So how do you spend the savings made by cycling?

itboffin

Il Principe wrote:

Bikequin wrote:

I'd like to think that commuting does save me a considerable ammount of money - that being on the grounds that I'd buy all my bike kit anyway.

+1 I tend to buy kit that will be used for non commuting as well as commuting. Sensible I reckon.

PT would cost me £1,032 a year so on the whole I've probably saved a little, but not much!

Best if you don't add it up, the shock might kill you

Dibs on the Castelli collection, besides if I put a few pounds on some of it might fit me..... ouch! zing!

supertwisted

Simon E wrote:

Another benefit is cycling every day means you can eat more cake, which is even better.

That reminds me, must buy some swiss roll when I do the shopping today.

Having done the work commute a few times I've noticed I'm insatiably hungry all day. I guess I can spend all the saved petrol money on fueling my groaning stomach.

Kieran_Burns

Ummm.... savings?

Errr.... well I just Revo remapped my A4, and that cost a fair whack. Does anyone know how to remap my legs? They're like sodding jelly at the moment :oops:

BiggerBoat

Savings? ROFLMAO! Unless you drive a Hummer, you're dreaming. I'm now a member of WA (wiggle anonymous). My other "money saving" hobby: Allotment, which involves spending £100's on crop protection to save £10's on veggies. I also scuba dive, now that is f-ing expensive, makes cycling look like a bargain.

iPete

I'd save £220 a month!

By that, I mean south west trains don't get £220 a month from me, wiggle does.

Brake blocks are lasting about 1000 miles, that's £20 a month, then there's the constant eating but at the end of the day I have it all now, which is great when I cycle at the weekend, road or MTB.

Saying that, I took a ride in a friends kit car at the weekend, now that's a hobby that makes cycling look a bargain! want...

mudcovered

Well after a bit of spreadsheet calculation (based on car fuel costs alone) I'm spending about £1500 per year by cycling. Even allowing for the amount I've spent on bike parts in the last year I'm still in profit. If I used trains or buses I'd be saving even more as that option is more costly than the car.

Hmm. Maybe I can justify that carbon road bike after all. :twisted:

Mike

BiggerBoat

I'm spending about £1500 per year by cycling

Wow, you need help

simon_e

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I just Revo remapped my A4

I first though that was some kind of ring binder or folder for sheets of paperwork, then I wondered if it's a Garmin-type device, but then it occurred to me - perhaps it's a car. Why does it need to be remapped, is it lost?

Fun is a huge part of why I cycle daily. It makes my working day so much sweeter, bookended as it is by the ride. When I drove the 5 or so miles to work Radio 4 was the only thing that kept me awake/entertained/sane. The 20 minutes of queueing and trundling through town was something to be endured, a necessary evil.

Now I don't bother with the news, it's all death & destruction, rarely anything positive. Instead I listen to the hiss of tyres on tarmac, smell the morning air, notice the seasons and the weather. And there's the prospect of a big bowl of porridge at work

All these things (locally grown organic porridge apart) are free and give me great pleasure - something the car journey can never do.

Sewinman

I like to think of it as owning rather than saving. There is at least £80 a month i would have given the f'ing First Capital Connect that I now give to myself to buy bike stuff.

R_T_A

Simon E wrote:

Another benefit is cycling every day means you can eat more cake, which is even better.

Mmmm, cake.

I forgot to mention my most important things about commuting by bike:
- Turning what most people consider the worst part of the day into the best part of the day.
- Having time to enjoy riding 5 days a week as weekends are taken with the little 'un and other life things.

Truly worth the expense IMO.

biondino

BiggerBoat wrote:

I'm spending about £1500 per year by cycling

Wow, you need help

Help spending more? That's what we're here for!

Kieran_Burns

Actually - we've all forgotten one big saving:

If you use cycling as your main method for keeping fit / losing weight then you are saving on potential gym / whatever fad thing purchases you would make otherwise.

