If ever you needed an incentive...

FyPunK

To commute by bike and not car. It was that time of the year that all car owners dread, service and MOT day. Oh what joy to find out that since I have been cycling to work (18 months) I have saved lots of pounds on petrol but also wear and and tear, our bill is £150 less than it was last year, mileage is now approx 6000 PA. Quids in I'd say. Now the only problem I have is how to extract said £150 saved out of the wifes hands :twisted:

Kieran_Burns

Check your Car Insurance as well - it may be lower due to low mileage

girv73

I wish. My wife still takes the car to work, right here in Belfast city centre where I am too.

It's handy for lifts sometime though

cougie

£150 less for 18 months of commuting ? I think you'll have to work a little harder to convince most motorists.

How much extra have you spent on your bike in 18 months though ? I've prob spent that much in the last month or so !

FyPunK

cougie wrote:

£150 less for 18 months of commuting ? I think you'll have to work a little harder to convince most motorists.

How much extra have you spent on your bike in 18 months though ? I've prob spent that much in the last month or so !

Thats just on the service and not taken into account the amount saved on petrol, I started to use the world commute site to log my commute milage, in 78 days based on todays average price of a gallon of petrol I have saved approx £143.78. It all adds up.
Edit: I have done a rough calculation based on the average petrol price etc and over 50 weeks I will save approx £460 add to this the £150 saved on the service £610 is not a bad saving. Appart from a few new bits of clothing and chain lube etc thats all the out goings.

cougie

Ooh - now thats more like it eh ?

So 18 months - thats prob £600+ on petrol or so ?

woodyonthebeach

If I work this out.

I don't have a car but I have worked out the cost in the past (rough costs that is). This is if I had my girl friends car. She doesn't have a good for the environment car but it goes fast and piss's of the green people......

say
£1400 for the insurance
£500 for wear and tear (tyres/parts)
£240 tax and MOT (most of that tax)
£2000 Fuel

As you can see I am saving a shed load of cash by not having a car.

il_principe

I don't own a car. The choice was basically el cheapo sh11ty car or high end roadie. Easy choice really.

doog442

i dont do it for money any more..just the fitness..i save about £2 a day on the bike but the fitness aspect is more important than that

i may well change my mind next week when i feel like crap and rejoice at the 2 quid a day saving on fuel

Chewy Cheeks

I cycle for a couple of different reasons

To keep fit - it works, though I do get a bit tired towards the end of the week at the minute, I am sure it will get a bit better in a month or so, and it doesn't take time away from the family.

I do it for the saving - roughly £750 a year(with 3 each way trips a week), even though I dont see it.

I want to go faster so I need a road bike - its just a matter of when and how

We have a car but largely its used by miss's chewy for work and both of us for ferrying the kids around and shopping at the weekend.

the_hundredth_idiot

Gym membership cancelled: saving £62pm
Season ticket not renewed: saving about £700 pa

That's close to £1,500 a year saving for me.

Cost of bike: £41.67 pm out of gross salary (i.e. £1,000 over 24 months) = £24.58 pm after tax and NI (or £295 pa).

So I'm still £1,200 pa up on the deal.

Okay, so I should take into account the cost of all the other cycling related gubbins I spend money on (clothing, shoes, lights) but I can't see me getting up to £1,200 a year.

FyPunK

For me like doog442 and probably most of us, I do it and started to get to get fitter, however as money goes nowhere now the added bonus of some saving is becoming more appreciated, and yes just like Chewy Cheeks, I dont get to see any either