HiYoSilver

It has taken forever with a short 5 mile commute. But finally racked up 57 commutes.

Now my bike is 50.7% paid off just from the $DOLLAR savings of cyclo-commuting vs motor-commuting.
This is without adding in additional dollar savings from the time I am saving or the money I am saving by not going to a health club.

Just a neat milestone for me.

Curious, about how many commutes/ how long do most you use when figuring when your bike is completely paid off by cyclo-commuting?

PaulH

My bike cost about $1,000, and I save $10 per day, mostly in parking, over a 10 mile round trip. That comes to 100 days, or 20 weeks.

paul

yespatterns

Thats so funny--- I use this "But honey, it pays for itself!" method of justification when my wife balks at a cycling purchase. I save over $10 a day in gas and tolls on my 18 mile round trip commute, and have 53 more commuting days till my bike, lights, clothes, etc is paid for!

joelpalmer

If the gas prices continue to rise I might finally start saving a reasonable amount of $$. I have to take light rail in addition to riding, which sets me back something like $33/wk, before the latest surge in gas prices it cost me about $35-40/week to commute. It's at $50 and rising to fill my truck though, and I'm regular at 4-5 days a week riding, so soon I might be able to justify the LHT I dream about every night

Jarery

$6.00 a day gas
$8.00 a day smokes
$1.50 a day morning coffee
--------
$15.50 a day in direct savings, doesnt include lower insurance, wear and tear on car, health club savings, health benefits etc.

$77.50 a week
$4000 a year

I bought a new bike, i pick it up today fully justified...

HiYoSilver

So what $4,000 bike did you get?

chephy

I'd be taking public transportation if I didn't bike, spending 4 dollars a day on it (Canadian). I estimate that I spent about $2000 on my bike with all the accessories, repairs, clothes, replacements of stolen parts (got a back wheel stolen once) etc. This means I have to commute for 500 days or 100 weeks to make up for the costs. However, I do other things by bike, such as errands and touring, so there I save money too. And I just plain like it too!

aadhils

My bike cost about $800 including upgrades. $60 per month for Public transport. I've so far avoided the bus for two years. $60 X 24 = 1440 - $800 (for the bike) which means I've saved about 640. Phooey.

Jarery

Well...
Only a $1500 dollar bike (pics when i get it converted for commuting)
About $1000 in accessories and clothes

And i got 3 weeks booked in Aruba, to lay on the beach in January

mooklekloon

Don't forget about the increased cost of food because of bike commuting. I don't know about everyone else, but I eat A LOT. I know it's nowhere near the savings, just a point though.

joejack951

My commute by car costs a little under $2 per day with todays gas prices. I'm at around 120 commutes so far this year. I'm riding a $330 mountain bike so I'm 2/3 of the way there (not counting the $70 tires, $50 fork, $20 fenders, etc.) But breaking a nice sweat twice a day is priceless so there's really no comparison, right?

oboeguy

The formula for me is tricky. If I wasn't riding at all, I'd get a discounted monthly subway pass ("Metrocard") which I could also use on weekends. So any time I take the subway now and pay the $2 straight-up fare I'm messing-up the formula.

A rough estimate, though, is $2 x 2 subway rides/day x 5 days/week == $20/week saved. Because of the above, in reality, the figure is lower. So my ~$1000 bill for the folding bike plus folder bag + tax would take at least a year to pay off. Then there's the lights, tubes, etc. I figure after one and half to two years I'm in the clear for sure.

pharnabazos

Once a month after work you might crack open a tallboy on the subway, fall asleep, and have your pockets slit and wallet taken ($120/mo). Also, add in hospital visits after some walking petri dish coughs phlegmatically six inches from your face ($200 for tests and such). Then there's the daily anguish to mind and heart from the obnoxious anonymous subway farters, which is, of course, psychological and would require extensive therapy. You see, you've already earned enough for *two* bikes!

jyossarian

It's too complicated to figure out. My bike's 15 years old and cost $350 (or was it $250?), with about $350 spent on upgrades over the years and another $150 on accessories. Apply time value of money, depreciation, inflation, rising costs of subway tokens from 15 years ago to now and I think it's paid off.

