I am currently in my third week of bike commuting and, sore tush aside, I am pretty happy with this experiment in frugality. I can make the 12 mile commute home in just about 45 minutes, which gets me home faster than riding the bus. In fact, I like to think of myself as racing the bus home. Up to a certain point we take the exact same track toward my home before it turns down a major street to connect on the freeway. In all my rides I have either “tied” the bus or beaten it to that point.1
The benefits are more than just time though. Instead of standing around on the bus waiting for a seat to open up I can now improve my overall fitness and increase my mental toughness. I am essentially trading standing up and not being able to do anything on a bus to being able to exercise on my bike. I think that that is a pretty good trade.
So right now I am two for three in terms of the things that I was thinking biking would do for me. The third, which is save money, has yet to fully materialize. The main reason for this is that I bought a bus pass for the month of August, effectively preventing me from realizing any savings this month. In fact, I have done nothing but spend more money to get my bike in shape for me to ride it. Here is the skinny on the money that I have spent so far:
- Bike – $160 US
- Helmet – Free2
- Biking Clothes – Free3
- Tires (2) – $31.18 US
- Tubes (3) – $10.57 US
- Pumps (2) – $26.88 US
All told I have spent $228.64 US on bike related expenses since I started this human powered transportation adventure. If I don’t spend another penny until my savings equal the amount invested it would take 4 months for me to start seeing a positive impact on my expenses. Once that is done I could spend up to $64 US a month on bike transportation and still be breaking even with the added time and exercise benefits. I probably won’t be spending $64 a month.
I don’t know how much I should be spending a month on stuff, but I have heard Jacob from Early Retirement Extreme recommend a $5 a month transportation budget in his post about how to retire early. If I could get by spending $5 a month on recurring bike related expenses (including bike maintenance in general) I would be pretty excited. I would be saving at least $708 a year at that rate – and that could turn into something big down the line in terms of future personal assets or world infrastructure.
But can I keep it up? I certainly hope so.
- By tied I mean that once I arrived after the bus got there, but it was still sitting at the stop because it had gotten there early and had to wait due to its schedule requirements. So even if I had ridden the bus I would only have been at the same place biking had gotten me without any of the beneficial exercise. [↩]
- My brother had an old helmet that he gave me a few years ago. I look like a complete dork wearing it, but it fits and keeps my head safe – what more could a brother want? [↩]
- I just wear normal clothes and since I already have these I consider this free [↩]
You spend a lot on tubes. I’d get a patch kit and buy future tubes and tires somewhere else (like nashbar – hold out for a clearance, then buy). Also, I’d consider some tire liners. I use Mr Tuffy, but the Slime company also make them now. I have never had a flat with those in. Slime (self-sealing goo in the inner tube) might be an option – I don’t use it. You can also avoid a lot of flats by keeping your tires fully inflated. I have been going for a year and had one flat before I put in the Mr Tuffy (I think they were around $20). Otherwise I ride with the same tubes and tires.
You might want to consider some bike shorts. I was wearing out a lot of pant seats that otherwise would have lasted quite a bit longer before I finally got some shorts. Again, wait for a sale. I currently use a bib short with a regular t-shirt. BTW gloves are good in case you fall. Getting road rash on the palms sucks a lot! I use some leather swat team gloves from Ironclad. Not real bike gloves. They double as work gloves, shooting gloves, sports gloves, etc.
I’m a fan!!
You’re not pumping any CO2 into the air, you’re saving money, you’re getting fit, and you’re getting some mental stimulation too!
I agree on the bike shorts (if you don’t have it yet), they really help!
You can get some kiff ones from Fox for about $50 that look like normal shorts if you don’t like the whole spandex thingy. I just got a cheap pair and I wear my boardshorts over them.
Francois
Congrats on starting to commute by bike. Its a great way to go.
I have been doing so for several months now and am happier, healthier, and wealthier as a result. However, I spent the first two months on an old, relatively inexpensive bike that I have old for several years. It worked fine. However, after some giving it some thought and realizing that commuting by bike was something that I was going to stick with, I decided to purchase a nicer bike. I spent about $400 for the bike and a bit more for a few accessories. I was amazed at the difference the new bike made. I shaved about 10% of my commute time right away and started enjoying my commute even more.
RDS
http://financialvalues.blogspot.com/
Still going strong? Its the best way to go. I’ve been pretty inconsistent this summer because of a hectic work schedule. Oh well. Even a couple times a month helps. I’m thinking about looking for an apartment closer to work to cut down on the commute time. It currently takes me about an hour each way thanks to four pretty serious hills. I linked to you in a blog award post, feel free to pass it on!
@ ERE – Thanks for the input. I finally got a patch kit so now my leaky tubes can once again be put to good use. I also need to get some bike gloves. Some crazy guy on one of my bus rides saw my bike helmet and started up a conversation with me about how I needed bike gloves. Since he was crazy I blew him off. Wait a minute, some people probably think you’re crazy too – maybe I should give this whole listening to crazy people a second thought.
@ Francois – I think I might look into this normal-looking-bike-short-but-is-still-a-bike-short thingy. Even though I wrestled in high school and college I think I would feel a little self-conscious walking around in tight bike shorts around the office. Modesty is important!
@RDS – I’ll probably try and tinker with my bike that I bought used for a while now. I think I could probably grease the chain a bit and clean up the gears as well. I don’t know how yet but I need to do some research on it.
@ Me vs. Debt – Yeah, I am still going strong and really beginning to ramp it up. Today I am attempting my first both way trek. It should take me about 90 minutes (about 45 in the morning and 45 in the evening) to travel my 22 miles. I only have one serious hill though. It is .8 miles long and must be a few hundred meters change in elevation. This morning I got up to 50 km/h going down it on my way to work! I hope that by the end of September to riding 110 miles a week.
Glad that I’m not the only one using a bike to get around. Saves a lot of money within a few years. I’m thinking of upgrading from a regular bike to an electric motor bike that I saw in a commercial. I might be able to get farther and be less tired.
@ Cyrus – A motor bike might be the way to go for some people, but for me it would totally be cheating. I think it is great to have to exercise and use my own muscles to get me places. If bike commuting happens to get me tired in the short term, that is okay. I am in it for the long haul. Except if having a baby (which happens in November) makes me miserable on the road due to lack of sleep. That could be seriously dangerous!
I’ve also been kicking this idea around, but I’m not sure I can pull it off. My one-way trip is 16 miles, and I live around Pittsburgh, so there are many, many hills. I did make a test run recently and I think my first new purchase is going to be some nicely padded bike shorts. Good luck!
@ Jason – For my birthday my brother bought me a nicer seat and it had done wonders for my tush. It has been free and clear of soreness for weeks now and I haven’t changed anything esle!
As to your 16 mile commute, I find that the first day of the week is normally pretty easy, but by the end of the week my legs are pretty tired. They aren’t sore exactly, just really weak. It generally starts on the third day (miles 40-60) and makes me about 10-20% slower than when I am fresh.
But one thing I have found is that a significant portion of my time is spent waiting at stop lights. So if your trip would be pretty lightless you might be able to get to work fairly quickly even with the hills.