Frugal Commuting

[PatNZ]

Does any one else try to cycle frugally? I view cycling as a really cheap form of transport that's also great for fitness and saves on gym costs.

I also don't like to see things go to waste.

My commuting Bike Cost.

$70 for old Apollo chromo steel Racer.
$40 New 8 speed Cassette (bike shop)
$30 New Chain (bike shop)
$16 Bike rack (brought BSO from Cash converters with the rack repaired the bike sold the bike for $20, so technically -$4)
Old plastic shopping basket found for free.
$60 Gatorskin back tire
$35 Rubino front tire
$22 Electric Speedo

So I guess I actually spent $273 on this bike... Guess I got a bit carried away with spending.

Avantages of this bike:
Fast - This bike can really go quite quick.
Easy to carry a backpack in the basket or even do shopping.
Ugly - This bike doesn't draw attention so I feel like its much safer being parked in the city for long periods of time than some thing newer.
Cost - Quite cheapish. Some cost with consumables, chain, cassette, tires etc.

[CKinnard]

Good on you Pat. Cycling is the great leveler of mankind. I find most of the people who commute and do utility riding think beyond the mundane.

It should be the cheapest form of transport, apart from walking.
If you want to pay down a mortgage and have kids, and be independent in retirement, there's nothing smarter than riding utilitarian!

[cyclotaur]

......
If you want to pay down a mortgage and have kids, and be independent in retirement, there's nothing smarter than riding utilitarian!

True - been there done that.

[bychosis]

I'm similar, in respect to commuter cycling at least, everything has been cheap. although I still keep upgrading just not with much new gear.

Steel apollo roadie, $70 (snap). Wheels purchased for my first roadie handed down (old roadie sold off in bits). Tyres around $20ea. Tyre liners to keep the flats at bay while running cheaper tyres, cheap bar tape, cheap brake pads, cassette from years ago, own servicing. It's a little hard to work out the true cost of my commuter cycling due to the gear that's done the rounds of bikes or bought and sold etc but for all my bikes other than my good MTB I do it on the cheap.

On the other hand, Ive shelled out about $70 on a rigid MTB ($15 bike plus parts) because it's great for towing the trailer and can take a kid seat as opposed to using the roadie, or downgrading the roadie to a more utility bike for commuting. it's not as cheap as running one bike for everything.

[sorted]

Does any one else try to cycle frugally? I view cycling as a really cheap form of transport that's also great for fitness and saves on gym costs.

I also don't like to see things go to waste.

All of the above for my commuting bike, plus the fact that starting the day with a bike ride beats sitting in a car or on a train every time.

I built up an old steel-framed Ricardo ($40) as a commuter, but added brifters, new wheels, cables and brakes (just over $250 all-in with some careful shopping), so it rides nicely, but to the untrained eye still looks rough enough to not worry too much where I leave it.

I racked up nearly 8000km on it last year and, with DIY servicing, spent around $100 on consumables (tyres, tubes, cables, chain and cassette). My commuting by bike means we've gone down to one car for the family, and I now weigh the same as I did at 18, so it definitely has benefits.

However, as with so many of these things, that's only part of the story. You need a few spares in stock, in case something breaks, snaps, wears out or gets a major puncture. Plus some degreaser, grease and chain lube. Also, building a bike turned out to be something I enjoyed, so I've also built a single speed bike. Again, pretty cost-effectively ($150 altogether). There is also a Kerry Hopkins road bike project under way. I have gone from 2 bikes to 5 and further expansion is limited by what will fit in the shed without attracting undue attention from my wife. Plus accumulating a few reasonable quality bike tools soon adds up. So if you do the maths honestly, maybe not all that frugal in the end for me, but it's fun and still cheaper than running a second car!

[__PG__]

I commute most of the time on a 21 year old bike. It cost me a mint back in the day, but I reckon I've paid it off over that time.

I look at the frugal option this way. Every day I ride in saves me just over $7 in train fares. So that's a lot of money I can spend on tubes/tires/chains/etc. before its costing me money.

[CKinnard]

I commute most of the time on a 21 year old bike. It cost me a mint back in the day, but I reckon I've paid it off over that time.

I look at the frugal option this way. Every day I ride in saves me just over $7 in train fares. So that's a lot of money I can spend on tubes/tires/chains/etc. before its costing me money.

that's 7 after tax dollars!

[ColinOldnCranky]

When I rode I bought what was considered fairly flash at the time. Riccardo Elitre CoMo double butted with, from memory, Shimano 600EX bits and bobs (I think the headset was a level above that). But this was before the market started kitting everyone out on bikes that the Australian Olympic team would be envious. So it still only cost me about a week or two's pay.

While it was maybe better than the average ride at the time, by hanging onto it, anything less may have been false economy. As it was when I gave it to an appreciative rider for a peppercorn it was still in very good condition after decades of commuting. All it had done to it was some routine maintenance and a few parts replaced or added by choice - brooks saddle, light and dynamo, reflectors, a different set of handle bars and a set of matching chains. I suspect that four seasons of clothing cost more over the years.

Frugal because it was a good bike used over an extended period of time. I see little reason why it can't still be the same. Perhaps even better as so many riders toss out excellent bikes in near new condition in the pursuit of those infernal Jones's who always seem to be one better bike in front of the rest of us.

