squegeeboo

First Bike - '06, 400ish
Second Bike - '07, 2200
Third Bike -'10, 500ish

Accumulated clothing/gear/etc - 2000ish?

Bike repairs - 2000ish? Each year cleaning/maintenance is around 200, except for the year it was 600


So, at least 7K, that I can remember. And that's all since Summer of '06.

CenturionIM

1800 in for 3 bikes in half a year. Selling one, though.

no motor?

That's what I thought, very nice indeed.

wphamilton

OP, are you going to tabulate the responses and make a nice chart for the thread? It's a tradition you know

windhchaser

we have around 420 bucks in my new 2012 felt nine flow ,then i bought 2 street tires for it and 2 new tubes for 40 bucks.they claim to be kevlar lined

CCrew

Hmm... Given no single bike is dedicated to commuting, I have about $25k tied up.

But I'm saving money dammit!

vol

Please vote for the poll I posted 2 years ago on the General Discussion forum:

Have you spent more $$$ on bike accessories that ride with you than the bike itself?

I think it's more relevant when comparing to the cost of the bike itself (a $100 used bike and a $5000 high-end road bike should be treated differently).

P.S. This does not include clothing but helmets.

P.P.S.: Just found out the poll has been closed

WickedOne513

More intent is to take an average across the results and present the results for an initial cost on average and then an annual cost. Most of the results here are limited but I am also polling local riders.

For example I only have 6 months of commuting:
Cost for that six months so far is:
Caad 8 105 - $1350
New tires (armadillo tires) $80 for the set
Seat pack $25
Lights $85
Jacket $200
Helmets(2) $120
toolkit $60

So for my first six months my cost is $1920, future purchase plans are
Brighter lightes $800
New chain lock $120
Replacement to older DZR shoes (two pair)$240
Bag $160

Total first year purchases are $3240, not to include warming layers.
As of right now and future purchases with my mileage as of today, it cost me $8.69 dollar per mile.

As my mileage goes up I understand that they cost will go down per mile to the point of saving per mile my hope is to take that average from all input and produce a median result of transfer from initial cost to savings.

ThermionicScott 

I don't want to know what I spent on bike stuff this year -- it's probably in the four figures. I applaud people who can just pick up a yard sale mountain bike and commute on that, but I can't resist the urge to swap parts and modify my stuff.

The Chemist

Since I started commuting in April 2011:
Bikes:
FCR3500 (new) - 3200RMB
FCR3300 (second hand) - 1000RMB

Wheels:
Shimano RS10 - 1000RMB
Fulcrum Racing 7 - 1490RMB

Accessories:
Computer - 100RMB
Lock - 40RMB
Floor Pump - 100RMB
Bells (gone through quite a few - I need them a LOT here in Shanghai) - ~75RMB
Lights (including the taillight I lost when it fell off and the front light that broke) - 650RMB
Clothing (shorts, jerseys, winter tights, shoes, waterproof boots, jackets, gloves) -2500RMB
Rack and lockable box: 350RMB
Brooks Saddle - 600RMB

Consumables:
Tires, tubes, grips, tube patch kits, lube, brake pads, chains, cassette, bottom bracket, etc - at least 1200RMB

Other stuff that I've acquired that I am not listing here because they were gifts: Garmin eTrex 30 GPS, Air Zound, Planet Bike Fenders, Mr Tuffy Tire Liners

Stuff that I bought ages ago that I'm still using: Shimano SPD pedals, Mountain Equipment Co op panniers, Trek anatomical saddle

Total cost to me since April 2011: 12300RMB (CDN$1958)
Cost per kilometre: 0.969RMB/km (CDN$0.16/km)

buffalowings

Someone stop me..I am really tempted to spend an additional $239.99 on a Vuelta Corsa Lite wheelset... ;_;

CenturionIM

hmm interesting. somehow, parts in China are more expensive even though that's where they are made.

ItsJustMe

Since the only cycling I do is for commuting, I guess I've spent probably $1500. $300 for the bike, another $500 or so replacing or upgrading stuff, probably some clothing, and a lot of screwing around with gadgets including many helmet cams at this point. Actually the cameras probably add $1000 on their own. I use them for other stuff though so I don't know if they count 100%.

KonAaron Snake 

Which helmet cams did you like? I recently bought a Contour but haven't gotten around to setting it up yet.

wphamilton

I'm not sure an average is going to be really useful. I'm at about 9 cents per commuting mile, including the initial price of two bikes over the 2 1/2 years that I've tracked. Maybe 6 cents/mile if I consider all miles. Your projected cost is 100 times higher than mine. We're obviously doing different things with our respective commutes, so averaging your $8.69 and my $0.09 doesn't shed much light. Other than someone could commute at that price, but he'd really be doing something different again from either of us. So although I was joking something like a Bell curve would be more informative.

seansimp925

Around $1500.

