said high paying job. As such, the 'cost' of that extra half hour or more of commute time might be 100% of that high pay.

So sure, the 'value' in terms of basic living isn't there, but the value in terms of 'lifestyle' is very high.

BattleRabbit

Then for the professional/self employed person wouldn't the solution be to just correct for the bicycle time differential? I don't understand at all why a longer commute would negate your high pay. If you're that industrious you'd just get up earlier and get to work at the appropriate time for your commitments.

I'm in a weird position, I make about 40% more than minimum wage but I make my own schedule. I do however live with a lawyer, so I know how these supposed "professional schedules" go. He traveled a lot to different courts/chambers for work(so a bike wasn't at all practical), but for a high paid professional who stays in the same building all day, why not ride?

Also, with one exception none of the higher paid professionals I know are paid by the hour. They're all on salary and get to work at the same time as all their coworkers. My uncle, who is a business owner is a proponent of the "36 hour work day," but he works in theater so it's all in flux there all the time

MVclyde

The only time I really worry about cost is when my wife is home when the UPS guy drops off a package. Then I have some explaining to do.......

When I started commuting, my cost was basically zero. I rode the bike I already owned, used the backpack that I already had, wore the cycling clothes that I normally wore. Over time, I've probably sunk $2000 into a commuter bike that I built up with a rack, fenders, pannier, good wheels/tires, lights and clothing to make my commute more comfortable. I didn't need to spend all that money, but cycling is my hobby and I enjoy buying gear and tinkering with my bike.

Max C.

Bike: Generic Road Bike assembled with love and tender "Get this POS outta my shop" by my LBS $150
Helmet: $45 but I've had it for years
Maxpedition Backpack: $40 because I got a deal
Top Tube Pack: $8
Patch kit + tube: $5 + $4
Clothes (1 set): I wear regular shorts or BDU pants that are part of my hiking gear
Gloves: $25
Headlights (3x high output LED) : $20 because my LBS loves me
Tail Light: $20
Repair/Maintenance: I turn my own wrenches

Total cost: $317

I ride the subway and ride ~6.5 Miles three days per week to get to an internship. Would an $800 bike be nicer? Sure, but it wouldn't make me particularly faster considering I tend to hit every red light with the rest of the cars in Downtown LA .

I might add a Rack and make/buy a bag so figure another $20-$60 depending on how "roll your own" I go.

Now considering a tank of gas runs me $60 and I'd be spending an extra tank of Gas every week or week and a half because of rush hour traffic each way... even having a $1000 setup will amortize out quite nicely rather quickly seeing as I'm doing it for $3/round trip ($36/month) + some sweat v.s. an additional $120+ of gas per month for a year (the length of my internship).

Chuck K.

I think you're fairly close to what I spent to become a bike commuter nine months ago (though I sometimes still commute by car). The biggest difference is that I purchased my bike used for $475 (a 2006 Giant OCR 3). But I could have easily spent the $800 you estimate.

Re the bigger picture, though (and FWIW) here are my thoughts. Bike commuting is not free or ever super low cost to get started. However, most of the costs are upfront. The ongoing costs are pretty darn low. I started with unrealistically low spending expectations, so I think you are smart to have done this homework -- it can help set expectations. And budget, too. Regardless, over time it's much less expensive than taking public transport or driving. (I don't bike for cost reasons. I do it because of the sheer enjoyment.)

Regardless, taking up biking nine months ago is one of the best things I've done in a while. If you can swing it at all, and your commuting route is safe (an essential condition), I'd say go for it. Shave upfront costs where and if possible, and acquire better things as you go. (There's always next year's birthday!) I purchased one headlight, which was $120, not two. You might be able to get by with one and obtain a second one later. But there will be some minimum outlay, and your estimate may not be that far off.

FYI, I went for the Topeak rack (QuickTrack) and the Topeak trunk bag with built-in panniers. (Which are panniers for commuting, not touring.) These are simply great. You may want to consider checking them out. (I did not want to wear a backpack, but that's a personal preference. The backback would be a cheaper way to start of course.)

Also good IMHO, are the NiteRider 250 headlight and Blackburn Flea lights (for blinkies), which serve me well. I also purchased a Cateye computer, which I am NOT wild about. (I have a Bontrager 4W on another bike, which I think is superior. I've also heard good things about Planet Bike cycling computers.)

