Is Commuting by Bike REALLY a Money Saver?

glauciaregina9

I am one of numerous people who own a car, but also commutes by bike.

I cycle commute primarily for the exercise, whilst at the same time pretend (hope?) it's saving me money... on my non-biking days I drive the 25 mile round trip.

Of course, the cost of Cycling vs Driving varies through many factors (fuel prices, engine capacity, distance, parking fees, whether or not you opt for top-spec bike parts, etc)...

Both car and bike have associated running costs.

In your experience, is it actually saving you money commutng by bike, or don't you really care? Are the time-saving or health & fitness benefits what give you the incentive?

spasypaddy

no of course not, what you dont spend on transport you spend on clothing, equipment, food, wet wipes.

will3

It easily saves me money.
Commuting by car would cost £20-£25 a week in fuel alone. That would give an annual saving of over a grand on fuel (never mind tyres, serciving, etc etc oh, and not running a second car)
I don't spend anywhere near that on bike parts.

Kieran_Burns

I don't care

Kiblams

If like me you cycle to work to save time and money (over using public transport) it will save loads of money.

Of course by enjoying the ride and not go all out, I can get away with riding an absolute heap (MTB with Slicks and ghetto SS)

Basically, you will save money if like me wou are willing to commute onone of these babies (will be buting one in a few months and can't wait! )

DonDaddyD

It can save you money, but then you must either not really like cycling or be incredibly mean to yourself.

if I took the single cost of my £350 bike and the number of times commuted (majority of the week for two years) against a £100 monthly oyster card then yes it has saved me money.

Those savings hower went on bike upgrades, upgraded repairs and bike accessories and in that sense I don't like to think about it.

Clever Pun

not when this happens



need new wheel now... might get away with a rebuild (new rim) but I think I might just get a new pair and build those back up to start having spares

Mickey Eye

I never intended to save money through commuting. Commuting was just a side effect of buying a trail bike. After a year of using my MTB as a commuter I've bought a CX bike to take over that duty (and some fast country riding where the trail bike is overkill).

If you want riding to save you money then yes, of course, you can.

iPete

Not fussed, the exercise/training factor has taken over.

At the same time, it does pay for itself which is a bonus.

I'd estimate, in 7 months, I've spent £1500 on the bike, clothing and accessories, excluding massive increase in food intake.

I've saved, **drum roll**, roughly £1500 on the trains! This excludes the fact that I haven't driven my car this year and will soon no longer be paying insurance/tax and be giving to a scrap yard.

Would I rather be massively fitter, about to embark on a 1200 miles tour & have all the gear to make the next 7 months many times cheaper or have given all my money to South West Trains? Tough call...

Aidy

It's saved me money, not a great deal - as I tend to see it as money I can spend on bikes guilt free

Public transport would cost about £60/week, it does add up fairly quickly.

Agent57

It saves me money, and saves me time.

My normal weekly commute is about 50 miles; and in a car I'd be stuck in traffic a lot of the time. Even if I got 50mph out of my car, that's £5.50 per week - or £264 per year just on fuel. Then there are the additional costs; vehicle tax (maybe £125), insurance (£400), MoT (£35), servicing (£250+) - a good £1000 over the course of a year. I could buy a new commuting bike and clothing every year for that, and it doesn't include all the other incidental costs such as tyres (a lot more expensive than bike tyres).

Of course, my sums assume I'd have to buy a second car again (since my wife and kids use the other one). If I already had the car sitting unused on the driveway, then cycling to work could cost me money if I spent more than the cost of fuel on bike gear each year.

roger_merriman

Yes or rather can do, equally it can cost you! My big lump of a bike runs on loose change!

night_porter

The main difference is we "choose" to spend money on our bikes (mostly) we don't have to but public transport or petrol doesn't give us the choice.

One day I fully expect to run out of things to buy for my bikes so i WILL start saving (roflmao) errr so I tell my missus!

W1

If you choose to, it can save you loads of cash. I ride a cheap bike, I'm learning to fix it myself, I use my cycling clothes and parts to destruction and I reckon the bike will save me £800 this year on transport alone, excluding gym membership etc. That's not to mention saved time, general enjoyment, being fitter etc. I can easily imagine spending any "saving" on bike bits should you choose to though.

meanredspider

I don't really care either - I'm loads fitter for it. The initial outlay was more than I'd anticipated - the bike (a Wiggle ex-demo then in the sale -50%) was cheap but shoes, shorts, baselayer, lid, rainproof stuff, gloves, jerseys, tyres, lights, saddle. mudguards etc all added up. These costs are spread over more and more miles (1200 since Feb). In reverse, the reduction in wear and tear on the car will accrue over time - so I've been through the peak spend. I'm happy with everything that I've got and it should see me through the rest of this year no problems by which time I should be getting close to breaking even. From then on, I should be in good shape.

prawny

It probably costs me more money but I enjoy it. It would save me a fortune if I went in the car everyday but really that would be daft because the train is only £50 odd per month.

