Ouch. Counting wheels, pedals, and sales tax, mine is currently ($3,305/1,450 miles) = $2.27/mile.

But I've only had it three months. Hopefully this figure will be much lower a year from now.

My new commuter - about .20/mile.
Roadie is hovering at around $2/mile. Workin on that

My TT bike is horible... since I only do short training on it, less than 100 miles, about 40 dollars per mile

My road bike is about 80 cents per mile (about 4k)

My commuter right now is expensive (i.e. 32 miles on the new frame), about 7 dollars a mile but it is going down very fast. That is not the only way to count it though, for every mile I save a mile of gas, at 22 MPG for a car that is about 15 cents a mile in gas, so I am actually the bike cost - 15 cents, when I get to about

2000 miles the bike will be completly paid for in gas money savings, i.e 300 dollars / .15 = 2000 miles, anything more and I will save. That 2000 will take about 100 commutes or about 6 months max... not bad! (not to mention the weight reduction!)

Wish I could think of it that way... I work from home though. When I do go into the office (5 miles away), I ride my motorcycle... 50-60mpg. If I rode my bike I'd save .06 a mile making it .60 for each day I did go in (which is not often). It would take an enternity to recoup $2.5k - over 16 years if I went in every day... in reality it would be more like 40 years.

Specialized Roubaix Pro=3,000.00, miles=3401. About .88 cents per mile. I was actually excited when I passed 3,000 miles knowing I had dipped below the dollar per mile mark, because I keep track.

I'm surprised that there aren't a lot of bikes in the < 5 cents per mile range. I see someone at 4 and someone at 8 and 12.5...


First road bike (a bike from around 1970 that I found in my parent's garage and fixed up when I was in Jr. high): 0 cents per mile

Second road bike in high school: Purchased new for $500, ridden maybe 10000-15000 miles in 2-3 years before it got stolen... ball park of 3-5 cents per mile. Hugely sad to have a bike only 2-3 years old stolen... (didn't get my money's worth!)


high school/college road/race bike/current. Purchased for $700 (on sale), put in probably 10,0000 miles/yr for 2 years, then 5,000 miles/year the next 2-3 years as my primary sport switched to running but didn't have a car. Got a car and mountain bike so this bike started seeing even fewer miles until I left it at home 6 years ago when I moved and and only brought along my mountain bike. Ridden when I visit home. Probably 40,000 miles, so ~1.75 cents per mile.

Next road bike will cost much more per mile as running is still #1 for me in the summer and 4-6 months of the year is xc ski season.

Don't forget the cost of energy bars/drinks on rides. In my case around 3 dollars for a long ride. Cost of the bike is really cheap in comparison, less than 2 dollars for each ride.

$11.11 so far

Just beginning to dip under $1/mile ... if you don't count the stem, the new seat, the computer, the clothes (and I'm just beginning on those) ... and I need clipless pedals/shoes next ... hmm ... i don't know. Priceless: getting to ride with SpongeDad this weekend for the first time (Ophelia had better move on outta da way).

Cost of my TKD (thus far): $.36/minute and dropping. Priceless: having my 10-year old want to do this with me.

But God help me if the 5-year old SpongeSon wants to take up a different sport. As it is, I'm always sore!

Ophelia? I don't even know anyone named Ophelia.

need to consider: tires, tubes, chains, cassettes, labor for repairs if you don't do the yourself; any other replacement parts. That would be a fair measure of the cost of the bike. Now a fair measure of the cost of participating the sport would include, shorts, jerseys, clothes, computers, water bottles, C02 cartridges, event entry fees, commuting costs to events, shoes, helmets, cleats, saddle bag, tools, the inevitable eventual pilgramge to the Tour de France.

But it's still cheaper than a decent health or country club (i.e., golf) membership.

For variety let's consider my folder. I'd say it's near 900 miles (computer in km, didn't have it right away, etc) and it cost around $900 so I'm around the $1/mile barrier.

Edit: My ride tomorrow w/Spongedad is costing ~$14 ... for the babysitter.

Try it the other way -- pick a cost per mile you can live with (say, $1), log the miles on the bike you have now, and use the proceeds to buy the bike you want. By my reasoning, I've already "saved" $700 towards a new bike by riding my $200 klunker all summer -- pretty soon I will have earned myself a new bike!

I do.