I ride a pretty much stock Giant Seek 0 and just did a Nuvinci N360 conversion for this year.

arsprod 

I've had the same bike for 18 years, same panniers for about 10, some cycling clothing for about that long so amortized out it's probably about $75 a year (see how you can justify stuff!). In the last year I've bought stuff specifically for fall/winter commuting which is new for me. I had quite a bit of stuff from winter motorcycling, but this year I've bought:

- Novaro tights, $80
- (2) merino sweaters, $60
- new PI shoes, $75
- new Teva winter boots, $75
- DX extreme headlight, batts, charger - $35
- Performance rack case (so much extra junk to carry now) - $40
- Gore helmet cover, $30
- Thermo Soles heated insoles, $85 (on sale at Smarter Image)
- lots of wool socks, new balaclava, long johns, various sundries, another $50 or so

Total $530, hmmm... less than I thought it's been. I figure in the last month I've saved $650 in car expense (using .59 a mile) so that's at least $119 free money. What can I buy!? I need a new jacket...

BTW, I always wear cycling clothing for my 11m each way commute. If I had a shorter ride I think I might consider street clothes, but I don't think it's a big deal to carry work clothes and change when I get to the office.

tdsherman325

I paid $40 for my ten speed at a pawn shop. It's an '84 Murray. Most of the stuff I put on it I either already had or got for free.

Pedals - Salvaged from a mtb my sister-in-law was tossing. $0
Handlebars - Salvaged from my wife's old bike after she bent the frame. $0
Grips - Bell from Wal-Mart. $7
Brake levers - Salvaged from aforementioned sister-in-law's mtb. $0
Headlight - Used LED flashlight from garage sale + Wald flashlight bracket - $15
Fenders - Wald off of Amazon. $30

So, $92 for parts. I'm gonna have to get new wheels+tires+tubes after the wreck so I'll probably have $200 or so sunk into it by the time I can ride it again. Right now I'm riding my wife's single speed, which we paid $50 for. I don't think I've had to do anything to it yet.

I ride in my work clothes when I'm commuting, and in my regular clothes when I'm not. I don't have any bicycle-specific clothing. My commute's only 7 miles round-trip, though.

arsprod 

great thread, went to REI last night and spent my remaining $119

acidfast7

2010 Cube Acid
ABUS Bordo lock
Water bottle
Watter bottle holder
Locking skewers

790€

Helmet

100€

Lights (front and rear)

20€

Bag + tools + tubes

40€

Clothing

Lycra pants 15€
Layer 1 long-sleeve 149 SEK
Layer 2 long-sleeve 699 SEK
LL Bean Waterproof layer 60 USD
XC Ski gloves with leather palms 249 SEK

total spent:

60USD + 965 € + 1097 SEK

= 1470 USD

in equipment

2100km commuting / 25km RT per commute = 84 commutes

84 commutes x €4 for 500kcal extra/commute = €336 (450 USD)

total cost of commuting = 1920 USD

1920/1300miles = 1.47USD/mile

I think some of you are cheating by not counting the cost of the extra kcals you're eating (unless you already ate them and are losing weight).

ItsJustMe

Here are my feelings on the ones I've tried:

808 #16 keychain camera - OK video quality, honestly not much worse than many cameras that cost much more. However, battery life is almost nonexistant so you have to build something yourself, and that's not reliable in my experience. Also no waterproofing, so it's not a real solution.

Contour ROAM - Video quality about average. One switch turn on is nice. Problems: No replaceable battery, so you have to take it somewhere to charge every day or two. You have to connect it to a computer to switch modes. It has no circular recording so you have to connect to a computer every few days to clear the memory card (this is a ridiculous lack of features - it's hard to find any other cam, even a $30 keychain cam, that doesn't have this feature).

Chinese "ExtremeCam" - BIG. Apart from that, quite good. You can do everything on the cam, it has an LCD screen, it's waterproof without an extra case, the video quality is good, it has removeable batteries and uses a common Fuji digital camera battery that are cheap and easy to find, it has every feature I've ever heard of on any similar cam. If only it weren't so ridiculously large.

Sony ActionCam - pretty nice really, but the image quality really isn't good. Video quality was only so-so, better than the keychain cams but probably worse than all the other cams I've tried. The still image quality looks like the photos came out of a camera that was found in the bottom of a cracker jack box. They're embarassingly bad, very very VERY noisy.

GoPro Hero3 Silver - What I'm currently using. I have no complaints except that it's not a Black edition. I will be buying one of those in the next few months, at which point the Silver will become my rear facing cam.

The Chemist

Which parts in particular are you referring to? It seems to me that after conversion to dollars, what I've paid is about equivalent to what I'd pay in Canada for similar equipment.

If it's the wheels you're referring to - neither of them are made in China. The Shimano wheels are from Malaysia, and the Fulcrums from Italy.