I do it because I hate the train and don't really enjoy the car.

fnegroni

Depends what the alternatives are, and whether you are passionate about the method of transport you use.

When I commuted by car, cars were my passion, and I spent a considerable amount of money on parts: tyres alone were £600 a set, twice a year.

When I commuted by train, I would occasionally buy first class tickets otherwise I would literally be sitting in the toilets.

Now I commute by bike I spend money on important parts such as tyres, saddle, clothes.

But overall, commuting by bike, including the extra unnecessary expense, has been the cheapest alternative.

wgwarburton

Hi,
I stopped using the car, then sold it. I spend little on bike parts, as I am a competent fettler of bikes and tend to buy most, non-consumable bits from local recyclers. For example, I replaced the pedals on my regular commuter a month or so back for a fiver.

I havn't done the sums, TBH, but I would estimate that I spend a hundred quid or so on commuting bike parts over a year (brake blocks, tyres/ tubes/patches, chains+sprockets, mudguards etc). I've replaced the frame a couple of times in the last few years (£20 or so) and obviously need to get oil, grease etc, too.

My train costs vary but I drove to the station rather than into town, anyway, so I don't think there's a huge difference there.

You don't get far in a car for a hundred quid.

Cheers,
W.

MonkeyMonster

'orses for courses.

I do it purely to make roadies sweat with fear

cjcp

I've never properly added it up, but I do it so I stay fit and don't have to commute by train - yuk. So I don't pay SW Trains £170-odd a month, or a gym £60-odd.

I don't count purchases for the nice bike because they would be bought anyway. Only stuff for the commuter bike.

further

There's a lot of people chasing happiness with credit cards. Smacks of desperation to me.

I'm passionate about cycling but it deffo saves me money.

Aidy

further wrote:

There's a lot of people chasing happiness with credit cards. Smacks of desperation to me.

I'm passionate about cycling but it deffo saves me money.

Don't be ridiculous, we're chasing happiness with bikes. They're faster than credit cards.

further

further wrote:
There's a lot of people chasing happiness with credit cards. Smacks of desperation to me.

I'm passionate about cycling but it deffo saves me money.


Don't be ridiculous, we're chasing happiness with bikes. They're faster than credit cards. Smile

Boom tish! Should've seen that coming.

nich

I had a similar topic last week.

The thing I'm finding is that there are a few one-off things you buy that can be expensive when you start, but then it gets cheap (it should do for me at least!). If you can do maintenance yourself then it should remain a bit cheaper too.

I probably would have brought all the bits I needed anyway as I only have 1 road bike - it's used for visiting local family/friends, shopping and commuting. I've never had a car :oops:

will3

Clue:
If you find yourself lusting after a carbon bottle cage, you're not going to save money by cycle commuting.

meanredspider

will3 wrote:

Clue:
If you find yourself lusting after a carbon bottle cage, you're not going to save money by cycle commuting.

Unless, previously, you would find yourself lusting after carbon brake discs for your car... :P

freakybacon

Ok, its to save money and keep fit in my case. Consider:

I live 5 miles from work, therefore its a 10 mile round trip. My car (suzuki jeep) does 30 miles per gallon. A gallon of petrol costs £5.45. Therefore, on every commute I save £5.45 divided by 3 which equals £1.81.

Redfred237

You have to factor in the satisfaction or fun factor into any calculation regarding costing comparisons. If you are a "petrol head" you are going to enjoy the driving experience more. Alternatively if you ride bikes for pleasure and not just a means of getting from A-B you will give that a greater value over driving.

I have the choice of driving to work or cycling in, I place a high value on cycling because of the feeling that it gives me, saving the planet, good for my health Etc., but the bottom line is that I just enjoy it. I cycle at the weekends when not working so I do spend extra cash on goodies, but if I didn't cycle then I'd be spending the cash on something else, some other hobby or interest. so the money spent is cancelled out. or so I tell the wife any way.

Bottom line IMO you save money, feel better about yourself and and are not destroying the planet. Win Win Win.

jmillen

Saves me money and time...during a busy afternoon it can take me over 30 minutes to get home by car (2 miles), on the bike its about 10 mintes.

Combine that with the cost saving of parking/petrol etc and its laughing all the way to the bank (...or should I say bike shop for more bits).

neil_sheehan2000

Kiblams wrote:

Basically, you will save money if like me wou are willing to commute onone of these babies (will be buting one in a few months and can't wait! )

I don't know why, but I suddenly really want one of those bikes!

freakybacon

"Saves me money and time...during a busy afternoon it can take me over 30 minutes to get home by car (2 miles), on the bike its about 10 mintes."

Yea, there is that factor too- on a friday it can be a race between my car driving mates & I. Beaten them occasionally too- but need heavy traffic, & ideally some temporary lights to slow em down. My commute is typically 20-25 minutes whether in car or bike simply due to the traffic & speed cameras.