acidfast7

Why, I commute every day in street clothes and walk directly into the office.

Spoonrobot 

I don't commute anymore, now I go on rides 12 hours and longer. I determined for myself that regular shorts don't work for me on long rides like that.

I-Like-To-Bike

Don't forget about the destitute paupers working up their appetites while doing their "hours of riding in loops." Maybe they ride in brevets too when they calculate on their spreadsheets that they can afford the costs per mile if they don't spend too much on their "kit."

kingston 

Quite a reasonable approach. The "bike food" I carry only weighs about 2g/km or 800g for a 400k. It is a bit of extra weight, but I find that I can ride consistently faster if I don't eat any solid food. Free water is almost always available, or I can get a gallon for a couple bucks.

I-Like-To-Bike

Be amused, you aren't the culprit; this time. I'm thinking of those on BF who agonize over, (and endlessly "research") every bicycle purchase before they can "pull the trigger" no matter how inexpensive or affordable, as if they actually were destitute.

Spoonrobot 

Where do you get your maltodextrin from? I experimented with fully liquid nutrition (in the form of chocolate milk/soda) over the summer and it's something I want to do more during the really hot days as it feels a lot easier to digest during the harder parts of a brevet.

acidfast7

and? I usually cycle 100-160km (100mi) in regular shorts/shirt and a backpack.

shouldn't be a problem unless you're in a race.

I-Like-To-Bike

As can be deduced from the posts on this thread, bicycling costs/mile can be all over the map depending on what the poster includes as "necessary" for riding , such as so-called kit, pricey equipment and accessories, pricey snacks/energy bars and LBS maintenance services. Just like car costs per mile are driven upwards by buying expensive cars, expensive modifications/accessories, frequent trade-ins of low mileage cars for the latest flashy model.

acidfast7

here's an example with photo evidence!

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting...roduction.html

Spoonrobot 

That's great they work for you, regular shorts don't for me. I've tried several different cuts and materials and did not find anything to my liking. $30 bib shorts work fine and are not appreciably more expensive than the other options I tried - seamless wool shorts for example. Then again, I'm not trying to specifically fit into or out of someone else's preconceived notions of how to ride so I can understand the confusion. I find what I like and what works for me and do those things.

Things that work for 100 miles sometimes don't work for longer distances.

I-Like-To-Bike

Just think what car costs per mile would be if the calculations were based on an assumption that every users' car has to be bought, equipped and prepared to be race ready.

acidfast7

$30 is cheap. I usually don't spend less than $/£/€100 on bottoms. Must be cheaper stateside.

Spoonrobot 

I get my shorts from the UK

acidfast7

Golf R as a commuter should I require a car again.

Bulette

Cycling-specific clothes have been cheaper for me, per mile. On a summer tour, I started with a new-ish pair of hiking pants. They were quite comfortable, quick drying, light, and functional off the bike too, but they tore in the crotch after just 2,000 miles. I've worn holes in denim, and the thigh seams of cheap cotton boxer-briefs just from a couple miles of daily, neighborhood, soft pedaling.

Bibs and shorts have lasted multiple seasons each, most of which I buy on deep discount and clearance. The most expensive bibs I own are actually succumbing to wear the fastest --- a small, custom batch of team kit. I'd be surprised if they actually saw 5,000 miles, and for $75 (another $0.015/mile).

Please don't be that person who doesn't invest in their shorts. More than a few of us have ridden behind that person, and that pair of too-thin shorts.

RubeRad

I'm that person that is unwilling to invest in shorts. Boxer briefs and generic 'athletic' shorts from target and I'm good to go. They'll never be too thin, because I'm too fat!

Bulette

Discarding the cost of the 'generic shorts' discredits the entire purpose of your starting this thread. Does your bike seat not cause noticeable wear for your shorts? If their is cross-utility with other domains, other hobbies and task, then understanding the cost of your cycling attire becomes more complex, but not necessarily impossible.


It's not about riding 'race-ready' machines; none of my bikes are close to that at all. It's about having a well-maintained vehicle, fresh tires, trustworthy brakes, clean clothes, and a surplus of fuel. There are more than a few cars on the road that could use some serious investment as well; neglecting maintenance seems forgivable amongst drivers.

