Does being a commuting cyclist make you a tight git?

[jdtate101]

No, it makes you a fit and healthy git.

 

[Edwards80]

I don't call it tight. I could puncture every day and fit a brand new innertube each time in order to fix it . . and still be up VS paying for the train. £5.80 a day for 10 miles and 1 hour door to door with grumpy and often smelly folks for company
or
35/40 mins door to door £0 and usually lots of fun

Easy choice! Also makes spending money on bike stuff easy to justify. "It'll pay for itself in 12 commutes!"

 

[StuartG]

Be very careful. Enjoying cycling is very bad. It only leads to n+1 - a totally unnecessary exponential cost overrun.

 

[classic33]

See all, 'ear all, say nowt,
Eyt all, sup all, pay nowt,
An' if tha ivver does owt fer nowt,
Allus do it fer thisen.

't Yorkshireman's Creed.

Yorkshireman's Motto
http://www.halinaking.co.uk/Location/Yorkshire/Frames/People/Tykes/Yorkshire People.htm

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

One of the main reasons I commute to work via pedal cycle is to avoid traveling on buses and trains with gloomy peoples,crammed to the knackers,some call it sensible,some don't. I dont care; it works nicely for me.

 

[400bhp]

Taking the bike isn't free. Things wear out and need to be replaced - tyres, chains, gears, brakes, rims, bottom brackets, lights etc - and you need cycling clothing that needs to be replaced at regular intervals as it wears out. The CTC reckoned on about 12p per mile all up which equates to 32 miles for your £3.80. So its cheaper but not free to cycle.

My calcs concur with that.

I've been keeping tabs (via a spreadsheet) since 1 Jan 2011.

• Total miles cycled since 1 Jan 2011 = 8600
• Total spent on clothes/parts/accessories = £973
• So, total cost per mile => 973/8600 = 11p per mile

I've also broken this down into commute/non commute but given almost all the things I purchase for the bike are interchangeable between commute & leisure the pence per mile is about the same.

Caveat: A lot of the above will clearly last longer than the 1.5 years since the start, then again some parts that I haven't replaced will wear out too. My best guess is that the former outweighs the latter (having just replaced a wheelset which is probably the most expensive parts generally likely to be consumables). Allowing for depreciation may bring the cost to something like 8p per mile. Then again, factoring in bicycle replacement ( which I have estimated to be about £40 p.a. for my 2 current bikes) then that will bring the cost up a little.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

My fixie must be on 1p a mile then.Bloody gas guzzlers.

 

[fossyant]

I dare not work out what I have spent on bikes. Not been too bad for the last 12 months, but a recent splurge has added up. New rims, tyres, chain, sprocket and a wheel jig (capital purchase) added upto £220. (Jig was about the same price as a build). Add on another £180 spend on new wheels for the MTB and a cassette. £70 for new tyres for best bike = £470. And thats only in last 2 months. Fortunately, that will be that for a while, unless I get some new panniers.

 

[fossyant]

My fixie must be on 1p a mile then.Bloody gas guzzlers.

Mine costs more than that - about 4p or 5p a mile ! Rims/pads/chain/sprocket/tyres each year - about £200 for approx 4500 commute miles.

 

[palinurus]

Don't get the bus, get a spare bike.

Or two.

 

[BrumJim]

No, it makes you a fit and healthy git.

..... so that you can make full use and more of the money you have been putting into a pension fund.

 

[beanzontoast]

I initially spent in total about £500 setting myself up to commute by bike a long time ago.

Nowadays, months can go by without me spending anything on bikes or kit. I don't thrash any of my bikes or fortunately have to do huge commuting mileage, so maintenance is not a big expense. For me, the bike as transport is about saving money and keeping fit. I've reached the point where I have decent lights aplenty (no swapping between my 3 bikes required), enough bike-suitable clothing to last me a few years and all the tools I need for the jobs I'm capable of.

 

[Jdratcliffe]

I just hate getting the train. It is an unceasingly unpleasant experience to catch the train from SE London to Central London which I need to do to get to work

+ 1 off due to bike being a right off after the accident having to get the train and in this lovley weather too

 

[Maz]

Another Yorkshireman here...we make Scots look like spendaholics.

 

[gambatte]

Aye.
Considering the number of possible counties, do we seem to be disproportionately represented on this tight arse commuting forum?