Cycle versus car - false economy?

[Dadam]

I've owned an EV since 2015, so I know what to expect from batteries, but its pretty clear to me eBike batteries are simply not the same calibre as cells used in automotive applications.

From a sample size of 1?

 

[gzoom]

From a sample size of 1?

No, the Facebook Fazua owners group have plenty of examples of failed packs.

I'll buy another Fazua powered bike though, but I simply wouldn't count of it for actual important jobs like commuting, as a toy/gadget it's fine.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

How many families have seen going around UK roads in cargo bikes in the last week?

A total of 20.

 

[gzoom]

A total of 20.

...and how many cars

 

[Ming the Merciless]

If I had been on my pedal bike instead of my car a few years ago, I suspect I woudlnt be here to have this 'debate' .

You likely wouldn’t have crashed your pedal bike in the way you did your blue car.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

...and how many cars

Your point is that people are wedded to their cars as shopping trolleys and rain coats and as you pointed out, your own convenience. None if this stops you getting and using a cargo bike instead of your car.

 

[gzoom]

You likely wouldn’t have crashed your pedal bike in the way you did your blue car.

The blue car crashed into my WHITE SUV with enough force to spin it around 180, mount a kerb and crack 20inch alloys like a plastic wheel cover. Amazingly I walked out of my car with barely a headache, the blue car driver needed to go to ED for a ?hand fracture. He claimed he 'didn't see' my 2 meter wide, 5 meter long SUV......so if he couldn't see my car, if I had been on my pedal bike zero chance of walking away from that crash.

As it happens I was actually on my way to nursery, the impact of the blue car made on my car was on the passenger side door where my daughter would have been sitting. But because I was in a SUV built like a tank, the rear door still opened, and the passenger compartment was 'fine' even the side air bags didn't deploy.....the force of the crash was enough to fracture the rear subframe of the car - hence the odd angled rear wheel.

You can go on pretending everyone can/want to abandon their cars for pedal bike, the reality is that not going to happen any time soon in the UK (if ever). I personally have ZERO interest in the idea of replacing our car with a pedal bike. The fact my eBike has cost me more to run over the last 18 months than my car is last just nuts.

I'm glad you love cycling so much, but I love the comfort/safety of our car as much as you love cycling, and that is as far as we can 'agree' on .

Those little bit of grey looking 'plastic' bits.......are actually solid 1-2inch thick bits of alloy wheel spokes. The safety, and passenger crash survival of modern cars are simply quite unbelievable at times. Where as on a pedal bike you have literally nothing a bit of foam on your head if the worst came to the worst. Oh those are 20inch wheels, so 25cm deep of solid alloy that has fractured at the rim like plastic, imagine your body taking that amount of force .

 

[gzoom]

None if this stops you getting and using a cargo bike instead of your car.

I'm not sure why you find it so hard to understand. I cycle, I drive, I know what things cost me, I understand my own levels of risk, and based on all of that I have zero, none, never going to happen interest in replacing our family car with a cargo bike.

The only difference between me and most other drivers on the roads is I've at least given the whole pedal bike commuting a go.........but based on my real life running costs, the car is the more economical option, so forget the cargo bike, even just me on an eBike doesn't make sense vs EV based on £ reasons alone.

Again I'm really happy you love cycling, but each to their own. I'm rejoing the majority in perfering the car as my main way to get from A to B.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

but based on my real life running costs, the car is the more economical option

😂😂😂😂😂

 

[annirak]

but based on my real life running costs, the car is the more economical option,

my good sir, I don’t know how to tell you this… but you have been scammed. There is no way those costs should have occurred.

 

[tyred]

A car can never be cheaper than a bike. It costs a fortune to buy the thing and it's always depreciating. Also runs up serious maintenance costs.

 

[Jameshow]

I do think there should be a penalty on those who commute, maybe a lead water bottle whilst on club runs / mates rides.. 10 miles each way is more riding than I get in each week.🤣🤣🤣

Don't get me started on my mate the builder who wins races.....🤣🤣🤣
.

 

[gzoom]

Preparing for the extended family to come and stay for the holidays, took this lot for recycling, and moved a sofa bed out of storage back to the house.....on and my analogue road bike is the thing covered in a drape at the end of the garage, it's not been touched for 2 years now and sadly I suspect the current eBike will be joining it soon.

As for trying to do all this stuff without a car.......the world might as be flat

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

After adding in the cost of the end of the year service, I am at £660 on bike bits essential to the commute in 2022, this covers about 7,400 miles, or 9 per mile, excluding fuel costs and any allocation of the purchase price.

With fuel, say £3/day for 36 miles, yes some days it is two packs of fig rolls others it's a Big Mac meal, it is up to 17p per mile and £800 depreciation brings it up to 27p per mile.

I am pretty sure that I have missed out at least one purchase of tyres as well!!

Also chain and cassette wear is not fully reflected as I started the commute on an 8 speed which was nicked so no new chain/cassette was needed, the 10speed also had a new chain/cassette at the start of its use as a commute bike and I stretched life a bit,

There is only £20 worth of labour in the above, I needed the BB fixed in a hurry and it is Shimano into BB30 via an adaptor.

Apart from the wheels, which will quite likely last 3-5 years the rest is consumable/similar purchases will be needed next year, it turned out to be really hard to get the right sized hub spares.

In particular notice that I haven't included a cost for lights as they are needed anyway, but charging twice a day is going to be anything from a quarter to all of the recharge cycles for the batteries.

Bye

Ian

 

[pjd57]

Factoring in food costs for cycling seems a bit odd.
On days I don't cycle I still eat . So I can't see the logic