jay4usc

[QUOTE=Alphonsus;21731028 Is there generally a good $/mile for a bike such as a "value"[/QUOTE]

if you use your bike for commuting, you can calculate what you save from gasoline, insurance, maintenance ect.

ofajen

For mileage rates to have meaning and comparability, they should use a consistent timeframe, such as an annual basis and, on the cost side, include annual depreciation, insurance, repairs and maintenance.

For those of us riding old bikes and doing our own work, it will pretty much amount to the per mile cost of replacing tires and drivetrain parts (and a small bit for brake pads perhaps). I reckon that to be around 3 cents/mile in my case.

Otto

hedonist222

as a cost accountant - very high
unless you ride the hell out of your bike

but then theres the element of intrinsic value

so could even break even on week four

Bill in VA

This!

For me, the cost per mile is not even a remote consideration with a bicycle. Does it meet my requirements, do I like its looks, it is well built with decent components, and will it get ridden for what I want it for are my requirement.

Cost per mile, to me is bean counterism..., life it too short for that type of obsession.

Brian_USA

My 2012 Masi Evolutione 105 was discounted quite a bit. Was the end of the year and the shop was trying to make room for the next year's model. Same thing that car dealers do.

I think the retail was normally $2200. They brought it down almost 25% to $1700

I used some rewards points on my credit card and basically bought it for nothing.

All I have to do is just look at it in the garage and I feel I got a good deal.

mbusky

REI ADV1.1 touring bike with a brooks B67 and a thudbuster post just under $1500.00 cost to date, per month $300.00 cost per mile $ 0.31

TricycleTom

I had a shot at answering this recently. The bike was bought new in '77 for $400, and has gone about 70,000 miles. The tires and spares were definitely the biggest expense, but were recorded even less than the mileage. I estimate 3 to 4 cents per mile, which horrified me.
The fuel cost is worth a look, too, especially because industrial agriculture uses about 7 calories of oil energy to produce each calorie of food energy. The ratio is much worse for meat, though. Riding, I burn enough calories that I get plenty of protein as a vegan, and I smell better after a ride too.

dkatz1

can't really figure that out.
I bought my "new" bike in 2007. Customer built Independent Fabrication steel frame and good parts....cost a little bit under $4000.
I was feeling really weird about spending so much money on a bike (yes, I know that even 13 years ago, let alone now that you could spend way more than that, but still, compared to what most people were buying, it was a lot).
Anyway, 13 years later I have NO idea what my cost per mile is, but as it has pleased me so much for this long and is still going to for a good while longer (I will probably wear out before it does) I feel like it was a great deal. I've had to replace the usual things that wear out regularly, and a few others, but that's the way it was.

Jeff Neese

Seven years is the standard for straight-line depreciation of a bicycle, but it can be between 1 and 10 years, depending on circumstances and how you classify that asset.

Riveting

You probably can't include auto insurance in your savings unless you're completely "car free" and therefore have no auto insurance at all. Though you may be able to "reduce" your insurance premium by letting the insurance provider know you now drive less miles annually than you used to.

Riveting

Assuming you rode 4,000 miles per year, your cost per mile is $0.07 (for the bike only).

ofajen

Using this guidance, per mile calculations for bikes over seven years old should not include any contribution from the bike’s cost, only the annualized, ongoing or variable costs, including but not limited to: insurance, repairs, maintenance items and service charges. Newer bikes would include 1/7th of the bike’s initial cost as well.

Otto

philbob57

Another way of seeing this is that you prepaid the cash cost of the bike.

SurlyPete

When I subtract what a gym would cost me and the health benefits of riding I come up with a negative cost per mile. I'm making money each time I go out!

stephr1

About a "buck-two-ninety-eight"

Actually, I have a MTB that I paid ~$350 for a bit over 20 years ago. I now have about 22,000 mi. on it. If I throw in the cost for maintenance and upkeep (chains, lube, cassettes, bottom bracket, chain rings, tubes and tires) spitballed wildly at ~$500 (prob'ly less) that makes it ~3.8 cents/mile.

gsa103

Full-suspension mountain bikes are like race cars. You don't want to know the $/mi, it's not good. My mountain bike is due for a suspension lube, fork rebuild and needs a new dropper post. That's basically $500 is wear/maintenance and that's doing most of the work myself. Then you've got the routine consumables, tires, sealant, chains.

The recommended service interval for a Fox fork is 100 hrs, and it's $150+ to service. Even if you let it go longer, it's still expensive. And that's just the fork.

sfruechte

Less than a penny. Paid $15 in 1991 for a 61 Raleigh. Spent over $500 on tires since 91 but get 5000 miles on a $40 set. Plus a few spokes, replaced rims a couple times from junk bikes, wheel bearings a couple times.

cyclist2000

I normally spend an incredible amount of money on my bike hobby each year.

mihlbach

Some miles cost more than others.

Troul 

Ymmv.

Senior Ryder 00 

If I spent time managing a spreadsheet, I’d have less time to ride!

Cheers,

Notso_fastLane

Less than even a cheap, reliable car?

Chuckles1

Rough guess is $0.10 per mile.

Bike cost?
1981 Raleigh: $550
2007 Motobecane Fantom Cross: $675
2020 Motobecane Omni Strada Pro Disc: $999

I went many years spending very little beyond purchase price. Lately I'm spending more as the forum inspires me to experiment with different gearing, better tires, etc.

Arthur Peabody

I've recorded every bicycle expense over the last 16 years. I've spent $3,541.58. $1,093.51 on 'tire stuff' (tires, tubes, patches, tire tools...) I've ridden about 60,000 miles (extrapolating from the 5 years I had a computer), so about 6¢/mile. I bought the bicycle in 1998, so it's not included. I paid $500 for it new, an REI Novara Randonee - I've replaced everything except the handlebar stem, including the frame. I do all my own work, build my own wheels, re-use spokes, bought a lot of stuff at Niagara Cycle, stuff from the Mart of Wal: I'm cheap.

I rode from LA to Canada, east to NYC, south to Key Worst in 1984. I spent about 3¢/mile on that trip.

70sSanO

Do I have to include all the backup parts, cassettes, wheels, etc. that I have accumulated over the years?

If it does, I don’t want to know.

John