How much do you save??

Pangur Ban

To answer the question, I've just worked out that since starting to cycle to work in August I've not spent about £100 on public transport that I would otherwise have done as I used the bike rather than the train. That's about 18 days of cycling over an eight week period. I reckon that is a very handsome saving and only encourages me to cycle more often, despite the looming winter months.

beverick

Having spent £300+ on the hybrid in the spring and £250 on the road bike plus the odd £20 for a new tyre, £15 for a pump and £%0 for a shirt I doubt I've saved anything this year. I also need some new cycling shoes (the sole's coming of the present ones!) and a new saddle for the road-bike which I noticed last night is splitting.

This cheap commuting's damn expensive at times!

Bob

andrewc3142

22.30 a day on the train fare, so about £475 pm were I to be in the office every day, which would be unlikely. Overall, say on average, £300 pm.

Less what I spend on bikes, maintenance, clothing ....

So, not much of a saving at all really. But, put another way, a hobby that costs nothing and keeps you fit.

arewenotmen

I worked out I've spent £3,506 so far. That's after 10,027 miles, so 35p a mile. I include tools, servicing, bike specific clothes etc.

I'm done upgrading, but 6 months & 4000 miles ago it was 39p a mile, so it's not going down as fast as I'd like.

It is expensive, but then I commute on a race level MTB, which I also use for long XC treks.

It's cheaper than the train, but possibly more expensive than a car. Doesn't work like that though - if I had a car, I'd spend a bit less on the bike but definitely not £0.

chuckcork

Well I think my cost since November, allowing for a deduction for fares not spent on public transport, works out at or 28.3 cents (Eurozone) per mile, which is €2074 / 7334 miles.

Of course, I was just made redundant today, and working in a dead area of the economy like architecture I'm not likely to find a job anytime soon, saving money on public transport is going to make justifying any new purchases rather difficult....

TheMightyHet

beverick wrote:

Having spent £300+ on the hybrid in the spring and £250 on the road bike plus the odd £20 for a new tyre, £15 for a pump and £%0 for a shirt I doubt I've saved anything this year. I also need some new cycling shoes (the sole's coming of the present ones!) and a new saddle for the road-bike which I noticed last night is splitting.

This cheap commuting's damn expensive at times!

Bob

Aye true but enjoying it all the same! Although maybe not so much tonight! Damn wind!! Grrrr!!!

prj45

Ooo, trickey.

Immediate saving is 4 * £5 per week on tube fare (assuming I tube it one day a week), so that's £80 a month.

But then I get through bike bits, most are inconsequential (brake blocks, tyres), but I have written off three £80.00 wheels in about nine months, one due to a dooring, but that still counts (persued for payment but nothing happened).

I seem to need rear wheels straightened every two months or so, which is £15 a pop.

One thing I do find is that I don't buy any sundries when I'm on the bike; when I get the tube I buy magazines, papers, food on the way home and that can add up.

On the flip side I eat more.

I'm currently logging money spent on parts against mileage so will be able to state how much it costs to run the beast before long.

ademort

It is difficult to say how much i save on my commute. There are no buses or trains for at least 5Kms to or from my workplace and no trains, metro. e.t.c. All employees must use a car, motorbike or bicycle to get to work. It is a 32 Km trip every day five and six days a week. Could anyone tell me just what that would cost in petrol/diesel over one year. Greetings Ademort

The Chingford Skinhead

Financially I save nothing - a big fat zero.

It's costing me a fortune as the more I get into it the more I want to spend on new bits and bobs (or should that be bibs and tops :oops: )

However, as others have said, I'm fitter, learning so much more about London than I ever would sat on a train or tube, less stressed as my time is mostly in my own hands. The biggest saving is therefore my future sanity and mental health. Thank heavens for the bicycle!

windbreaker

For the days I take a train I reckon about ten flexipass tickets £32.10. By car I would spend £80 or so on diesel. The big saving is on car wear and tear. I used to spend thousands a year. The big bike costs are parts which actually are not that much – drive train on my courier chain cassette plus new rim in the last couple of months £60. I do wear out bits on my road bike but count that as free training. Basically I enjoy my cycle to work, and even the train journey is more relaxing than driving. Biggest advantage is all the free training and the benefits of a big hill on the way home. I recently had a bad cold and managed to persevere taking the train with the bike rather than chickening out and driving. However I may buy a Brompton after a few days when I wanted to come back by train and had to wait for the next rain. Although that will be £720 it’ll last for ages (unless nicked).

Although I do spend money on bits and pieces and even clothes wear out the costs are so marginal compared to driving that I must save over £600 a year. I work 3 days per week and the commute is 46 miles round trip.
my commute http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Joppa-to-Livingston
I reckon I could just about do without a car, but not quite for my time off. I have kids so have an estate car full of kids stuff. There is a car club but the cars are tiny and not suitable for what I need. Maybe in time this will be the way to go.

fatherted

Train fare - £1500

bike mtce -averages at around £300 per year - new wheels, chainset, chain, cassette, tyres, brake blocks, clothing.

accrington guy

I save roughly £80 a month...which is nice to know..

NGale

only commute by bike once a week at the moment (getting there slowly) so no saving at the moment, but I hope to be commuting almost every shift by janurary (depending on if I have college or need to go to Okehampton, the car will be needed then)...so who knows :!:

dirk_van_gently

what many folks fail to calculate, is the other costs of running a car, insurance, servicing, wear and tear etc.

I save about 30 to 35 quid a month on fuel alone, and my other means of transport is a motorcycle.

If you aren't spending it, you don't have to earn it, and if you don't earn it, you don't pay tax on it, cool :-)

biondino

I spend £6.40 on public transport for every day I don't cycle (assuming I train/tube it both to and from work). So three days a week cycling will mean I spend £666/year on public transport (what an apposite number :twisted: ) instead of the price of a yearly travelcard which is currently £1,136 for zones 1-3. Which means I oly save £470/year, which is rather less than I imagined. Boo.

Bassjunkieuk

I've never really tried to work out how much money I've saved, but it would work out at around £6-10 per day that I take the train or train/underground to get into London.
Technically this is still free as I claim back all my travel expenses from my employer, same as I can claim for the mileage in my car for the one site that I drive to.

As many have said before tho any perceived money saved on fares etc is usually spent on the bike, but I don't think I spend enough to completely swallow up what I'd spend on fares!

For me it's the time saving and the fact that I get a good workout for at least 45 minutes morning and evening that is the biggest draw for me :-)