Good luck!

cyccommute 

The American Diabetes Association certainly doesn't have a problem with them.

On plate building:

I can find nothing on the ADA website that says if you eat beans, rice, potatoes or flour that you will die. Certainly nothing equating eating those complex carbohydrates that is equated with health risks like smoking

Considering that the ADA has many MDs with specialties in diabetes and many PhD nutritionists as members, I'd tend to trust them. Having a 40 year history with the ADA doesn't hurt.

As for my wife, yes she is a Type I. I said that. But Type I's food intake is much more critical than a Type II. You still produce a little insulin which is the case in almost all Type II diabetics. My wife produces no insulin. She is much, much more sensitive to blood glucose levels. A miscalculation in the amount of insulin or the amount of carbohydrate she takes in can be deadly. If she takes too much of the former and not enough of the latter, she can be in serious trouble. I've had to attend to her twice...thankfully only twice...because she had dropped her blood sugar levels to the point of going into convulsions. The treatment? Carbohydrates. Simple ones. Quickly.

The consequences for a Type II aren't nearly as severe.


Potatoes, rice, beans, legumes, flour (whole wheat and unbleached) are very good sources of nutrition...with the possible exception of unbleached flour and white rice. Everything I've read on diets for cycling and for my wife have all said the same thing for the past 30+ years. It's the same diet I...and my diabetic wife...have been eating for the last 30 years, too. On the advice of her doctors (about a dozen since they keep retiring on her) and nutritionists.

cyccommute 

It depends largely on priorities. I have a truck that is 12 years old. I don't drive it much but do keep it because I use it for travel to mountain lakes. I've thought of replacing it with something more fuel efficient but why bother? I put about 1 tank of gas in it every 6 weeks or so. The rest of the money I'd spend on a new vehicle, taxes, higher insurance, etc., I can plow into what I really love...bicycling (and fly fishing). Yes, I have a typical Colorado car where the bikes on top are several factors more expensive then the car holding them up.

If someone stole my truck, I'd probably thank them. If they touched my bikes, I'd eviscerate them

monsterpile

I think what this thread shows is that the costs of commuting vary widely. Its fun to calculate stuff and hear other people's opinions.

When I first started commuting it was with a grand total of $5 for a crappy kids huffy mountain bike with a broken shifter which meant i rode artound 5 miles each way with 6 speeds on a bike way to small for me. I guess my total spending should have been another $5-$10 for a lock, but I didn't think it would get stolen a couple months later. The next bike was a $10 Panasonic road bike and a used helet for $15 total. I didn't know what a good bike I had so I spent $20 on a pretty decent used Huffy mountain bike (I think it was the top of their line when it was built LOL) a few weeks later and loaned out the Panansonic and never saw it again. Still with all my floundering and lack of basic knowledge I commuted for over a year to school and work a few times a week for less than $50. Heck I loaded up that Huffy with a tent sleeping bag etc for a couple nights of camping (without a rack of any kind) and rode over 10 miles one way to one of my favorite camping spots in the summer. I rode what I could afford at the time (I have never been more poor in my entire life than during that period) and honestly those bikes served me plenty well.

Bottom line is if you have a bike ride it to work or school. It doesn't have to cost a ton of money. Spending more money can certainly make the expereince better there is no doubt about that, but its not always nessasary. I have no problem with people who spent what the OP has mentioned and more, but you don't have to spend that kind of money to commute by bike either even longer distances. To me its just great if people are out there riding whether its full kit road bike riders or someone with regular cloths on a squeaky ratty looking Huffy mountain bike which would have been me 10 years ago riding through the neighborhood I now live in. =)

toddles

You're a dumb sh*t. I like you already.

Correction: My tires are still going strong at 1500 miles but I did replace the chain at 700 (A lot of winter riding). But who cares?? Plan for maintenance.

idc

My wife is also a Type I diabetic. I agree with what you said on pretty much everything here. The only thing I want to add is that a lot of Type I diabetics know more about diabetes than doctors/medical professionals because they live with the disease 24/7. Saying that all diabetics should avoid all carbs is a dated concept.