My first 'road bike' was a Schwinn World Sport coming from mountain bikes at the time. I loved riding on the road, but had serious doubts about the fork and headset --- that bike might have been fine for short neighborhood commutes, but I gave up descending at 30+ miles per hour until I got a more reliable machine.

I wish bicycle maintenance and car maintenance both would be taken more seriously, as is often the case with motorcyclists, professional drivers, and without doubt pilots.

wphamilton

I'll own it. I don't much care if someone thinks it's OCD - to me, having greater knowledge of something, especially regarding your own activities, is preferable to having less knowledge. And it's not really as if we spend inordinate time researching and agonizing - you figure it out once 8 or 10 years ago, then mentally check your figures and update as necessary. Takes all of a minute or two.

acidfast7

I like you, man, maybe we should make a team?

Spoonrobot 

I know "race ready" was meant to be a pejorative but thinking about it there is a cost to have my bikes "ride ready" that is factored into total costs as a fixed cost.

Ride ready for me means the bike has things like:

• Fenders
• Carrying ability as frame/handlebar bag
• Flat/Tool Kit
• Lights

Ends up adding around ~$250 to the total cost, which is around ~30% of the total cost of the bike

RubeRad

No, not noticeable anyways. Since they're not stretched tight, there is less force of friction I think. I have worn through the crotches of many pairs of jeans and slacks and even non-athletic shorts (which have never seen a bike seat), but I've never worn through any of my 'bike' shorts. But it's only been a few years.

acidfast7

BOAST or TROLL ... hmmm ... Americans call that something that I can't remember off the top of my head.

got it ... Humble Brag!

kingston 

Honeyville
Maltodextrin 50 LB
6 Gallon Food Storage Bucket Get 2 buckets. One with a gamma lid and one with a regular lid. 50 lbs lasts about 2 seasons for me. Sign up for the e-mail list and you'll eventually get a coupon.
I get the protein at costco whenever they have one of the monthly coupons. I like vanilla better than chocolate, but they're both ok. ON has a lot of other flavors if you get it someplace other than costco.

My usual nutrition routine on brevets is to drink one 800ml bottle of bike food (77g maltodextrin + 11g ON gold standard) and one 800ml bottle with 30g of gatorade powder in between each control and a bottle of V8 or orange juice at each control. I normally ride everything up to a 400k like that. 600k and up I eat some solid food too. I originally started doing it to save money, but now I do it because that's what I'm used to. I can ride fast, controls are super-efficient and don't get an upset stomach. As you mention, it works especially well when it's hot. Then I just use 1,000ml bottles instead of the 800's and stuff an extra bottle of juice from the c-store in my jersey pocket.

I also spend a lot of money on kit, but I don't really care that much about cost/mile on brevets. I like voler black label bib shorts and wool jerseys, neither of which are cheap. I do get a lot of compliments from the ladies on how I'm dressed which is obviously priceless

Spoonrobot 

Awesome thanks for the info, I've signed up and I'll keep an eye out for the coupon. I have some MP protein I got from Costco when I was weightlifting that I'll try out and see how it works. I struggled mightily after eating a regular lunch on my 300k and I think it was mostly due to the amount of clif bars I had eaten prior.

Riveting

I'm also a video gamer. In the past I've had this same "cost per hour" consideration. The breakdown is similar: $60 for a new release game, and typically at least 40 hours of play time to get through a main story line, (and add about $0.30 per hour for the amortized cost of the base gaming platform ~$500, PC, PS4, XBOX, etc...). That's about $1.80 per hour to game. If cycling is approx. $0.33/mile, at a typical avg. of 15 mph, that's $4.95 an hour to ride my bike! I'd save myself about $1,200 a year if I quit riding my bike so much and played video games instead.

Gaming vs Riding Anecdote: A more experienced rider, amateur racer, and also a gamer once told me "Riding bikes is the ultimate MMORPG. You're constantly spending your hard earned money to upgrade your gear to be as light and rugged as possible, and you're always looking at ways to improve your personal strength and stamina stats, as well as practicing your battle tactics and identifying your opponent's weaknesses, for the sole purpose of not getting your a$$ handed to you in battle."