Ganesha

At the newly enacted 48.5 cents/mile federal mileage rate, I save $12.12/day. If you just count gas, it's closer to $4/day.

My commuter is a Trek 7300FX, which takes ~40 days to pay off the bike and upgrades (rack/pedals), at the federal rate.

vrkelley

Let's see...
$1,000 bike plus ugraded rims
$ 650 Minus ins from stolen bike
=====
$ 350 extra cash
$ 300 2 sets of tires 3 shirts and 1 pant
====
650
Mileage 4500 @ .50/mile
$2,250
$ ,650
~$1,200

gobes

Good point. Food is more expensive than gas. I'll keep riding though, since I pollute the environment much less than a car.

chephy

I find that my diet is essentially unchanged. Yes, on multiday tours I go all fancy with energy bars and such, but the every day 20 mile commute doesn't demand that much from me, really.

And I was never the one to save on food anyway. Eating is FUN but usually I don't have enough appetite to eat a lot. So if bike commuting increases my appetite, that's a definite plus! (Note: Filling up your gas tank isn't fun.)

lilHinault

I'd say 6 months will more than pay off both bikes, trailer, helmets (have a nice one and a spare) clothes, fancy seats, etc all the biking junque I've bought :-)

cerewa

Don't forget about the increased cost of food because of bike commuting. I don't know about everyone else, but I eat A LOT. I know it's nowhere near the savings, just a point though.

I consider purchases of more high-calorie foods because of bicycling to be, not a cost of human-powered transport, but a cost of being healthy.

The costs for trips to the doctor, loss of income or life-enjoyment from decreased number of years in good health (fewer years as a member of the workforce) are astronomical by comparison, for people who choose them over spending on bikes, food for biking, clothes for biking... (assuming you actually use the bike regularly)

jbhowat

My bike for commuting cost about $70 (free bike, new back wheel, cog, and tube). I've put about $50 worth of upgrades or repairs into it. Thats $120. Or 3 fill-ups of my gas tank. That said, I can't factor in my $100 parking pass because I already bought it just in case. Next year assming I still live so close to the bus, there will be no pass for "just in case". I'm seriously considering trading my car in for a Jetta TDI. A base-model TDI will be a straight up trade in (almost) for my 2003 Golf GTI VR6. I love Vdubs, and I love the VR6. But holy hell, with 24 valves, 268/264 cams, exhaust, intake, and chip i get really crappy MPG. Now it sits under a tree, in the shade in my parking lot - sad and lonely. It just wants someone to drive it hard, but when i do drive it I do so like a grandma. I shift way below the advantage of the cams comes in, so its as if I'm driving a car with stock power. Almost.

tulip

Commuting bike: $800
Metro: $7 per day
roughly 5 months to pay off my bike, which I've had for 3 years. I'm waaay ahead.

If I commuted by car, I'd have to buy a second car...I'm waaaay waaay waaay ahead.

Cyclist0383

Bike around $1500, I think. (I don't really know as I bought parts as money allowed over the course of 1 1/2 years.)

Monthly train pass $10.30

I'd need ride my bike for over 12 years and put nothing into to it to break even.

Would I buy the same bike again? You bet! For me biking isn't about saving money, it's about biking.

jfz

Last two years I have been riding an 820 Trek I bought on sale for $169.00 so last year at 33 commutes I figured it paid for itself on my 20 mile dailey round trip. This year I replaced the chain and bought a few odds and ends but at 45 commutes so far I believe I could buy another bike!

But my reason to bike commute is (in the following order); reduce stress, exersize, enjoyment.

jharte

This post is JUST what I needed. My commuter is a 1989 Rockhopper Comp, converted for commuting/touring. Many,many miles.

HOWEVER, if I take the best example here, maybe I can convince my wife how easily it would be to AFFORD a Rivendell! Thanks guys!