Still being frugal with a very basic unicycle that is also doing long distances without the urge to upgrade.

[Dean Learner]

$/km is how I like to look at bikes.

I spent a few $ on the bike (though $ were for quality and longevity and I shopped around and went secondhand where possible) but I'm down to 10c/km on the commuter and that number will continue to fall. No other form of transport is going to match that for price and in my case time either. Add in the priceless mental benefits and why would you do anything else, it almost makes going to work a pleasure.

[Nobody]

When I rode I bought what was considered fairly flash at the time. Riccardo Elitre CoMo double butted with, from memory, Shimano 600EX bits and bobs (I think the headset was a level above that).

Were all the tubes CrMo or just the main frame? Back in the '80s a total CrMo bike was fairly rare if I remember correctly. I didn't own a full CrMo bike 'til after 1990. Still got it too.

But this was before the market started kitting everyone out on bikes that the Australian Olympic team would be envious. So it still only cost me about a week or two's pay.

Yeah, it's mainly about performance and image these days, rather than transport and frugality.

________________________________________________________________________

Below is my utiltiy/wet bike. It's obvious that it didn't cost too much. This bike saves many car trips.

[ColinOldnCranky]

When I rode I bought what was considered fairly flash at the time. Riccardo Elitre CoMo double butted with, from memory, Shimano 600EX bits and bobs (I think the headset was a level above that).

Were all the tubes CrMo or just the main frame? Back in the '80s a total CrMo bike was fairly rare if I remember correctly. I didn't own a full CrMo bike 'til after 1990. Still got it too.

Unless someone can tell me differently it was all Tange CrMo. Certainly the CrMo extended to the front forks. Double butted. Pretty light, possibly a little too light as it could get a resonance when loaded with panniers at speed down steep inclines etc or it could have been due to the very short chain stays and a lack of that little bar that went from one chain stay to the other just behind the bottom bracket. I was once told that it also had some highly thought of Italian dropouts but no idea what is so special about one set of dropouts over another. They were quite popular for a time with many serious commuters. I didn't think much of the saddle however but saddles are a very personal thing on bikes anyway.

[find_bruce]

$/km is how I like to look at bikes.

I spent a few $ on the bike (though $ were for quality and longevity and I shopped around and went secondhand where possible) but I'm down to 10c/km on the commuter and that number will continue to fall. No other form of transport is going to match that for price and in my case time either. Add in the priceless mental benefits and why would you do anything else, it almost makes going to work a pleasure.

Last year I rode 8,135 km so 10c/km would be $813.50 - fairly sure I didn't spend quite that much, but factor in buying a $700 new bike 3 years ago & I would be around the 10c/km mark

[Lizzy]

Hmm, "somewhat" is my answer; last time I was in the market for a bike I spent less than half what I'd decided was justifiable. Mind you that was quickly offset by being a bowerbird about accessories and gadgetry.

If I'm honest with myself, commuting is more about quality of life & positive use of time than purely saving dosh (because I probably don't!)

[ColinOldnCranky]

I reckon I have spent around $1,000. That includes a few parts, lots of tyres, several seats, clothing for all seasons, backpacks, water bottles and meters.

So, 40,000km for around $1,000 comes to 2.5 cents per km. It'd be nice if that was all it cost me.

The unicycle itself only cost $160. These days I could get better for the same price. But the daily coffee stops adds up to way more than my cycling costs. Maybe 2,000 at around $10 a time - $20,000!

[Drizt]

Think my wife and I have spent about $22k in 12 months on bikes etc. Would have been cheaper to stay on the train.

[tez001]

Apart from the initial outlay of my commuter (which wasnt much as it was a hand me down from my brother) the way I look at commuting is, it saves me about $9 on bus fares. That can be spend on lunches. Instead of having tuna and bread every day

[ColinOldnCranky]

Apart from the initial outlay of my commuter (which wasnt much as it was a hand me down from my brother) the way I look at commuting is, it saves me about $9 on bus fares. That can be spend on lunches. Instead of having tuna and bread every day

It saved me around $40 a week on train fares excluding weekends. But since January 1st trains and buses cost me mostly zilch and, occasionally, less than $3. I just lurrrrv my Seniors card. I guess I must just love the ride.

[caneye]

i started with the objective of frugal commuting.

then i realised that unlike weekend rides, i cannot afford breakdowns and mechanical issues commuting to work. so i had to look at something new-ish decent and reliable, which meant .. $$$.
(i'm confident doing my own basic service/trouble-shoot on the bike, but not on weekdays, when i have work commitments and kids have activities.)
so i ended up spending 500 for the bike.

and then i had to get decent lights. commuting in traffic without bike lights (especially rear) is risky i thought. ended up with a knog 4v light and then a Fly6.

and then ... i didn't want to stop riding just because it was wet. i sweat like a pig so any cheap & nasty rain coat wouldn't do. so i spent a couple of hundred bucks on the 02 rain jacket <--- 1 of the best investments to date. it is expensive but is also convertible and i've worn it as a gillet when the dawn temperature dropped below 15C.

oh .. and because i sweat like a pig, using a backpack wouldn't be ideal. therefore i ended up using a spare mountaineer bum bag that i had. and ended up with a cycling pannier trunk bag. but then you can't buy a trunk bag unless you have a pannier rack. so that's additional purchase there. but mind you .. i've bought the bag & rack used