52 cents per mile; is this high?
 

Now that the year is over, I totaled up all my expenses for 2005. I spent $940 at my lbs, down from $1200 in 2004. The $940 included two major overhauls. I have five road bikes, and rode them a total of 1,800 miles in 2005. That comes out to .52 cents per mile. I think I can drive my old 1993 Volvo wagon for less than this. What I gotta do is get rid of some of the bikes, and maybe get the total down to 2 bikes instead of five. But I can't bring myself to part with any of them -- they wouldn't sell for much at a garage sale, and they are all in excellent shape. But I don't feel too bad about spending $940 on five bikes. In 2005, my wife and daughter spent over $3,000 on hair and clothes. I spent $70 on haircuts and $140 on clothes. So this makes me better than them. ;)

If you calculate it out down to the penny you will never be able to have fun with it.
I say start cutting your own hair and keep your bikes.

If you did those 1,800 miles in your Volvo, you would need to calculate in the extra cost of a gym or time to exercise to get back the fitness you would be missing.

And, yes, you are obviously a better person than your wife and daughter. Unless they ride better bikes than you do... :)

Are these 5 bikes all yours, or are they for other family members too? Because an average of 350-something miles per bike doesn't really seem value for bike for me, specially if all are roadbikes, so you can't even argue that you use each one for a different purpose. Reduce the number of bikes, or increase the miles ridden on each one, and you reduce the cost per mile.

But there again who cares. If you can afford it and are having fun, just keep going.

So how much did your wife and daughter pay per "brush of hair" or "wearing of outfit"? :D

I know its hard to part....but it might be a good idea...so you quit spending money on so many bikes. You can only ride one at a time. And at 1800 miles....you aren't even doing "major riding" at that.

I wouldn't tell them at garage sales, but maybe there is a bike shop that sells on consignment. I know one in my area that does. Just a thought.

Oh boy.

Analyzing the expense is a sure way to kill the fun of any endeavor.

Yes, it's always cheaper to sit in your room.

I eat more at home than when I am on an all day bike ride. I think I may actually spend more on food at home. I'm eating now! I can turn the heat down in the house when I am on a ride.

Bikeforums costs me DSL monthly payments. This computer was expensive, I put it on a credit card.
I did not pay it off in one payment.

I'm more likely to shop on line at home. Although that may have saved me something.
Last night I went to the movies - $8.50 and had a salad $7.95 and a decafe $2.00. = $ 17.95 There's no way I spend $17.95 on a century ride.

My car hardly goes anywhere, but I still have insurance. I bet 10 miles a week in the car cost me a lot. I spent about $500 in repairs last year.

This year I bought two bike tires. About $60, some other stuff about $100 estimated.

Everything has a lot of hidden costs.

You would eventually save money if you learned to do your own maintenence.

How did you get by with spending only $140 on clothing?

How much do you pay for the accountant (or accounting program) that figures out all your expenses down to the penny? How much time do you spend on this accounting? Maybe you could quit all that, then get a part time job with the time saved. Then you could afford MORE BIKES!

:beer: :beer: More bikes !





happy new year.

...or if you ride more... say if you double your mileage to 3600 then your cost per mile will fall significantly to .26 ;)

$940 and 1800 miles? Isn't that $1.91 a mile for maintenance alone? What about the cost of the bike itself being factored in? Everybody can spend any kind of cash on any thing at all (and do) but this seems a little overboard to me.

My first real bike cost $90 at a police auction and took me 53,000 kms before it rusted out and fell apart. My second bike I put together myself and cost me $400 in parts from a consignment store and only took me about 14,000 kms before it was crushed by a car but it was replaced by the cars insurance payout so my replacement bike (1500 - sort of free - dollars) didn't cost anything and it's taken me 25,000 kms. My fourth bike I bought for $180 and it's taken me 16,000 kms. Throw in 3 cheapo bikes that I payed less than $100 for and rode for about 3,000 kms each before they fell apart, and I have had 7 bikes that I paid $770 for with 117,000 kms use plus my yearly average of $110 maintenance (20 years- $2200) and I end up with .39 a km total cost (and I'm still riding 2 of the bikes that have been accounted for here so my costs are lowering with each km).

Well, I spent about $1180 for the year and rode about 7000+ miles. so I guess that is about 17 cents/mile.

Some of that stuff is going to last me more than a year. or example, just buying a better light which wasn't cheap, but I shouldn't have to replace it every year. Same with a rack I bought as well as a better seat.

So you have to factor in such purchases as not all being assigned to one year (helmets, bike computer, etc).

I also probably view it differently than you because I don't have a car. We have good bus service and I use it sometimes (they have bike racks), but for the whole year, that cost me $110. If I didn't have a bike, the next cheapest way to go would be monthly bus passes and that would total $480 so I saved $370 right there which would lower my bike costs to less than 12 cents/mile.

As for your extra bikes, you didn't mention what they were or why you didn't want to part with them. Certainly if you ride roads sometimes and trails other times, you may want more than one bike. But if you are just mentally attached to them and can afford to do so, find some kid in need an GIVE IT to them!

I remember reading a post from someone a couple years ago who said he found it to be about the same cost to buy a cheap Walmart bike when he went on vacation as it was to ship his bike both ways by plane, so he would buy the bike instead and then give it away when he left. He broke about even and made some kids very happy.

Buy less cloths. Buy more bikes.

I know my rate was higher than that... Mostly because I bought my bike and started commuting this year. So I have all the misc clothing, bike accessories, etc. that I got. I'd bet I'm closer to $2/mile. My mileage was down just under 1000 I think.

Some of those costs won't be present every year, but some will. Gloves for example, I bought three pairs last year (as the temperatures changed). However the warm-weather gloves I bought are nearly worn out (starting to get holes). I probably won't buy 3 more pairs this year, but I will definitely buy 1 and maybe 2.

Here's how I look at it:

Cycling is cheaper than Prozac, which I would probably need if I sat on my rear all day and never got any exercise.

Cycling is the cheapest (and most efficient) form of transport, period.

If people run up a big bill cycling, it speaks more of wants than needs.

Ride more. The per mile cost will sink.

I am a cheap bastard

18 C per mile

$80 per month for a hobby and a regular workout is not unreasonable. I would focus more on getting the mileage up rather than the cost down. Why are you sitting at the computer now reading this instead of being out cycling?

Questions:

1. how many years of records do you have?
2. how many bike miles in 2004?
3. would you go to an exercise club if you didn't ride?
4. how much would 2 major overhauls for the volvo cost?

Oh, high, yes, but normal. I think bike expenses are like high mountains, a couple years are high and rest are fairly low. High mountain years are years of: upgrading bike, starting out and getting bike gear, changing to a new type of bike.

summary = cheap

Bah. I'm no accountant so I use a very gross analysis. I figure I spent $1300 at the LBS this year. Parking at the garage attached to my building is $1970 a year that I did not spend. I figure I'm still up $670.

you want any expensive hobby? you ever lok into nitro rc cars?
beside biking this is my other hobby and i can barely afford it.
28$ a gallon for fuel
cars can go into the thousand range for costs and a gallon of fuel running constantly probly gives you about 3-4 hours of run time.. :P i spent 80 this month on it in pure stupidty.
biking is cheap for me. only thing i bought this year was shorts and a jersey and got one tune up probly spent 200 total although my mileage was kinda lame.. probly about 600-700 for the summer

First, start doing some maintenance yourself. Second, I think your lbs has binoculars.. that is, they see you coming a mile away. I think they are talking you into a lot of things you don't need.

shop less worry less and ride more :)