I would never consider joiining a gym: full of smug poseurs or sweaty lard buckets in denial; as some steroid injected half-wit school drop-out patronises me because I can't bench press what feels like the weight of the left buttock of the unholy ugly fat tart who I wish to God would stop huffing and puffing while struggling to walk at 1 mph on the treadmill while listening to some truly bloody awful electronic bollocks being pumped out the under-powered distorted speakers or watching Jeremy sodding Kyle ruin some other over-weight ugly oxygen thief's life on the TV.

I don't like Gyms.

suzyb

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Actually - we've all forgotten one big saving:

If you use cycling as your main method for keeping fit / losing weight then you are saving on potential gym / whatever fad thing purchases you would make otherwise.

I would never consider joiining a gym: full of smug poseurs or sweaty lard buckets in denial; as some steroid injected half-wit school drop-out patronises me because I can't bench press what feels like the weight of the left buttock of the unholy ugly fat tart who I wish to God would stop huffing and puffing while struggling to walk at 1 mph on the treadmill while listening to some truly bloody awful electronic bollocks being pumped out the under-powered distorted speakers or watching Jeremy sodding Kyle ruin some other over-weight ugly oxygen thief's life on the TV.

I don't like Gyms.

Exactly why I wouldn't join a gym. Would hate the skinny little runt who looks more like they need a good meal instead of doing more exercise to be put off by my huffing and puffing as I actually try and do something about my fat arse and lack of fitness.

simonaspinall

Don't ever think that cycling will save you money. :shock:

That said, cycling to work and back is a no-brainer. Especially on a lovely tasty nice road bike. 8)

Mmmmmmmm.....road bike.

You could put some of any savings left after tyres, brake pads, new wheels, saddle, tubes, tools, bike washing gear, clothing, bike books, 4 different kinds of lube, new backpack or panniers, mudguards, helmet etc. on getting a home weights bench, weights and barbells, oh and a swiss ball, perhaps a floormat.

Cycling coaching?

Spikes to put on your wheels for chariot-style sabotage of someone you see RLJing? :twisted:

greg66_tri_v2.0

Christophe3967 wrote:

If I do save money, I always make sure its spent wisely. On beer. 8)

And petrol.

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Ummm.... savings?

Errr.... well I just Revo remapped my A4, and that cost a fair whack. Does anyone know how to remap my legs? They're like sodding jelly at the moment :oops:

Attaboy!

lost_in_thought

Savings? What savings? Who makes a saving? How are you doing that?

The small savings I make on tube fares I spend on the extra food... and beer...

richk

This year it's paying for the second week of our summer holiday... Can't wait

Kieran_Burns

Greg66 wrote:

Christophe3967 wrote:

If I do save money, I always make sure its spent wisely. On beer. 8)

And petrol.

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Ummm.... savings?

Errr.... well I just Revo remapped my A4, and that cost a fair whack. Does anyone know how to remap my legs? They're like sodding jelly at the moment :oops:

Attaboy!

275bhp and 380 ft/lbs

greg66_tri_v2.0

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Christophe3967 wrote:

If I do save money, I always make sure its spent wisely. On beer. 8)

And petrol.

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Ummm.... savings?

Errr.... well I just Revo remapped my A4, and that cost a fair whack. Does anyone know how to remap my legs? They're like sodding jelly at the moment :oops:

Attaboy!

275bhp and 380 ft/lbs

Nice! Quattro or FWD? Engine size?

Kieran_Burns

Greg66 wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Christophe3967 wrote:

If I do save money, I always make sure its spent wisely. On beer. 8)

And petrol.

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Ummm.... savings?

Errr.... well I just Revo remapped my A4, and that cost a fair whack. Does anyone know how to remap my legs? They're like sodding jelly at the moment :oops:

Attaboy!

275bhp and 380 ft/lbs

Nice! Quattro or FWD? Engine size?

