Cost savings from 4 months of bike commuting

[TwoWheelsDC]

@kcb203 65780 wrote:

Since I started bike commuting ~3 days per week on May 31, I’ve biked 1175 miles and burned about 35,000 calories. I’ve saved 67 gallons/$265 dollars in gas and another $110 in tolls.

Nice! Honestly, I doubt I really save any money by bike commuting….the reason for which can be summed up by the phrase “oooooh, that’s a sweet jersey…and it’s on SALE!”

[ronwalf]

Great! I’m pretty sure I eat my entire gas savings, and my per-mile bike maintenance is similar to my car, but I’m savings oodles on depreciation and insurance of a second car (plus, it’s just plain fun).

[Mikey]

“Chocolate cupcake at $3.75. Don’t mind if I do. . .”

[KayakCyndi]

@Mikey 65788 wrote:

“Chocolate cupcake at $3.75. Don’t mind if I do. . .”

I can totally relate but for me it is chocolate milkshakes! I almost cried yesterday when I walked to Pot Belly to get my shake and found them closed for renovations!

[Greenbelt]

This is probably a bit politically incorrect, but my biggest savings has been on public transit costs. I’ve gradually migrated from car to transit to bike over the last decade.

[83b]

@Greenbelt 65797 wrote:

This is probably a bit politically incorrect, but my biggest savings has been on public transit costs. I’ve gradually migrated from car to transit to bike over the last decade.

That’s not politically incorrect! My old job didn’t have any transit subsidy, so I was loading up my metro card with cash. It cost me a little over $30 per week for a relatively short trip. When you have to physically put greenbacks into a machine it really drives the point home!

[ERandall]

Yep, I ride metro 2 days a week and it costs me $5 each way and may or may not end up with me sitting in a hot crowded broken down or delayed metro car… save $30 a week, $120 a month and get fresh air and decent legs but then I also eat more to keep my energy up. 😎

[cyclingfool]

@Greenbelt 65797 wrote:

This is probably a bit politically incorrect, but my biggest savings has been on public transit costs. I’ve gradually migrated from car to transit to bike over the last decade.

Yeah, that’s me, too, well minus the driving. I have never driven to work in the DC area.

My metro commute from Braddock Rd to Farragut West is now $7 round trip at peak of the peak fares. Throw in a few bus trips on either end if I’m too tired/lazy to walk (since my office downtown is in a metro black hole and is over 1/2 mile from the nearest station), it quickly adds up to $40+ a week to take transit to work. Granted, I could (and used to) take that pre-tax as Smart Benefits, so the true cost would be slightly lower, but the point is the same. It’s not the main reason I commute by bike, but it is certainly a compelling argument in favor of it.

I’ve spent a lot on bikes and bike stuff over the last 4.5 years I’ve been bike commuting. But even if I low-ball the estimate on metro fare at $100 a month, that’s now over $5,000 I haven’t spent on metro. $5,000 does actually outstrip what I’ve spent on bike commuting, despite having to write off a Surly LHT stolen when renters insurance had lapsed.

Bike commuting FTW!!!

[Riley Casey]

Of course the biggest returns on investment are the benefits you’ve incurred to your well being from the time spent getting all those physical effort points against alternative of sitting on your ass cursing the traffic. :rolleyes: The cash doesn’t hurt either.

One cautionary note. I took my car for service a few months ago ( sure its a 15 year old Subaru but getting to the antique tag stage is part of being a rider rather than a driver ) and got a bill of over $3000. Upon asking why it was so high the mechanic said it’s because I don’t drive it enough ! It seems some things like the brakes had started to rust together. I thought that driving it once every couple of months would suffice. Nope, apparently I need to take it out on the beltway every couple of weeks for short spin. Doh!!!

[PotomacCyclist]

Moving people from Metro to bike is good. It relieves overcrowding during rush hour. It also helps to delay expensive upgrades and expansion of Metro service, which is no small amount.

[LBSki]

I’ve moved from commuting by metro to biking most days. I started just one day a week and now usually ride four days a week. My savings since the start of the year, just in metro fare is over $400! I love keeping track of it, it’s a great motivator.

[CPTJohnC]

In theory biking should save me money, and it did at the beginning. At first it saved me $4.50/ day parking at metro. Now it ‘saves’ me parking and fare ($5.65/trip) on the days I ride, except I now own 3 bikes, two front light sets, numerous blinkies, a couple helmets, jerseys, shorts, two sets of SPD pedals, two sets of Look pedals, shoes and cleats, winter riding gear, panniers, locks, etc… Conservatively, I’ve spent all my savings, and then some. Oh, and because I get a transit subsidy, that $5.65/ trip is fictitious, and I only really save the parking fee.

However, my fitness is far better than it was when I started, I weight about 40 Lbs less than I did then, and I feel 10X better. I did a century in Sept, I’ll be running the ATM in Oct. and I’m considering a Tri within the next 2 years (before I turn 50). More than anything, at this point, is the benefit that I have fun cycling, and I ride because I want to.

[ERandall]

@CPTJohnC 66010 wrote:

In theory biking should save me money, and it did at the beginning. At first it saved me $4.50/ day parking at metro. Now it ‘saves’ me parking and fare ($5.65/trip) on the days I ride, except I now own 3 bikes, two front light sets, numerous blinkies, a couple helmets, jerseys, shorts, two sets of SPD pedals, two sets of Look pedals, shoes and cleats, winter riding gear, panniers, locks, etc… Conservatively, I’ve spent all my savings, and then some. Oh, and because I get a transit subsidy, that $5.65/ trip is fictitious, and I only really save the parking fee.

However, my fitness is far better than it was when I started, I weight about 40 Lbs less than I did then, and I feel 10X better. I did a century in Sept, I’ll be running the ATM in Oct. and I’m considering a Tri within the next 2 years (before I turn 50). More than anything, at this point, is the benefit that I have fun cycling, and I ride because I want to.

Also, those are all assets versus a Metro fare which you pay and never see again…

[Brendan von Buckingham]

My household budget has a column for Metro/bike. I calculate what it would take to Metro to work (bus + Rossyln to Waterfront train). That’s my monthly allotment for that column. Out of that I buy all my maintenance, equipment, wardrobe, and a new bike every three years. And still have a surplus. That’s because, Metro has gotten expensive and I bike almost 5 days a week. I actually cheer whenever Metro goes up because it means more money for my bikes.

[DismalScientist]

@Brendan von Buckingham 66102 wrote:

Metro has gotten expensive and I bike almost 5 days a week. I actually cheer whenever Metro goes up because it means more money for my bikes.

By any chance, do you work in a Federal budgeting office?:rolleyes:

[Author]

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