3.0TDi Quattro with LOADS of toys - the guy doing the remap (Audi specialist) even commented on the high spec 8)
It's debadged and I'm suddenly embarrassing some serious motors with the pick up and this wall of torque

Gazzaputt

New years resolution not to be as frivolous this year as last year on bike parts.

Should save around £5000 this year by doing that and not paying for a season ticket.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Christophe3967 wrote:

If I do save money, I always make sure its spent wisely. On beer. 8)

And petrol.

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Ummm.... savings?

Errr.... well I just Revo remapped my A4, and that cost a fair whack. Does anyone know how to remap my legs? They're like sodding jelly at the moment :oops:

Attaboy!

275bhp and 380 ft/lbs

Nice! Quattro or FWD? Engine size?

3.0TDi Quattro with LOADS of toys - the guy doing the remap (Audi specialist) even commented on the high spec 8)
It's debadged and I'm suddenly embarrassing some serious motors with the pick up and this wall of torque

Woah - 380 ft/lbs? Wall of torque is right! :P

il_principe

Greg66 wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Christophe3967 wrote:

If I do save money, I always make sure its spent wisely. On beer. 8)

And petrol.

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Ummm.... savings?

Errr.... well I just Revo remapped my A4, and that cost a fair whack. Does anyone know how to remap my legs? They're like sodding jelly at the moment :oops:

Attaboy!

275bhp and 380 ft/lbs

Nice! Quattro or FWD? Engine size?

3.0TDi Quattro with LOADS of toys - the guy doing the remap (Audi specialist) even commented on the high spec 8)
It's debadged and I'm suddenly embarrassing some serious motors with the pick up and this wall of torque

Woah - 380 ft/lbs? Wall of torque is right! :P

Get a room.

:roll:

Trailradar

by spending on: more cycling gear, upgrades, bike clothes, more bikes and more bike gear!

andy83

not a chance do i save money, wiggle keep telling me im a platinum customer and making me buy stuff!

the savings I make are on sanity

It would drive me crazy having to go to work on the train or bus, and the fact its some me time is invaluable. Who in their right mid would drive 20 - 30 miles to work when they can easily do it in 4? I wouldnt think twice about doing this on my bike which i do regularly

Aidy

I reckon I've saved about £500 over taking public transport for the past nearly a year.
There has been about £2k's worth of bike related purchases taken into account with that, though (i.e. public transport costs - £2.5k, bike costs - £2k).

I'm not counting additional food in that (but I don't reckon I'm really eating any more than before), and it doesn't include mountain biking gear (because it wasn't bought for commuting).

I am sort of trying to convince myself that I don't need more cycling kit now, though...

rjh299

Because of me commuting by bike, me and girlfriend didn't need 2 cars so sold hers. That's not only a saving, but a profit!
Only problem is that is doesn't even put a dent in my new cycling addiction developed
And it's only gonna get worse when my new Super Six arrives!

Aidy

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Errr.... well I just Revo remapped my A4, and that cost a fair whack.

Hmm... seriously considering having mine done.

NGale

my savings although minimal at the moment are going towards the cost of my course in September.

rolf_f

Unreasonable to add in all the costs of cycling as commuting costs even if cycling to work triggered the hobby.

You should easily save a lot of money cycling to work. Lets see - total cost of bike (on C2W) - about £550. Expenditure on it in last year:

1 bottom bracket - £65 for a Hope jobby
4 sets of brake pads - £12
2 slick tyres - £20
1 year service plus misc parts - £25
Lights plus batteries consumed - £27
Altura seat bag - £12
Cheap commuting clobber from Lidl/Aldi - maybe £60 inc the shoes?
2 chains plus new cassette - £65

Most other things can probably be regarded as non commute specific.

I think that is about £280. Of that lot, only the tyres, cassette, chains and brake pads are likely to be repeated each year the others being start up costs. So more like £100 per year to run the bike. Metrocard cost me over £600 so I should generally be up by £500 a year.